Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Squall, Squall!" buzzed the speakers. "Please report to the bridge immediately."

…What is it now, thought Squall with an irritated groan.

He opened his eyes. At the same time a breeze blew through the open window, parting the curtains and allowing sunlight to stream in. The swordsman winced, covering his eyes. He waited until the curtain fell again before he sat up and rubbed his eyes, rubbing away the sleep.

It had been a restless night. Every time Squall closed his eyes and drifted off, that same dream came to him. It was the same scene every time. His young self was standing alone in the pouring rain, waiting for a person that would never come. Finally, when he was cold and shivering and on the brink of tears, he would make that same promise again: 'I'll be all right by myself'.

The swordsman got up. He had not bothered to change out of his clothes, but he made time enough to sort out his hair and wash the sleep from his eyes before he clipped on his gunblade and made his way out of the door.

Since appointing Squall as the 'leader' of the Garden, Headmaster Cid had vacated his former office and now resided with the rest of the Garden staff in another part of the building. The 3F was to be the base of operations within Garden, and so it made sense to Cid that only those who would be involved in the battles should be there. Everyone knew where Cid would be if they needed him, but his floor was now dedicated only to those 'in command'. Meaning… Squall.

On his way to the bridge he saw Rinoa. She had just finished taking Angelo for his morning walk and was now heading in the direction of the library. Angelo, worn out from a playful stint in the outer gardens, walked tiredly at her side.

Rinoa had not yet seen Squall. He watched her for a moment, remembering their conversation on the sun dish. The swordsman placed his hand on his hip and frowned in thought. He still did not know what she expected of him. Well, what she wanted was obvious—she had been pretty clear on that—but he did not know… exactly… what she wanted of him.

Rinoa walked on, and she entered the library. Once she was gone Squall hurried on and headed up to the bridge.

There was a welcome party awaiting him. Quistis and Xu had huge smiles on their faces as they turned and clapped. Another SeeD was here as well, also smiling and also clapping, but Squall did not even notice him.

"Greetings, commander!" said Quistis, still smiling. She had a clipboard tucked under her arm.

Squall stepped off the lift. "Don't call me that," he grunted.

"We thought you should have a title," Xu explained, folding her hands in front of her. "So Quistis and I decided on commander."

"Sorry to carry out things on our own," said Quistis, pulling out the clipboard, "but Xu and I assigned duties."

"I'll take care of all the supplies needed in the Garden," said Xu.

"And I'll help take care of the students with Dr Kadowaki," said Quistis. "You can just focus on our destination and battle plans." She looked down at the clipboard, running through her list. When she reached one point she tapped it with her pencil. "And, ah… Will you let Selphie rest a while? I think she's exhausted from the missile base mission. She could use some rest. How does that sound to you?"

"Fine…" Squall replied with a shrug.

Quistis checked this off her list. "Alright," Xu said, rubbing her hands, "I have some reports for you already." She then coughed and turned to the SeeD standing between her and Quistis.

Squall looked at him. He was a plain-looking fellow, about seventeen-years-old, with dark hair and an amiable smile, a warm look in his eyes and a likeable air about him. His SeeD uniform was in pristine condition, and he had a rapier hanging at his side. Squall was sure that he had seen that rapier somewhere before, although he could not place where. Aside from that, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.

His name was Nida. He waved at Squall and said "Hey, Squall" in a cheery voice.

Squall stared at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

The young man's face fell. "What!" he asked, incredulous. "Oh, man, it's me. We passed the SeeD exam together. I can't believe you forgot!"

The swordsman folded his arms and frowned. Had they really passed the SeeD exam together? He was sure that he would remember something like that. On that day only four people had passed the exam: himself, Zell and Selphie, and…

"Oh yeah…" Squall said, finally remembering.

Nida dropped to his knees. "Gee…" he moaned. He shook his head and then stood up again. "Hell, it's just like you to forget," he remarked, and flashed Squall a shamefaced grin.

The swordsman said nothing. Nida continued to smile and even chuckled. Xu, growing impatient, made a quiet cough behind her hand. Nida took the hint and turned back to business.

"By the way, you know the FH technicians were fixing the Garden, right?" he asked Squall. "They just finished. Meaning… The Garden's ready to go anytime."

Nida turned to the newly redesigned control deck. The old one had been removed and replaced with a smaller, up-to-date one that was easier to understand. There was a screen showing the map of the world, and a panel for inputting coordinates when the Garden was running on automatic. There was another new addition: a long, pointed column rising out of the front of the panel. Instead of a wheel or joystick, this was a directional rudder on a much larger scale, needed for manoeuvring an object as large and heavy as Balamb Garden. It was to this that Nida looked, his eyes gazing on it with an almost great affection.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I'll be piloting the Garden. FH technicians taught me everything about piloting this thing. Let me know when you want to go."

Squall just nodded. That sounded like a fair deal to him.

Again, Quistis checked this off on her list. Once sure that they had covered all the important topics, she turned to the last thing on her list: a destination. "Any suggestions on where we should go?" she asked Squall.

The swordsman shrugged. He had not even thought about that.

"Hey," said Xu. She turned to Quistis. "Why don't we go back to Balamb? We don't know what's happened since we left. Besides, Balamb may be their next target. It's a harbour town, just like FH."

"You're right," Quistis agreed. She rubbed her chin. "Squall, what do you think?"

The swordsman folded his arms and ran through the information they had to hand. The army was searching for Ellone. They had attacked Fisherman's Horizon, a peace-loving harbour town. Under the sorceress's orders, they were to burn down the cities in which Ellone was not found. This reduced the places where she could hide.

If that was the case, then it made sense that the army would first target all the port and harbour towns, such as Fisherman's Horizon, Dollet and Balamb. This reduced Ellone's chances of escaping across the ocean. They must have started with Fisherman's Horizon to eliminate the possibility of her escaping to Esthar. Squall closed his eyes, following that train of thought.

The army had to know that Ellone had ties to Balamb Garden. Assuming that they did, it would be highly likely that Balamb would be their next target. It fitted all the criteria. It was a port town and had links to Balamb Garden. It was also squarely in between Galbadia and Esthar, although that was just coincidence. Convinced his arguments were sound, Squall nodded his consent.

"Are we ready to go?" Nida asked.

Squall nodded again. There was no point in hanging around. If Balamb was indeed going to be the next target, then they needed to get there as soon as possible. "Yes," he answered. "We're taking off. I'll direct you to our destination. Announce the departure."

Nida grinned and saluted. "Roger!" he said. He turned to the control panel, where a brand new PA system had also been fitted by the technicians. Nida cleared his throat and then said in a loud, clear voice: "May I have your attention please. This is the bridge. The Garden will be leaving FH shortly. Please prepare for departure. I now hand the mic over to our leader, Squall."

At that moment, Rinoa was in the library listening to the announcement. When Nida finished his speech there was a rustle from the speaker and then Squall's voice, short and irritated, echoed throughout the library.

"A speech… Forget it. Cut the mic!"

Rinoa put her hand to her lips. She then keeled over and clutched at her sides, overcome with laughter. That was typical Squall.

It was a strange feeling, Squall thought, returning to the Balamb continent. After spending longer than a week at sea and then crashing into Fisherman's Horizon, arriving at the continent seemed almost like arriving in a foreign land.

The Garden approached the continent on the south-eastern shore. Instead of heading straight to Balamb, Squall instructed that they made a quick detour. Nida followed his directions to the letter, until the Garden reached that spot on the Alcauld Plains where Balamb Garden had once stood.

All that was left of the area was a huge crater, caused by the Garden's rising and the missile strike that had almost destroyed them all. The crater spanned several acres and was almost twice the size of the Garden. The land around the impact site was burnt black, with little signs of life. It would have been a direct hit.

A number of students and SeeDs pressed themselves against the classroom windows, peering down at the crater. There was a sombre silence as each one of them recalled their foolish actions that day, and how close they had all come to being killed by the Galbadian army. That crater served as a reminder of the army's ruthlessness, and reminded them of their duties as members of SeeD.

Squall ignored Nida's suggestion of addressing the Garden at this point, and instead ordered that a bulletin be posted on the internal network to inform everyone of the events that had led to their present situation. Some information he did leave out: the resistance faction mission in Timber, for example. He left in what they had learned during the invasion of Dollet, the TV broadcast in Timber, the attempted assassination of the sorceress and its aftermath. Squall wanted to be sure that everybody was aware of what was going on, and he advised that anyone who did not wish to go further should speak to Quistis or Xu.

No one responded.

After leaving the Garden Crater they turned and headed west towards Balamb. On Quistis's advice, Squall ordered that the Garden be 'parked' some distance away and then he and the others would make the rest of the journey on foot. After their near collision with the town more than a week ago, the residents might not be pleased to see the building heading their way again.

Nida parked the Garden a couple of miles away from the town, behind a sloping hill. Before leaving the Garden, Squall issues Xu and Nida with some final orders. He placed Xu in charge during his absence, and instructed Nida to move the Garden south, towards the shore. Once they had finished checking things out in Balamb they would meet up there. Nida and Xu saluted their agreement.

Once everything was taken care of Squall left the bridge and caught up with the others on the MD level. Since Balamb Garden was not equipped with a descending platform, the technicians in Fisherman's Horizon had installed a new lift at the base of the MD level. This lift descended in a cylindrical column, which in turn extended out beneath the Garden. It stopped about five metres from the ground, where a hatch opened at underneath the lift and a ladder dropped down. When he saw the ladder Squall was glad Rinoa had chosen to leave Angelo behind, for they would have struggled to get the dog down this.

As an added precaution, the technicians had ensured that the lift could not be used while the Garden was in the water or in motion, so there was no chance of damaging it as they moved. Still, it was an unnerving feeling for the companions as they left the lift and headed out with the Garden looming above them. Once the companions were clear the lift retreated and the Garden began to move again. It turned and headed south, towards the ocean.

They reached Balamb within the hour, where they were met with an alarming sight. Around the town's main entrance a large metal fence was constructed, and there were tanks and other military vehicles stationed around it. Squall shared a questioning look with his friends and then headed along the road.

They walked up to the gate. A single Galbadian soldier stood guard over the entrance. A large vehicle blocked the road behind him. On top of the vehicle the familiar flag of Galbadia fluttered in the wind.

Squall surveyed the area. There was no doubt about it: the Galbadians had taken over the town of Balamb. He folded his arms, frowning in thought. So it seemed they were right: the Galbadians had come to Balamb after all. Were they searching for Ellone here, like they had in Fisherman's Horizon?

While he was thinking Zell, seeing the Galbadian presence in his hometown, ran forward. He looked at the Galbadian flag, flapping in the southerly breeze. He then glowered at the soldier, who was blocking the way into town. "What the hell!" he cried, outraged. "What's goin' on here!"

Before anyone could stop him, Zell ran through the gate. He stopped inside and looked around him, his face turning pink with anger. He clenched his fists. "Yo…!" he called out. "What's goin' on in there!"

The others passed through the gate and stopped behind him. Once inside they saw that they were not the only ones who were trying to get into town. A number of people were scattered about the area, all of them talking and trying to get inside. The Galbadian soldier, growing tired of their chatter, stepped forward.

"This town is under the control of Sorceress Edea!" they heard him shout. "The town is off-limits while we conduct our investigation! It will last for several days! Once we're through with our investigation here you're next." He raised his rifle, and his fingers rested over the trigger. "So just stay out and stay put!"

Around him the people murmured and whispered amongst themselves—some of them curious, some annoyed, and some dismayed that they could not get to their homes. They began to withdraw and spread out around the area, where small campsites were built. Spotting these, Squall realised that these people had been stuck out here for several days, and were still waiting to get in.

One man, whom Zell recognised as the owner of the Balamb hotel, put his arms around his wife, who was visibly distraught. The woman was sobbing almost uncontrollably as she buried her face in her husband's shirt, a combination of fear and fatigue overwhelming her.

"I don't know what to do!" she wept, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "What's happening to this town! When can we go in! If I knew this was going to happen, I would have brought my daughter with me! I hope she's all right…"

Anything else she said was lost in her tears. Her husband held her close and stroked her hair, but his gesture did little to comfort her despair.

Squall went over to him. "What happened here?" he asked.

The hotel owner glanced at him. "We were forced out of town days ago," he replied, still comforting his wife. "Our daughter's still at home, but there's nothing we can do. With all these soldiers from Galbadia, you've got to stop and wonder whether Galbadia fell to the hands of the sorceress."

The swordsman returned to his friends and passed on this new information. Everybody was shocked that the Galbadians would force people from their homes and leave them stranded outside of town for days on end. But what did the army care for the needs of ordinary citizens? What did the sorceress care?

The person most affected by this news was Zell. As he listened his face turned pink and then red, and then to crimson. He clenched his fists tighter, causing his leather gloves to crinkle.

After he had finished, Squall turned back. The Galbadian soldier was watching them. Squall made a slight gesture for the others to stay behind, and he approached the soldier. He did not even manage three steps before the Galbadian stiffened and raised his gun, aiming it at Squall.

"You guys look suspicious," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Squall placed a hand on his hip. "…What's Galbadia doing in a town like this?" he asked the soldier, unperturbed by the gun barrel.

The soldier looked Squall up and down. He saw the gunblade hanging at Squall's side, and his eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" he demanded. "Are you residents here?"

Squall started to reply, but then Zell, unable to control himself any longer, pushed past him and confronted the soldier. "YEAH, that's right!" he shouted. "At least residents should be allowed in!"

"It's OFF-LIMITS!" the soldier roared, turning on the fighter. "You cannot enter or leave. Do you understand!"

He shoved the point of his rifle against Zell's chest. The fighter stamped his foot. "Huh!" he grunted. "Who do you think you're talkin' to?"

He raised his fists. The soldier, in turn, raised his rifle higher until the barrel was aiming at Zell's head. There was a gasp of alarm from the townspeople, and the women covered their eyes in terror. The soldier's fingers closed around the trigger, and he started to squeeze.

At the last moment Squall intervened. He placed his hand on Zell's chest and pushed him gently back. He stepped in front, so that the rifle was now aiming at his head instead of Zell's. The soldier hesitated and stared at Squall like he was a lunatic. Maybe he was crazy, Squall thought, but he did it all the same.

Behind him Zell started to open his mouth in protest, but a warning glare from Squall made him close it again. Under Squall's stern gaze, the fighter lowered his fists and stepped back. The swordsman waited until he was safely out of the way before he turned back to the Galbadian.

The Galbadian had recovered from his hesitation now, and his fingers re-grasped the trigger. "What? What is it now?" he demanded.

"You said the town was off-limits…" Squall said in a calm voice. "…Does that mean we can't deliver a message, either?" He sighed and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "…That's too bad. We have some info on Ellone…"

His words had the desired effect. On hearing Ellone's name, the soldier's eyes widened, and his grip on the rifle slackened.

"W-What?" he stammered. His hands actually trembled. "Elle… Wait a minute!"

He almost dropped his gun in his haste. The soldier turned away and looked around him, checking to make sure that no one else was in earshot. Once he was satisfied that there was no one else near he turned back to Squall.

"Tell me everything you know about her!" he hissed, leaning in close. "Do you actually know who she is?"

"Kind of…" Squall replied evasively. "But we need to get inside to confirm something." It wasn't exactly a lie. They did know who Ellone was… kind of.

At this the soldier's face clouded with suspicion. He would have turned them away, but the prospect that someone might know something about Ellone was a chance the Galbadians could not afford to pass up. The soldier frowned and then nodded, making up his mind. He stood straight again.

"… If you find out any information at all," he told Squall, "go talk to the commander. She's staying at the hotel. You will be rewarded!" He then stepped aside and jerked his gun, indicating that they could pass.

Squall gestured to the others. They came forward. They made their way past the soldier, who still had that suspicious look in his eyes as he watched them go. Once everybody was through the soldier resumed his position at the town entrance. The townspeople gathered together, and Squall and his companions were unaware that the people's hopes were riding with them.