Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Squall and his team left the quad and crossed the lobby, heading back to the bridge. As they passed by the front gate, Squall noticed that Xu had arrived and was taking charge of the newly-formed squads there. Everybody obeyed her commands without question, doing just as they were instructed.

They took the lift back to the bridge where Nida was waiting for them. He looked more anxious than before, and when he saw them he turned and pointed ahead.

"Look!" he cried.

Squall picked up the binoculars and looked ahead. Galbadia Garden was just ahead of them now and was drawing closer. He used this moment to look at the Garden, casting a strategic eye over it. The obvious difference between their Garden and theirs was that Galbadia Garden was a lot bigger and heavier. This meant that Galbadia Garden had a lot more striking power, while at the same time being slower. This meant that Balamb Garden had the advantage of speed, but it was a trifling difference. However it was not to observe the Garden's manoeuvring capabilities that Nida had wanted him to see.

He turned his gaze to the Garden's 2F deck, where he spotted a figure. Squall did not need to focus the binoculars to see who it was, for he already knew.

It was Seifer. Squall's old rival stood alone on the outer deck, his grey trenchcoat flapping in the wind. Seifer had his gunblade in his hand and was looking straight at Balamb Garden with an unflinching gaze, giving Squall the unnerving impression that he could see them even at this distance.

"Seifer is in charge over there," said Nida, reporting what he had seen. "They're heading right for us.

Squall lowered the binoculars. No doubt Galbadia Garden was trying to force them onto the defensive, or to scare them into retreating. Retreating was pointless. As Squall himself had said earlier, this battle was inevitable. It was better that they faced their enemy head on, and bring an end to it.

"Just keep going," he ordered.

Nida nodded. He pulled on the control stick, pulling it towards him, and then thrust it forward as far as it would go. The engines gave a loud heave as the Garden picked up speed, heading straight towards Galbadia Garden. Squall stood beside Nida and watched as they drew closer. Now they would see who would chicken out first.

On Galbadia Garden's 2F deck, Seifer smiled as Balamb Garden started to move towards them. As he predicted, Squall had played right into his hands.

Seifer glanced behind him. The 2F deck sloped inwards, and had several tracks built into the slope. Instead of a viewing deck, Galbadia Garden's 2F deck was a launch pad for the Garden's many vehicles and armoury. Now, however, it was home to the Galbadian army's weaponry, and positioned along the tracks were several Galbadian soldiers. The soldiers sat on motorcycles with powerful booster rockets affixed to their engines, awaiting Seifer's command.

Seifer turned his attention back to Balamb Garden. It was almost within range. Seifer raised his hand and then, when the Garden moved within range, he brought his arm down sharply. The command was given.

The soldiers responded at once, revving their engines. They released the brakes and fired up the rockets. The cycles went shooting up the ramps, gaining in speed. They passed by Seifer, shooting straight off the deck and into the air. The rockets carried them higher and higher, over the gap between the two Gardens.

When they reached as high as they could go, the rockets spluttered and detached. The motorcycles began to fall, descending upon Balamb Garden.

They landed on the roof overhanging the 1F. As the soldiers landed they revved their engines once more and began to move across the painted roof, leaving dirty marks in their wake. They knew where they were going, for Seifer had pointed out every way into the Garden. They drove along the deck until they found their assigned entry point: the roof overlooking the quad. When they reached the wall they drove straight over, dropping into the quad.

The students in the quad cried out in alarm as the soldiers suddenly appeared from above. They scattered; some running for safety while the more experienced rushed to draw their weapons and strike back. The soldiers used their surprise to break right through the advance lines. They headed into the Garden.

On the bridge, Nida's eyes widened as Galbadia Garden continued to draw near. They were not going to move out of the way. "We're gonna crash!" he cried.

"Go right!" yelled Squall.

Nida grabbed the control stick and shoved it to the right. The engines roared and the Garden rumbled, beginning to turn.

The Garden gave a shudder and started to turn, startling those who were fighting in the quad. Zell's stomach gave a sickening lurch. He wrapped his arms around it and keeled over. He watched as the ground tilted a little to one side, and the topside of the forest came into view over the edge of the quad.

Around him, the quad was in chaos. The soldiers' sudden arrival had caught them by surprise, allowing many of the soldiers to break through their lines and enter the courtyard. Most of the students, including Zell's team, were forced to fall back to defend the courtyard. This proved to be a struggle even with the help of Irvine and Rinoa, for the soldiers just kept on coming.

Even now the soldiers continued to break through their ranks and drive out of the quad, entering the lobby. The air was filled with the sounds of battle, and the tingle of magic could be felt as the students gave their all to defend their home. Yet it all seemed in vain, for more soldiers kept coming, and more were breaking through. They were being quickly overwhelmed.

In the midst of battle the intercom sounded and Squall's voice called out to them.

"The enemy Garden is right by us! Quad team! Watch out!"

Zell did not need to be told. He could already see the walls of Galbadia Garden looming overhead, casting a shadow over the quad. Zell clenched his fists. They had to prevent more of the soldiers from breaking through the quad's defences.

"Go straight ahead, to the left!" he said to Irvine and Rinoa, who were right behind him. "We gotta stop 'em from comin' in! Don't forget to equip your GF!"

The trio headed back into the quad. The first wave of soldiers was coming to an end, and now only a handful of soldiers remained in the quad. The students who had not fled were engaged in battle with the soldiers, trying to hold the lines.

"C'mon, c'mon, they're dead ahead!" shouted Zell, running down the steps.

One soldier, still on his motorcycle, burst through the student lines. He made a break for the courtyard. He drove right past Zell's group, then stopped and turned, heading back towards them. He drew his sword from its sheath and raised it high; ready to cut them down where they stood.

Rinoa whistled, and Angelo leapt from her side. He jumped at the soldier, who cried out and dropped his sword. He swerved to avoid the dog, and in doing so he lost control of his motorcycle. The soldier skidded across the ground and crashed into the wall. A moment later his bike exploded, engulfing the soldier in flames.

The group wasted no time in lamenting the loss. They hurried on, passing the students and soldiers and heading to the far end to reinforce the front line.

Suddenly Zell came to a stop, remembering something.

"…OH yeah!" he exclaimed. He turned back. "Rinoa, here you go."

Rinoa walked over and took the ring that Zell offered to her.

"I got it from Squall," the fighter told her. "Like I said, I'll make you one just like it. 'Til then, hold onto it for me, will ya?" He could not imagine what he would say to Squall if he lost the ring.

Rinoa held the ring in her palm. It was heavier than she expected. She gazed down at it. She had always wanted to try on this ring, ever since she first noticed Squall wearing it. "What did you say to him?" she asked.

Zell smirked. "I just told him to hand it over," he answered.

Rinoa's fingers traced over the lion carving. It was such a fascinating ring. She'd never seen one like it before. When she had finished tracing she slipped the ring onto her finger and raised her hand, admiring how it looked on her.

"It looks cool," she said, "but it's too big."

"It's not like you're gonna wear that one…" Irvine pointed out. "Come on, let's go."

He and Zell ran on. Rinoa stayed behind a moment, still admiring the ring. Then she took it off and unchained her necklace, which had her own ring on it, and then slipped Squall's ring onto the chain. The two rings dangled side by side, almost like a pair. Rinoa liked how they looked together. She then put her necklace with its new attachment back on and ran to catch up with the others.

She caught up to them at the end of the quad. The two men had stopped near to the rail, which overlooked the power ring spinning far below them. Rinoa ran over to them and followed their gazes, which were turned upwards.

Galbadia Garden was very close them, and a collision was imminent. Rinoa gazed at the Garden, following the slope of its deck, until her eyes settled on the 2F deck. For a moment, she thought she saw Seifer on that deck, but when she tried to peer closer he was gone. Had she imagined him? Rinoa walked forward until she was by the rail, her eyes fixed on that deck.

At that moment, Galbadia Garden swerved and struck the Garden from its left-hand side. There was a loud crunch and the painful scream of metal scraping on metal as the two Garden's collided and scraped against one another.

The collision caused the ground in Garden to tremble. Zell and Irvine both dropped to their knees, while Rinoa lost her balance and fell against the railing. Angelo snarled and barked up at the Garden.

From somewhere nearby, Rinoa heard a loud crack. She opened her eyes and saw that a crack had formed in the ground where she and the others were standing. It was small at first but was rapidly growing larger, until it spanned the full width of the quad.

When the crack reached the end, the ground gave a sudden lurch downwards. Rinoa clung to the rail. Another crack appeared, splitting the broken ground again. Angelo bounded back to safety, still barking. Zell and Irvine saw what was happening and also leapt out of the way. Zell turned and saw Rinoa still by the railing. He called for her to hurry.

Hearing him, Rinoa threw herself away from the rail and made a dash for the other side. The ground gave another heave and Rinoa staggered, falling to her knees. She looked up and saw Zell, his hand outstretched for her. Pushing herself to her feet Rinoa dashed and then jumped, reaching out for Zell's hand.

She missed his hand. The ground then pulled away from her, and Rinoa fell. She tried to grab the edge, but her fingers slipped away.

Everything then became a blur for Rinoa as she slid down the wall. Pain shot through her arms and her knees as she scraped the side of the rock. By instinct along she scrabbled for something to hold onto, but she was moving too fast and she could not see what she was scrabbling for. Finally her hands caught hold of something. Rinoa gripped with all the strength she could find and held on tight.

Rinoa opened her eyes. She was dangling several feet down the side of the Garden's outer wall, holding onto a small outcrop of rock left behind when the rest of the wall fell away.

Rinoa looked downwards, and wished that she hadn't. The ground was a very long way below her, but that was not what frightened her. Between her and the ground was the power ring. The debris from the broken wall was heading straight towards this ring, and when it hit the rock was churned up into pieces.

A cold fear came over Rinoa. She tightened her grip on the wall and looked up, shouting for help.

Zell and Irvine were at the edge of the broken wall, peering down at her. Zell knelt as far as he could over the edge, his hand outstretched, but he could not get anywhere near her. She was too far down the wall.

"DAMMIT!" Zell cursed. "I CAN'T REACH HER!"

He tried to lean over further, but Irvine grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. "Let's find something to pull her up!" the gunman said.

Zell hesitated. He hated to leave Rinoa dangling there, but without something to pull her up there was nothing he could do. Rinoa would just have to hold on until they found a way to rescue her. Beside him, Angelo was barking incessantly.

"Rinoa!" Zell called down to her. "HOLD ON! WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK!"

Down below he saw Rinoa give a nod. She shouted something back, but her words were drowned out by the sound of the Gardens, which were still pushing against one another. Zell looked at her, torn, before he turned and ran. Angelo pawed at the edge of the broken floor, whined, before he also turned and ran after Zell.

Almost as soon as the dog moved, the Garden gave another hefty shudder. Galbadia Garden had won out in the battle of strength and scraped past the Garden, showering the quad with sparks. Zell froze and looked back as the enemy Garden passed them by. He hoped Rinoa could keep holding on.

He and Irvine made a quick search of the quad, but they could find nothing that they could use to pull Rinoa back up. All the stuff from the Garden Festival had been cleared away, and with the battle still going on around them, there was nothing that they could do.

"C'MONNN!" Zell cried, desperate. "Isn't there anything we can use!"

But there was not. Zell stopped and kicked the ground. Angelo walked up beside him and pushed his wet nose into Zell's hand. The fighter looked down at the dog, with his large, doe-like eyes. The fighter took a breath to calm himself. Their only option was to find Squall and let him know that Rinoa was in danger. He'd find a way to save her, Zell was sure.

They left the quad and ran into the lobby. They saw that Galbadian soldiers had managed to penetrate their defences and were now terrorising the Garden. Zell saw students scatter as they fled from the soldiers, who drove through on their cycles using swords and magic to destroy everything in sight. A number of students ran towards the Infirmary, where a group of SeeD had set up a strong defence line to keep the soldiers out. In the other direction Zell saw a flash of flame go shooting across the lobby. The flames hit the gardens, setting them ablaze. Zell and Irvine shared a look with one another and ran faster towards the lobby. They had to find Squall and fast.

They were in luck. As they arrived at the main lobby they saw Squall running down the steps from the lift, with Quistis and Selphie close behind him. The group was running after Xu, who was running back towards the front gate.

"Squall!" cried Xu. "They're coming in from the front gate!"

Squall's team followed her to the turnstiles, and so did Zell and Irvine. As they reached the gate Zell saw that more than two dozen soldiers had managed to break through the front gate's advance lines and were making a dash for the turnstiles. Blinding flashes of fire and lightning lit the courtyard as a squad of students and SeeDs ran to intercept them, engaging them in battle. Zell saw Squall draw his sword and place his boot on the turnstiles, preparing to leap over and join them in the battle.

"Squall!" shouted Zell, running over to him. "Rinoa's in trouble!"

"We gotta hurry!" said Irvine, running up as well. Angelo barked.

Squall stopped and lowered his leg. …Damn, he cursed. The battle had only just begun, and already things were getting worse.

Overhead, the intercom sounded and Nida's voice called through. "Squall, listen up!" Nida shouted. "The enemy is attacking the classroom. The junior classmen are there. We have to do something fast!"

Squall cursed again. Xu turned to the front gate, where Galbadia Garden came into view. The enemy Garden moved right in front of Balamb Garden and began to swerve, beginning its second advance.

"The enemy's heading this way!" she reported.

"Squall," Zell shouted, "DID YOU HEAR ME!"

Squall spun around to face him. "YEAH!" he shouted back. "But she's not the only one in danger!"

"Didn't think you were so heartless, Squall," said Irvine, giving Squall a dark look. "Rinoa is gonna die! Don't you realise that!"

Squall groaned and held his head. Of course he realised that. He wasn't heartless. He didn't want Rinoa to die anymore than they did. It was just that Rinoa was not the only one in Garden who was at risk. They all were, if Galbadia Garden managed to overwhelm their defences. The swordsman clenched his fist, tugging at his hair. How did they all expect him to protect everyone at once!

The swordsman took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. We have to divide into three groups… he told himself, reasoning it out. One group was to stay at the front gate and maintain their defences. The second group needed to go upstairs and defend the classroom and the junior classmen. The last group needed to go and help Rinoa. That covered all the current bases.

Squall opened his eyes and looked at Selphie. "Selphie," he said, "you go with Xu." Selphie's expert skills in both magic and weaponry would be essential in defending the front gate.

Selphie nodded and raised her hand. "Gotcha."

The swordsman turned again. "Quistis, Irvine, come with me. We'll head for the classroom." The two nodded. Lastly, Squall turned to Zell. "Zell, you help Rinoa. Do whatever it takes, alright!"

Zell raised his fists. "Leave it to me!" he said, and he ran off towards the quad with Angelo in tow.

Selphie gave a nod. She and Xu then leapt over the turnstiles and into the courtyard to help the other students.

Quistis and Irvine gathered around Squall. Quistis gave a gasp and pointed outside, and Squall turned just as Galbadia Garden came crashing into Balamb Garden.

The ground gave an almighty heave as the two Garden's collided. The power rings of both Gardens clashed against one another, creating a deafening screech that made all those at the quad and the front gate cover their ears. When the sound passed Squall lowered his hands and signalled to Quistis and Irvine. They hurried towards the lift, leaving the defence of the front gate in the hands of Xu and Selphie.