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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time
Book 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2 - City of Dreams
The great glaciers of the north hide vast stores of natural resources, as well as a forgotten past frozen deep in the rich soil. The glaciers receded eons ago, leaving behind a fertile valley plentiful in coal, mythril, and geothermal energy. It is into this bountiful valley that people have flocked since time immemorial, searching for a better life. The current inhabitants may be the most recent, but they certainly were not the first. Certain... "artifacts" that have recently been unearthed prove this beyond a doubt.
-From Regions and Cultures, by Cid del Norte Marguez, in the year 1000 PW (Post War)
Part 2.1 - The Doctor Is In
It had been five days on the road, and the Figaro's long and uneventful journey home was nearing its end. It was a clear night on the wide open plains between the Thanas Desert and Narsille, and for the first time in almost a month the many lights of Narsille could be seen twinkling off in the distance. Many of the crew were outside on the sixth floor observation deck staring at these lights, anxiously awaiting the time when they would be among them once more. Dune was among these lost souls, and he too was standing on the deck, with the help of a cane and Dr. Atma's reluctant supervision. He had since recovered from his injuries enough that he was able to roam the ship freely, although Atma refused to let him stray too far out of his sight until he was fully healed. Dune was now wearing a brand new shirt to replace the old one, but he still wore the same weather-savaged hat. The hat was a mainstay of all of Dune's expeditions, and had been through worse than this. He still kept the black crystal close to him at all times, and had no intentions of telling anyone about it just yet.
"Quite a sight, isn't it Doctor?" Dune said cheerfully.
Dune was in a good mood tonight, and the sight of Narsille for the first time only lifted his spirits further. Soon he would be with Mae once more, and the terrible events in the desert could be put behind him for good. He walked over to the railing on the edge of the deck and leaned over, letting the moist night air refresh him. Atma kept close by him, not letting him stray from his sight for more than a second. He shivered at the cold air, and wanted nothing more than to return to his quarters.
"Hmm...I guess so. The sooner I get off this rig the better. It smells of oil and sweat, and is hardly a fitting place for a doctor." Atma turned to look at the shimmering lights of Narsille on the horizon and gave a disdainful snort. "Not like that place is much better. It may look clean and pure on the outside, but it still reeks of corruption at its core, I just know it. It's all the same, no matter where you go. Humans are imperfect, weak creatures, falling prey to their vices far too easily."
Dune was in too good a mood for the doctor's usual contemptuous rants to affect him, though. With an inner cheerfulness in sharp contrast to the doctor's gloominess, he thought he would banter with him for a bit. "Now, doctor, surely we deserve more credit than that? Just look at the city before you. Everyone is happy, are they not? Even if there was some form of trivial corruption at its core, that is the past and there is no point worrying about it now. There isn't a man alive now who isn't well-fed and well-provided for. That small amount of corruption may just have been a necessary step to reach this level of perfection. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Don't you agree?"
Atma just stared at Dune with the look of an adult correcting a child. "Well I'm not happy, and I know why. Humans need struggle, they need to suffer to be truly happy. We have forgotten what it means to survive, now we just live in a state of ignorant bliss. You say everyone is happy. Do you know that for sure? Do you know what really goes on outside your little bubble? I do. I see the signs of unrest come through my office everyday. There is something going on just underneath the surface of this city of dreams, this utopia. I can smell it, feel it. It sickens me. Your precious Committee is at the heart of it, and one day you will see that, and then you will be like me. Ha!" He let out a cold sharp laugh that caught Dune off guard, and broke through his wall of positive energy. He suddenly felt that he had heard quite enough of the doctor's opinions.
"Hm, well if that is your opinion, I'll let you have it. Only time will be the judge of whether we truly have achieved a perfect society or not. For now, I am happy with it and, as far as I know, most of the population is as well," Dune finished, an unusual feeling pushing its way up, as if there were some unspoken truth behind the doctor's words. He unconsciously clutched the pocket that held the crystal, and continued gazing out across the plains.
"So be it. I'll let you have yours as well," Atma said jeeringly, ending the conversation. After a few moments, Atma again spoke up, "It is too cold up here for me, and surely you've had enough of those lights for now? Let us get back to our rooms and get some sleep. You still need your rest if you hope to be fully recovered by the time we reach Narsille."
"I guess you are right, Doctor. I do feel rather tired after wandering around the Figaro in my state. Let's go back down," Dune said resignedly.
Dune, carefully assisted by Atma and his cane, slowly made the trek down to the third floor where the crew's quarters were. Dune had decided against riding the lift too often, and thought it would be better if he got some exercise using the stairs instead. It was a slow decent, and Atma's grumbling did not make it easier. After being in such close contact with the doctor and his personality for so long, Dune often wondered just what had made him such a disagreeable, downtrodden person, but he would never have had enough courage to actually confront him about his negative attitude. He just silently put up with the doctor's sourness and let him deal with it himself, letting the theories fly back and forth in his mind.
"Well, here we are, Cabin #35," the doctor said, interrupting Dune's thoughts. "Now get some rest. Doctor's orders." Atma curtly turned around and walked over to his own room, and shut the door with more force than was warranted for such a simple task.
Dune could sense the universal contempt behind the shutting of the door, and felt more of his cheerfulness melt away. He, too, would be glad to get off this rig of oil and sweat, if not just to be rid of the doctor's negative aura that had enveloped him almost unceasingly for the past five days. He quietly slipped into his room and carefully took his shirt off, making sure not to disturb the crystal hidden within it. He had kept it hidden well, and no one had suspected that he had actually found something out in the desert, that the dig had been a success. He wondered if he would tell the Committee when the time came. Surely at least the Committee should know? After all, this was assuredly the object they had hoped to find out here, and it would do Dune no good to keep it from them. He weighed the choices of keeping the crystal and disappointing the Committee, and the painful act of giving up the crystal to appease them. It was a difficult decision for Dune's honest mind, now darkened with the taint of the crystal's influence, and it was with these troubling thoughts that he laid his head on the pillow and went to sleep uneasily, doubly burdened by the both the crystal's and Atma's negative energy.