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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2 - City of Dreams

Part 2.5 - A Warm Reception

Dune nervously looked around as he followed the Captain to the elevator to the surface. They had left the loading docks and were walking down a long winding corridor with many branches, most of which Dune had never been down. Luckily for Dune, the trip to the Committee headquarters was a relatively straightforward one, since all paths under the city stemmed from it. The Committee headquarters was the hub from which most major ventures in Narsille originated, and it seemed all roads in the city eventually passed it. Dune wasn't paying attention to the path, though. He was too busy thinking about what he was going to tell the Committee, and what he was not going to tell the Committee. He had originally assumed he was going to tell them everything, but with every step closer to headquarters he convinced himself to keep one more piece of information to himself. By the time they had reached the elevators Dune had already almost convinced himself to not say anything at all and let the Captain do the talking.

"Something bothering you Dune? You haven't said a word since we left the loading docks, and you keep grabbing at your chest." The Captain had stopped at the entrance to the elevator and was now looking at Dune.

"No! No, nothing is bothering me, Captain. I'm just organizing my thoughts for the conference. Please, let's keep going. We don't want to keep the Committee waiting." Dune shifted his glasses and continued absently looking around him.

"Whatever you say. It's not like there's much to organize. We went where we were assigned to go, stayed for a week, found nothing and left. The End. What more could there be to say?" The Captain could see that something was bothering Dune, but he wasn't going to pry unless he had a reason; besides, he had his own problems to deal with. "Well let's get going, then. Narsille is just above us."

The Captain got on the elevator and Dune followed him, his mind filled with guilt at the mention of the dig again. He couldn't take this silence that was so against his nature much longer. Sooner or later he was going to burst, and there was nothing the crystal's influence could do to prevent it. The Captain started the elevator and it rose in silence, both occupants seeming absorbed in their own thoughts. They were soon once again at the surface, near the entrance to the city, and the massive blue-white gates could be seen glowing behind them, now shut against the outside world. It was most likely still snowing outside, but behind the gates it was comfortably warm and bright, just like it always was. Ahead of them they could see the wide main road of the city, with the extreme heights of the rows of identical mile-high buildings stretching up and out of their sight on both sides, casting long dark shadows on the streets below. There were crowds of people roaming the sides of the darkened street, quickly and silently going from one side street across to the next. The main street itself was full of vehicles of various shapes and sizes, all moving in perfect synchronization. The Committee had established an automatic transportation system for the city, and congestion was a thing of the past now. The actual building that housed the Committee headquarters was at the very center of the city, and unlike the other buildings it was extremely wide and round, but not overly tall. It was a large dome-like structure, and was made of the same mythril as the gates. Its bright glow would make it an easy landmark to find, even if all the main roads didn't stem from it. This is where Dune and the Captain were headed, and they promptly boarded the nearest bus and made their way silently to the heart of the city.

Dune looked out the window as they passed the many buildings and side roads lining the main road. Many of the buildings had stores of various kinds on the ground floors, making shopping a relatively easy task. As Dune was watching the people go in and out of them, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd - Dr. Atma! He watched Atma intently as he pushed his way through the crowd to his destination. He had the same sour look on his face and didn't seemed too pleased to have to wade through the masses. Atma was quickly and purposefully walking towards a nearby building, unusually black compared to the usual pale blueness of most buildings in the city, but the bus rode out of view before he could get a good look at what was within it. It had looked like...the city morgue? What would Atma be doing there? Checking up on one of his less fortunate patients, maybe? This unexpected sighting had momentarily taken Dune's mind off of the conference and before he knew where he was, the bus had stopped and the Captain was glaring at him impatiently.

"Dune! Wake up! This is our stop!" If the Captain hadn't been sitting down, his wooden leg would almost certainly have been against Dune's head by now.

Dune quickly came to his senses and apologized to the Captain, and then silently followed him off the bus, his old train of thought coming back. The moment of truth wasn't far off now. He prepared himself one more time and continued following the Captain to the large bronze doors of the Committee headquarters. Above the doors was the seal of the city, and the official title of the Committee: "The Committee for the Preservation of Global Stability". Dune repeated the name to himself, Atma's words echoing in his mind. He wondered if there really was more to the Committee than "the preservation of global stability". He entered the building after the Captain and they made their way to the conference room where the head Committee members were surely already aware of their arrival. The Committee always knew what was going on in the city as soon as anything happened, and appointments rarely needed to be made.

Sure enough, Dune could see a Committee member stationed outside the room waiting to show them in. It was Adam Kruz, one of the top Committee officials. He was a short, pale man with a nervous twitch and eyes that darted all around him. His nervous looks belied an inner cunning that was unmatched by any of the other Committee members, and was the reason a man of his stature and demeanor had made it so high up in the chain of command. He would never be the President, but he would always be right behind them, in the shadows subtly adding his advice and making his mark.

He quickly greeted them and waved them into the conference room, where the other members were already seated at a long, curving U-shaped table. Among the members present were the other two top Committee officials: The President, Eva Dehr, and her closest advisor, Sade. They were seated at the head of the table, and were busy conversing among themselves. It was unusual for the highest officials to be present on something as simple as this report on what was classified as a routine dig. Knowing what he had found, though, Dune wasn't surprised they were present. If this enigmatic crystal was what they had hoped him to find, then there was indeed a reason for them to be here. Dune had not seen either of these two Committee members in person before, and he looked them over carefully before sitting down.

President Dehr was a firmly built woman in her forties, and still had a very attractive build that she wasn't afraid to show with tight-fitting business jackets and skirts. She had aged very well, and still looked as if she were in her twenties. She was extremely strong-willed and did not mind sharing her opinions with anyone. Most people stayed away from her when they could, but still respected her as a very capable President. It was through her efforts that much of the finishing touches on the cleaning up of society were put into place. She had finally realized what 500 years of struggle had promised. Total peace. This accomplishment early on in her presidency assured her a very long stay as the President of the Committee, and she was fully prepared to take advantage of that position.

As for her advisor, Sade, nobody knew his full name, and nobody really knew how he had gotten so high up in the Committee either. He was always by her side, though, and had been since she became President ten years ago. His look was as mysterious as his history. He had flaming red hair that fell from his head as if it were actually on fire, and his eyes were also a deep shade of crimson. He wore a long sleek trench coat of an unknown material, whose jet black surface shimmered in the bright lights of the conference room. The coat covered almost his entire body, and only his hands and feet could be seen. On his hands he wore gloves of the same material, and his boots also shone with the same black luster. Most people stayed away from him as well, but not for the same reasons they stayed away from Dehr. Sade's presence always seemed to make people extremely uncomfortable and on edge, as if the temperature in the room had just increased dramatically. People who had been in close contact with him always swore that it was Sade himself that gave off the heat, but they couldn't seem to tell from where on him the heat came from or even how hot the room actually was, so they usually passed it off as a trick of the mind. Sade's temperament was the complete opposite of his heated appearance. Sade barely ever spoke more than a few words at a time, and always said them coolly and with complete confidence of the truth behind them. Anyone who had met him could tell that what he was thinking was far beyond the short statements he spoke out loud. The cloud of mystery surrounding him of course provided ample fodder for all manner of wild theories regarding his origin and purpose within the Committee, but none of these were taken seriously. Most people usually considered him a close personal friend of President Dehr who had risen to his position by riding her coattails.

As soon as Dune and the Captain had entered the room and sat down, Dehr and Sade quickly stopped talking and nodded at each other, as if they had come to some agreement over a particularly sensitive issue. Dune couldn't help but think it was him that they had been talking about, and glanced around the rest of the room nervously. He clutched at his pocket as he looked at Sade, and couldn't help but notice that the crystal was even colder than normal, even though the room itself was unusually warm. Dehr and Sade were casually looking at Dune thoughtfully, taking in every facet of his presence. After a couple tense moments, Dehr looked at Sade, and Sade slowly nodded his head once. She then stood up and looked at Dune once again, her face softening almost to motherly proportions.

"Welcome back! You must be Dune Karn, the leader of the Thanas Expedition, and Narsille's head archeologist, correct?"

"Yes, Madam President, that is correct."

Dehr's eyes moved on to the Captain, and then she posed the same question to him.

"And you are Mobius Bismark, head marine biologist of Narsille, and who was assigned to accompany Mr. Karn and aide him in the surveying of the Thanas, correct?

"Yes."

"Well, we have heard quite a few reports about what happened out there, and they are quite interesting..." Dehr gave a curious smile for a brief instant, and then continued, "What I want to find out here is how much of this is true, and how much is misinformation, if you would be so kind. Now, tell us exactly what happened during the expedition. And please, be as thorough as possible..." She made the same smile and then sat down. Sade had the same curious smile on his face.

Dune tried his best to relate everything he had witnessed out in the desert and on the way back to the city, and let the Captain interject his own experience when necessary. Dune did not mention the crystal, and hoped that no one would question him on it. For the moment his promise had been forgotten. The crystal was in control. As the Captain had predicted, the report was a relatively short one, but it seems this came as no surprise to the Committee. Dehr spoke up once they had finished.

"So, the dig was a complete failure, then? You found absolutely nothing? Even after a week of searching?"

Dune shifted his glasses and tried his best to remain composed and in control. "Well...no. The area was extremely inhospitable, and there were no indications of any lifeforms or civilizations there, in the recent past or presently. May I ask what the Committee hoped to find there? It would seem you expected us to find something, or you wouldn't have sent us to a place of such little scientific merit."

Kruz now spoke up from his seat next the President, his tone abrupt, "We had received reports that there was an...artifact...of extreme value in the desert, and that you and Captain Bismark would be the best people to locate it. The reports were from a very reliable source." Kruz glanced quickly to his left, where Sade was sitting and studying Dune with his cold crimson eyes. He had not taken them off Dune since he walked in.

"No sir, I am sorry to inform you that we were unable to find anything in the Thanas desert, even after a week of intensive searching." Dune was determined to keep the crystal. They would not take it away from him, no matter what.

Kruz looked at Dune suspiciously, "Are you sure you found nothing, Mr. Karn? Our reports indicate-"

"So you found nothing, then." Sade unexpectedly spoke up, interrupting Kruz. He didn't seem to be asking a question, or talking to anyone in particular. His eyes were still on Dune.

Kruz stopped speaking instantly, and now all eyes were on Sade. When Sade something, people listened. It seemed that was all Sade was going to say, though, and eventually everyone's eyes moved to President Dehr.

Dehr spoke, taking Sade's comment to be the end of that particular discussion. "I'll take Mr. Karn's word for now, thank you Adam. Now then, what about this storm? You say that a large storm overtook you as you were going to retrieve some equipment, and forced you to turn back to the camp." Dehr looked at another Committee member and they quickly handed her a folder. She opened it up and continued talking while glancing at its contents. "According to our weather charts of the area, there was no storm in the Thanas desert that day, just like every other day there. Are you sure that it was a storm that overtook you? Perhaps the desert had gotten to you and you were suffering from heat stroke? That would explain the fact that this lightning bolt you say struck you did not cause any injuries. What do you say to that?"

Now the Captain stood up and spoke, "No, there was definitely a storm, and a damn powerful one at that. I saw it with my own eyes, and so did half the crew of the Figaro. And Dune was severely injured by the storm. Just look at him and you can see that he is still not fully recovered from it. Ask anyone on board the Figaro and they'll confirm it." He sat back down defiantly, and looked at Dehr unwaveringly.

"Hmm, well the figures do not lie. Take a look at them for yourself if you don't believe me." Dehr passed the folder down the table to the Captain.

The Captain cautiously opened it and studied the various charts and reports inside. As far as he could tell, there really had been no storm on that day. He was thoroughly confused, and scratched the back of his head. He knew what he had seen, and he knew that Dune had barely made it out of the storm alive. He was not going to back down yet.

"I don't care what these papers say. I saw a storm, and so did everyone else on board the Figaro. How do you explain Dune's injuries? Or the destroyed search tower? I think you have a busted satellite on your hands, not a phantom storm."

"We have checked our findings with that of others and they all agree. There was no storm of any kind in the Thanas desert that day or any other day. Now I ask you this, did you see Dune's injuries take place, or the actual bolt that struck the search tower?"

The Captain was a bit unnerved by this unexpected question, but continued to hold his ground. "No, but he was definitely injured while he was out in the storm, and the only thing that could do that to him in the given situation was a massive barrage of hailstones. As for the tower, if it wasn't destroyed by a lightning bolt, then how was it destroyed? Nothing but lightning could cause that kind of damage. Besides, I saw the bolt that struck Dune and heard and felt the one that struck the tower."

Kruz spoke up once more, "We have expert testimony that says that Dune's injuries were not caused by hailstones, and that the tower was not hit by lightning. What do you say to that?"

The Captain did not take these words kindly, and the tone of his words reflected his growing impatience. "Then bring them in! Let me see these 'experts' of yours, if you think their word is better than mine!"

Kruz signaled to a man at the door and he quickly left, and returned a few moments later with two men. It was Dr. Atma and Alex Figaro.

"I believe you have already met Doctor Atma and Professor Figaro?" Kruz said superciliously.

Now the Captain was starting to worry. What would Atma and Alex have to say that he didn't already know? He simply nodded his head and grunted.

Kruz continued, "I'll take that as a yes. These two men have their own eye-witness accounts of what happened, and their fields of study would lend their words more weight than yours, Captain. Am I right?"

The Captain grunted again, pretending to look at the papers in front of him.

"Then let us hear what they have to say, shall we? Dr. Atma, if you would be so kind, could you tell us exactly what the nature of Dune's injuries were?" Kruz finished speaking and sat down, a large grin on his pale face.

Now it was Atma's turn. He had a similar smile on his face and looked like he was going to enjoy discrediting the Captain's words. He glanced at Dune and then started his account. "When I had first inspected my patient here," he nodded at Dune, "I had assumed that he was indeed struck by a large amount of hailstones. I had been in the infirmary while the Captain and Dune were out, so I had noticed no storm during their absence. All I had to go on when they brought Dune to me was that he was caught in a large storm and had been injured by hailstones. I was of course skeptical at first, but a preliminary investigation seemed to confirm their claims and I treated him as such. It was only until after we had arrived in Narsille that I found out what had really caused his injuries. I was on an errand unrelated to the present events, when I happened to come across a past patient of mine whose condition immediately reminded me of Dune's. This patient had also been in the Thanas and his injuries were identical to Dune's. However, I had found his injuries to have been self-inflicted. I looked at the patient's chart, and apparently the patient had gone insane while out in the desert and had taken a sharp object he had with him and struck himself with it repeatedly. The patient was unable to give any account of where he had been or what he had been doing, unfortunately," here Atma again smiled his thin, cruel smile, "but I assure you that the source of his injuries was the same as Dune's. Although I think Dune's insanity was only a temporary one, most likely caused by the extreme heat of the desert." He finished his account and again glanced at Dune, and then the Captain, still smiling. His work here was done, the Captain had been made a fool.

Kruz stood up again, still smiling. "Thank you Dr. Atma, that will be all. Well Captain, it seems that there were no hailstones now, were there? Let us hear what Professor Figaro has to say on the state of his search tower, hmm?"

Atma nodded and left, and Alex took a step forward uncomfortably and prepared to speak. Dune and the Captain remained silent, shocked at these new claims. Dune was looking nervously about the room, but his gaze kept returning to Sade, whose own gaze had never left Dune. The room had become unbearably hot for Dune, and he was painfully aware of Sade's red gaze. He convulsively clutched at his pocket, the coldness of the crystal offering him a small relief to the heat. Sade noticed this and smiled to himself.

Professor Figaro cleared his throat and started his own account on the condition of the destroyed search tower. "Well, at first I too had assumed that what the Captain had told me was correct, and from a distance it did seem that the tower had been struck by an unusually large bolt of lightning. Upon closer examination, however, I came to a startlingly different conclusion. It would seem that the tower had been destroyed by a bomb, not a bolt of lightning. The bomb had been placed near the base of the tower and had been programmed to go off in such a way that it would appear lightning had indeed struck the tower. I could not find any evidence of what type of bomb it had been, but after carefully analyzing the path of the explosion and the debris lodged in the tower, it was clear that this was caused by an artificial explosion, not a natural one. I suspect the bomb was placed there by the intruder that had been spotted on the Figaro shortly before the explosion in the cargo bay, which had a similar pattern of destruction." Alex looked at the Captain as if to say "I'm sorry" and remained silent.

"And I believe that takes care of that. Thank you Professor Figaro, you may return to the repairing of your vessel now." Alex sullenly left the room without looking at Dune or the Captain again. Kruz continued, his grin always getting wider. "So it would seem there is absolutely no proof that the Figaro had ever been caught in a storm at all. Dune's injuries were self-inflicted, the tower destroyed by the same unknown assailant who destroyed the cargo bay, and the magical lightning bolt that struck Dune causing no physical damage to Dune at all. Also, according to Professor Figaro's workers, there is no damage anywhere on the Figaro to make us suspect it had been in a storm. Surely the hailstones that had struck Dune would have made their mark on the hull of the Figaro as well? And surely if the storm has been powerful enough to destroy the watchtower, other devices on the ship would have been affected? I think you two only imagined seeing the storm. It is obvious that Dune was not in his right mind during this time, and seeing as you were with him, I suspect you were suffering from the heat as well, Captain." Kruz looked malevolently at the Captain, knowing that he had won this debate.

Dune and the Captain looked at each other confusedly. They had no idea what to say to the Committee now. It certainly did seem as if they were mistaken on what had really happened in the desert. Dune remained silent, but the Captain wasn't going to lose without having the last word.

"Hmph! Well it seems you've taken great care to make me look the fool! And a fool I feel at the moment! I'll admit that everything seems to fit together quite nicely. Too nicely, I think." He gave a suspicious leer at the Committee members surrounding him. "That's all I have to say. Let's get on with the meeting then."

Kruz remained non-plussed by the Captain's accusatory stare and sat down confidently, his part in the meeting over for now. President Dehr picked up where Kruz had left off.

"Well, with that little problem out of the way, let us get to the next order of business. The intruder that attacked the Figaro, what happened to him after he escaped? You tracked his signal and were able to recover the lost service module, I presume?" Her manner of speaking was nothing like Kruz's, but still had the same curious tone of confidence in it. She didn't need to be rude and overbearing to intimidate people.

The Captain shifted in his seat uncomfortably, still reeling after the previous argument. He spoke up slowly, gathering his thoughts carefully. This was the part of the meeting he had dreaded and which had been troubling him since he got off the Figaro. "No...we were unable to find the intruder. He somehow managed to deactivate the signal device and was long gone before we could catch up to him. We sent out scouts, but all they could find was the service module about three miles away, destroyed. We couldn't find any indication of who he was or what he was doing there. All we have to go on is his ability to deactivate the signal device. There are very few people who would know how to do that: Me, Alex, and a select few of the Figaro engineers and repairmen. I trust my crew with my life, and Alex trusts his crew the same. It wasn't one of them, I'm sure of it." The Captain finished his account, his confidence coming back to him as he spoke with pride about his workers.

Sade looked at the Captain intently, searching his words and face to see if he was telling the truth. Seeming to be pleased with his findings, he continued drilling into Dune with his fiery stare.

"I see. Then I guess that will be a matter for the NIU to look into, then. Thank you Captain Bismark." Dehr said this with no emotion, and let the problem drop, not seeming to care about the matter at all.

The Captain was surprised that they would let something like this go so easily, but he remained silent and let them have things their way. He was not going to be made a fool of twice. He just grunted and continued to look at the papers absently.

"I think that about wraps up the meeting then. It is a pity that you were unable to find anything, and I am sorry to hear about what happened to your vessel. I look forward to your next mission, and hope you are able to find what we are looking for this time."

Dune suddenly looked up from Sade's glare. "Next mission, Madam?"

Dehr smiled. "Yes, your next mission. Our reports show that the object might also be in another location, and we want you and Captain Bismark to continue your expedition there. We will give you the information you need on this mission as necessary. For now, you are free to go. We will call you when it is time to leave. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter." She stood up and looked around the room, her way of saying it was time for everyone to leave. The other members stood up and shook hands, and then silently left the room one at a time.

Dune and the Captain got up as well, and slowly left the room, bewildered at the way the meeting had went. Neither of them were happy about having to go on another mission so soon. The Captain had wanted to return to his ship, and Dune to his wife, but it seemed neither of these things would be possible now. Dune, his emotions getting the better of him, stopped short of the door and turned to Dehr, who was still sitting with Sade at the head of the table.

"Excuse me, Madam President, but when might we be getting the call for the next mission? I had planned to spend some time with my wife, and I was hoping to do so at the conclusion of this dig. Couldn't you perhaps find someone else to go on this mission?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Karn, it will take some time to get a clear reading on where the other location is, and until then you are free to do as you please. From all indications, you will have at least three months before we call you again. I am sorry this is an inconvenience, but we really have no choice but to ask you and the Captain to undertake this mission."

Now the Captain spoke up, obviously irritated at his forced role in this. "Why us? Why was I of all people assigned to accompany Dune to a desert? I am a sea captain, and I had no business being in a place such as that. Surely mine and Dune's expertise isn't so important that you couldn't find anyone else suitable for these missions?"

"I am terribly sorry, but there really is no one else able to undertake these particular missions. I am unable to divulge the reasoning at this time, but I assure you there is no other way, Captain. Please, do not worry. I am sure the next mission will be better suited to your talents." Dehr gave a knowing smile to the Captain.

"But-!" The Captain was not pleased with this information, and he started to argue, but before he even got a word out Sade stood up and looked at him, his eyes burning coldly. The Captain felt a wave of dread and heat pass over him, and quickly averted his eye and turned to Dune.

"...C'mon Dune, let's get going. We aren't going to get anything else from them." The Captain left and Dune reluctantly followed, his eyes still looking at Sade's until the door was shut. Dune immediately felt a rush of cool air as he left the room, and both he and the Captain breathed a sigh of relief as they left the Committee headquarters.

Back in the conference room, President Dehr was still sitting with Sade. It seemed the meeting wasn't quite over.

"Well, did you confirm it?"

"It is as I thought. He has it. Or should I say, it has him."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, I felt a reaction. It was on his possession even as we spoke."

"Should we detain him? Isn't it dangerous to let him keep it?"

"No, not yet. He does not know what he has. Besides, it will be extremely difficult to take it from him. He is a slave to its will, and will not give it up, even for his own life or the life of others. It is best to let him have it for now. It is as safe in his hands as it is in ours at the moment."

"Then all is still going according to plan?" Has Agent Phantom reported back yet?"

"Yes, he reported to me yesterday. And from the meeting it is obvious they suspect nothing yet. The Captain has his doubts, but he knows nothing for sure. I would like it to stay that way as long as possible. Make sure Phantom isn't as careless next time."

"But can it be helped? We have no control over 'Them', you know."

"Do not worry. 'She' will not intervene on this mission. I will make sure of that."

"How?"

"I have my methods."

"Then I guess everything is taken care of. Shall we get going? It is getting too hot in here for me."

"Yes, it is best I leave for today. Heh, things are going to get interesting from here..."