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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 4 - Demons Within

Part 4.5 - Down Below

A great many thoughts passed through Dune's mind as he sat in his prison cell and waited for Alex's promised rescue. Yes, there was no doubt that this was a prison cell to Dune. It looked nice, and had almost all the comforts of home, except the most important ones. His freedom and his wife. There was no lock on his door, and he was free to explore if he chose to, but where would he go? This maze of passages was far too complex for Dune to navigate on his own, and he would only be escaping from presumed safety into assured danger if he tried.

More than once his thoughts flitted to Mae and her reaction to his disappearance. Would she understand that he really was in danger? That she was in danger? Of course she understood Dune's job could be a dangerous one. His most recent homecoming taught her that lesson all too well. But had it ever once occurred to either of them that his job could put her at risk? Dune thought not, and worried that Mae would simply not be able to appreciate the situation they were now in and may put her life in harm's way without realizing it. She was a smart girl, and very strong-willed, but she had led the sheltered and comfortable life of a typical Narsillian citizen and knew little of the real dangers that surrounded the city, and were indeed within the city itself.

As Dune thought about this, a sobering realization came to him. No one in Narsille knew of the dangers. Most of the cities millions of inhabitants had grown complacent in this peaceful fortress, and if something were to happen, they would be as helpless as lambs being led to slaughter. Dr. Atma's cold, jeering face appeared in his mind's eye, with the words "I told you so" echoing across his lips. Yes, it would seem Dr. Atma was right about Narsille's true face all along, and Dune was now stuck in the middle of that quicksand of corruption. Funny that, until Atma had talked to him on the deck of the Figaro that night, Dune had never once considered his life to be anything but idyllic and his home a perfect paradise of technology and peace. Dune marveled at how naive he had been, and how wise Atma seemed by comparison. No wonder the man was always so smug!

Hopefully Dune would not pay for that naiveté as he searched the underground for this meeting place of the Order Alex spoke of. Dune did not trust his abilities to stay undetected, and he trusted his abilities in combat even less. Was this plan really an acceptable risk, or was he foolishly heading to certain death? Alex's plan had better be foolproof, or Dune was in serious trouble. Only a full regiment of troops and weapons would make this escape seem possible in Dune's mind.

Even then, what could all that do against this new force that Alex and Indie had assured him existed? Magic. Dune still could not believe such a thing existed in his world, the real world. Surely they were mistaken. How many times had unseen and unexplainable forces been given that label in the history of scientific endeavors? It seemed obvious to Dune as he rolled the idea around in his head that this "magic" was nothing more than a euphemism - a temporary term his mentors were using until they really understood what was going on. Still, they had seemed so fervent about the idea. So convinced...more convinced than any scientist has a right to be about the world around them. The world of a scientist was one of constant doubt and revision of beliefs. To be as confident as they were that magic existed seemed unlike the experienced scientists he had thought they were. Just what was this "truth" they were guiding him towards? All he could do now, though, was wait patiently for the signal, whatever form it took. He did not wait long.

"Kupo!"

A soft squeak issued from the other side of the door and Dune jumped up in surprise. He recognized that sound. It was Indie's enigmatic pet! THIS was the regiment of troops Alex had sent him?

"Ku-po!" the creature repeated impatiently from behind the large door. It seemed he wanted in.

Dune cautiously got up and opened the door for his little visitor. The creature bounded in immediately and almost ran right into Dune's legs. It fluttered its small wings backwards ferociously to stop itself from crashing, the pom-pom sprouting from its head waving back and forth like some sort of comical pendulum. Dune couldn't help but break a small grin at this display. The grin didn't last long, as Dune realized this was the help that was supposedly going to lead him to the Order's meeting place. Wondering if Indie might not be waiting behind the doors still, Dune ignored the creature for a few moments and watched for any sign of another, more useful, visitor. There was none, and a sharp poke at his knee brought his attention back to the furry little thing at his feet.

"Kupopo! Ku..." The creature's tone was one of hurt pride. The idea that he had insulted the poor creature also amused Dune slightly.

Before Dune could figure out what to make of the unexpected help, a small furry paw was waving at him with a letter clasped between the tiny claws. The letter would hopefully shed some light on what he was supposed to do. Taking the letter politely from the creature, Dune opened it and studied its contents. It looked like it was written in a hurry, with large sloping cursive scrawled across it almost illegibly. At the bottom Dune noted that the letter was from Alex.

"Dune, you must trust this creature before you. I hope you recognize it as Indie's faithful companion. Don't let its cute and innocent appearance fool you! It is a member of the extremely reclusive Mogri race, affectionately dubbed 'moogles' by Indie. These creatures are highly intelligent beings capable of the same level of thought as us. There are still a great many mysteries surrounding them, and I was not as sure of sending it to you as Indie seemed to be, but I trust him, and so should you. He has dedicated the majority of his later years to studying these creatures, and it is under the guise of science that he is allowed to keep this one within the walls of Narsille. He has taught it much over the years and I am sure it will be able to help you. We have given it instructions on how to get to the central hall of the Order, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at its ability to get you there safely. These creatures are native to the Narsillian mountains and are adept at underground navigation and stealth. Follow him and do your best to remain unseen. I hope you find the answers you seek. If all goes well we will all see each other before the next mission. I have decided to join Indie in accompanying you, whether the Committee agrees or not. As you will soon find out, you cannot escape destiny, and I feel it is my destiny to see this series of events to the end. Good luck.

P.S. - The moogle's name is "Kumiro" and understands human speech, although it cannot speak it. Don't be afraid to talk to it if you are unsure of what to do. You'd be surprised what it is capable of showing with simple gestures and intonations of its voice.

Alex"

It was hard to believe this creature, this "moogle" was going to lead him to the Order's meeting place, but he had trusted Indie and Alex this far, and Dune felt he had no choice but to trust them a little further. He put the letter in his pocket and motioned for Kumiro to lead the way. It chirruped happily and waved for him to follow it. Before Dune had a chance to marvel at the seemingly intelligent way it motioned to him, the creature had zipped out of the room and halfway down the corridor in a blur of white fur. It had done this without a sound of any kind, and with such speed that Dune now wondered if he would be able to keep up, or be left behind to wander until he was discovered and detained.

Dune ran as quickly and quietly as he could towards the waiting creature, although he was not nearly as successful at keeping quiet as a moogle. His heavier footsteps echoed loudly against the walls and his breathing was amplified to harsh gasps in the silence. When he reached Kumiro, it put its hands to its ears and shook its head, making a low "puu..." noise as it did. So far Dune was not making the best impression on the little moogle.

"Sorry, I'm not used to covert operations. You'll have to bear with me."

The only reply Dune got was a harshly whispered "Kuuu!" as the moogle put one of its clawed chubby fingers to its lips and cupped his other paw around his ear. Dune knew what that meant: "Don't talk to me, just listen."

Well Alex had said to not be afraid to talk to it, didn't he? Dune waved his hands in futility and motioned to keep going. The creature nodded and continued scurrying down the corridors, now at a slower pace. It was still difficult for Dune to keep up, but he found if he concentrated he could do so with minimal noise. Kumiro rapidly led Dune from one passage to another with an ease and confidence that would have even put Alex to shame. Once or twice it would stop suddenly and motion for Dune to stay where he was and "Kuuu!". In other words, "Be quiet!" Dune did as he was told, and a few moments later a worker would usually walk past where they would have been had Dune been leading the way. The little guy was definitely good at remaining unseen. Now Dune understood why he had never seen these creatures before in all his treks into the mountains behind the city.

After roaming the ill-lit corridors for what seemed to Dune hours, they silently emerged back in the central hub where many lighted signs painted the way forward. Dune wondered if it was really possible to break into the Order's meeting place? Were they really going to make it? It still seemed impossible, but Dune was continually being surprised by his little guide's resourcefulness. Once the two of them had even hidden above a rafter on the ceiling as two workers walked down the same passage as them on an unavoidable beeline. The little creature was stronger than its fat little body and tiny wings suggested, and was actually able to lift Dune off the ground a few feet and help him to the rafters.

As Dune stood looking at the various passages open to them and wondering which one led to the Order's meeting place, Kumiro tugged at his pant leg and pointed at a spot on the ground about four feet from their location under the eaves of the passage they had just came from. Dune looked at the creature quizzically and mouthed that he didn't understand. The moogle shook its finger at Dune and grinned(or at least it might have been a grin, the creatures perpetually cheery face made it hard to distinguish anything but unabashed glee). It quickly bounced over to the spot it had pointed at and then kicked at something on the ground with its foot. A grated hatchway opened up and a small burst of dust shot up from around the opening and now Dune understood. It was a ventilation tunnel traveling under the central hub. Dune returned the moogle's grin admirably and tip-toed over to the opening.

It looked like it would be a tight fit, but Dune would manage. The two of them squeezed into the pitch black tunnel and made their way unseen through the vast room, a constant blast of cold air washing over them as they moved. Dune had to crawl on all fours through the small passage, but Kumiro simply bent forward and walked with a stoop. Its pom-pom made a slight ruffling sound as it brushed against the sides of the tunnel, but that was all the sound it made. After a few minutes they reached a point where the tunnel branched off into at least a dozen other passages. A large fan rotated rapidly at the center of the intersection, sending fresh air throughout the room above. Dune was concerned about the long slashing blades of the fan and hesitated at the sight of them, but his companion just kept on marching forward, forcing Dune to follow.

Without any hesitation, Kumiro veered around the monster fan and into one of the tunnels to the left. Dune stopped when he reached the fan and wondered if he would be able to fit through the small space between the blades and the walls as easily as the moogle had. He was not sure, and was not eager to find out. There wasn't much choice at this point though, and with a sharp intake of air that sucked in his chest as far as it would go, he turned on his side and inched his way carefully around the fan with his shoulders and hips, moving like a giant caterpillar as he undulated his body forward. He couldn't risk extending his arms or legs out and within reach of the deadly edge of the fan. The moogle stared anxiously at Dune as he slowly made his way around the fan, but it made no motions to hurry up.

A few tense moments later Dune was safely on the other side of the fan and the moogle already working its way down the new passage. How it knew this was the right passage was a mystery to Dune, but then again, nearly everything about this creature was a mystery, and he simply had to trust its infallible internal compass. They continued forward until they reached the end of the shaft. Kumiro stopped underneath the grate and quickly poked its pom-pom out through one of the slits. Dune guessed the little puff of fuzz sticking out of the creature's head was more than just decoration like he had first imagined. The moogle stayed still for a moment, then ducked back down and lept up, lifting the grate as he rose.

They were once again just a few steps away from the entrance to a passageway, and there was no one close enough to see them. Dune wondered how long their luck would last as he glanced up at the sign above the entrance and silently read what it said. "Geothermal Generators 120-360: Central Section" was brightly glowing in large block letters. This did not seem like the way to a religious meeting place, but did he really think they were just going to walk into the front door?

Kumiro led the way through the new series of passages with his usual efficacy and soon they were safely and suddenly in front of a series of gigantic pumps and generators that stretched off into the distance of a cavernous room of equally gigantic proportions. The sound of rushing water and hissing steam filled the room with a deafening roar, and Dune instinctively clapped his hands to his ears the instant they hit the open space of the room. The room did not seem as artificial as the rest of the areas he had seen so far underneath the city. It looked like it was a natural underground cavern, complete with a large underwater river running down the middle of it. The river led away from the right of where Dune and Kumiro stood, and kept going until it fell off into a steep precipice about a thousand feet away. On either side of the river, stacked row after row almost straight to the ceiling of the room, were hundreds of massive generators busily working. Each one was humming loudly and vibrating so fiercely that Dune thought they looked read to fly apart at any second. Large cumbersome pipelines were rising out from the precipice alongside the river and then splitting off and running into the many blocky generators. Another complex series of pipes jutted out from the machines and crept up the walls like spidery ribs towards the ceiling where they all met in one gigantic bundle of pipes running along parallel to the river below. Every once and a while a hot gust of steam would burst from a loose coupling in the pipes. What impressed Dune most was the sheer scale of the production before him. Geothermal plants were not unknown to Dune, but he had never anticipated the epic size of this one. And if he was right about the sign above the passage, these grand machines were only a single section of the entire system. This must be the phenomenal power source that drives the entire city of Narsille above.

A swift tug at his pant leg again brought Dune partially back to his senses. For that brief moment as he gazed at the wondrous technology in front of him, Dune had completely forgotten about what he was doing here. Technology usually didn't have such an effect on Dune, but this sight was such a marvel of technological wizardry that Dune couldn't help but stupidly stare in stunned awe. It was almost...magical. When Kumiro tugged again, this time with more force, Dune gave him a slightly dazed look that asked where to go next. The moogle looked around the vast room for a moment, then jabbed its finger at the edge of the abyss where the water was steadily falling into nothingness. Down there? Admittedly, Dune was curious where the river went and where the pipes were coming from, but this new obstacle made the fan look tame by comparison.

Tiny workers could be seen wandering between the megalithic generators occasionally, but there was so much going on in this room that it was not hard to move about without being noticed. These workers had too much on their hands to worry about a couple of lost tourists. Dune and Kumiro walked over to the edge of the waterfall with a mock casualness and peered over the edge to see what was waiting for them below. As far as Dune could see, there was nothing but darkness beneath them. An endless series of lights blinked a dim path alongside the rising pipes, and Dune could just make out a rickety mesh of scaffolding leaning against the entire cliff face in the lighting. The waterfall, pipes, lights and scaffolding all trailed off into the distant depths until all were lost in the darkness. Kumiro cautiously fluttered down to the scaffolding and urged Dune to follow. It was times like this Dune envied the moogles ability to fly, as limited as it was. Once more Dune took in a deep breath and climbed down over the edge of cliff and edged his way along the narrow path towards the scaffold. The steel bars and girders that made up the scaffolding looked sturdy enough, but the structure still looked small and frail alongside the giant hissing pipes and roaring waterfall.

Before Dune had even made it to where Kumiro was waiting, the moogle was already off and climbing with monkey-like agility down the rungs and platforms. Dune could only lumber along slowly above him, hoping the bars that supported the moogle would support him as well. Soon the moogle was out of sight from Dune, but he could still hear it squeaking along as it hopped from one hold to another. Then Dune heard something that sent a shiver down his spine. Instead of the moogle's usual pleasant squeak, it let out a high-pitched squeal that sounded like a baby pig being gutted, and then it was silent. Instantly responding to his faithful companion's cry, Dune abandoned his former caution and lept from one hold to another with a reckless agility almost on par with the moogle's.

He had almost made it to where he had heard the moogle's scream when he slipped on a foothold that was drenched with spray from the waterfall and went tumbling backwards into the falls. He tried to let out a cry, only to have a pillar of water nearly drown him. The waterfall had him now, and it wasn't going to let go until it dragged him down into whatever hellish depths it emptied into. Floating in and out of consciousness, Dune tried desperately to latch his flailing arms and legs onto the girders that were rushing before his eyes. If he could just concentrate and get a clear view he might be able to grab hold of the scaffolding. But the relentless force of the falls was too great, and soon Dune stopped struggling and let his body be pushed down, down, down into the black oblivion before him. A few jumbled thoughts later his mind joined his body in darkness.