Chapter 14

Psyche Yourself Up

(Zell)

The sorceress looked at the three SeeDs, her eyes moving up and down their bodies, one by one. Judging them. Comparing them. Zell shifted on his feet, uncomfortable under her gaze. After a moment, she smiled and nodded, accepting them.

She extended her hand and shook with each member of the Contact Team, taking Zell's hand last. Her hand was small, but her grip was fierce. Zell glanced down at her deep, brown eyes.

"I like your tattoo," she said, pointing with her free hand at Zell's facial tattoo. "It's cool. So's your hair."

Against his will, Zell's face decided to highlight his tattoo in shades of bright red. He coughed, growing even more uncomfortable. He couldn't explain why her interest bothered him so much. Normally, he was quite excited when people noticed and liked his tattoo, his hair, or his clothes. But somehow, with her, it felt wrong. Unpleasant.

(Maybe it's cause I got a girlfriend now? I dunno.)

"Uh, thanks," he said softly.

She squeezed his hand once, then parted, stepping backwards to address all three SeeDs. "I'm Ciel," she said. "I guess you already know Tavin." She nodded her head to the person standing next to her. Tavin waved awkwardly. "Our third member is my brother, Riel. He's out on the roof, watching for Galbadians. Anyways, we're the members of Forest Wolf. It's cool to finally meet you guys in person."

(Only three people?)

Zell thought that was peculiar for a moment, until he remembered that the Forest Owls—Rinoa's former group—hadn't been much larger. Timber rebels seemed most comfortable operating with small, independent cells, rather than sprawling organizations like SeeD.

Xu spoke first. "My name is Xu. This is Zell and Dax."

The two men nodded at Ciel.

"Tell me," Xu said, "Are you the only three here at the TV Station?"

"Yeah," Ciel said, proudly. "Pretty cool, huh? Just three teenagers in a TV station, and Galbadia's the ones running scared."

Ciel raised her eyebrows and grinned, apparently expecting praise. Xu gave her none, instead choosing to cross her arms and sigh. Zell didn't know Xu very well, but he recognized that expression as distinctly Quistis-like. He'd seen Quistis give the same look to Squall when she felt that he wasn't living up to her expectations.

Xu's voice became colder, more professional as she said, "We were told that you were in contact with the former president of Timber. We had been led to believe he'd be here with you. In addition to providing support, the three of us are here to finalize SeeD's contract with the future government of Timber. We can't exactly do that if the government of Timber isn't here."

Ciel shrugged. "Eh, sorry about that. He's not here right now. But I'll get you in touch with him soon, I promise. No worries." She grinned brightly.

Xu was not impressed. "SeeD doesn't operate on promises; it operates on contracts. Just getting the three of us in here took an enormous amount of effort, and we can't afford to continue taking these massive risks without some guarantee that our efforts are not in vain. At the very least, we need a show of faith from you in order to proceed. I must insist that I speak with the president."

Ciel rolled her eyes. Her welcoming grin was gone, replaced with sarcasm so thick it almost dripped down her face.

"Well, I mean, what did you expect?" she said. "Did you really think we'd bring our president right in the middle of a friggin' warzone? If he dies or gets captured, then what? We're screwed, that's what. I thought you SeeDs were supposed to understand, like, basic wartime strategy. Having the president here is probably the dumbest thing we can do right now. I thought that'd be obvious."

If Zell had to guess, he would say that there was probably fewer than three or four years separating Xu and Ciel's ages, yet judging by their respective postures and the way they were talking to each other, Zell almost felt like he was caught between a frustrated parent arguing with a spoiled child. Ciel's expression had turned petulant, rebellious, while Xu's was authoritative and exasperated.

(The sorceress… isn't what I thought she'd be.)

Not that Zell ever had much idea what to expect from Ciel to begin with. But he'd seen the video of her declaring Timber's independence, and from that, he'd formed a picture in his mind of a strong, self-assured sorceress, full of precocious courage and wisdom. Kind of like a Squall mixed with an Edea, and maybe a little bit of Selphie. But that mental image of her was quickly eroding in the face of reality.

"What's obvious here is the danger we are all in right now," Xu said. "We're risking our lives simply by being here, and all you've got to offer us in return for our service is promises of promises. Do you have any idea of what had to be done to make this meeting possible? Do you care? Or are we nothing more than disposable commodities to you?"

Ciel stomped her foot on the floor, hard. Her face reddened, and that intangible sense of energy that surrounded Ciel intensified. Zell felt the room grow colder. Goosebumps raised on the bare flesh of his forearms. Standing close to Ciel was like standing beside an open window in the middle of a blizzard. Zell wanted to back away slowly, put as much distance between himself and the enraged sorceress as possible, but Xu and Dax bravely held their ground, so he did the same.

"If you're so scared, then leave!" Ciel shouted. Despite the supernaturally chill air, her skin was enflamed, sweat forming on her brow underneath her bandanna. A strange buzzing sound filled Zell's ears, giving him a headache. "We just asked for your help, but if that's too much for you, then go! We can… we—"

She stopped, choking on her own voice. Furious, she turned her back on the SeeDs, her shoulders quivering. Tavin gave Xu a stricken, apologetic look, then rushed to the sorceress. He put both hands on her shoulders and bent down, trying to get her to look at him. She looked away, down at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Tavin whispered. He looked like he wanted to embrace her, but he kept her at arm's length. "Shh. Shh. Maybe you should go check on your brother. I'll work this out with the SeeDs, okay?"

Ciel sniffed and cleared her throat. She nodded her head slightly, still not looking at him, or at anyone else. She rubbed her eye with the back of her hand.

(Is she… crying?)

Zell exchanged a glance with Dax. Dax used his forefinger to trace a circle around and around his ear. There was no amusement in his face—only contempt. Meanwhile, Xu kept her eyes focused on the scene before her, showing no emotion at all.

(I didn't expect the meeting to go like this…)

"Yeah, okay," Ciel said softly to Tavin. She turned to face the three SeeDs, but didn't look up at them. Her eyes were glistening. "Sorry. I'll be back…"

Xu nodded, but didn't speak. Ciel slowly walked away from the group, her feet dragging on the floor dramatically. She disappeared around a corner. Now that she was gone, the hallway warmed by degrees, until it returned to a normal temperature. The afternoon sun fell on Zell's body, flattening out his goose bumps. The buzzing sound in his ears stopped, leaving him intensely aware of how quiet everyone had become.

After a minute, Tavin sighed. "I'm really sorry," he said, embarrassed. "I swear, she's not usually like this. We're just… under a lot of stress right now, you know?"

"I understand," Xu said. Her flat tone expressed no sympathy for the sorceress. "But we're all going to need her to pull herself together. We don't stand a chance in this fight without the strength of the sorceress backing us up."

"Yeah, we know," Tavin said. "That's kinda why she's so messed up right now. She knows it's all up to her, and she's not dealing with the pressure as well as she thinks she is. I mean, we've never done anything this big before. This is all new to us."

"Is she going to be alright?" Xu asked.

"Ciel? Yeah, she just needs to vent for a few minutes," Tavin said. "She'll be okay in a bit."

"No, I meant is she going to have another breakdown right before a battle?" Xu asked. "If she can't handle the pressure now, when nothing is happening, who's to say what's she going to do when the fighting starts?"

Tavin laughed at her question. "Man, if you knew her, you wouldn't be asking that. When there's a fight, she becomes, like, someone else. She's a demon on the battlefield. It's only times like these, when she has to stop and think about everything, that she really starts to have problems. She worries too much, you know?"

Dax snorted dismissively. "A demon on the battlefield? That little girl?" he said.

Xu shot him a look. "Quiet," she said to him.

Dax shut up, but continued sneering. Zell couldn't help but agree a little with Dax on the issue. He didn't see much in Ciel's personality that suggested that she was secretly a warrior, underneath all that childishness and immaturity.

(I hope I'm wrong about that.)

Tavin eyed Dax confidently. Though Dax was easily twice the size of the skinny little red-headed boy, Tavin seemed to not be intimidated in the slightest.

"Oh, you'll see," Tavin said. "There's a reason why the three of us—all by ourselves—have been able to hold off the Galbadians this long. It's cause of her. Even before she got the sorceress powers, she was a force of nature. Now… now I think she could almost take on the whole G-Army herself."

Zell didn't find that hard to believe. He thought back to all his previous experiences with sorceresses. Edea, Rinoa, Adel, and Ultimecia. All of them were strong, dangerous in their own ways, and sometimes a little scary.

(If she's anything like the others I've met, she could be pretty nasty.)

"There's still the matter of our contract," Xu said, bringing the conversation back on topic. "I sympathize with your situation. I do. But we can't continue the operation unless you hold up your end of the bargain. We must speak with the former president of Timber and secure a signed contract before we can proceed. It's a deal-breaker."

If Zell remembered correctly, Timber had offered to give up a portion of their national income to SeeD for as long as Timber remained independent. He didn't know the exact figures behind the deal, but even he knew that it was a massive payout, one that could change the fate of SeeD forever. He also knew that it would be all too easy for Timber to back out at the last moment, or try to offer a lesser payment once the fighting stopped.

(We need a contract. Otherwise we're risking our lives basically for free.)

Tavin sucked in a breath between his teeth. "Yyyeaah… Like Ciel said, he's not here. Dunno what she told you… but he's never been at the TV Station. I'm sorry if she said something different to you guys."

"Then where is he?" Xu said, her tone getting sharp again. "Our Commander personally saw him in a cable communication recently, so you must have had contact with him at some point in the past twenty-four hours. If he's not here, then where is he?"

Tavin had a pained expression on his face, as if dragging out an explanation was physically hurting him. "I can't tell you where he is. He's in a secret location. I'm really sorry."

(This guy apologizes a lot.)

Xu frowned, then looked away. After a moment, she faced back to Tavin and her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry we ever got involved in this mess. We believed we'd be working with a strong, unified Timber resistance, led by its former president and supported by the strength of a sorceress. Instead we get a handful of kids and a lot of apologies and promises. Have you ever told us the truth, or has it been nothing but lies from the start?"

(Man, I've never seen Xu angry before.)

(… Scary.)

Tavin looked to Xu, to Zell, to Dax, his mouth open in shock. "I don't… I don't know what to tell you," he stammered. "I'm not the strategy guy. I don't know what Ciel promised you. What lies? What did she say?"

"Who are the others?" Xu said. "You can start by telling us that. Not just Forest Wolf, but everyone involved in this operation right now."

Tavin rubbed his chin in thought. His desperation to give Xu the answers she wanted, to keep the mission moving forward, was obvious. But the fear and nervousness in his voice and body didn't inspire confidence.

"Um… Well there's me, Ciel, Riel, and the president," he said. "And a couple other people from the other resistance groups. Like, the Forest Bears are the guys with the train who brought you into the city. And… uh, I think that's it. I'm just a lackey, really. I follow orders. I don't know what the big picture is. There might be more people involved. I don't know."

Xu sighed. She stepped forward towards Tavin and put a gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder. "Tavin, I need you to be honest with us. Can you do that?"

He looked hurt by the question. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I'm not gonna lie to you guys. I'd never…"

"Good. Let's start with the basics," Xu said. "Who's in charge of this operation?"

Tavin stuttered out an answer, "I-I don't know what you mean. Riel, I guess. He's always been our leader."

"Riel? The sorceress' brother?" Xu said.

"Yeah," Tavin said. "We voted for him to be leader a while back."

"Isn't the president in charge?" Xu asked. "Don't you take orders from him?"

"Not really," Tavin said. "He supports us, and we support him too. But we don't really talk to him much, no. It's not safe for him to be out in the open."

Xu sighed and closed her eyes, releasing Tavin's shoulder. She began rubbing her temples with the fingers of both hands.

"What?" Tavin asked, confused. "You asked for the truth."

"I know," Xu said, still not opening her eyes. "But it's not a pleasant truth."

"So lemme get this straight," Zell said. "The president's not here, and he's not even really involved in the mission. He's just promising that if we help you guys out, he'll cut us in on the profits when Timber is liberated."

"Yeah, basically," Tavin said. "I thought you knew that already."

"This's all been a waste of time," Dax said. "I say we get out of here. Cut our losses and go."

"I told you to be quiet," Xu said, glaring at him.

Dax pointed at Zell. "So how come he gets to talk?"

Xu looked at the two SeeDs. "Both of you, stop talking."

(OH COME ON!)

"THE HELL?" Zell said. He shook a fist at Dax. Dax smirked back at him, triumphantly.

"So why you?" Xu asked. "Why did you three decide to take over the TV Station and declare Timber's independence?"

"Kind of a long story," Tavin said.

"Make it shorter," Xu said.

He gulped. "Um… Well, cause of Ciel becoming a sorceress," he said. "Forest Wolf specializes in stealing Galbadian weapons and stockpiling them for the future. One night, when we were on a raid, we end up in one of their warehouses, right? Me, Ciel, and Riel were going through their boxes and looking out for guards, when we see this fire suddenly pop out of nowhere. Then this girl with weird blue skin shows up, bleeding and all messed up, like she just got out of a fight or something. And we were freaked out, you know? She looked like an alien."

"One of the sorceresses from time compression, right?" Zell asked.

Tavin stared at him blankly. "… What?"

(Oh right, he wouldn't know about that.)

"Uh, sorry, man," Zell said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened next?"

"So yeah," Tavin said. "So this woman or whatever goes up to Ciel, touches her, and then disappears. And then just like that, Ciel was a sorceress. I guess that woman was a sorceress too? I don't know. Anyway, after we got back, Ciel starts messing around with her new powers. And she was strong. I mean, I gotta admit, I'm a little scared of her now. If you can see some of the things she can do… it's crazy…"

Xu crossed her arms. "We're aware of the things a sorceress can do. Get to the point."

Tavin waved his hand, as if dismissing himself. "Anyway, yeah, so Ciel and her brother came up with this idea to take over the TV Station and announce Timber's independence. They wanted to try to get SeeD on board too. We figured if we had SeeD here backing us up, the other resistance groups would feel safer about joining with the rebellion. If we got the sorceress, SeeD, and all the Timber rebel groups working together, then even Galbadia would have to think twice about fighting us. It was Riel's idea to use Gian—the former president—to kinda tempt you guys over. I'm actually Gian's first cousin, twice removed, if you believe it, so I got a connection with him. Anyway, so… yeah. We did that… and now you're here. So um… thanks for coming, I guess."

"So that's it," Xu said flatly. "That's the story."

Tavin shrugged. "Yup."

There was a long pause while everyone waited for Xu's next comment. Tavin looked at the three SeeDs. Seeing Xu's expression, he gulped and tried to smile. He began idly fidgeting with his bright red hair, twirling it around his finger and tugging on it. Zell changed his posture a few times, growing ever more uncomfortable with the prolonged silence. Finally, Xu spoke.

"So you three aren't actually speaking on behalf of all of Timber," Xu said. "Or even a majority of it. And you can't offer us the promised payment, because the president isn't part of the operation. You're three kids who took over a TV Station on an impulse, so now you think you're soldiers."

"It's not like that," Tavin said, hurriedly. "After we've liberated Timber and Gian becomes president, he'll honor the deal with SeeD. He's not gonna back out of it, if that's what you're worried about."

"If you're liberated and if Gian is elected," Xu said. She shook her head and raised her hands, then dropped them to her sides. "You've been honest with us, Tavin, so let me be honest with you."

"Okay."

"SeeD has never taken a deal this flimsy before," Xu said. "You really have nothing to offer us, except for a few vague promises that depend mostly on a complicated series of events you have little control over."

"It's not—"

"Let me finish. Try to understand our perspective. You're asking us to fight a war with you. A war against what is probably the largest army in the world. And you've been lying to us and misleading us and offering us only promises. We could have died coming here. Are our lives worth so little to you, that you're willing to risk them for nothing?"

"No!" Tavin said. He gritted his teeth. "I don't want anyone to die!"

"Someone has to die," Xu said. "Galbadians or SeeDs or the people of Timber. Most likely some of all three. That's how war goes. People are going to die based on your decisions, no matter how noble or well-intentioned those decisions are. Now you really need to ask yourself, how would you feel to be us? Would you accept these terms you've offered, if you were in our position? Would you risk everything for nothing?"

Tavin looked down at the floor. His body shook a little as he fought to contain his turbulent emotions. Zell found himself starting to feel sorry for the guy. He looked so weak, small, and helpless.

All Zell's life, he'd been a student at Garden, growing up in a military setting. He was accustomed to seeing children younger than seven or eight years old training with weapons and marching in perfect formation—as well-disciplined as any soldier Galbadia had to offer. He'd seen teenagers fight for their lives, and watched some of them die. So it was always a weird transition for him, to see a civilian boy with almost no experience, who suddenly found himself tossed into situations like this. The sorceress and Tavin weren't SeeDs, and it wasn't fair to treat them like they were.

(Maybe we're being too hard on them.)

Finally, his eyes glistening, Tavin looked up and faced Xu.

"I do want to help you," Xu said. "We all do. But you need to work with us. You need to give us something solid, or we can't move forward."

Tavin sniffed, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Yeah… I know."

(Everyone around here keeps crying…)

"If you can't bring the president here, can you take us to him?" Xu asked.

"I… no," Tavin said. He shook his head. "I can't. Sorry."

"Why not?"

"We can't risk it," Tavin said. He met Xu's gaze. "He's in our hiding spot. Where we have our meetings and store the weapons that we steal from Galbadia. I'm not allowed to bring anyone there, not even SeeD. It's not that we don't trust you, but… we don't trust you. If Galbadia finds out about the president and our weapon stockpile, it's all over. Might as well kill us and save the Galbadians the trouble."

"You have to try to work something out with the others," Xu said. "If you can't get the president here, if we can't secure a deal somehow, then I'll have no choice but to withdraw from Timber."

Tavin looked at her, terror in his eyes. "You can't! If SeeD pulls out now, the three of us are gonna die. They'll kill Ciel. Riel and I would be lucky to go to prison for the rest of our lives."

Xu's face showed no expression. "Most likely, yes," she said.

(Harsh.)

(… But probably true.)

Tavin sighed. "I-I understand. I'll talk to the others. I'll figure something out."

"Good luck," Xu said. "I really mean it."

"Thanks…" Tavin said. He nodded at the three SeeDs, then dragged his feet down the hall and around the corner, following the path Ciel had taken a few minutes prior. When he was well out of hearing range, Dax turned to Xu.

"Can I talk now?" Dax asked.

Xu gave him a look. "You have permission to speak, yes."

Dax grunted. "You know, I used to have a girlfriend like that sorceress," he said. "Crazier than all hell. The best thing we can do is bail now, before we're in too deep. I'm tellin' ya, in a week she'll be sneaking into our rooms when we're asleep and stealing locks of our hair."

He rubbed at patch of hair on the back of his head, as if reassuring himself that everything was still intact.

Zell thought back to his first mission as a SeeD, with Squall and Selphie. They'd gone off to Timber to help the Forest Owls, a resistance group that was only slightly larger than Forest Wolf, but not much more organized. Their first meeting with Rinoa went pretty poorly, and at one point, Squall went on a tirade on her, criticizing her organization, her mission, her ability.

(Wow. Déjà vu.)

Zell scratched the back of his head. "Well, the Forest Owls weren't much better, really. It kinda seems like this is how all the Timber resistance groups operate."

"This ain't a resistance," Dax said. "My little sister throws tea parties with her stuffed animals that are more organized than this."

For a moment, Zell pictured a tiny, younger version of Dax, dressed up in a frilly pink dress and bonnet, surrounded by plush dolls. For some odd reason, his imagination chose to depict the girl as having Dax's freakish arms, her oversized fingers practically crushing her teacup with every sip.

(Scary.)

"You need to remember," Xu said, "Timber hasn't had an organized military in almost twenty years. The Resistance members are all civilians, and only a few are old enough to have ever served in the military. We knew our clients were inexperienced when we took the job. We counted on it, actually."

Dax scoffed. "'Inexperienced' is being pretty damn generous. These idiots are inept. Everybody's cryin' like some they're in a stupid chick flick."

"Hey, man," Zell said. "Let's at least give 'em a shot. They said they got a weapon stockpile somewhere. And they got a sorceress. And they took over the TV Station without our help, so I mean, they can't be all bad, right?"

Xu nodded. "Zell has a point. Most of our clients can't fight at all, leaving SeeD to do all the real work. We're in the unique situation right now where one of our clients is actually more powerful than all of us combined. If we can sort out this contract issue, I still feel confident we can move forward with the operation. If we guide them along, we can make this work."

Dax shook his head. "They're gonna get us all killed."

Xu narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you afraid, Dax?"

"Psh! Never," Dax said, offended.

"Then be quiet," Xu said. "I'm the ranking SeeD here, and the Commander left me with the decision of whether or not this operation proceeds. Now, I'm going to look around the building and get my bearings." She turned to Zell. "Zell, hold on to your radio, and don't let it out of your sight. It's our only guaranteed link to Garden right now."

"Yes, ma'am," Zell said.

"Dax, get up on the roof and do some reconnaissance on the Galbadians' movements," she said. "Don't let yourself be seen by the G-Army."

Dax nodded, his years of training instantly removing the sarcasm from his tone. "Yes, ma'am."

"So… Uh… What should I do?" Zell asked.

Xu turned to him and gave a faint smile. "You, Zell," she said. "You are going to play the good cop for us. It's your job to be the liaison between Forest Wolf and SeeD. I want you to find them, gain their trust, make sure they agree with the mission, and then report back to me any important information they mention to you."

Zell winced. "But umm…" he said.

(I'm not really good at that kinda stuff…)

Zell's fists were more eloquent than his tongue, and he knew it. Every time he opened his mouth, bad things happened. He wasn't stupid, per se, nor was he deliberately trying to sabotage missions with his outbursts. But sometimes he couldn't foresee the consequences of his actions until after he'd committed them.

"What if I screw up?" Zell asked.

Xu shook her head. "You won't. There's nothing to screw up. You don't know any sensitive information that they don't already know, so you can't blurt out any secrets by accident. Plus, I believe they'll have reason to trust you almost automatically. All you have to do is act natural. It'll be fine."

Zell blew out his cheeks. "Umm… I'll try," he said. "I guess."

"Great," Dax said with a sneer. "The entire mission hinges on this moron convincing those morons to be logical. It's the blind leading the blind over here."

"HEY!" Zell said, threatening Dax with one clenched fist. Xu swatted down Zell's hand and stepped between the pair before anything could happen. Zell grumbled, his anger slowly subsiding as his brain regained control of his body.

"I think you misunderstand the situation, Dax," Xu said. "We're actually in a very good position right now. As Tavin has already realized, they absolutely need us to stay. If SeeD were to pull out now, Galbadia would quickly move in and crush the rebellion, sorceress or no sorceress. So Zell doesn't need to convince them to do anything; they'll figure that part on their own."

She continued. "Furthermore, it is quite clear that we cannot proceed in this operation in the usual SeeD style, where the client gives us orders and we obey them. Obviously, these clients are a special case and we need them to hand over total command authority to the three of us, if this mission is going to have any shot at succeeding. I believe that they'll be more likely to respect us—and obey us—if they think that at least one of us is sympathetic to their cause. That's what I meant when I said Zell needs to be the good cop. If all goes to plan, I'll be the mean SeeD team leader who makes all the hard decisions, and Zell will be the good guy who makes sure they stay in line. It will allow us to do what needs to be done, without risking them turning against us. Do you understand?"

Dax hesitated, unable to find a flaw in her reasoning. "So where's that leave me? What am I then?"

"The muscle, obviously," Xu said.

Dax snorted, but Zell got the feeling that he wasn't going to argue anymore.

"All right," Xu said. "You two have your orders. Now move out."

Dax and Zell nodded. Xu spun around and headed down the hall towards the stairway. Dax followed her as far as the stairs, but went up to the roof instead of following her down to the first floor. Zell paused in the middle of the hallway, trying to sort out everything that Xu had told him.

(I didn't understand any of that.)

Xu had just thrown a pile of big words and jargon in his face and then ran off, as if that explained everything. He had only a vague idea of what she wanted from him, but she gave him the impression that everything was under control, so that was good enough for him. As long as Xu had a plan, things couldn't be all bad.

(Just act natural.)

(Easy enough, I guess.)

Zell shrugged to himself and followed the path where Ciel and Tavin had gone.

Around the corner, the hallway continued, leading to a row of office rooms. All the doors were shut, the lights inside turned off. Out of curiosity, Zell stopped at each door and peered through the windows, cupping his hands around his eyes to block out the glare of the sun. Each darkened room had once been the office for TV Station executives. Following the collapse of the radio industry, they'd remained untouched for almost twenty years. Dusty file cabinets stood in the corners, towering over dead potted plants and empty desks. Some doors still bore name plaques, identifying the offices as belonging to the "Senior Marketing Executive," the "Chief Financial Officer," or some other important-sounding title. On other doors the plaques had fallen off, leaving rectangular patches of lighter wood behind where they once were placed.

Aside from the novelty of seeing what abandoned offices looked like, there was nothing interesting in any of the rooms. Zell continued on to where the hall abruptly ended, finding himself facing a closed door. Unlike the other doors in the hall, this one didn't have a window, and instead of being made of wood, it was composed of some other, denser material that Zell didn't recognize. Above the door was a rectangular light-up sign with the word "Live" written on it. The light was currently off.

(I guess this is a recording booth…)

Zell approached the door and rapped his knuckles on it. After a moment, he realized that the door to a recording booth would probably be soundproofed. He twisted the knob and entered, without waiting to be admitted.

"Hey, guys," he said, awkwardly. "Uh… am I interrupting?"

As he had suspected, the room beyond was a recording studio. The three members of Forest Wolf were sitting in the control room. The room was dominated by a large gray mixing panel, covered in switches and knobs. A long window above the panel peered into the recording booth, a large gray room with two ancient microphones hanging from metal rods in the ceiling, all covered in dust and spider webs.

Tavin sat in an office chair, idly kicking the floor to make the chair spin in circles. Ciel sat in the corner of the control room, on a large wooden crate. Even if Zell had his eyes closed, he would have known Ciel was in the room, just by the constant, buzzing energy she emitted. Fortunately, she seemed to have calmed down since her altercation with Xu, and the static in Zell's brain was much easier to manage.

Sitting in the middle of the room, on another office chair, was the male version of Ciel. The resemblance was unmistakable, down to the exact same shade of blonde in his hair and the sharp, youthful angles of his face. The similarity was strengthened by the fact that he wore a red bandanna on his head, tied the same way as Ciel's. He glared at Zell and spoke.

"Yeah, you're interrupting," he said, his voice only a bit deeper than Ciel's.

Zell jumped. Confused, he looked to the man, to Ciel, then back to the man.

"Whoa, dude," Zell said. "You could be like, Ciel's twin!"

The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "I am her twin."

"Oh," Zell said, heat rising in his face. "Oh yeah, that's right. Tavin said she had a brother. I just didn't know you two were twins. That's cool. I've never met identical twins before."

Ciel and Tavin covered their mouths with their hands, stifling laughs. Apparently, Ciel's brother saw nothing amusing about Zell's remark. He scowled.

"We're not identical," he said. "Either she'd have to be a man or I'd have to be a woman."

(Huh? Oh. Right. Yeah.)

Zell opened his mouth and said, "Oooohhhh… yeah. You got a point. Then I guess you're uh, Riel then, huh?" Zell asked.

He extended his hand for a shake, his hand dangling in the air for a few moments before he decided that Riel wasn't going to take it. Trying to act casual, he leaned up against the inside of the closed door and crossed his arms. Already, he'd forgotten why Xu had sent him and was just making conversation out of simple curiosity.

"Yeah," Riel said. "That's me."

"Wow. Even your names are alike," Zell said, astonished. "That's crazy. Like, what are the odds, you know?"

This time, neither Ciel nor Tavin could contain their laughter. Ciel flopped over on her side, clutching her stomach and laughing. Tavin snorted and coughed, watching Riel's expression. Riel continued to scowl. Zell didn't know what was so funny, but he was glad everyone was laughing. It was better than having them scream at him.

"Our parents named us," he said. "We didn't come out of the womb named 'Ciel and Riel.' Are you really that stupid?"

"Hey!" Zell said. He straightened up, unconsciously assuming a fighting stance. "I was just being friendly, man!"

"Lighten up, Ree," Ciel said between laughing. "You're always so damn serious."

"This is a serious situation!" Riel said, his voice cracking. He got up out of his chair, standing at his full height, which was almost a full head shorter than Zell.

(Man, he's even short like she is.)

"And we're having a strategy meeting right now," Riel said. He puffed his chest out, trying his best to look strong and authoritative, but his tiny stature undermined his efforts. "So go wait outside."

The habit of automatically obeying orders without question was so ingrained into Zell's mind that, as soon as the words had escaped Riel's lips, Zell turned around and put his hand on the door, motioning to leave. But he stopped himself, all at once remembering that he was supposed to be gathering information, as well as a couple other things he couldn't quite recall.

(I'm supposed to be the good cop.)

(… Whatever that means.)

"Actually, uh," Zell said, turning away from the door. "I'm uh… gonna stay, if that's okay."

"No, it isn't okay," Riel said. "Forest Wolf only. Get out."

"Zell can stay," Ciel said. "I don't mind."

The laughter and amusement in her voice had died. In that moment, she regained the commanding strength that Zell had first seen when he'd watched her speech online. This was the sorceress he expected to meet when he first came to the TV Station. Though he didn't say anything, he was glad to see her taking charge. She possessed a quality that her brother lacked, despite their near identicalness. He couldn't say why, but he'd gladly take orders from her rather than her brother.

(Maybe cause she's a sorceress?)

Riel didn't back down. He spun to face his sister, stabbing at his chest with one finger. "I'm the leader of Forest Wolf. I give the orders."

Ciel smirked, humorlessly. "I'm the sorceress. And I say that Zell can stay."

The buzzing sensation, that feeling of power Ciel emitted, magnified in the room. But there was a different quality to it this time. Previously, in the hallway, the energy felt dangerous and wild. This time it was calm and forceful, seeming to push down on Zell's shoulders like a weight. Riel could feel it as well, and his anger died away, changing into submission.

"Fine," he said. He returned to his seat. "I'll allow it."

(I wonder why I never get that feeling from Rinoa?)

Ciel hopped off the crate gracefully, and the energy in the room faded. She took a few steps towards Zell, moving up close to him. Close enough to where she could reach out and touch him, if she wanted. Her head was right under his nose. He caught a scent of flowery shampoos and soaps.

"I'm really sorry about what happened in the hall," she said. "Sometimes I get a little emotional, you know? I say stuff I don't really mean. I hope… I hope you're not mad at me."

Once again, her tone had shifted dramatically. He voice was higher and she almost lisping. She held her hands behind her back and tilted her head down, her eyes looking up at Zell through her long eyelashes. Zell felt a new energy pumping through his body, but he couldn't tell if it was coming from the sorceress or from himself. He felt Riel's scornful gaze on him and gulped.

(Focus.)

(Act casual.)

"Hey, no biggie," Zell said. "I'm like that all the time. It's like my mouth has a mind of its own sometimes."

Ciel laughed, too loud and long.

(… Did I say something stupid again?)

"You're funny, Zell," she said, playfully shoving his chest. Her fingertips left unnatural bursts of heat on his body. "Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Um, yeah, sometimes," Zell said. Riel continued to glare, and even Tavin was looking on with an expression of distaste. Suddenly, Zell became horribly self-conscious, too aware of himself, too aware of the sorceress, and far, far too aware of how close she was standing to him.

(ACT CASUAL!)

"Can we get back on subject?" Riel said loudly. Ciel pouted and turned around, but planted her feet and stayed close to Zell. Riel was glaring at them both, while Tavin had gone silent, staring intently at the floor, no longer spinning in circles in his chair.

"We can't bring the president here," Riel said. "It's too big a risk. Zell, tell your commander that we'll have to work something else out."

Zell froze, unsure of how to answer. He knew he was supposed to be the good cop, but he still had no idea what that meant. Was he supposed to stand his ground, like Xu had, and insist that Forest Wolf bring the president, or was he supposed to side with Forest Wolf and try to work out a deal?

(Ugh. I'm no good at this stuff.)

Fortunately, Ciel made his decision for him. "I'll bring the president," she declared, in a voice that allowed no argument.

Riel burst from his chair, sending it rolling back into the control panel behind him. Yet, with all his speed and fury, he still wasn't very threatening. His voice cracked some more as he said to his sister, "You have to stay here, in case the Galbadians attack!"

"We have SeeD here for that now," Ciel said. She turned to Zell and softened her voice. "You can protect us, right?"

(Uh… Maybe?)

"We'll do our best," Zell said.

"It won't take me long to go there and back," Ciel said. "Plus, I've got an idea I wanna try."

"What idea?" Riel asked.

Ciel smirked. "It's a secret."

Riel looked exasperated. "C'mon, stop playing."

"I'm not playing," Ciel said. "It's better if you guys don't know. You gotta trust me, okay?"

Riel rolled his eyes. "Ciel, no," he said. "Your ideas are always terrible. That's why I'm the leader and you're not."

Ciel looked past her brother to Tavin. "Tav," she said, pleadingly. "Back me up, Tav."

Suddenly, all eyes were on the small, red-haired boy in the office chair. He shrunk deeper into the cushion of the seat, stuttering and licking his lips.

"I-I don't make the plans," he said.

"But you're still a part of Forest Wolf," Ciel said. "Which means you get a say in what happens. So let's have a vote. All in favor of making me leader, raise your hand."

Ciel's hand shot up. Zell looked at her. He wasn't sure either way, but he had the idea that maybe a "good cop" was supposed to take the sorceress' side in this situation. He raised his hand as well. Riel glared daggers at him.

"You don't get a vote," Riel said.

"Oh…" Zell said, lowering his hand.

After a moment, Tavin's hand went up as well. Ciel beamed at him.

"It's decided," she said, dropping her hand. "Two-thirds majority vote. I'm the new leader of Forest Wolf."

(Well… that was easy.)

"That is not fair," Riel said, his scowl now becoming a permanent fixture on his face.

"Why not?" Ciel asked. "It's how we made you leader in the first place. We voted you in. And now, we voted you out. It's totally fair."

"But I'm…" he said. Clenching his teeth, he looked at his sister, then to Tavin. He shook his head in defeat, as if he was giving up.

"Whatever," he said at last. "Do what you want. You're the sorceress."

"Exactly," Ciel said. "My first order to you is to go accept SeeD's offer. Tell them that I'll leave tonight to go get the president and bring him here."

"Why don't you go?" Riel asked. "Why send me?"

"Cause I'm the leader," Ciel said. "And I said so."

Mumbling, Riel moved for the door. Zell stepped aside to let him pass, relieved to have an excuse to put a little more distance between himself and the sorceress. But Ciel took this chance to sidestep along with him, coming in even closer. In the cramped quarters, she was almost touching him, the bare skin of her arms a hand's breadth away from his. Power and energy leapt off her like static. She looked up at Zell and smiled. He grinned back, feeling awkward, but trying not to show it.

(CASUAL!)

Riel opened the door and stepped outside. The door fell shut behind him, sealing the three in the room by themselves. Ciel made no effort to give Zell any personal space, instead standing right next to him, even though there was plenty of room for her to go elsewhere.

"So… umm," Zell said. He was overwhelmed with the urge to say something, to break the silence, but he couldn't think of anything to say. "Yeah," he concluded.

"You know what we need?" Ciel said, clapping her hands together.

"Whazzat?" Zell asked.

"A demonstration," Ciel said. "I know you SeeD guys don't trust me, so I'm gonna show you what I can do. C'mon!"

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Zell's hand and pulled him to the door, excitedly. Zell resisted for a moment, with the way she'd suddenly grabbed his hand without warning, but she gave a quick tug that got Zell's feet in motion, and forced him to follow her. She opened the door and stepped out into the hall, with Tavin following a few steps behind them.

Ciel's hand was comfortingly cool, like a glass of ice water on a hot day. Despite himself, Zell found that he was relaxing a little, becoming a little more amenable to her touch. The memory of their first encounter was becoming dimmer in his mind, seeming less important with each passing second.

(I guess she's not so bad after all.)

He started to feel excited for the mission as a whole. With Ciel's power, Xu's leadership, and SeeD's support, Timber might actually get liberated! Images of SeeD and Timber united, chasing off waves of panicked, fleeing Galbadians entered his mind. He imagined years from now, free Timber citizens electing a charismatic and handsome new President. He pictured the mighty forests of Timber slowly growing back, reclaiming the land that had been cut bare. He saw—

The images in his mind stopped as Ciel reached the stairwell, pulling him up the steps. With a shock of disorientation, he realized that he couldn't remember the entire trip down the hall. It was almost as if he'd teleported straight from the recording booth all the way to the stairs. He glanced back and saw Tavin still behind them. Tavin didn't seem to have noticed anything strange.

(Weird.)

Ciel pulled Zell all the way up the steps, to the door marked "ROOF" in white letters. She opened it and stepped outside into the sunlight. The roof was a flat, blue surface covered with high antennas that wobbled in the breeze. A thin guardrail encircled the roof. Down below, in the city, Zell could hear the clattering of trains and an occasional car rumbling down the streets.

"Galbadia used to have the place surrounded," Ciel said as she walked out onto the roof. "But I blast them every now and then, to break them up. That's why it was so easy for you guys to get in here. They took down all the barricades and moved their soldiers back, out of my range."

"Yeah, Tavin mentioned that," Zell said, dreamily. The world seemed foggy somehow. The details of the city all blurred together into an inconsequential mash. All that really mattered was Ciel, her voice, and her hand gripping his. Whereas before, her closeness, her contact seemed unpleasant, now he was coming to enjoy it.

(I… huh?)

From behind one of the antenna, Dax stepped into view. Ciel jumped and released her grip on Zell, raising her hand into a fist. At once, Zell felt two wildly conflicting sensations. The dimness of the world fell away, like turning on a light in a dark room, and Zell's mind felt clear again for the first time since the recording studio. At the same time, he felt a wave of angry, violent energy forming around Ciel's fist as she summoned up a spell to attack the intruder on the roof.

"Wait!" Tavin said. "It's Dax!"

Ciel looked at the SeeD, recognition finally registering on her face. She lowered her hand and allowed the energy of her spell to fade away. Zell was only dimly aware of his surroundings. Instead, all his thoughts were bent on trying to sort out what had just happened to him. He was only vaguely aware of going up to the roof. What happened? Did he space out?

(What…?)

"Don't sneak up on me," Ciel said to Dax, glaring at him. Dax ignored her and stepped around the antennas towards the group.

"Sup, Zell?" Dax said, nodding to his fellow SeeD. Zell nodded back. He and Dax were hardly friends, but he was a familiar face in a place that was becoming stranger and more alien to Zell every second. With Dax's presence keeping him grounded, he began to feel like reality was returning to him.

"Hey look!" Ciel said, pointing down into the streets. "An army car decided to get a little too close. They must think I'm not paying attention. I think it's about time for my demonstration."

She smiled impishly, revealing the top row of her teeth. Tavin grinned back. But Zell didn't share their enthusiasm. He was already well aware of the destruction a sorceress was capable of. Not only did he not need the demonstration, he honestly would have preferred it if she chose not to show her power.

"I… don't think that's a good idea," Zell said.

"Naw, it's fine," Ciel said. "We do this all the time. Keeps the Galbadians on their toes, you know?"

Ciel broke away from the others and headed towards the edge of the roof, getting close to the railing. Zell's SeeD training automatically kicked in, and he realized how exposed and vulnerable she was, revealing herself to any Galbadians who might be watching.

(Or aiming.)

But no one else stepped forward to stop her, so Zell stayed in place. He looked beyond her, quickly finding a blue Galbadian supply truck that currently was wending its way through a narrow alley, heading in the direction of the TV Station.

Ciel began drawing energy. Once more, Zell felt the air pulse as she summoned up a spell.

"Now you see it…" Ciel said.

She brought up her fist to her eyes, glowing white energy bursting from between her fingers. She turned her fist, palm out, towards the truck and opened her hand. A bolt of lightning—as big as anything seen in even the worst thunderstorms—shot from her hand and arced down the road, drawing a brilliant white line from the TV Station down to the truck. The crack was deafening, so loud that Zell could feel the shockwave as it passed over his body, ruffling his clothes. He closed his eyes to keep from being blinded.

The truck in the street exploded instantly, sending shrapnel and flame into the surrounding buildings. The shockwave set off nearby car alarms, filling the air with wailing sirens. The air smelled burnt, and Zell's ears were ringing painfully.

"… And now you don't," Ciel said, turning her back on the railing. She looked at the others, smiling broadly.

"Right on," Tavin said, smiling back. "The G-Army just got a little smaller."

(OOookay.)

"Yeah… uh… woo, Timber," Zell said, opening his eyes slowly. He raised a fist half-heartedly.

Ciel sighed in pleasure and turned back to gaze down upon the remnants of her attack. In the distance, a few surviving Galbadians were scrambling to get the dead and wounded out of the truck and away from the sorceress' fury.

"Look at them…" Ciel said, her voice frighteningly cold and emotionless. "They're afraid. Mighty Galbadia is afraid. It's that funny? They're afraid of me." She stepped away from the railing and rejoined the others. "When's the last time Galbadia had a reason to be afraid of anyone?"

Zell didn't have to think very hard to come up with several answers to her question.

(Sorceress Edea.)

(Adel. The Sorceress War.)

Zell gulped. Ciel didn't notice him.

"It's about time they knew what it felt like," she said. "It's about time they ran and hid, instead of us."

Ciel walked past the group, heading for the stairs. As she passed Zell, she reached out quickly to seize his hand, but he pulled it away and took a step back. She looked up at him, hurt showing in her eyes, but she continued on to the stairs. Once more, Zell felt vaguely repulsed by her closeness. The thought of holding her hand, touching her skin, was sickening.

Tavin followed her down the steps, leaving Dax and Zell alone for a moment. Once again, Dax circled his forefinger around his ear. This time, Zell had no trouble agreeing with him. He nodded, and went down the steps.

"I wanna talk to your leader," Ciel said, her voice echoing in the stairwell. "Xu, her name was?"
"Yeah," Zell said.

(Jeez, I don't even like talking to her anymore.)

"We got off on the wrong foot," Ciel said. Her voice was painful to him, in a way he couldn't describe. "You guys were right to be angry. I… I should've thought this plan through better. But it's okay now. I'll leave tonight and bring the president here and we'll finish the mission as planned. Sound good?"

"Sure thing," Zell said.

But all his enthusiasm for the mission was slipping away. The sorceress, the very person who formed the irreplaceable heart of the entire operation, was clearly unstable. She cried over nothing, she smiled when she killed unsuspecting soldiers. Sometimes she took charge, and seemed as immovable as a mountain. Other times, she was as frail as a dried leaf in autumn. She was all of these things and more, in less than the span of an hour.

There was also that gap in Zell's memory, between the recording studio and the stairwell. And that odd mix of conflicting feelings he got whenever she was close by. Disgust, mingled with something else he couldn't quite name.

(I don't wanna be here.)

They continued down to the first floor, entering into another hallway. More closed and locked doors lined either side of the hall. Corkboards with old memos pinned on to them were hung next to a row of "Employee of the Month" photos. To distract himself, Zell stared at the faces in the pictures and wondered where those people were now. If some of them had joined up with a resistance faction. If some of them were dead.

In the front of the building, in a large lobby with old, torn couches and a wide reception desk, Xu and Riel were talking to each other.

Xu turned and nodded to the newcomers.

"Excellent timing," she said. "We were just about to go look for you."

"That blast a few minutes ago," Riel said to his sister. "Was that you?"

"Mm hmm," Ciel said with a smile.

He raised a curious eyebrow. Their previous argument seemed to have been completely forgotten. "Hit anything good?" Riel asked.

"A supply truck," Ciel said with a shrug. "Nothing major."

"Nice," Riel said.

Xu cleared her throat politely. When the members of Forest Wolf turned to her, she said, "I would like a moment alone with my team, if you would."

"Sure, no problem," Ciel said. She bowed contritely. "And I really am sorry for before. I hope you forgive me."

Xu waved her off. "It happens. Don't worry about it."

Ciel smiled at the SeeDs. "We'll go get dinner ready, and then show you all where you can sleep. In the morning, I'll have the president here, and we can get started on liberating Timber."

Xu nodded. With that, the members of Forest Wolf grouped together and exited the lobby. It was only after the sorceress was gone that Zell realized that there had been a constant humming noise in the room. The silence following her departure was staggering.

(Man, she freaks me out so bad.)

Xu craned her neck to see down the hall, making sure that Forest Wolf was well out of hearing range. Then she waved Dax and Zell over to a far corner of the room, behind the reception desk, and hunkered down beside a water-stained couch and a vase that used to hold plants, but now only held brown, dead leaves and moldy soil. Zell and Dax crouched down next to her.

"So, anything to report?" Xu whispered.

Zell didn't know where to start, so he summarized everything he'd discussed with Ciel and the others, placing special emphasis on the things she said and did on the roof. He didn't mention the time when he was holding hands with the sorceress, nor the odd, blurry feeling he got on the roof. The more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if he'd just imagined it all. In any case, he found it embarrassing, and didn't want to talk about it with Xu.

"We have to withdraw," Dax said. "They're stupid and they're crazy."

"And powerful," Zell said. "A really bad combo, if you ask me."

Xu looked down at the floor, fidgeting while she thought to herself.

"The plan isn't changing," Xu said at last. "As long as we can keep the sorceress somewhat contained, she shouldn't pose a problem."

"That's just it," Dax said. "We can't keep her contained. She's nuts, man."

"She's emotional," Xu said. "She's frightened. She's a teenage girl who just picked a fight with one of the most powerful nations in the world. I, frankly, would be more concerned if she didn't show any signs of stress. That would imply that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown."

Zell wanted to disagree with her, but he was afraid he might accidentally let something slip about the weird feelings he'd had around her. He knew the smartest option for him was to stay silent, so he bit his tongue.

"The breakdown's already happened," Dax said. "She's fully snapped. I say we scram."

"That is not your decision to make," Xu said, testily.

Dax glanced over his shoulder, to make sure they were alone. Then he leaned forward, putting his head between Xu's and Zell's.

"We could kill her," Dax said, so softly Zell almost thought he misheard him.

"No," Xu said firmly. "We can't."

Dax shrugged. "I say we keep the option open," he said, still whispering. "Without the sorceress, all this nonsense will stop. Then there won't be a war at all. Galbadia will withdraw and SeeD won't have to stick their necks out defending a bunch of crazy people in the woods. The whole situation gets fixed and only one person dies. It's the best solution."

(It's not that easy.)

Zell shook his head, already forgetting that he was trying to stay silent. "You can't just kill a sorceress," he said. "Someone has to take her power for her to die."

Dax smiled sarcastically. "I bet you'd make a great sorceress, Xu."

Xu was not amused. "Not happening."

"So then what?" Dax said. "What's the plan?"

"Galbadia is holding back for now," Xu said. "The sorceress has them scared and uncertain. We need to take advantage of that. We have to find ways to get in touch with as many people in as many different rebel factions as possible, get them all on the same page and working together. At the same time, we need to start getting more SeeDs into Timber. Not necessarily into the TV Station, but somewhere inside city limits. If Galbadia is dumb enough to give us time to organize and fortify some defenses, we could hunker down and make this into one hell of a war."

The desire to tell Xu everything, spill his guts to her about everything—about his experience with the sorceress, his feelings, everything—was almost overwhelming. With a supreme effort of will, he fought the urge down and said nothing at all.

"So how is she getting out of the TV Station unnoticed?" Dax asked. "Or getting the president back in?"

Xu shook her head. "I don't know. Riel mentioned a secret way to get to their hiding place, but he wouldn't say anymore. We have to trust them. They're cooperating with us, and that's the important thing."

Dax snorted.

Xu was not interested in his complaints. "That's the plan," she said. "And that's the end of the discussion. Now, we're not going to talk about any of this again unless I tell you otherwise. That's an order. Not a word, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Dax and Zell muttered.

"Good," Xu said. She stood up, and the other two SeeDs stood up as well. As a group, they left the lobby, going in search of the sorceress and the other members of Forest Wolf.