Chapter 21
You're a Fool
(Quistis)
From Garden's bridge, through the glass ceiling that formed a dome above Headmaster Cid's office, Nida and Quistis watched the dusty brown mushroom cloud rising from the center of Timber. Even from a distance, far beyond the city limits, Quistis could see the yellow flash of gunfire in the streets, smoke billowing from dozens of fires as they leapt from building to building, and a blue rush of G-Army soldiers, steadily marching onward towards the base of the mushroom cloud.
(… We're too late.)
Mireya had been right. By the time Garden was made aware of the impending attack on Timber, it was already too late to stop it. Martine had obviously mobilized troops well beforehand. It was likely—Quistis reasoned—that General Caraway had left standing orders in place for an assault on Timber, and the new president of Galbadia needed only to activate those orders, sending the troops into motion to carry out the planned attack.
(This is my fault.)
Quistis took a breath and shook that thought out of her head. The past could not be changed and was therefore irrelevant in this situation. The sequence of events that led to this moment—and the question of who bore the blame for this attack—was equally unimportant. The only thing that mattered was the present. At that very moment, there were hundreds of students in battle formations, spread out in various strategic locations within Garden. There were eight captive SeeDs, probably still being held in Timber or another location nearby. And there were three SeeDs—the members of the Contact Team—who desperately needed an evacuation from the city. Those were the facts that counted.
All of those students, both inside and out of Garden, were awaiting her next order. She had no time for self-pity or doubt.
(This is what it means to be a leader.)
"Nida, the intercom," she said, as calmly as she could.
Nida was holding the control column that guided Garden, a long white shaft ending in a point that reminded Quistis of an oversized tooth. When Quistis spoke to him, he snapped out of his daze and turned to her. He nodded. "Right," he said.
He flicked a switch on the column, which activated the intercom. A chime sounded on the bridge to let her know that the microphone was live.
"Attention, students," Quistis said. She could hear a muffled echo from below as the speakers placed around the school repeated her words in every room of the building. "Galbadia has attacked Timber. There is nothing we can do to stop the invasion at this point. Our priority as of now is to recover the Contact Team for immediate retreat. All students prepare for combat and await further instructions."
She exhaled through her nose, then nodded to Nida. He flicked the switch near his hand, shutting off the intercom. There was a dull thump from the speakers as the microphone went dead.
She was grateful that they had already taken the time to draw up the assigned battle stations during the trip down from Dollet to Timber. It saved her from having to give too many orders on the fly and risk forgetting something important. Now she could focus on the situation and plan the next move, rather than wasting a lot of time shuffling students around Garden.
The current battle plan was a modified version of the scheme they had drawn up when they first secreted the Contact Team into Timber, only this time, instead of staging most of the students near the front gate and the parking lot, the students were spaced out in defensive positions, waiting near windows, doorways, and any possible entrances into Garden. Many students were also placed on the balcony, and they would serve as the offensive unit, firing weapons and magic at the Galbadians and anyone else who threatened Garden.
The objective this time was to protect Garden from outside attack as it recovered the Contact Team. Quistis still had the eight captive Seeds in her mind, but looking at the situation in Timber and the thousands of soldiers Galbadia had deployed into the battle, Quistis realized that trying to recover both the Contact Team and the captives was perhaps asking too much. She still had no idea where the captives were being held, and Garden was not equipped to deal with a long-term attack against the bulk of the G-Army.
(We'll have to come back later for the captives.)
"What next, Commander?" Nida asked. He watched her expectantly.
Quistis tried her best to emotionally detach herself from the situation—as she imagined Squall did when he planned a battle—and focus on all the details, prioritize her objectives, and prepare for all eventualities. Now that the moment of battle had arrived, she found it was far, far harder to detach herself than she originally imagined. The sheer volume of possible scenarios and mishaps and surprises that could happen in the next half hour were staggering, and Quistis found herself buried under a mountain of possibilities. She had experience fighting in battles alone, as well as leading small groups, but taking charge of the entire Garden and pitting it against Galbadia was something she had neither experience nor adequate training for.
She felt a knot of panic tightening in her gut as calculated the number of possible tactical errors she could make in the next five minutes. She fought this panic down, struggling to only pay attention to the things that mattered. For safety reasons, Cid and Edea had retreated down into the basement levels to wait out the battle, leaving Quistis in sole command of the operation.
(We need to check on the Contact Team.)
(But we don't even know if they're alive…)
"Where's the radio?" Quistis asked. Nida pulled the big gray brick out of his pocket and handed it to her. She inspected it quickly and noticed something seemed off. She checked the frequency dial and noticed that it was on the wrong setting.
"How long has the radio been tuned to the wrong frequency?" Quistis asked.
The color poured out of Nida's face. "Huh? I-It shouldn't be."
Quistis ignored him and readjusted the frequency.
(I can't change the past. What's done is done.)
"Maybe I bumped it when I put it in my pocket," Nida said, panicking. "I don't know. Oh man. Commander, I'm sorry. I screwed up."
"It's done, Nida," Quistis said as she dialed in the frequency. "We're moving on."
She brought the radio to her mouth and pushed the "TALK" button.
"Contact Team, do you read?" she asked. She released the button and waited. Nida watched her, his lips pursed with anxiety. Quistis waited a few seconds. Each moment of silence felt like a weight pulling her down to the floor, growing heavier and heavier.
"Contact Team, respond," Quistis said, urgency creeping into her voice. She tried not to think of the giant mushroom cloud that was only now beginning to break apart in the sky. She tried not to notice the fact that the cloud was exactly where the TV Station used to be. She tried not to calculate the odds of surviving a blast like that.
(Please respond.)
"Contact Team!" she yelled into the radio.
She closed her eyes, defeated. She was wasting her time. Even on the off chance that the Contact Team had gotten clear of the blast, the city was absolutely swarming with Galbadians. If the Contact Team wasn't dead, they were definitely in custody. Quistis' failures as a leader had done nothing but mangle every step of the mission, and now it had cost her two of her best friends, as well as the entire mission.
(Xu… Zell…)
(I'm sorry.)
The radio crackled.
"Yo," Zell's voice said over the speaker.
Nida sighed in relief. His sigh quickly turned to nervous, tittering laughter. Quistis opened her eyes. The relief that flooded over her seemed to liquefy her muscles, making it difficult just to remain standing. She exhaled, trying to control her emotions as she brought the radio back to her mouth.
"Status report," Quistis said.
There was a pause. "Ah… well… alive," Zell said. "We're alive. How 'bout you?"
Quistis smiled.
(Yes, Zell. We're alive.)
"What's your location?" she asked. "We're coming to pick you up."
Another pause. "Er… is that such a great idea? Someone might be listening in, you know?"
Quistis cursed her foolishness. In her eagerness to rescue her friends and attempt to salvage as much as she could of this broken mission, she'd forgotten that the Contact Team was currently in a dangerous situation, trapped across enemy lines. Obviously, revealing their location over an unsecured radio was suicidal.
(How stupid of me.)
But she couldn't just leave the Contact Team where they were. She presumed that they were hidden somewhere in Timber, probably holed up in a civilian home or maybe a local business. They would be safe for a little while, but with all the Galbadians roaming about, it was only a matter of time before they started canvassing the houses, looking to make arrests. Nowhere in Timber was truly safe anymore until the army was gone, which may take days or weeks to happen. The Contact Team wouldn't hold out that long.
Then again, if they were in hiding in the city, there was almost no way that Garden could come and save them. The Garden couldn't achieve enough lift to go over any but the very smallest buildings in Timber, and she certainly wasn't going to plow through the buildings, so asking for their position was doubly stupid: not only did it risk drawing the Galbadians to the Contact Team's hiding spot, but there wasn't much Quistis could do to help even if she knew exactly where they were.
She brought the radio to her mouth again, about to order Zell to maintain radio silence and remain hidden when the speakers crackled to life again.
"Ah, hold on. One sec," Zell said. "I got an idea."
Quistis held the radio loosely in one hand, feeling the seconds slowly tick by. Southwest of Garden, in the city, the sounds of gunfire and explosions carried through the warm air, serving as a constant reminder of the chaos that continued to rage. It begged the question, if the Contact Team was safely holed up somewhere, then what were the Galbadians currently shooting at?
(Is it the sorceress?)
(More Timber rebels?)
Nida had turned his attention to the scene around him, guiding Garden in slow loops on the far outskirts of the city, keeping the school close to Timber without ever stopping. He watched the city, waiting to see if the Galbadians were going to send out a sally of armored cars to chase Garden away.
(Hurry, Zell.)
The radio crackled.
"I can—WHOA," Zell said. There was the sound of scratching and thumping over the radio. Zell yelped a couple times, then seemed to steady himself. Quistis could hear something that sounded like tiny rocks rolling down a hill. "I can see you guys. Tell Nida to turn um… about thirty degrees to the right and keep going straight. WHOA!"
There was more crashing and thumping and the sounds of Zell grunting and grabbing onto something.
(Is he… climbing a tree?)
(We better get over there before he breaks his neck.)
"Got it," Quistis said into the radio. "Hold your position, we're coming to get you." She released the TALK button and turned to Nida. "You heard him. Let's go."
"Roger," Nida said.
With great effort, he pulled back on the control column, balancing precariously on one foot as he leaned back and braced the column against his shoulder. Then he heaved the column forward at an angle, leaning slightly to the right to change Garden's current course. The school shuddered as it altered directions, then accelerated to full speed, hovering above the forests of Timber, heading towards the stretch of land that ran between the city and the southern coast of Obel Lake.
(Outside the city?)
She had so many questions. Why was the Contact Team outside the city? What happened at the TV Station? Where was the sorceress? Who was the G-Army still fighting? Did the Contact Team know anything about the whereabouts of the eight captive SeeDs?
But there was no way she could answer any of those questions until she had Zell and the others safely back in Garden. Nida had the school traveling at maximum speed, but it didn't go fast enough to sooth her anxiety. She tapped her foot nervously, watching the city pass by on the left-hand side of Garden. Her eyes scanned the woods, waiting to see any sign of Zell, Xu, or Dax. She hoped that they had enough sense to send up some kind of signal when they were close, to keep Garden from driving right past them.
Then, from the corner of her eye, Quistis saw a red smudge on the glass. At first, she thought that the sun was catching at an odd angle against the dome, but when she turned her head and looked, she saw that it was something else. Something familiar.
(Oh, no.)
Hurtling from the northwest at full speed, on an intercept course with Garden, was the hulking red mass of Galbadia Garden. Given their speed and angle, there was no mistaking their intent: they were going to engage directly with Garden, as they had done once before in the fields of the Centra Continent.
"Nida! Evasive maneuvers!" she commanded. "Turn on the intercom!"
Skillfully, Nida pulled and pushed on the control column, turning away from the collision course they were on, while simultaneously flicking the switch for the intercom. A soft chime let Quistis know that she was live on the speakers. She struggled for balance as the Garden shifted beneath her feet, then spoke.
"Galbadia Garden has entered the battle," she said. "Prepare for immediate attack. Cover the quad, the second floor balcony, and all windows. Remember their tactics from the last time we faced them and anticipate those tactics to be employed again. Brace for impact and repel any boarding parties."
She nodded to Nida, who nodded back. He shut off the intercom and turned to watch G-Garden approach. The enemy Garden had adjusted their course to compensate for Garden's change of direction, and once again they were on a collision course with SeeD.
(Do they mean to ram us?)
It wouldn't surprise her if that was their plan. That had been their primary tactic the last time the two Gardens squared off. A direct collision did about equal damage to both Gardens simultaneously, but the aggressive attacks and sudden impacts had forced SeeD to stay on the defensive, and gave momentum to the Galbadians.
Quistis snagged a pair of binoculars—left on the bridge for just such an occasion—and zoomed in on the red Garden to try to get a glimpse of their troop positioning. As she'd expected, the Garden had once again stationed paratroopers all along the outside the Garden, each one strapped into a large personal hovercraft. Long ramps were set up as well, so that motorcycles could jump from one Garden to the other. All the ramps had at least one motorcycle and driver set up and ready to launch.
The fact that Galbadia was using a familiar strategy worried Quistis somewhat. Last time the two Gardens fought, Balamb had emerged the victor. It seemed unlikely that G-Garden would try the exact same maneuvers twice, especially since they had failed last time.
(They're undoubtedly going to have new tricks this time.)
(We can't allow them to have the first move.)
Quistis' mind raced, trying to think of any way for them to shake off pursuit and prevent a head-on collision. While Balamb Garden was fast compared to, say, a car on the ground, it had no advantage at all over G-Garden. The two schools were identical as far as she could tell, with the same top speed and maneuverability. G-Garden had the same land and water capabilities as well, so she could not hope to escape by fleeing into nearby Obel Lake or back into the ocean
Furthermore, even at top speed Garden felt ponderous and slow, so there were no fancy maneuvers or feints that could possibly fool the Galbadians. Everything they did seemed to happen in slow motion, and their pursuers had plenty of time to react and compensate for any tricks Quistis might try.
(Wait, I have an idea.)
"Nida, new plan," Quistis commanded. "Turn us due north."
Wordlessly, Nida obeyed. He pulled back on the control column, then heaved it at a sharp angle, putting his whole body into the movement. The Garden jerked and began turning to the right. Ahead, G-Garden began making a sweeping turn as well, once more moving into position to intercept Garden's path. However, because the other Garden was moving in response to the first, there was a second or two of delay in their actions, which gave Quistis and the others a slight advantage.
The two Gardens grew closer together with every second, Balamb Garden moving north and G-Garden barreling down at them from the west, heading straight into their path in order to cut them off and collide. Quistis no longer needed binoculars to see the troops stationed all along the outside of G-Garden. The other Garden was absolutely swarming with soldiers, easily twice if not three times as many soldiers as there were people on board Garden.
(We don't stand a chance in direct combat.)
She waited for just the right moment, until the two Gardens seemed destined to collide, then she spun to face Nida and shouted, "Full reverse, now!"
Nida yelped in surprise at the unexpected order, then hopped to scramble around to the far side of the control column. He pulled and pushed it the same way as he always did, but this time facing in the complete opposite direction.
Garden heaved with a force Quistis had never felt from it before. She was wholly unprepared for as the school's thrusters to immediately turn to the opposite direction. Garden came to a sudden halt—throwing Quistis to her hands and knees on the floor of the bridge—then kicked into reverse, almost knocking Quistis over completely.
Once her body got adjusted to the change in direction, she got to her feet and looked at G-Garden. She smiled. Her plan had worked. G-Garden had been moving on an intercept course to block Garden, but the unexpected maneuver had caused them to overcompensate once SeeD changed directions. Now, instead of being on a collision course, G-Garden could only pursue Garden from behind, thus sparing SeeD from the full impact of G-Garden's intended attack.
Quistis had remembered, from back when Garden had first become mobile, that the technicians at Fisherman's Horizon stated that the thrusters on board Garden were omni-directional, meaning that they worked just as well forwards, sideways, or backwards. Although Garden was now facing the wrong direction, it was still traveling just as fast as it was when moving forward, and G-Garden couldn't close the gap.
"Nida, angle to the west," Quistis said. "Get us back on our original course."
"Aye, aye," Nida said. He pushed and pulled the control column, once again operating from the wrong side of the bridge, to compensate for the fact that they were going backwards.
In front of her, occupying almost the whole of her visibility, was the hulking red mass of G-Garden. Now its giant face seemed red in anger, frustrated by her deception. The soldiers lined up on the outside of G-Garden remained where they were, ready for the orders to attack. Although they were fairly close to SeeD, they were not yet close enough for their paratroopers or their motorcyclists to bridge the gap.
But Garden was not out of range of G-Garden's rifles.
Like a sudden hailstorm in the sunny weather, the outside of Garden became a symphony of pops and clicks as bullets ricocheted off the outside of Garden. Reflexively, Quistis ducked down at the sound of gunfire. A few bullets hit the glass dome that shielded the bridge. For a moment, Quistis marveled at the fact that the glass was able to withstand bullets, but then she remembered that the three Gardens had been built as shelters—of course they would have bulletproof glass on one of the most sensitive areas in the whole building.
She told Nida to turn on the intercom, then ordered the students to return fire, even though she knew that many of them already had. In front of the window, tiny yellow sparks began appearing on G-Garden as SeeD's bullets found their marks. A few unprotected paratroopers and motorcyclists took hits and fell from G-Garden, plummeting to the ground far below. As they fell, others rushed in to take their place.
But G-Garden's bullets weren't Quistis' first concern at the moment. It was the other Garden's tight proximity that worried her. G-Garden followed close behind—almost close enough for Quistis to hurl a rock and hit their pursuers—and that was the troublesome part. With G-Garden chasing right behind, there was no time to stop and pick up the Contact Team. G-Garden would be upon them the instant they dropped their speed.
(We'll have to do this quickly.)
Quistis brought the radio up to her mouth and pushed the "TALK" button.
"Contact Team, do you read?" Quistis said.
"Yup," Zell said. "I see you brought some friends too. And hey, why are you backwards?"
"Get ready for immediate extraction," Quistis said, ignoring Zell's comments. "We have no time for any delay. Do you understand?"
"Gotcha," Zell said. "We're ready and waiting. Can you see us yet?"
Quistis spun around on the bridge and brought the binoculars to her eyes. She scanned the tree line, expecting to see Zell hanging off a branch, but instead she found him on the ground at the far edge of a clearing. Dax was there as well, his massive muscular body impossible to miss, but she couldn't see Xu.
"I see you," Quistis said. "Be ready."
With that, she released the radio. She handed the binoculars to Nida and pointed out the position of the Contact Team.
"I see 'em," Nida said. He made slight adjustments on the control column to line them up better.
"Nida," Quistis said. "Hit the intercom."
He flicked the switch on the column. A chime signaled that the bridge had gone live.
"This is Commander Quistis," she said, speaking with as much authority as she could muster. "Rescue Team A, report to the front gate and prepare to cover the Contact Team as they enter the Garden. Also, make sure the Contact Team doesn't forget to radio in the very moment when they've safely been retrieved. We can't waste any time on the ground wondering if they're inside or not. Everyone else, brace for immediate impact. G-Garden is going to hit us hard with everything they have. We need to repel the initial wave as much as possible. This is it!"
She nodded to Nida and he shut the intercom off. Garden sped into the clearing, where Zell was now clearly visible with the naked eye. Behind him stood Dax. He was holding something slung over his shoulder, but Quistis couldn't quite make out what it was. It looked like a bag of some kind. Quistis ignored it for the time being.
She crouched onto the floor, lowering her center of gravity. She put both hands flat on the floor, bracing herself for the inevitable collision between the two Gardens.
Expertly, Nida angled the Garden's front gate so that it was almost directly on top of the Contact Team, then he yanked the control column, bringing Garden to a sudden stop.
"Here we go," he said. He gripped the control column in both hands and pushed it straight down into the socket. It slid into a metal recess and Garden descended to the earth.
There were two collisions. One was relatively soft, as Garden made contact with the ground. The second was terrible, as G-Garden plowed full speed into the stationary Garden. Even though she'd braced herself, Quistis was thrown backwards onto the floor, nearly losing her grip on the radio. She grunted in pain as her body hit the floor and slid two paces. Nida yelped and wrapped both arms around the control column in a desperate bear hug, narrowly avoiding being thrown completely off the bridge.
The vibrations of the impact continued to rattle through the school well after the hit. Instantly, the sound of the collision was replaced by the sounds of gunfire, magic, and shouting. Quistis gritted her teeth and pushed herself back to her feet. Heavy thuds reached her ears as motorcycles launched from G-Garden and made contact with the SeeD, their tires screeching on the metal frame of the school. There was a humming sound, like dozens of massive insects, as the paratrooper units lifted off from G-Garden and flew to engage with SeeD.
"We're in!" Zell's voice said over the radio. "Go! Go! Go!"
"Full speed ahead!" Quistis yelled.
Nida released his death grip on the control column and pulled it backwards as hard as he could. Grunting with effort, he pushed the column as far forward as it would go, leaning into it with his whole body weight. Garden rose from the ground and lurched forward—which in this case was reverse, since it was still pointed backwards. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air as Garden dislodged itself from the other.
Quistis turned around, hoping that G-Garden would allow them to escape, give up pursuit and break away. To her dismay, but not to her surprise, G-Garden powered up and continued its chase, following once more in Garden's shadow, endlessly dogging it and peppering it with near-constant gunfire. She saw that all the paratrooper units and motorcyclists had launched, leaving the surface of the enemy Garden comparatively bare.
Distantly—so distantly she could barely hear it at all—came the sounds of fighting from the quad and the second floor. She did not need to imagine very hard in order for her mind to conjure up the battle that was taking place down on the lower levels. She still remembered all too well the previous encounter between the Gardens, and the violence that had transpired back then.
"Nida, turn north, then east," she commanded. "Slowly, so that G-Garden can't try to cut us off."
"Roger," Nida said, adjusting the column to follow her orders.
She was glad that Nida never bothered to question any of her orders, especially this one. Honestly, Quistis had no plan whatsoever. General Caraway had promised to annihilate SeeD if they continued to aid the sorceress. If Martine intended to fulfill that promise, then there was a real possibility that he'd already ordered G-Garden to pursue SeeD indefinitely, never relenting until SeeD was destroyed. If that was the case, it really didn't matter where Quistis decided to go: a final confrontation was inevitable. And, judging on the respective sizes of the two Gardens, SeeD didn't stand a chance.
Garden completed its slow turn and now raced back east across the continent. G-Garden chased them, showing no signs of falling back or retreating. Quistis did her best to try to think of a plan, any strategy or trick that would tip the odds in SeeD's favor.
The only plan she came up with was to flee into the open water and drag out the battle for as long as possible. While in the ocean, she could repeatedly stop and start Garden, forcing G-Garden to engage in a long series of short battles. That would keep the Galbadians from unleashing their full power in one burst, and allow SeeD time to recover in between battles. Eventually, G-Garden would run out of troops to send into combat, and be forced to retreat. It would be a long, costly war of attrition—possibly taking days—but one that Quistis hoped they could win in the end.
The sickening sounds of battle raged on in other parts of Garden. She closed her eyes, unsure of what was expected of her to do in this situation. On one hand, a leader should be at the bridge, to command the troops over the intercom and direct the pilot where to go. But on the other, Quistis was a powerful soldier in her own right and her assistance could turn the tide of battle in Garden's favor. Keeping herself away from the front lines could cost lives.
(What would Squall do?)
The answer came to her instantly: Squall would fight, of course. Without hesitation, Quistis turned to Nida.
"Keep steady on this course," Quistis said. "Head into the ocean and keep going. If anything unexpected comes up, call for me."
Nida opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He nodded solemnly. "Good luck, Commander."
"Thank you," Quistis said.
She clipped the radio to her belt, next to her coiled whip. Already her heart was pounding in her ears in anticipation of the battle ahead. She went to the lift and rode it down to the Headmaster's office. Impatiently, Quistis leapt off the lift before it reached the bottom, her boots hitting the marble floor hard. She recovered and sprinted for the doors, throwing them open and running for the next elevator.
She furiously stabbed at the button to call the elevator and then, cruelly, she had no choice but to wait for it to arrive. The sounds of battle, gunfire, and screams continued to taunt her, mocking her helplessness as she waited. She would have given anything for a set of stairs at that moment, so she could keep moving forward. Even if she had access to so much as a balcony overlooking the second floor, Quistis would have strongly considered leaping off it, just to arrive downstairs quicker.
But the third floor was completely sealed off from the lower levels, accessible only by the maddeningly slow elevator. It dinged cheerily when it arrived and the doors slid open. Quistis threw herself inside and punched the button for the second floor. She didn't know where the fighting was hardest—the Quad or the second floor—so she went for the option that was nearest to her current position.
The elevator chimed again when it reached the second floor walkway and the doors opened. Quistis burst down the walkway in a fury. She unclipped her whip from her waistband and flicked it out to its full length. It cracked in the air and slithered about, like a freshly awakened snake.
Above her, one of the skylights had been broken. Under the ragged hole in the glass was a motorcycle lying on its side, its wheels spinning in slow revolutions, its engine still puttering and coughing smoke out of its exhaust pipe. A limp G-Soldier lay pinned underneath the vehicle, a trickle of blood running out the corner of his mouth. He was obviously dead, so Quistis ignored him and ran forward.
She emerged in the circular second-floor hallway, the sounds of battle guiding her onward. Almost every classroom she passed by was a snapshot of violence, the computers and desks mangled by gunfire and scorched by magic. G-Army soldiers were lying limp in most of the rooms, accompanied by students—far too many students—nursing injuries and carrying the wounded out to the hallway. Quistis checked each room to make sure that the fighting was over, then moved on. She wanted desperately to help care for the injured, but bringing an end to the fighting was her first priority. She could attend to the wounded later.
She burst into a classroom where she could still hear the sounds of active combat. The long back window of the classroom had been shattered. A handful of SeeDs were crouched behind computer desks, while a pair of Galbadian soldiers worked their way up the aisle, taking turns firing and advancing, both laying effective covering fire for the other as they moved closer, row by row, to the pinned-down SeeDs.
Before the G-Soldiers could react to Quistis' sudden appearance, she summoned a black ball of energy in her hand and hurled it at the nearest Galbadian. He leveled his rifle at her, taking aim for a fatal shot through her head, but he was a moment too late. The black energy struck him in the chest. His heart stopped instantly as the death spell did its work. His body twitched once, then went limp, collapsing to the floor.
Quistis dropped to the ground and crawled to cover behind a computer desk to avoid the gunfire as the second soldier turned his attention on her. Bullets ricocheted above her head, spraying her hair and clothes with bits of plaster from the walls and plastic from the computer terminal. But without his ally to cover him, the lone soldier was now hopelessly outnumbered.
As the soldier laid a steady stream of bullets on Quistis' position, another SeeD stealthily circled around and flanked the Galbadian. He popped up from behind a computer desk and fired his shotgun at the invader, killing him in one shot. Quistis glanced around to make sure that there weren't any more soldiers hiding behind desks.
(Next room.)
Quistis jumped to her feet and sprinted out into the hall. She paused and listened, waiting for the sounds of battle to guide her to her next stop, but the nearest gunshots seemed to be echoing from very far away. She stilled herself, trying to focus on the source of the sounds, but before she could pin down their location, they stopped. The hallway fell into silence.
A moment later, Mireya burst through the doorway that led up to the second floor balcony. She saw Commander Quistis and paused before her, giving off a cold—but technically formal—salute.
"Balcony is clear!" she announced.
"The hallways seem clear as well," Quistis replied.
The silence was broken by more and more shouts of "all clear" that echoed up and down the hall. A group of SeeDs began to emerge from the classrooms and the second floor balcony, gathering around the Commander and awaiting further instructions.
The radio at Quistis' belt crackled to life.
"Quad's clear!" Zell said over the radio. "How's the second floor lookin'?"
Quistis paused and unclipped the radio from her belt. "Second floor is clear. Are there any other points of contact?"
"Doesn't look like it," Zell said. "Second floor and Quad are our weak points, and that's where they focused the attack."
A cheer of victory rolled over the crowd of SeeDs. Only Quistis and Mireya refrained from joining in the celebration. Both of them maintained stony expressions.
(G-Garden is still chasing us. This was only the first wave.)
(One of many to come, most likely.)
"Good," Quistis said into the radio. "Gather any wounded and bring them to the infirmary. Follow Dr. Kadowaki's orders. Send a team to sweep all points in the Garden for any rogue Galbadians still inside. Understood?"
"Gotcha," Zell said.
Quistis clipped the radio back to her belt. "That goes for you all too," she said to the group of SeeDs. "Bring the wounded downstairs and check to make sure there aren't any more G-Soldiers hiding in classrooms."
Mireya nodded and turned to the others. "You heard the Commander," she said. "Let's move!"
The students scattered up and down the halls. Some of them returned a few seconds later, helping to carry a few wounded SeeDs. Quistis paused to check on their injuries, but they all appeared superficial—two minor gunshot wounds and a broken arm. Nothing life-threatening. Quistis cast some quick cure spells to help alleviate Dr. Kadowaki's workload, then allowed the wounded to go into the elevator and go down to the first floor.
She wandered up and down the halls, checking on wounded students, healing the ones with easier injuries, and encouraging them and congratulating them. Eventually, a pair of SeeDs ran down the hall and approached her.
"Second floor is clear, Commander," one of them said, snapping off a salute. "All enemies are neutralized."
"Good," Quistis said with a nod. "Help clear out any remaining wounded."
The two students nodded, then ran towards the balcony. Quistis took this time to head for the elevator. She pushed the button and waited for it to come up from the first floor.
When the elevator arrived, she pushed the button to return to the third floor. Nida hadn't summoned her on the intercom, so apparently nothing serious had transpired during the skirmish, but she still wanted to be on the bridge with him in order to plan out the next phase of the battle.
This time, the slowness of the elevator did not frustrate her. It gave her a moment to cool down, refocus, and steady her mind. She closed her eyes and in her mind's eye, she saw a brief flash of that instant where the G-Soldier had his weapon trained on her, just before her death spell finished him off. If he'd been a second quicker, or she a second slower…
She shook her head. It did no good to think like that.
(No point in worrying about what is over and done.)
(I survived. He did not. That is all.)
She arrived at the third floor, crossed Cid's office, and rode the lift up to the bridge. Nida was intently gripping the control column in both hands, making minor corrections to keep Garden going as straight as possible. He nodded at her when she stepped off the lift.
"What's the situation?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No change. G-Garden is still right on our tail."
Quistis turned and looked behind her. Most of the back window was obscured by the red wall of G-Garden. She muttered a curse, although she wasn't truly surprised.
(I didn't expect them to give up so easily.)
(Still, it would have been nice if they had.)
"Good news though," Nida said. "I've been watching them with the binoculars. They haven't yet prepared a second wave, so I didn't bother with any evasive maneuvers."
"Hmm," Quistis said.
She took the binoculars from him to see the situation for herself. She scanned the walls and ledges of G-Garden, searching all the places that had been swarming with soldiers only a few minutes before. The motorcycle launchers were vacant, and no more paratroopers lined the outside of the building. Nor could she see any officers outside either. In fact, Quistis was now aware that the constant peppering of gunfire had stopped as well. It seemed G-Garden was content merely to chase Garden and save their attacks for later.
(Best news we've gotten all day.)
"Do you think they're up to something?" Nida asked.
She lowered the binoculars. "Hmm… I don't know yet. Stay the course and keep an eye open."
"Roger," Nida said.
Quistis continued to gaze at G-Garden without the aid of the binoculars, her mind considering a number of possible options. The speed of the two Gardens was so evenly matched that, were it not for the rushing landscape below, it almost seemed like they weren't moving at all. Everything was quiet and still. She had assumed that Galbadia would at least ready a second wave of attackers, even if they didn't intend to launch them right away. Their uncharacteristic passivity unnerved her.
(I wish Xu was here.)
(Wait! She is here!)
She unclipped her radio and brought it to her mouth. "Zell, come in."
"Yo," Zell said quickly.
"Send Xu to the bridge immediately," she said.
There was a pause. It was only a second, but it was just long enough for Quistis to realize that something had gone terribly wrong. A knot formed in her stomach before Zell responded and told her what she already feared.
"I uh… can't," Zell said, softly. "She's wounded. Sorry."
(Damn it.)
Quistis fought her emotions, trying to remain professional.
(What's done is done.)
(I have to focus on the present.)
"How bad?" she asked.
"Dr. K is checking her out now," Zell said. "She got… she got hit on the head pretty bad back in Timber. She hasn't woken up since. We don't know what's wrong yet."
Quistis stared into the distance, watching the trees rush past, but not truly seeing anything. Xu had been unconscious since Timber? What happened? How long ago? Was it because of the explosion, or did it happen before that? Was Xu…
Suddenly, self-awareness returned to her and she realized this was not a good conversation to be had over an open radio channel. Even with the short communication bursts and relatively vague details, the signal could still be easily picked up, if G-Garden or anyone else cared to eavesdrop.
"Understood," Quistis said. "And maintain radio silence after this."
"Gotcha," Zell said.
Quistis lowered the radio to her side, sick with worry. For a brief moment she thought that her anxiety had become so strong that it had produced a literal sinking feeling in her chest, until she realized that the feeling was Garden descending down the shoreline and dipping into the ocean. She turned around in time to see the front of the Garden hit the water with a splash. Ahead of her was nothing but the endless blue ocean.
(What do we do now?)
Without Xu around, the only person she could turn to for advice was the Headmaster. He'd already told her—well before Timber was in sight—that he wanted to stay out of the upcoming battle as much as possible. It was, he said, part of his way of testing her leadership abilities. He was probably still in the basement, waiting to hear news of the outcome.
The way Quistis saw it, the battle was now over. The entire mission, in fact, was now well and truly done. The Contact Team had withdrawn from Timber and SeeD was fleeing into the sea in disgrace. There was nothing left to do but pick up the pieces, shake off their pursuers, and decide their future. Surely the Headmaster would offer some advice for her now.
Before she could tell Nida to turn on the intercom so that she could ask the Headmaster to come to the bridge, she spared a glance back at G-Garden. Her eyes widened. G-Garden was falling behind, and growing more distant with every second.
(Did they have mechanical failures?)
But no, G-Garden had deliberately stopped at the shoreline and stood watching Garden leave, like a guard dog that has reached the end of its leash and is staring down nearby intruders. After a moment, G-Garden began to rotate in place, facing back towards Timber. Then it returned to where it had come from, abandoning pursuit and leaving Garden in peace. Quistis had to stop herself from gasping.
(What are they doing?)
(… It doesn't matter. We're safe for now.)
She was confused, but relieved. Her immediate concerns had solved themselves: G-Garden was not going to pursue them to the ends of the earth. While there would certainly be more battles to come, she and the rest of SeeD had been given a momentary reprieve. That was the best she could ask for, realistically. Hope gradually returned to the situation, and Quistis looked forward to the future with a measure of optimism she hadn't possessed a few minutes before.
"Nida, the intercom," she said. He nodded and flicked the switch. The familiar chime sounded on the bridge once more, but this time, Quistis brought good news.
"G-Garden is falling back," she said calmly. "The operation in Timber is over. Our part in the battle is over. Finish attending to the wounded. Salvage any useful tools from the defeated Galbadians and cast their bodies overboard. After that, you're all dismissed until further notice. Good work, everyone."
Xu had been placed on one of the beds in the infirmary. Because of her delicate condition, she'd been given priority over other students with gunshot wounds, burns, and broken bones. Most of them had been treated and sent back to their dorms to rest, freeing bed space for the truly serious cases, which, thankfully, were few.
A thin white blanket covered Xu's body—still dressed in her civilian clothes. Her short brown hair was messy and tangled on the pillow. Her eyes were closed, her breath coming in and out softly in long draws. She could have been sleeping.
Quistis sat beside Xu on a wooden chair in the cramped little room. A window at the head of the bed allowed the sunlight to stream in. Occasional gusts of wind ruffled the white curtains. After all of her urgent tasks had been completed, Quistis had gone down to the infirmary to sit beside her friend, waiting for her to wake up. Quistis still wore her uniform, and the radio and her whip were clipped to her waist.
Dr. Kadowaki had treated Xu to the best of her abilities—using a combination of both standard medicine and para-magic—but there was nothing anyone could do at this point except wait. If Xu woke up—once Xu woke up, Quistis said to herself—they could check on her condition again to determine what the next step should be. Until then, they could only wait and give Xu time to recover on her own.
Quistis sighed.
(It's all my fault.)
She heard the automatic door of the infirmary slide open. Quistis could hear Zell's voice asking Dr. Kadowaki where the Commander was, and the doctor directed him to the appropriate patient room. Zell, still in his civilian clothes from the mission, walked into the room. He gave a half-wave, half-salute to the commander.
"Heya, Quistis," Zell said, somewhat unenthusiastically. He looked at Xu and wrinkled his mouth, grimly. "How's she doin'?"
Quistis shook her head. "No change."
"I'm uh…" Zell said. "I'm here to give the status report for Garden. Also, I should give you my report too, before I start forgettin' stuff. You know, about everything that happened in Timber and all."
(Can't it wait?)
Quistis closed her eyes. She wanted to be left alone for a while, to brood over her mistakes, diagnose them, and then do whatever she could to make sure they never happened again. But on the other hand, she was also curious to know what transpired in Timber, how Xu got her injury, as well as the current state of SeeD.
"Go ahead," Quistis said.
Zell nodded. "Right. So… here's what happened in Timber."
He recounted the events of the past two days, including the terrible first impression with the sorceress Ciel and the rest of Forest Wolf, the sorceress' constant irrational behavior, her departure in the middle of the night to assassinate General Caraway, her return and the subsequent fight between the Contact Team and Forest Wolf.
His descriptions were often vague or muddled, and Quistis frequently had to stop him and ask for clarification. He also jumped around in the story, skipping back and forth between the beginning and the end without warning, and using pronouns without first establishing who "he," "she," or "they" were, which made Quistis hopelessly confused. At times she wasn't sure if there were three people in Forest Wolf, or as many as six or seven.
Zell continued on, talking about Xu's injury, the battle with the Galbadians, and then how Dax and Zell's escaped from Timber.
"… And then you guys picked us up," Zell said. "So uh. Yeah. That's my report."
"I see…" Quistis said. She pressed her lips into a thin line and stared out of the window, looking at the ocean and trying to process her thoughts. It had taken awhile and a lot of interruptions, but she'd finally managed to get a relatively clear picture of events from Zell's story.
(We never should have gotten involved with Ciel.)
(I doubted her from the beginning. I should have trusted my gut.)
(I should have told her no.)
"Thank you, Zell," Quistis said. Her voice was devoid of emotion. She turned to look at him. "And the status report on Garden?"
"Right," Zell said. "So, we got good news. No fatalities on our end."
That surprised Quistis.
"Really?" she said. She raised her eyebrows.
"Yup," Zell said, brightening. "The wave the Galbadians sent was kinda small, and we were able to bottle it up pretty fast. I don't think G-Garden really had their heart in it, you know? I think they were just tryin' to scare us off, not take us down."
(Not yet, anyway.)
(I'm sure they'll be back.)
"Yes, that's probably the case," Quistis said. "Go on."
"A lotta classrooms are pretty wrecked," Zell said. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed casually over his chest. "Most of them can be fixed in a day or so, but 11B was hit by a grenade or somethin' and is totally out of commission. Nothing left in that room at all. The tech team is on it, but they aren't hopeful, you know? We'll need to buy a bunch of new computers and stuff when we get back to Balamb, to replace all the busted ones."
Quistis made a mental note of that. She knew that it wouldn't take the Headmaster long to draw up an official inventory list and send it to her desk for approval. By rule, the SeeD Commander didn't technically need to approve any inventory or resupply requests—it didn't fall under her jurisdiction—but the Headmaster liked to keep her in the loop, letting her know what he was up to and how Garden's funds were being spent.
(Or maybe he just likes sending me paperwork.)
With a pang, Quistis remembered that inventory was Xu's job, and that Xu wouldn't be able to do anything to help until she recovered.
"Nida's scanning the other radio, tryin' to pick up some news," Zell continued. "But Galbadia is keeping reporters and stuff out of Timber, so really, no one knows what's going on in there. Not any more than we do, anyway."
"That's to be expected," Quistis said. "Make sure he keeps listening, in case the situation changes."
"Right," Zell said. He seemed excited that someone was finally giving him orders, taking charge of the situation. "And umm… Quistis?"
He lowered his voice and looked around, as if about to reveal a massive secret that he didn't want anyone to overhear.
"What is it?" Quistis said softly.
When Zell was sure the coast was clear, he leaned forward until his face was inches away from hers.
"I um…" Zell said. "Is there something goin' on? Between you and that Mireya girl?"
Quistis narrowed her eyes. "No. Why?"
"She's been… saying stuff," Zell said. "She's upset about something or another. I, uh, I heard that she's talking to people about getting you fired or somethin'. Dax said something to me a few minutes ago like that. I dunno if it's true but… figured I'd say somethin', you know?"
Quistis closed her eyes and sighed.
(It doesn't surprise me.)
"Did something happen?" Zell asked.
(A lot happened.)
(Too much happened.)
"It's… complicated," Quistis said. She waved a hand dismissively. "She and I have not been seeing eye-to-eye lately."
Zell straightened up and stopped whispering. "Oh, is that all?" He smiled. "Well, at least it's nothin' too serious. I was kinda worried there for a second."
"Don't be worried," Quistis said. "It's between me and her."
Zell, oblivious to Quistis' expressions and body language, smiled wider. He waved goodbye. "All right. Lemme know if you need anything else, Commander."
"I will," Quistis said. "Thank you, Zell."
Zell spun around and exited the tiny patient room. A moment later, the automatic door to the hallway slid open, then shut, and he was gone.
Quistis turned her attention back on Xu. Even though Xu wasn't awake to provide insight and advice, just being near her seemed to help focus Quistis' thoughts. She posed a silent question, both to herself and to the unconscious Xu.
(What should I do about Mireya?)
After the utter failure of the Timber mission, Quistis didn't think she'd mind being fired from her job. But while the thought of being relieved of duty—relieved of her burden—appealed to her, there were two immediate problems with that. For one, without her, SeeD was left without a Commander, at least until Squall and Rinoa returned. And for two, who would replace her? If Mireya was indeed petitioning for Quistis' removal, it was logical to assume that Mireya herself would try to take over. While Quistis was unsure about herself as Commander, she was even less sure about the idea of Mireya as Commander.
(In truth, I don't really know her at all.)
(Maybe she'd make a good Commander. I don't know.)
"What do you think?" Quistis asked Xu. Of course, Xu didn't respond, but asking the question aloud made Quistis feel a little better. She continued processing her thoughts.
Now that the battle in Timber was over—or, at least, SeeD's involvement in the battle was over—the situation was a little calmer, less urgent. Galbadia had promised to hunt SeeD down if they continued to aid Timber, but G-Garden backing off pursuit seemed to indicate that they weren't going to fulfill that promise. At least not immediately.
There were also the eight SeeD prisoners to consider as well. Quistis had been counting on General Caraway's indifference towards his captives in order to buy herself more time to form an effective rescue plan. She had assumed that the presidential election would take weeks, if not months, giving her plenty of time to come up with a solution. But now that deadline had come and gone, all in an instant. Galbadia had a president, and it was well within Martine's authority to order the SeeDs' execution at any time. For all she knew, he might have already done it, just to wound Garden out of spite.
Quistis shook her head, trying not to worry about that. She needed to assume that the SeeDs were alive until she had concrete proof otherwise. The alternative was unthinkable.
Along that same line of thought, Quistis wondered if President Martine would attempt to use his prisoners to coerce SeeD. Maybe that was Martine's plan from the start, and the reason why he didn't have G-Garden continue pursuit of SeeD. He might try to use the students as leverage to convince SeeD to disband or submit to the will of the Galbadians, thus effectively destroying SeeD without the need of any further bloodshed.
Quistis clenched her jaw, fearing that was his plan. In less than a minute, she had gone from knowing next to nothing about the prisoners, to being almost certain that they were doomed to be either executed or used to destroy Garden. In any case, their fate was bleak.
(I don't think I can save them.)
(Not without ending SeeD as we know it.)
She could turn the Garden around right away and return to Timber to try to look for them, but that would almost guarantee another fight with G-Garden. They had gotten lucky and not had any students killed in the last encounter, but only a fool would push her luck a second time.
She sighed.
Maybe, she thought, it would be better if Mireya took over command after all. Then all these hard decisions could fall on Mireya's shoulders instead. Then Quistis could be the one who was standing off to the side and sneering at Mireya's decisions, criticizing her failures, and insulting her judgment. It would be a welcome reprieve from all the stress and worry and self-doubt that Quistis had felt almost every day since becoming Lieutenant Commander of SeeD.
But Xu's words returned to her, as clearly as if she'd woken up and spoken them out loud.
("If you let other people have the power, you might not like the decisions they make.")
(Damn it, Xu. Even when you're asleep, you're wiser than me.)
Yes, it was true. There were a series of hard, painful decisions ahead. And yes, Quistis could not see an easy way around them. No matter what she did, she could not possibly escape the situation totally unscathed. Things had progressed too far, and too many things had happened in order for things to go back to the way they were without something being lost.
But all those hard decisions were in the short-term. If Mireya became Lieutenant Commander, then she would keep that position indefinitely, long after the current events were resolved. After all the tough decisions were over, what kind of leader would she be? What changes would she want to make to the school? How would she want SeeD to develop as it moved into the future?
Quistis didn't know much about the other girl, but she had caught glimpses of what Mireya stood for, what she valued. Mireya was fiercely loyal to SeeD, that much was unquestionable. But she seemed indifferent to the suffering of everyone outside the school. The plight of the people of Timber appeared to have no impact on her at all. She could not see beyond the immediate danger, and cared nothing for the potential reward that might come from helping Timber. To her, only SeeD mattered. Which sounded like a noble goal, until one realized that Mireya's ideas were selfish, cold, and short-sighted.
Under Mireya's leadership—Quistis had no doubt—SeeD would be more conservative, more pragmatic. But less idealistic. The Headmaster's dream of having SeeD become a global peacekeeping force would die under Mireya's leadership. Because world peace was a risk. It took sacrifices. It took selflessness, and genuine concern for the safety of others above one's own.
(SeeD would be run like a business, with her in charge.)
(Bent on making profit and avoiding risk.)
(Standing for nothing.)
(Defending no one but itself.)
Quistis set her jaw determinedly. She knew she didn't have all the answers, and maybe not even the majority of the answers. But she was willing to keep her job as Commander, if it meant that she could help keep the dream alive and preserve the Headmaster's goal for the future.
But if what Zell was saying was true, if Mireya was indeed trying to rally people against Quistis, then she would need to act quickly and gather support for her side.
(I need allies.)
"Thanks, Xu," she said, smiling to her friend. "I think I know what to do next."