Chapter 38
Pickin' Fights
(Zell)
(I hate waiting.)
Unfortunately, there was no way to escape it this time. Because Zell and Ami had been part of the team that had transferred the monsters from the training center up to the second floor, it was only appropriate that they then be assigned to guard the second floor hallways in the event of an emergency. After all, they knew more about what lurked in the classrooms than most other students, and would be better prepared to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.
After Nida announced over the intercom that a mysterious object had been spotted at sea and that all students should go to alert status, Zell and Ami got together—Ami carrying her staff and Zell bringing his gloved fists along—and headed up from the dormitories to the second floor hallway to take their assigned places.
Almost immediately, Zell became antsy with anticipation. What was the "mysterious object" they were going to investigate? Was it Galbadian? Something from Esthar? A relic from the old Centra civilization?
Zell had no idea, and all he could do was stand in the second floor hallway—just past the junction between the main hall and the walkway leading to the elevator—and let his imagination torment him with a thousand possibilities.
Unable to hold still, he began shadowboxing in place, slowly rotating around and around, imagining that he was defending himself against a horde of G-Army soldiers who had encircled him—and who were conveniently attacking him one at a time.
(Take that!)
(And that!)
His fists sliced through the air, releasing a rush of sound following each of his punches. He snorted out through his nose like a boxer, adding a little extra power to his swing.
Further down the hall, Ami stood watching him intently. He would have been a little embarrassed to know that she was eyeing his every motion, but he was so absorbed in his fantasy that he wasn't even aware that she was looking.
After a few moments, Zell relaxed. His muscles had warmed up and if he kept going at that pace, he'd just end up wearing himself out. No sense in making himself tired before a battle.
(If there's even gonna be a battle.)
Zell could hear the elevator chime as someone reached the second floor. Zell moved back into position—standing right in front of the closed door to classroom 12C—and crossed his arms. From his vantage point, he could see partially down the walkway, but not all the way to the elevator, preventing from seeing who had arrived. He heard footsteps rapidly approaching and, after a few seconds, saw Quistis round the corner and head down the hallway away from Zell.
Zell raised a hand and considered shouting a "hello" at her, but judging by her determined gait, he figured it was best not to disturb her.
(Aw, well…)
Down the hall and out of sight, he could hear Quistis open the door to the balcony and then close it. He turned to Ami.
"What're the odds it's Galbadians out there?" Zell asked.
She shrugged. "I can't imagine Commander Quistis would call an alert for anything less."
"Yeah, that's true," Zell said. "But why not go all the way to battle stations, you know? Why just elevated alert?"
Ami didn't have an answer. Zell sighed and shook his head. Tension was building up in his muscles again, but he didn't want to waste energy shadowboxing. Instead, he began doing flexibility exercises, placing one foot on the wall and stretching, doing some quick lunges, and touching his toes. He straightened up and popped his head from side to side to loosen up his neck muscles.
"Man, we've been here forever," Zell said, cracking his knuckles.
"It's only been a couple minutes, Zell," Ami said.
He scratched the back of his head. "Oh."
(Time crawls when you're not having fun, I guess.)
Another few minutes went by. Zell stared blankly at the wall across from him, counting all the little cracks and defects in the wall, reminding himself why he hated any type of guard duty. All that standing about and waiting. Unable to sleep, or work, or exercise. Only being allowed to sit and wait for something to happen.
(Think I'd rather be fighting.)
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the door to the balcony burst open with a bang, making him jump with surprise. He could hear someone's footsteps pounding down the hallway towards him.
Mireya came into view, sprinting down the curved hallway with one hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped at her belt to keep it from bouncing against her legs as she ran. She turned the corner and dashed out onto the walkway towards the elevator without a word or a glance towards Zell and Ami. Her footsteps stopped at the end of the walkway. Zell couldn't see her, but he assumed she was waiting for the elevator to arrive.
(What's goin' on?)
He gave a quizzical glance to Ami, but she just shrugged in response.
Then the door at the end of the hall burst open once more and four SeeDs came jogging into sight, carrying what looked like a thin black garbage bag full of red meat. It was only when the SeeDs drew closer that Zell realized that it was a person that they were carrying between them. And only when they ran right him past did Zell catch a glimpse of the person's face and the familiar red scar running between his eyes.
"Squall?" Zell yelped as the four SeeDs carried their burden past him. Zell took two steps after them, meaning to follow, but Ami stopped him.
"We're supposed to stay here," she said.
Zell pointed at the elevator. "But Squall's in trouble!"
"Dr. K will take care of him," Ami said. "We should stay here and make sure nothing tries to come down the hall after him."
Zell sniffed defiantly, but he had to admit she had a point. Zell wasn't the best at curative magic or first aid, so he'd only end up getting in the way if he tried to help Squall directly. But Zell knew he could fight, so if whatever thing or whatever person had taken down Squall was still lurking somewhere out there, Zell wanted to be one of the first to try to stop it.
He punched the palm of his hand.
(This just got more interesting.)
And then the door banged open again, this time sending in a gale force wind that knocked over a couple students closer to the door. The airtight hallway acted like a wind tunnel, channeling the hurricane at full force all the way down to where Zell and Ami stood, making them both stagger in place. Zell stumbled, then found his footing and leaned into the wind, crossing his arms in front of his face.
Amidst the tempest, a familiar girl in blue dashed down the hallway. It was all Zell could do just to remain upright but her hair and clothes only barely ruffled.
He tried to say something to her as she passed, to get her attention and find out what was going on, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the storm sucked all the air out of his lungs. He gasped and choked, his eyes watering as Rinoa rounded the corner and headed for the elevator.
As soon as she passed, the wind died, freeing Zell to pursue her. Ami cried out a wordless protest to keep him in his place, but Zell didn't hear her. Ami grunted in frustration and followed after him.
Ahead of Zell, Rinoa reached the walkway. Mireya and the others had already gone, leaving just Rinoa on the walkway. Instead of pushing the call button on the elevator and waiting for it to come up from the first floor, she simply put one boot on the railing of the bridge and jumped over the side, plummeting the massive distance down to the first floor.
Zell gasped and stopped running, believing for a moment that he had just watched one his friends commit suicide, when suddenly another gale erupted from down below, sending a powerful updraft that could be felt all the way on the second floor. Zell ran to the railing and peered over, just in time to see Rinoa land safely on the floor and begin running down the hallway on her way towards the infirmary—chasing after Squall.
(The hell's goin' on?)
Overwhelmed with curiosity, he ran for the elevator and pushed the button to call it. He had no desire to try to replicate Rinoa's wind trick. The elevator was still sitting at the first floor, so he had to wait a few moments for it to arrive. Ami rushed up beside him and opened her mouth to argue that he should stay in the halls. But then a handful of other SeeDs—Dax among them—rounded the corner and rushed up to the elevator
"The hell's goin' on out there, man?" Zell asked, slashing the air with one hand.
"Didn't you see her?" Dax said. He was soaked from the waist down. "She ran right past you!"
(Why are his pants wet?)
"I saw her, yeah, but what's goin' on?" Zell asked. "And dude, what's with your pants?"
Dax shook his head and scowled. "Rinoa's gone nuts, man. It's like Ciel all over again. She took out Quistis and almost everyone on the balcony. I got thrown into the ocean. She's crazy, man. Friggin' loony."
Zell furrowed his brow.
(What?)
(That doesn't make any sense!)
The elevator chimed as it arrived, and all the SeeDs scrambled to cram themselves inside. Someone pushed the button for the first floor and the elevator descended.
(I still don't get it.)
Zell mentally replayed what Dax had told him, but still couldn't understand. Dax might as well have just muttered random words, for all the sense it made.
"I mean… she took out Quistis?" Zell asked incredulously.
"Nearly blew her across Trabia Garden," Dax said. "I think Quistis is okay, but man…"
Dax shook his head and rubbed his forehead with one hand.
"Quistis?" Zell said, still struggling to grasp the concept.
(Rinoa… attacking Quistis?)
It was like one of those unsolvable riddles designed to confuse people with its impossible language. Like, "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" Zell couldn't swallow Dax's words, because in Zell's mind, Rinoa and Quistis were comrades, teammates, and no circumstances in the world could ever drive one to harm each other. Saying that Rinoa attacked Quistis was like saying that Rinoa had outran herself in a race. It was a fundamental contradiction.
"Maybe it was an accident?" Zell asked.
"I'm tellin' you, it wasn't no damn accident!" Dax said. "Maybe the stories are right, you know? Maybe bein' a sorceress makes you go crazy."
(Crazy?)
Zell didn't appreciate when people called his friends crazy. He balled his hands into fists and opened his mouth to reply, but before Zell could shout out a retort, the elevator lurched to a stop and the doors pulled opened and the other SeeDs burst into the hall, sweeping Zell along with their momentum. He tried to keep track of Ami in the chaotic rush, but he lost sight of her and soon was hurrying down the stairs, oblivious everything except the frantic running of the SeeDs on all sides of him.
"I'm goin' this way!" one SeeD yelled, rushing off towards the library and the training center.
"I'll check the dorms!" another said, running away.
"Guys! Guys!" Zell yelled, trying to get everyone to calm down. "She's goin' to the infirmary!"
But either no one was listening or no one wanted to hear him, because they all scattered off in different directions. Except for Dax, who nodded at Zell and said, "Let's go," then dashed for the hallway with the pink stripe down the middle. Zell found Ami, then both of them wordlessly followed, sprinting to keep up with Dax's long, powerful strides.
(I really wanna know what the hell's goin' on.)
Down the hall and just outside the infirmary doors, a cluster of about two or three dozen SeeDs had formed, all standing by and brandishing their weapons and magic threateningly, as if expecting Rinoa to burst out at any second and attack them. Dax slowed to a jog and stopped just outside the forest of students, but Zell carried on. He put his palms together and used his arms as a wedge to shove his way through the confused crowd and head for the door.
"Excuse me, excuse me," Zell said, bumping people aside. Ami followed in his wake, using her staff to keep from being swallowed by the crowd.
"The sorceress is in there!" one student warned Zell.
"She's crazy!" another shouted.
(She's not crazy!)
"Excuse me!" Zell shouted, ignoring all the voices.
"You can't take her on alone!" Dax shouted from the edge of the group. "We gotta make a plan!"
"I SAID EXCUSE ME!" Zell shouted, pushing through the last couple of SeeDs and rushing for the door. It opened automatically when he and Ami got about one pace away from it.
Zell jumped into the room, took a couple of steps, and stopped. Ami came in after him and the infirmary doors slid shut behind them.
It looked like he'd barged into the middle of a tense hostage negotiation. Mireya stood just outside one of the patient rooms, her sword drawn, her face tightened into a focused scowl. Behind her stood the four SeeDs that had carried Squall down to the first floor. None of the four were armed, but they held their hands clenched into fists, ready for a fight.
Inside the patient room, partially hidden by a thin white curtain, Squall—in his bloody clothes—lay stretched out on the bed, with Dr. Kadowaki rapidly checking him over with a stethoscope and other tools. Rinoa stood across the bed from her, leaning over Squall and gently running her fingers through his hair.
Standing between these two groups was Xu, all by herself. She was dressed in a thin infirmary gown and was barefoot, but she held a perfect fighter's stance, daring Mireya and her group to come closer. Xu's eyes flicked to Zell when he entered, and then she focused back on Mireya.
"Stand aside, Xu," Mireya said. "The sorceress must be contained."
"Not happening," Xu said. Having briefly seen Xu in action before outside of Timber, Zell was quite convinced that she could have kicked everyone's ass by herself, even in this lopsided five-against-one battle, but he nonetheless rushed around Mireya and stood beside Xu. He raised his hands in a mirror of Xu's stance and eyed Mireya from over his clenched fists.
"You'll have to go through me," Zell said. He acted tough and confident, although secretly, he still had no idea what the hell was going on or why he was getting ready to fight. All he knew was that Squall was injured, Rinoa was worried, and someone was holding a sword pointed at Xu. That was all he needed to know.
"And me!" Ami said in a well-intentioned but unintimidating squeak. She rushed to stand beside Zell, clutching her staff diagonally across her chest.
"Zell," Mireya said coldly. "This doesn't concern you."
"The hell it doesn't!" Zell shouted. "Squall and Rinoa are my friends! Anything that concerns them concerns me too."
There was a loud crash from behind him, inside the patient room. Zell turned his head and saw that Dr. Kadowaki was stretched to her full height—still a full head shorter than Zell. She had kicked a nearby table to get everyone's attention. She held her stethoscope in one hand like a whip.
"Stop this nonsense immediately!" she bellowed, in a voice that could made Adel bow down and apologize. "Put away your weapons! There will not be any fighting in this infirmary! Do I make myself clear?"
No one said anything. Everyone just stood there and stared. Zell's jaw fell open, and his hands drifted back down to his sides and unclenched themselves. His ears were ringing. He felt like a scolded child and suddenly found himself wishing for a nice fluffy bed to go hide under.
(Oh man…)
Dr. Kadowaki glared directly into Mireya's eyes. "Put. It. Away."
Mireya hesitated for a moment, adjusted her grip on her sword, then glanced away from the doctor and sheathed her blade. Zell sighed and the tension in the air palpably eased, but only slightly.
"Now act like professionals," Dr. Kadowaki said. "If you aren't either injured or helping me, then get out of this room."
Mireya and her posse backed up a pace, but didn't leave the infirmary. Xu put her hands down to her sides and turned around to face the doctor.
"Anything I can do?" Xu asked.
Dr. Kadowaki reached down to the floor and rummaged through her emergency supply bag. Without looking up at Xu, she said, "You're still supposed to be in bed. I won't allow you to injure yourself foolishly."
"But I can—"
"BED! NOW!" Dr. Kadowaki said. She pulled a pair of shears out from her bag and began quickly cutting off Squall's undershirt, revealing the dried blood beneath his clothes. Zell involuntarily sucked in a breath when he saw what was underneath.
It wasn't that the scene was gory or anything. In fact, Squall's wounds appeared to have been nicely sealed shut with magic. Rather, it was just the shock of seeing three obvious bullet wounds in his Commander's chest that caused Zell to start.
(Seriously, what the hell happened here?)
Xu then stepped out of the patient room and headed back to her own, which was immediately adjacent to Squall's. A few moments later, Zell heard the screeching sound of metal on tiled floor, and then Xu's bed came into sight, just outside of her patient room. Xu placed the bed sideways along the divider between her room and Squall's and then hopped up on top of it.
"I'll stay in bed," Xu said, "But I'm not leaving this spot."
From where she sat, Xu would be able to look inside the patient room and check on Squall while also maintaining a physical barrier between Mireya and Rinoa. All without technically violating Dr. Kadowaki's order to stay in bed.
Zell smirked.
(Nice.)
"What about me?" Zell asked, peeking inside the patient room. "Can I help?"
"If I need you, I'll tell you," Dr. Kadowaki said. "Just stay out of the way." She bent over a pulled another tool out of her bag and continued examining Squall.
Out in the main room of the infirmary, Mireya spun around and faced the other four SeeDs.
"Seal the door," she said. "Make sure no one gets in or out of this room."
Zell spun around. "Hey! What the hell are you doin'?"
"I'm containing the situation," Mireya snapped.
Meanwhile, her four cohorts got to work. They headed for the infirmary door and examined it, silently considering what they could do to keep it from opening. It was an automatic sliding double door without any handles, so it couldn't be barricaded shut, nor could it be tied closed with rope. After looking at the problem for a couple of seconds, one of Mireya's cohorts charged up a lightning spell and zapped the proximity sensor that mechanically opened and closed the door. The device at the top of the door smoked and shot out sparks, then went quiet.
"HEY! You can't do that!" Zell yelled.
He rushed over to the door. For the first time in his life, the infirmary door didn't automatically slide open when he stepped up to it. Frustrated, he tried to dig his fingers into the crack between the doors and pull them open manually.
One of the SeeDs, a thin, pale boy younger than Zell, shoved Zell's shoulder to get him away from the door, making Zell stumble to the side. Furious, Zell spun and countered with a haymaker that connected hard with the boy's jaw and threw him back three steps. He stumbled, went limp, and finally landed on his back, totally unconscious.
Before Zell had time to regret this turn of events, another SeeD threw a heavy punch in his direction, but it was slow and predictable. Obviously, that student's weapon specialty wasn't his fists. Zell easily ducked aside—allowing the student's fist to bang painfully into the door—then drove two quick jabs into the guy's stomach, making him stagger backwards and drop to his knees, gripping his gut.
There was another bang from inside the patient room and Dr. Kadowaki stormed out, her short stocky frame making her look like an enraged bull or an oncoming train. She was more intimidating than Dax or Ciel or anyone else Zell knew.
"ALL OF YOU GET OUT," she yelled, pointing at the door. "NOW!"
Although Dr. Kadowaki's threats had been enough to get Mireya to sheath her sword, it didn't seem to be enough to convince Mireya to leave entirely. She stood in place, eying the doctor coldly, menacingly. And as long as Mireya didn't leave, then her lackeys stayed put as well.
(And if they don't go, then I won't go either.)
The skinny boy on the floor had no choice in the matter, as he was flat unconscious. Dr. Kadowaki looked at the boy on the floor, then at the other one hunched over gripping his stomach. She shot a withering look at Zell and he flinched.
"They started it," Zell said.
Wordlessly, Dr. Kadowaki checked on her two newest patients. First he knelt down beside the unconscious boy and gently roused him awake. When she was confident that there was no permanent damage, she snapped her fingers and told Zell to carry him into a spare bed. Zell hopped to obey her order, lifting the skinny boy up by the armpits and dumping him in a bed in a patient room next to Squall's. The boy mumbled something, then rolled over on his side and fell asleep.
(Ya know…)
(I'm not sorry.)
Dr. Kadowaki checked on the boy clutching his stomach. He murmured something, then painfully got to his feet. Dr. Kadowaki turned to the others and glared.
"The rest of you, get out," she said. "Fix the door and leave."
"No…" Mireya said coldly. "The Sorceress Rinoa is under arrest. We aren't leaving without her."
She rested her hand on the handle of her sword threateningly.
Zell snarled and got into a battle stance again. From the corner of his eye, he could see Xu tense up on top of her bed, ready to spring into action. He kept his gaze focused on Mireya's hands and planned out his moves in advance, should she be foolish enough to draw her blade.
(If I can get in close, I can grab her hands.)
(If I can do that, then disarming her will be easy.)
And then, deprived of her blade, she'd be at a severe disadvantage. He didn't know how much hand-to-hand combat training Mireya had received, but he was confident that she couldn't compete against him once she lost her primary weapon. If Xu and Ami got involved in the battle as well, then Zell knew that they'd win the fight.
He licked his lips and watched, waiting for Mireya to make the first move.
(All I need is an excuse.)
In truth, he was looking forward to this fight. He was tired of Mireya's smug looks and the way she treated Quistis and Rinoa. Zell had an instant disliking of people who were mean to his friends, and he found himself wishing for a chance to take her on.
After a few moments of tense silence, it became obvious that Dr. Kadowaki's stern face, harsh words, and booming voice were not going to make Mireya back down. Although she was tough and hard and not easily shaken, the doctor was still a pacifist by nature. She was not going to start a fight in her own infirmary, attacking the very same students she had been hired to protect.
But Rinoa, on the other hand, had no such conflicts.
A gust of wind that could have rolled a car onto its side burst out of the patient room, tipping Xu's bed over, throwing Mireya and her companions into Dr. Kadowaki's desk, and blowing Zell and Ami into the far wall. For Zell, the world spun in a chaotic, roaring rush of wind and shouts.
A moment later, Zell found himself in a tangle of his own arms and legs, wondering where the last five seconds of his life had gone. He blinked, shook his head, and untangled himself from his own twisted limbs. Ami was nearby, on her hands and knees, shaking her head to clear her mind. Her staff had been ripped from her hands by the wind and lay nearby. Zell picked it up and handed it to her.
"You okay?" Zell asked, groaning. Ami nodded.
"Rinoa! Stop it immediately," Dr. Kadowaki said to the sorceress. But Rinoa didn't back down. She stood in the doorway of the patient room, her blue dress stained with blood, her eyes and her hair wild. She looked like a completely different person.
Zell gulped.
(Man… what happened since the last time I saw her?)
A few steps away, Mireya lifted herself up using Dr. Kadowaki's desk as support, then staggered to her feet.
"The sorceress… is dangerous," Mireya said. She waved a hand at the mess of strewn papers and thrown medical supplies that were now scattered around the room. "What more proof do you need? Hand her over, and we'll go."
"Solve your disputes at some other time, in some other room," Dr. Kadowaki said firmly. "Right now, a wounded SeeD needs my help. Everything else is secondary."
"She's too dangerous to keep here," Mireya said. "For all we know, Rinoa might have been the one who shot him in the first place."
(Fricken' hell she did!)
Zell snarled and raised a fist at her, which Mireya ignored.
"None of that is my concern," Dr. Kadowaki said. "This is my infirmary and you'll all operate according to my rules."
Mireya scoffed. "This infirmary belongs to SeeD. You just work here."
Dr. Kadowaki ignored this comment. She turned and looked down at Xu, who had been knocked off her bed by Rinoa's attack. "Are you okay, Xu?"
"Yeah, fine," Xu said. She grabbed her bed and put it right side up again and then obediently climbed back on it before Dr. Kadowaki could order her back to bed.
When she was certain that the situation had settled down somewhat, Dr. Kadowaki turned and entered the patient room and continued to care for Squall. Rinoa and Mireya exchanged a long, icy stare, and then Rinoa spun around and returned to Squall. Mireya still looked stoic, as if she could never be forced to leave the room, but something in her expression had changed since Rinoa's outburst. Zell could see Mireya's eyes flickering with thought as she reconsidered her plan of attack.
No one moved or said anything for several long moments. Zell got to his feet, then helped Ami to hers. She leaned on her staff like it was an oversized cane. Zell looked at the chaos everywhere, the medical supplies strewn around the room, the two SeeDs he had decked, and sighed.
(Quistis was right.)
Quistis had known that the conflict in SeeD was growing worse every day and rapidly approaching violence. That the division between those who stood behind Rinoa and those who stood against her would soon come to blows if nothing was done to correct it. Now Quistis' fears had become reality, and what was worse, Zell had been the idiot who'd thrown the first punch. He had been the one to escalate the situation from threats of violence into actual violence.
He looked down at his knuckles, which were still stinging a little from the impact against the boy's jaw, and shook his head.
(Man, I screw everything up.)
The boy with the gut-punched stomach eventually shuffled his way to the far side of the infirmary, putting as much distance between himself and Zell as he could without leaving the room. Meanwhile, the other semi-unconscious SeeD on the bed in the patient room next to Squall's mumbled incoherently to himself. The only other sounds were the noises of Dr. Kadowaki's tools clicking and her whispered commands to Rinoa. The room was locked in tense silence, as everyone stood waiting for something to happen.
There was a heavy knocking at the door behind Zell, which him Zell leapt in the air and throw his arms up to his face defensively.
"AAAAAA!" he screamed, jumping two full steps away from the door.
"Is everyone okay?" Quistis' voice shouted through the door. "Is anyone hurt?"
Zell calmed down, but his startled heart continued to hammer on for another few moments.
"We're all good," Zell said. The SeeD he'd punched in the stomach glared at Zell. The other boy in the bed began rubbing his jaw with one hand and whimpering. "Well… mostly good," Zell corrected.
"What happened to the door?" Quistis said. "Why isn't it opening?"
"Technical problems," Mireya said.
At the same time, Zell said, "Mireya's buddies busted it up."
There was a pause in the conversation while Quistis processed what she'd heard. Mireya glared at Zell as if to admonish him for telling the truth, but he didn't back down from her gaze.
(As if I'd lie to cover your ass.)
He kept his eyes fixed on hers. The infirmary was small enough to where he could be within striking distance of her blade in two or three quick steps. If he allowed his guard to slip, she could potentially unsheathe her sword and slice him open in a matter of seconds. He was suddenly glad for the shot of adrenaline coursing through his system. It sharpened his senses and honed his reflexed.
Quistis' voice came through the other side of the door. "I'm getting the tech team over here to have a look. Everyone stay put."
(Like we got a choice.)
(What else are we gonna do? Climb out the window?)
Actually, now that he thought of it, climbing out the window wasn't such a terrible idea. It beat being caged like an animal with Mireya and her gang. But then, jumping out the window would mean leaving Squall and Rinoa behind to defend themselves, which was something Zell refused to do.
He crossed his arms—loosely, so that he could still pull them apart quickly and defend himself—and held his ground. If Mireya wasn't leaving, then he wasn't leaving either. Not as long as Squall was still hurt.
"Is that Quistis out there?" Rinoa asked, poking her head out of the patient room. "Is she okay?"
"I'm fine, Rinoa," Quistis said. "Just… a little surprised is all."
"I'm really sorry," Rinoa said, raising her voice so Quistis could clearly hear her. "I panicked."
"It's all right," Quistis said. "Let me get the tech team to fix the door and we'll talk about it."
Zell could hear Quistis' footsteps move away from the door, once again leaving the infirmary in anxious silence. Rinoa stood in the doorway of the patient room, chewing her lip pensively.
(Wonder what she's thinkin' about?)
Without taking her eyes off of Mireya or the others, Xu angled her head towards the patient room and asked, "What's the situation in there, doctor?"
Dr. Kadowaki sighed, but continued to work. Her voice came floating out from inside the patient room. "His wounds appear to be almost totally healed. Everything I can see indicates that he should be okay. But since he's obviously not okay, we have to consider possible internal damage. That's what I'm trying to find out now."
Although Dr. Kadowaki was a highly skilled physician, the school's infirmary wasn't really equipped to handle anything worse than cuts, broken bones, and most other common training mishaps. After all, no one had ever considered the notion that serious fighting might one day break out in the school. SeeDs were supposed to get into battles in foreign countries or across oceans, not right in their own hallways.
Mireya seemed to reach a conclusion in her mind. She turned and addressed everyone in the room.
"All right, it appears we're at a stalemate," she said.
Zell frowned. He didn't like that choice of words. After all, a stalemate implied that neither side could overcome the other. Zell was still very much under the impression that he could take down Mireya and her remaining two lackeys, especially if he managed to wrest Mireya's sword away from her first. And Rinoa had clearly demonstrated that she could blow everyone across the room with a wave of her hand, so obviously both sides of this fight were not equal.
So he opened his mouth to speak his mind. "It's not a stalemate," he said. "We can whoop you anytime. We just don't wanna. Ya got it?"
"Zell… please," Ami whispered to him. "Just let it go."
Xu leaned forward on her bed, facing Mireya, and took charge of the situation.
"So if this is a stalemate, then what's your offer?" Xu asked.
"A temporary truce," Mireya said. "Until the door is repaired."
"And after that?" Xu asked.
"Then the sorceress comes with us," Mireya said. "Her presence here is harmful to the school."
(That's such crap!)
"Dunno who's she harming," Zell said. "All she wants to do is be by Squall. What's so bad about that?"
"Zell…" Ami whispered again. "Let Xu handle this."
(Oh, right.)
(Me and my big mouth.)
He thought back to the time that he had accidentally told President Deling that he and the others in Timber were agents of SeeD—a mistake that had nearly destroyed the school. He didn't think that he could accidentally destroy the school with a few misspoken words this time, but experience had taught him that it was better to keep silent. He literally bit his tongue, hard enough to hurt, and kept the pressure on his tongue to keep from saying anything.
"The situation isn't going to change once the doors open," Xu said. "I'm still not going to let you take Rinoa."
(Hell, Rinoa won't let you take Rinoa.)
Mireya shrugged. "Did you forget? The school voted and the majority of the students in Garden don't want her here. Right now, in this room, our numbers are almost even, five of us and three of you. Four, counting the sorceress. But once the doors are opened, then the whole school will be involved and your numbers will dwindle comparatively. If you want to bring this matter to blows, then that's your choice. But it's a fight you are guaranteed to lose in the long run."
Rinoa frowned.
"A vote?" she asked. "What's she talking about?"
Zell, Ami, and Xu looked in different directions, as if ashamed to answer the question. Finally, Xu sighed and said, "There have been some… discussions, about SeeD's position on sorceresses. It came to a vote and we… they, actually," she gestured towards Mireya and the others, "voted to not have any dealings with sorceresses anymore."
(They actually voted to hand you over to Galbadia.)
But Zell bit his tongue harder and said nothing.
Rinoa didn't look surprised. "That's what Quistis was saying earlier. But I didn't think…"
She trailed off.
Anger boiled over in Zell's heart. He was growing tired of this bizarre standoff in the infirmary. He was tired of the in-fighting among SeeDs about Rinoa and other sorceresses. But mostly, he was tired that he still had only a vague notion of what was going on.
(You know what?)
(I'm sick of bein' in the dark.)
"You know what I wanna know?" Zell said.
He stomped on the floor and got everyone's attention turned to him. Ami put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, but he was too angry to be slowed down. "I wanna know why. That's somethin' I've been wondering since way back at the assembly in the quad, and no one's given me a straight answer since then. So why? Someone tell me that. Why?"
"Why what?" Mireya asked.
"Why does the school hate Rinoa?" Zell asked. "When did everyone get so anti-sorceress all of a sudden? Was there somethin' in the water that made everyone crazy? Did Rinoa do something to set you off? What was it?"
Mireya chuckled mirthlessly. "You truly are out of the loop if you think any of this was sudden. This is the culmination of many years' worth of debate within Garden."
(Years?)
"What?" Zell asked. "Fricken' tell me already."
"This is the next generation of the Garden Master versus Garden Headmaster debate that has been plaguing this school since its founding," Mireya said. "This game is not new, it has simply changed players and changed rules, but the basic elements are still the same as always."
(What game?)
Zell scratched his head. "Still not following you."
"You've probably only heard this story from Headmaster Cid's perspective," Mireya said. "So perhaps this will be an enlightening experience for all of you. Maybe I can finally talk some sense into Cid's lackeys."
Zell growled and was about to say something incendiary, but Ami swatted him with the end of her staff, silencing him. He rubbed his neck with one hand, trying to relieve some tension.
(Fine, fine. I'll be good.)
Mireya walked over to Dr. Kadowaki's desk and sat down on the corner, getting herself comfortable for a long story.
(Is this gonna take a while?)
"I'm sure you all know the essentials of this story," Mireya said. "Headmaster Cid wanted to start a military school, so he partnered with a business-savvy Shumi named NORG to finance the school's creation and maintenance."
Everyone nodded, indicating that they knew this story well, so Mireya went on.
"And that partnership worked out fine at first," Mireya said. "Headmaster Cid handled a lot of the human resources side of the operation. Hiring staff, overseeing the students, and so on, while NORG busied himself by gathering funds and seeking out prospective employers. But it didn't take long for NORG to find out that SeeD's Headmaster was married to a sorceress named Edea—a fact that Cid had been trying to hide from his business partner from the beginning."
Zell scoffed. "The Headmaster never lied about his marriage."
Mireya raised an eyebrow. "Really? And how many years were you a student at this school before you found out that Cid was married to Edea?"
Zell opened his mouth, then closed it.
(Jeez…)
(I didn't find out until a month ago, actually.)
It had actually been NORG who revealed the connection between Edea and Cid, and then the Headmaster had only confirmed the information. Perhaps, if NORG had never said anything, Cid might have never revealed his marriage at all.
(Man… no one tells me anything.)
"My point exactly," Mireya said. "Cid must have known that being married to a sorceress was a liability. He's not a complete idiot. He would have realized that it was a conflict of interest for the man who was in charge of an anti-sorceress organization to be married to a sorceress."
"SeeD isn't anti-sorceress," Rinoa said, still standing in the doorway to the patient room. "You've got that all wrong."
"Yeah!" Zell said, pumping one fist theatrically.
"At the time of its inception it most certainly was," Mireya said. "Whether or not it still is today is up for debate. But Headmaster Cid originally proposed an idea to create a school designed to train children to defeat the sorceress. That sounds like an anti-sorceress organization to me."
Xu waved her hand dismissively. "SeeD's original mission statement is a separate matter. Go on with the story."
"Once he found out about his partner's secret wife," Mireya said, "NORG issued Cid an ultimatum: divorce Edea or step down as Headmaster."
Zell sucked in a breath silently.
(I always knew NORG was a jerk.)
"Cid, obviously, refused to do either," Mireya said. "He insisted that as long as SeeD and Edea never found themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield, then there wouldn't be an issue. He assured NORG that Edea was entirely a pacifist and would never reveal her existence to SeeD, let alone fight against us.
"NORG, however, did not share Cid's confidence," she continued. "This marriage was a scandal that could potentially unravel SeeD and destroy people's confidence in the organization—especially in those early days when the school was much smaller and weaker. At that time, NORG had already invested too much of his personal capital into the school to simply withdraw and go home, and since Cid refused to cooperate, the two were caught in an administrative war behind the scenes."
Mireya raised her hands and gestured about the room. "And everything that happened here today is a result of that war. Or rather, the continuation of that war, I should say."
Zell crossed his arms. "Just 'cause NORG and the Headmaster fought about Matron?"
(Seems like a dumb reason to get into a fight.)
"That's how it started, yes," Mireya said. "It snowballed from there, of course. Since Cid wouldn't step down from office willingly, NORG took steps to try to force him out. His first move was to gather the Garden Faculty to his side. This was fairly easy for him to do, because people have always been afraid of sorceresses. NORG worried that if it became public knowledge that the Garden Headmaster was married to a sorceress, people would begin to fear that SeeD was an organization owned and operated by a sorceress. That SeeD was secretly an army being raised by the Sorceress Edea. If word got out, it would dry up the investors and clients pretty quickly, and everyone in the school would be unemployed. Once NORG told the faculty about the scandal and the potential damage it could cause, most every faculty member leapt at the chance to take NORG's side, fearing for their very livelihoods."
(Oh, so that's why all the faculty members were on NORG's side.)
"So then how come it didn't work?" Zell asked.
"I'm getting to that," Mireya said calmly. "Although NORG had the money on his side—and I would say he had the logic as well—Headmaster Cid was extremely popular among his students. Because NORG and the faculty made all the tough decisions and doled out all the discipline, Cid was allowed to appear like some kindly grandparent who just happened to be in charge of a school. All the students loved him. With so many students supporting Cid, NORG knew he couldn't take down Cid without tearing Garden apart. And so he waited.
"This secret conflict within Garden raged on," Mireya continued. "NORG's next action was to go through the student personnel files and find promising young students who weren't too enamored with Cid. These chosen few were brought aside and told the truth about Garden, and about Cid and his dangerous marriage."
"And you were one of those students," Xu said, guessing ahead.
"One of the very first, in fact," Mireya said with an air of pride. "NORG recognized that I had a logical mind, that I wouldn't be swayed by Cid's charm simply because he was nice to me. I realized the inherent irrationality of Cid's behavior, that his foolish actions and childish naivety were endangering the school. NORG then tasked me with the job of finding more like-minded students and bringing them over to our side."
"You mean turning them against the Headmaster," Ami said in fierce voice.
Mireya shrugged disinterestedly. "If you want to look at it that way. The way I see it, Cid has always been a problem for Garden, not just because of his marriage, but because of his actions and policies. I believe that removing him from office will improve the school. I don't hate the man. I certainly don't wish him harm. But he's a poor businessman and a poor leader and shouldn't be in charge."
"NORG's been lying to you," Rinoa said. "Filling your head with garbage."
"I think the same of you and the Headmaster," Mireya said to Rinoa with a smirk. "And here we are—the war rages on. Anyway, as you know, NORG's plans were interrupted. He had intended to remove Cid as peacefully as possible, but then the worst-case scenario happened."
"The missile attack," Xu said.
Mireya nodded. "Suddenly SeeD and the sorceress were in direct conflict with each other, just like Cid promised they never would be. You and your friends were tricked into a bungled assassination attempt, co-authored by Cid and Martine from G-Garden. Once NORG heard that the sorceress was going to retaliate, he decided he had no choice but to force Cid out immediately and take full control of the school. He had hoped that he had gathered enough supporters to make this happen quickly and painlessly, but although the faculty stood behind NORG, most students did not. The other recruiters and I hadn't had enough time to gather many students to our side, unfortunately. And thus began the internal battle within SeeD that took place just before Garden became mobile."
(Huh…)
(So that's what happened.)
"And then NORG was murdered—" Mireya said.
"Hey!" Zell said, slicing the air with a fist. "NORG tried to kill us first, you know. He said he was gonna offer our heads on a platter!"
Mireya waved a hand dismissively. "You have to remember that no one was aware that Garden could become mobile back then, so he had to do whatever necessary to protect it."
"HE WOULDA KILLED US!" Zell yelled. His face grew red.
"If it would have saved the school, then yes," Mireya said. "I have no doubt that he would have sacrificed a few students to save all of Garden. It's simple utilitarian logic, something NORG and I had in common. And that's what separates us from the Headmaster."
Xu sniffed derisively. "Don't try to make NORG sound like some misunderstood hero. He was a greedy businessman who was just protecting his interests. It was his money he was trying to save, not the school."
"Is there a difference?" Mireya asked, wheeling to face Xu. "Garden needs money to survive. You all seem to be ignorant of that fact. That's always been the fundamental issue here. You all seem to be under the impression that SeeD can survive forever off of good intentions and strong morals. Well, it can't. Go to the cafeteria and find out how many meals you can buy with your heroic deeds. NORG understood from the beginning that hard choices needed to be made to protect Garden, and sacrifices were unavoidable. Cid was always content to close his eyes and let NORG be the bad guy, so now you're all brainwashed into thinking that Cid is some kind of immaculate saint. He's not. He's a coward and a fool who allowed his business partner to take the fall for his mistakes."
"HEY!" Zell bellowed, but once more Ami swatted him with her staff. The pain stopped him for a moment, but did nothing to cool his anger.
"You disagree with that?" Mireya said to Zell. "People who run away from hard choices are cowards. And all Cid has ever done is run away. He allowed NORG to handle the messy parts of running a mercenary organization. When Garden was in crisis, he hid in exile with his wife in some ruined orphanage. He appointed Squall as Commander so that he could have someone else handle the difficult decisions. Time after time, he has skirted both responsibility and blame, while soaking up all the credit."
There was a long pause. Mireya raised her head and continued.
"He'll leave us, you know. One of these days, something more important than Garden will come along and Cid will leave. Emotional people like him are capricious. NORG, however, was logical. And I'll put my trust and my faith in people like NORG any day. No, NORG was never a kind person. NORG never congratulated me for my work or praised me or encouraged me. But he did what was best for the school, and he was logical and predictable. That's what a leader should be. Not some weak grandfatherly old man who makes you smile while the world burns around you."
(That's not…)
(Well, I…)
(Ergh!)
There was another extended pause. Zell tried to find a reasonable response, but his anger was clouding his mind.
When it was clear that no one had anything to say, Mireya finished up. "That's what my mission is. I'm going to continue NORG's work in his absence. I've been gathering followers, telling people what Garden can be… and what it should be. And I'm going to prepare SeeD so that it's strong enough to stand on its own without Daddy Cid looking over our shoulders. Because one day he'll have an emotional breakdown or he'll find a new project to work on or he'll just up and die, but he will, at some point, be gone. And I'm getting us ready for that. I'm preparing us all to be orphans again."
More silence for several seconds. Then Rinoa spoke.
"And what do I have to do with this?" she asked coldly. "If you're so logical, then what's the logic in kicking me out of Garden?"
"You're dangerous and unpredictable," Mireya said. "As long as you're a sorceress, you're a threat. If you really want to stay in Garden, then pass on your powers to someone else. I have nothing against you personally. It's your power that concerns me. After all, I have nothing against Edea now that she's no longer a sorceress. The same can be said of you."
Rinoa glared at her, but didn't respond.
"But you won't do that, will you?" Mireya said. "You'll never give up your power."
Rinoa didn't answer.
Mireya nodded. "I thought so."
(What the hell's that supposed to mean?)
The intercom chimed, snapping Zell out of his thoughts. For a moment, he'd almost forgotten that there was still an entire school outside the infirmary. The tiny white room had become his world.
Nida's voice came over the speakers. "This is to inform the students that the state of elevated alert has been lifted. You are all dismissed until further notice. And to the people trapped in the infirmary, just hold on. Our tech team is working on freeing you. Barring that, we're about two or three hours outside of FH, so maybe the FH techs will be able to come up with something if we can't. That's all."
The intercom chimed again and shut off.
"Two or three more hours," Mireya said. She sighed. "And I had plans for today."
"What kind of plans?" Xu asked suspiciously.
Mireya shrugged. "Doesn't matter now, does it? Can't do anything trapped in this room with you."
(I can't wait hours stuck here with her!)
Zell turned around and knocked on the door.
"How's the repairs comin'?" he shouted through the door. A moment later, Quistis' voice responded.
"Not very well," she said. "All the circuitry is fried."
"Can't you just pry the door open or somethin'?" Zell asked.
"No there's…" Quistis said. "Something sealing the door shut. Prying won't work."
"Remember," Xu said to Zell. "This building was originally made by the Centra as a shelter. The doors are all reinforced and seal shut from the inside. Brute force isn't likely to get that door open."
Zell sighed and dropped his arms to his sides.
(Man…)
"We'll get you out, don't worry," Quistis said.
Dr. Kadowaki emerged from the patient room, her bag of tools in one hand and her stethoscope slung over her neck.
"How is he?" Rinoa asked.
"I've done everything I can," Dr. Kadowaki said. "It doesn't appear that his life is in immediate danger, but that's all I can say at the moment."
"Is he in a coma too?" Xu asked.
"Appears so," Dr. Kadowaki said. "But given his injuries, I can't imagine why. He's suffered no brain damage or spinal damage, and all his wounds have been healed. He should be fine. My best guess is that his brain shut down for a bit and needs time to power back up."
(What… like a computer?)
(Come to think of it… Squall is rather robotic sometimes…)
"So now we wait," Mireya said.
"Indeed," Dr. Kadowaki said.
"AAAARGH!" Zell yelled. He punched the wall with one hand.
(I hate waiting!)