Chapter 6 – Operation: Infiltrate Bevelle (Part 1)
The Celsius hovered above the rising cliffs of the Calm Lands. Rolling green fields gave way to an even better sight—games! Yuna had been hanging out there along with the rest of the Gullwings enjoying the many attractions that had popped up. She appreciated the attractions here much more than she did at the atrocity Cid created in Zanarkand. Necessary for Spira's regrowth, she didn't hold prejudice against entrepreneurs. Perhaps because Zanarkand, and her journey through the ancient city, held too many memories she couldn't quite let go of to accept it becoming another tourist destination.
The fiend races were a particular favorite of Rikku and Shinra. Rikku had amazing luck much to the chagrin of her brother, and Shinra had an uncanny knack for calculating odds. Yuna preferred the slots-type game where she had to line up fiends in a row of three. She wasn't all that skilled at the game, but she still had fun. Brother hated all the games because he always lost.
"Ack! This place is rigged I tell you," he rambled, waving his arms wildly in the air.
"That's because you suck at life," teased Rikku, sticking out her tongue.
Realizing he no longer had any tickets left, Brother threw a tantrum. Yelling some inappropriate Al Bhed phrases while stomping his feet, Brother stormed off back onto the Celsius.
"That Brother isn't good for anything," laughed Rikku, shaking her head.
"Sometimes I don't know how you two don't end up killing each other," commented Paine, who couldn't help but roll her eyes.
A pair of travelers walked by where Yuna stood. She heard anxious whispering among them. It seemed to her that many people in Spira were acting like this recently. With the absence of the leaders of New Yevon and the Youth League, a state of doubt hung over Spirans across the land. Where Baralai and Nooj vanished to had all of Spira in an uproar. No matter where Yuna looked, she saw more and more worry on the faces of the people she encountered.
Brushing aside the concern, Yuna focused on the game in front of her. She came here to relax, taking her mind off of everything that had transpired over the last two years. She handed the attendant two tickets and prepared herself to match up against some fiends.
The sun began to set upon the majestic hills of the Calm Lands, casting intricate shadows across the jagged plains. With the coming of dusk, closing time was at hand and the Gullwings returned to their flying home. Rikku giggled at the big handful of winnings she collected. She winced when she noticed the huge pile Shinra carried in.
Buddy started strong but ended up losing most of his earnings. Yuna smiled at Paine, who had most of her original tickets. Paine wasn't attracted to playing games. Yuna herself ended up breaking even. Brother sat pouting in the Celsius, still grumbling about the games being rigged.
"Hey, where's Barkeep?" asked Buddy, looking around.
"Dunno," replied Rikku. "Did he already come back on?"
A quiet little pitter-patter of footsteps traipsed towards the bridge, followed by the sounds of something large on wheels. Then came the most amazing sight ever witnessed in all of Spira. Barkeep entered the bridge, pushing an enormous wheelbarrow of tickets.
"Did you win all those Barkeep?" jabbered Rikku in awe.
"Yesh I did, Rikku. I shure gave them a clean shweep," he replied merrily.
The wheelbarrow squealed across the floor of the bridge, a flurry of tickets falling off the back like snowflakes in Mt. Gagazet. Yuna estimated he must have won at least a thousand tickets. Even Paine had an expression of amazement spread across her face. Brother finally noticed Barkeep had returned.
"You're back then. Now we can—what! Where did you get all those tickets from?" he yelled, his jaw dropping to the floor.
"I won them," Barkeep concisely answered.
Brother grabbed his head, his eyes bulging out. "You couldn't possibly have won all those! You only started with five!"
Simply gleefully smiling at Brother, Barkeep said nothing and exited the bridge with his winnings. A terrifying shriek bellowed from Brother's mouth. He started rolling on the floor in an epileptic fit.
Brother got up and screamed, "Hu fyo! Fro tuac so meva ymfyoc cilg! Ed'c hud vyen!"
Everyone else on the bridge laughed hysterically at the sight of Brother flipping out like a madman. Brother shook his fists into the air and mumbled a slew of dirty words in Al Bhed.
"Poor Brother really does suck at life," chuckled Paine.
"I hate you all!" roared back Brother, who turned around and stormed off the bridge.
With that graceless outburst finished, Yuna decided it was time to retire for the night. She gathered her little pocketful of tickets and headed to bed. For once, she's had a couple of uneventful days in a row. Rushing from one part of Spira to another in short order had become the norm for her. A cheery, relaxing time was something she usually found herself yearning for. She knew it wouldn't last, but it didn't need to. With her tickets still in hand, she fell asleep, pondering what to spend her meager winnings on.
After a lazy morning of sleeping in, Yuna's eyes opened to a new day. She rolled over, startled by the crinkling of the tickets she took to bed with her the night before. Pulling them from underneath her, she chuckled to herself as she stretched the line of paper tickets out. She counted each creased ticket until her finger pointed to where the last one should've been. Sitting up, she shuffled her hand around the bed and under the covers. Sliding herself off the bed, she searched around the bed, even under the rug next to it. To no avail, her last ticket remained missing.
"Oh well," Yuna said to herself. "Maybe it'll turn up someday."
Now that she had risen out of bed, she began to get ready for the day. Peering over the railing, she spied around the cabin. Rikku and Paine weren't seated at the bar, and Barkeep wasn't in sight behind it. With O'aka safely returned to his shop by Lake Macalania, she found herself alone. A sharp chill ran through her body. Yuna wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered.
Attempting to push out her tension, she walked back toward her bed. Conscious of her solitude, an uneasy anxiousness washed over her. In an endeavor to distract herself, Yuna changed into her normal outfit. When she finished, she fished a hairbrush out of Rikku's nightstand. Clumps of blond hair stuck to the bristles. Shrugging her shoulders, she held up a small mirror to guide her brushing. Feeling the bristles itch her scalp relaxed some of the anxiety away. Then her mind wandered, as the brush ran down to the ends of her cropped hair. She pictured herself with long hair, cascading down her back. Her brushing trailed farther down her hair until only air coursed through the bristles of the brush.
"When you were alone, did you dwell on what you lost too, Lenne?" Yuna asked her reflection.
Her mind clicked back to reality. Shaking her head violently, she grunted at herself. What did she care about some mystery woman from a thousand years ago? Unable to comprehend these foreign emotions invading her thoughts, Yuna slammed down the brush and mirror. Grabbing her twin pistols from her nightstand, she stomped to the elevator, making her way up to the bridge.
On the bridge, Rikku stood by Shinra, impatiently waiting for her cousin's arrival. As soon as Yuna witnessed Rikku glaring at her, foot tapping, she knew a new mission was on the horizon.
"Hey sleepy head, it's about time you got up here," Rikku grumbled.
Yuna faked a smile. "Sorry I didn't feel like getting up. So what's up?"
Rikku pointed to Shinra. "He says some major sphere signals are coming from Bevelle."
"That's right," matter-of-factly continued Shinra. "I was bored last night, so I scanned Spira for sphere waves. I happened to come across an exceptionally strong one emanating from Bevelle."
"Bevelle of all places. What makes it so special?" asked Yuna, staring attentively at the flashing icon on Shinra's screen.
"Nothing at first, until I did a more in-depth scan," he replied, typing madly at his console.
Blinking on his screen appeared a map of Bevelle. He scrolled over towards the temple area, where New Yevon headquarters was located. A flashing red light signaled sphere signals were coming from the temple. Shinra then typed some more and brought up an array of numbers that meant nothing to Yuna.
"From my further investigation, I've determined that the sphere waves are coming from beneath the New Yevon complex."
Yuna and Rikku looked at each other in disbelief.
"You mean the sphere is under the temple?" asked a puzzled Rikku.
"Exactly," replied Shinra concisely. "Fairly far down I might add."
"How do you know for sure?" Yuna questioned.
"Normally I wouldn't, but we are close enough to Bevelle from here that I can accomplish a more thorough scan. Plus, the sphere waves travel well in this area."
Rikku looked at Yuna and shrugged her shoulders. "That's great and all, but what should we do?"
"I'll tell you what we should do," interjected Brother, bumbling onto the bridge. "We should go to Bevelle and infiltrate the temple. Then, we'll locate the sphere and claim it for the Gullwings!"
"That's easier said than done," remarked Paine, who just entered the bridge.
"Bah, do not be such a spoilsport," countered Brother, waving his hands up and down.
"I think Brother is right," agreed Yuna, to the amazement of Paine and Rikku. "A secret sphere from Bevelle could be significant."
Rikku opened her mouth to speak but paused momentarily. "You know, she might be right. I mean, if those Yevon fanatics hide something, you know it has to be juicy."
Paine rubbed her chin. "I don't disagree, but we can't just waltz into Bevelle. We're already on their bad side for giving the Youth League that sphere. Hell, Yuna is practically enemy number one over there. I think it's too dangerous at this point."
"Hmm . . ." Rikku hummed. "Well, then we'll just have to sneak in as Brother said."
"Sneak in?" questioned a vexed Yuna.
"Yeah, why not. I mean, we'll make some soldier outfits and slip on in!" Rikku exclaimed, thrusting her fist into the air.
"Right, just like we snuck into Leblanc's place. It definitely won't be that easy, but I'll let Yuna make the call," Paine sighed, gesturing to Yuna for a decision.
Yuna paused, and then spoke quietly, "I know this may not be easy, but I think we should check it out. Whatever is down there is being hidden for a reason. I think it'll be worth the risk."
Rikku nodded and looked at Paine. "If it's far enough down, New Yevon may not even know it's there."
Paine hesitated, but then also nodded in agreement. It was decided, the Gullwings would venture to the not-so-friendly territory of Bevelle. Shinra laid out some old maps of the temple's underground. He figured it couldn't have changed that much since the maps were originally crafted. At first blush, navigating the temple seemed not to be too difficult. Shinra noted the greatest risk came from getting inside the temple. It wouldn't be a problem for Rikku and Paine to get in inconspicuously, but Yuna remained a concern. The best thing the Gullwings could come up with was to sneak up on a guard and sack them.
Yuna didn't like this at all, but she saw no other way. She worried cracking Bevelle was not going to be an easy task. They didn't get a lot of preparation time, as the Celsius soon descended on Bevelle's outskirts.
Leaving the ship, Rikku and Paine trotted towards the temple. Disguised in a thick, blue cloak, Yuna walked behind them just out of sight. Rikku and Paine peered around, looking for an opportune guard to jump. They approached the gate before the temple. Three sets of four guards patrolled along the path, each set rotating places with the other. Paine shook her head, motioning Yuna to fall back. Rikku suggested they should enter the city to complete their guard-jumping mission.
The actual city of Bevelle, a place Yuna hadn't been to for many years, stood more impressive than she remembered. Lines of tall buildings graced each street. Storefronts lined the streets like a grand bazaar with stories of apartments above them. Wares and accessories of all kinds from across Spira filled the stores to be bartered and sold. Travelers from all walks of life passed by her. She turned to look behind her and saw Rikku luring a guard into a back alley.
That's where they must be planning on jumping a guard, she thought to herself.
Yuna crept over towards the alley, careful not to ruin Rikku's guise. When she reached the alleyway, she witnessed the guard getting whacked on the head by the shadowy figure of Paine. Rikku waved for her to come back with them.
"Here ya go Yunie, one Bevelle guard costume ready to go," presented Rikku.
"Careful Yuna, it's kind of sweaty," added Paine, slumming on Rikku's accomplishment.
Yuna picked up the uniform reluctantly, peering at it with disdain. She sighed and forced it on herself. The man who had been wearing it was about six inches taller than Yuna, evident from the excess room in the pants and sleeves.
"You look dorky with that on, Yunie," laughed Rikku, pointing at the draping sleeves.
"It'll have to do," said Paine. "Let's get going."
The Gullwings retraced back to the temple. Once they reached the gate, Rikku shoved Yuna in front.
"You gotta look prominent," she whispered to her. "Take charge and put on a good show to get us in."
"These two would like to enter the temple," said Yuna, adjusting her helmet to make it straight.
"What business do you have with the temple?" asked one of the guards standing next to the gate.
"Uh . . ." stuttered Yuna.
"Um, we have some info on where Baralai might be," blurted Rikku. "You do want us to tell you guys, right?
"Oh, you do? Well, of course—enter, enter!" huffed the second guard as he opened the gate up.
The three girls entered and neared the temple entrance. They hoped that would be the hardest part of the infiltration, although Paine kept a hand near her sword. Inside the temple, they spied a cluster of four priests walking around. Shinra had told them they needed to access a control panel in an adjoining room to change the lift's route. Yuna searched for the most senile-looking priest she could find. An elderly priest sat near the lift napping.
"Excuse me, um, I'm new with New Yevon," she stated, straining to deepen her voice. "Do you know how I can change the lift to make it go down?"
The old man peered up at her with only one eye open and replied, "What? Oh, go into the room to your left and hit the glowing blue pedestal."
The old priest promptly shut his eye and fell back to sleep. Yuna shrugged and walked over to the room on the left. She found two pedestals present. Both of them glowed blue, their iridescent glow casting a faint blue halo around the pedestals. Not sure which one to choose, she took a closer look. It then became obvious that the one with the big arrow pointing down might be the right one to choose. She placed her hand upon it and gave a gentle push.
When nothing happened, she scratched her head and gave it another gentle push. It became obvious to her the pedestal wasn't moving anywhere. She looked up and down it, thinking there must be a switch she missed. All of the sudden, the pedestal jolted back about two feet. Yuna fell backward and gave out a yelp.
She looked up and saw Rikku celebrating. She was tired of waiting for Yuna to stop being good-natured and just move the pedestal. So, she darted in and gave it a flying kick.
"Don't do that! You could have taken off my head!" yelled Yuna, huffing and puffing on the ground.
Rikku reached out her hand, lifting her cousin, "Sorry Yunie, but you're too soft with things. Sometimes you have to give a big swift kick!"
"Well, that something could have been my head!"
Rikku flashed Yuna a goofy smile and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her back to where Paine was standing. Paine tapped her foot impatiently, shifting her eyes from one side of the temple to the other.
"Alright, the lift is set. We're ready to go," said Yuna, looking around.
The only person in the room was the sleeping priest. Everyone else had cleared out, giving the girls their chance to infiltrate.
"C'mon Gullwings, it's time to rock n' roll!" encouraged Rikku, who didn't hesitate to jump onto the lift.
Paine pulled the switch, and with a shutter, the lift began descending into the depths of Bevelle. None of the girls truly knew what to expect. Rikku figured it would be fun, but Yuna and Paine weren't as optimistic.
Scratching at the strangely, white hair around his left ear, the old man sitting near the lift peered open his wrinkly eyes. Standing up, he walked over to where the lift had just hovered, glancing downwards into the shaft. He put by his mouth a small electronic device.
"They have descended."
