Chapter 11 – Never Thought I'd See the Light of Day Again
Paine lunged at the hulking machina weapon, cleanly slicing off one of its steel arms. Yuna hailed bullets at the advancing guards, pinning them down. She struck one in the leg, falling him to the ground in gurgling pain. A second machina hopped behind Paine, taking a clubbing strike at her with its thick leg. She deflected the kick with her sword, wobbling it backward off-balance. Setting itself straight, the machina lunged again at Paine, thrusting its metal foot at her head. She split her legs, bracing herself on the ground with her hands. Her hair parted from the rushing velocity of the metal leg skimming inches above her scalp. While the machina's leg momentarily hung up in the air, Paine spun herself into a crouching position, twirling her sword at the stabilizing leg. Sparks flew as metal cut metal, and the body of the machina clunked to the ground. Leaping on top of the body, Paine jammed her sword down repeatedly where the head connected, sending tufts of oily black smoke into the air until the machine fell silent.
The other three guards started retreating after seeing Paine dispose of their machina support so easily. Yuna led Rikku and Paine swiftly down the corridor and through the gate. Approaching New Yevon Headquarters proved simple. With all the chaos happening recently between New Yevon and the Youth League, they had to fortify their other positions. This left Bevelle rather empty-handed. Because they had just broken into the Bevelle underground not too long ago, they knew the path forward.
They ran by some priests who were trampling around in dismay. They took the lift down and waltzed through the temple maze. Only a short time ago, Gippal had confronted them here, in this very cavern under Bevelle. Yuna wondered now what had happened to Gippal. She pictured him gliding down the monstrous steel chains connected to the center installation.
"Well, if Gippal did it, we can too!" Yuna declared, hopping onto a chain.
All too excited to follow Yuna's lead, Rikku followed suit, stepping onto the chain beside her cousin. Ready to give the signal to embark, Yuna watched as Paine slid down ahead of them. She looked over to Rikku, who had just launched herself downward to catch up with Paine. Yuna sighed and rubbed her forehead. Down the chain she went, surprised by how quickly her momentum carried her. Yuna wobbled back and forth the entire length of the chain until she stumbled onto the central platform. Once she safely landed, she huddled the girls together.
"Hey, we made it farther than last time," noted Rikku delightedly.
"Don't start celebrating yet," Paine gruffed, giving her a little nudge. "I'm sure we have a long way to go."
"Right," continued Yuna. "We have no idea what lies ahead. Be prepared for anything."
Security towers encircled the restricted area they found themselves in. Yuna hesitated to move onto the platform, lest they fire on her. There must be some way to disable them, she thought to herself. Then she realized—the last time they were here, she remembered reading on a monitor that accessing the blue-coded towers can disable the security.
"I've got it!" she proclaimed, turning to Rikku. "Go to all the towers lit blue and access the security panel there to disable it."
"No problem!" roared Rikku, giving a haphazard salute.
She nimbly ran over to the first tower. Yuna clutched her hands together while Rikku hacked away at the tower's console. Paine expected a gigantic fiend to pop out and eat Rikku. The thought made her chuckle a little. All that happened was a platform to the lower level shifted into place. Rikku then progressed two towers down and repeated the process. Once more, a second platform moved into position. Only one tower remained to access. Rikku scampered clear over to the other side of from where Yuna and Paine stood. They could no longer tell if Rikku entered the right tower or not.
"Hey, make sure you don't screw up!" Paine shouted, tapping her foot.
Rikku waved her hand. "Don't worry, Doctor P! I'll have us down there in a jiffy!"
"Don't call me that!" she barked.
Rikku strutted up to the tower and started hammering keys on the console. This time, when she finished, no platform progressed. She heard a dozen or so clicks, followed by a ferocious roar. Rising from the pit came a savage beast.
"Precepts Guard!" Paine bellowed at Rikku. "Watch out, Rikku!"
Rikku didn't need to be told. She scampered halfway back to Paine and Yuna before Paine finished her warning. The gigantic fiend lunged its curved blade-like claw at the ground behind Rikku, knocking her into the air. She flew face first into Paine and Yuna, grunting as she thumped the ground.
The fiend charged up for a magic attack. Yuna observed Rikku lying woozy from the fiend's attack. She dragged Rikku up and shoved her into one of the security towers. From out of nowhere, Yuna then pulled out a special bracelet and put it on her arm. Not a second too late, the fiend shot an icy blast at her. A glowing blue forcefield surrounded her, nullifying the spell.
Paine ran around behind the fiend, trying to divert its attention away from Yuna and Rikku. She leaped into the air, slicing at its back. A pulsing roar bellowed from the beast as it turned around to swat at Paine. She barely dodged its claw, cursing profusely at the oversized brute. The fiend growled and again began charging up for a magic attack. Yuna ran over to Rikku, who lay on her side grasping her head. In one of her pouches, she took out a large dusky-grey grenade.
"Paine, catch!" she yelled, throwing the device over to Paine.
She sprung into the air and pulled out the pin of the grenade with her teeth. She lobbed it at the fiend's face and ran in the opposite direction. The grenade pinged off its head erupting in a glorious explosion. A massive cloud of black smoke flooded the area around the security towers. This allowed the Yuna to grab Rikku and carry her to the lower area. Paine followed, guarding Yuna's back. Both of them sped down the corridor they entered until they were completely out of breath. Yuna laid Rikku down, checking to see how bad her injuries were.
"She doesn't seem badly hurt," she said to Paine, who also knelt. "But she's not really with it."
"What should we do?" asked Paine, giving Yuna a bewildered look.
Yuna sighed, rubbing her head for a moment. "Well, we can't go back. That fiend will kill us for sure. The only thing we can do is go forward through this place. Hopefully, we can get out of here quickly."
Paine nodded, and picked up Rikku from the ground, cradling her gently in her arms. Rikku appeared injured with a large gash on her forehead. Her eyes drifted open and close, while she emitted an occasional low groan.
"At least she's quiet now," Paine joked.
Yuna walked down the corridor, her guns clenched in her hands. She peeked around the corner carefully, witnessing only an empty hallway. Motioning to Paine that all was clear, she inched down the next corridor. About halfway down, she came to a small wall. Yuna climbed up first, having Paine lift Rikku to her.
For a while, Yuna proceeded like this through the underground, encountering no enemies. Finally concluding the corridor, she reached a long, expansive room, most of which dropped into a pitch-black void beneath. Sounds of footsteps approached from down an adjoining hall. Yuna held her breath, readying her guns to shoot. From the corridor came a shockingly familiar face.
"Why do you come down here?" questioned a silvery-haired, dark-skinned man.
Paine looked dismayed, nearly dropping Rikku's hapless body. "We're here to destroy Vegnagun. Get out of the way, Baralai!"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he replied calmly, adjusting the sleeve of his green coat.
"And why not? Are you planning on using such a horrid thing for yourself?" Yuna pointed a pistol straight at him.
He walked up to Yuna, standing only a few inches away from the barrel of her gun. "Because you do not understand what kind of creature Vegnagun is. The slightest bit of instability could trigger it into a frenzy. I wish neither to use it nor destroy it. Is that good enough for you?"
"Of course not," Paine fumed. "To allow such a machine of destruction to survive is crazy."
"I agree, we aren't leaving until we kill it," Yuna added, with equal frustration of Baralai's position.
He sighed heavily and backed away from Yuna. "I don't wish to fight you, but I vow I will protect Vegnagun. Besides, it seems Cid's daughter has been severely injured."
The girls gazed apprehensively at Baralai. Yuna felt certain he wouldn't budge, and neither would she. Suddenly Baralai reached out his hand. His muscles relaxed, and solemn tranquility appeared in his bold, brown eyes. For a second, a jolt of energy shot through Yuna when she locked gazes with him.
"Let me take her with me. I can give her medical attention. There's no use in getting her mixed up in this mess. If you wish to continue, then I won't impede," he offered, his hand extended toward Paine.
Paine slid a hand holding Rikku over to her sword, but Yuna raised her arm to stop her and shook her head. For some reason, she felt she could trust Baralai. Whether it was his calm demeanor or his mellow voice, she wasn't sure.
"Alright Baralai, please take good care of her. If anything should happen—"
"Don't worry Lady Yuna, I would never do anything to harm her," he said reassuringly.
Pausing for a moment, Yuna could tell Paine wasn't keen on the idea of handing her unconscious friend over to Baralai, even without her openly expressing it. With a soft sigh, Paine stepped over to him and handed Rikku into his care.
"You better make sure she is well," she growled at him, glaring piercing fire from her eyes.
With a slight smirk, he nodded to Paine. He left immediately down the other corridor, disappearing into the darkness. Yuna and Paine continued through Bevelle's underground. For hours they wandered through corridor after endless corridor. They reached one last corridor, which led to an enormous spherical cavern. A large part of the wall had previously been destroyed, spewing a multitude of pyreflies out from the gaping hole left. On the round platform connected to the corridor, stood three men. Yuna and Paine ran up to the doorway before the platform. Spying in, they eyed Baralai standing with Gippal and Nooj. Leaning her ear towards them, Yuna tried to overhear their conversation.
"Alright Nooj, we're all here, So what's this about?" asked Gippal, pacing around.
"I believe you already know why we're here," Nooj began. "We're here because of Vegnagun. So Baralai, where is it?"
"Gone. It's gone," he whispered, almost inaudibly.
"What?" shouted Gippal, nearly falling over. "How could something that huge just vanish?"
Baralai shook his head. "It didn't just vanish. Something triggered its emotions and made it go berserk. See that hole over there?"
He pointed over towards the hole surrounded by pyreflies. Gippal put his hands on his hips, shaking his head.
"Well, this can't be good," he expressed brightly.
Nooj began limping around the platform, half-chuckling out loud. Baralai and Gippal turned to face him, confusion written on both of their faces.
"We are the harbingers of Spira's future. The decisions we make will profoundly affect and shape what will come. We should try and not repeat mistakes of the past," he said, now limping closer to Baralai.
In an instant, he pointed the barrel of his gun at Baralai's head. Sadistically he laughed, soaking up the fear that emanated from Baralai's eyes. Images of the past surged to his consciousness, ghosts of years ago resurfacing in an instant. Gippal froze, unsure what to make of Nooj's sudden hostility.
"Hey, hey! What are you doing, Nooj? Put that gun down!" he shouted, running up beside Nooj.
Nooj smirked, not paying attention to Gippal's tumultuous gesturing. He continued to speak brazenly, making little sense to neither Baralai and Gippal nor Yuna and Paine.
"I will enact my plans," he declared, with the iridescent glow of pyreflies illuminating his face. "For two years I have been using this weak body."
Gippal raised his gun to Nooj, noticeably cringed at the mention of past events. A burst of evil laughter fired from Nooj, as the bluish glow of pyreflies shot into Baralai. He gasped in pain, grasping his heart tightly. Soon, Baralai retrieved his handgun from inside his coat and pointed it at Gippal. Deadlocked in a triangle of sudden death, the three men stood in silence. Gippal's hand shook, barely stopping himself from pulling the trigger of his gun. This time, it was Baralai who spoke heinously.
"I pray on those weak at heart. It is so easy to manipulate them—just like a marionette!" he cackled.
Yuna had seen enough. She ran out screaming for the madness to stop. Paine tried to stop her, but her fingers glanced off of Yuna's clothing. Baralai called for aid, and a gigantic fiend swooped out of the darkness at them. Paine jolted at it instinctively and cast orbs of darkness from her body. She choked as the dark orbs bombarded the fiend, damaging it severely. Yuna finished it off with a volley of bullets.
With the fiend dead, the girls turned around to confront the desperate situation. Baralai had disappeared along with Nooj and Gippal. Only a pair of spheres lay on the ground. With the situation defused, Yuna thought they might as well watch them.
The first one had some distorted footage of the Crimson Squad. It was difficult to make out without Shinra's enhancements, but Paine did recognize the man speaking as Maester Kinoc. He ordered two people to check the body count. Four recruits went missing and needed to be dealt with. After that, Yuna couldn't make out anything else.
She then clicked on the second sphere. Immediately she was surprised to see Vegnagun in the background. But this sphere wasn't a thousand years old. Instead, it looked to be almost new. A hazy image of Nooj appeared, his body swarmed with pyreflies. Next to him projected the image of Maester Kinoc. Yuna's jaw almost hit the floor. Kinoc was dead, how was he standing next to Nooj?
Kinoc's voice swelled gratingly from the sphere. "I believe it is time to dispel those who get in our way."
"It has been far too long, hasn't it? I've waited a thousand years for this," Nooj spoke with haunted eyes.
The camera rose to a muffled shadow in the darkness. The figure of Vegnagun emerged from the formless shadows. A dull, red glow beamed from its eyes staring into the void around it. A buzz shot from the sphere, and it began to spark. Yuna jumped from fright and dropped it to the ground. A little blast of sparks and smoke burst from the sphere. The smell of burning crystalline charred the air.
Saying not a word, Yuna and Paine just looked at each other, truly in disbelief at what they just witnessed. A figure crept up behind them, soft steps murmuring on the ground. Paine whirled her sword around, the blade halting just inches from the neck of a Yevon priest.
"Wait! High Summoner Yuna, I was ordered by Baralai to take you to the surface," he sputtered, his eyes narrowly focused on the edge of the blade against his neck.
Paine peered at him precariously. "Is Rikku alright? Where is she?"
The old priest held up his hand to calm her down. "The Al Bhed girl is fine. I am to take you to her. Follow me, please."
He motioned for the girls to follow him and proceeded back to the long corridor. They proceeded hesitantly as well, still suspicious of his intentions. Yuna kelp a hand on her holstered pistol. After what just transpired, she wasn't ready to trust anyone in Bevelle. At the end of the corridor, he began to run his hand on what at first glance appeared to be a blank wall. The low humming of gears pierced from behind the wall. A secret door revealed itself, which opened up to a lift.
The girls went with the priest up the lift, which led to the temple surface. He further led them up to the second floor of the temple. Down a highly decorative hallway, he directed them to a green door. A small room held their spunky Al Bhed friend. She sat on the bed looking out the window at the courtyard below.
"Rikku? You're okay!" exclaimed Yuna happily.
"Yunie! Paine! Boy, I'm glad to see you two!" she shouted, running over to give Yuna a big hug.
"You had us worried, Rikku. Did they treat you well?" asked Paine, smiling in relief.
"Baralai brought me up here, I think. It's fuzzy 'cause I was going in and out of consciousness. Then the priest bandaged me," she explained, pointing to the wrappings on her forehead. "And they gave me some good food to eat."
Yuna and Paine shared an equal dose of relief and alleviation. Now that she had Rikku in tow, Yuna hurried her friends to exit the temple. She commented on how much she had come to loathe Bevelle, which pained her. Although the city wasn't her home, she was born here. As loud and lively as Bevelle could be, the city held many good people within its care. At the exit of the temple, she passed two guards who shuffled frantically around, grim expressions on their faces.
"He's missing? Are you sure?" the one guard whispered with wide eyes.
"Nobody knows where the Praetor went," the other guard replied in a huff, as they ran past the Gullwings. "First Vegnagun, and now him!"
