Chapter 88 – On the Doorstep to Oblivion
Yuna pressed her hand against her chest. She steadied her breathing, trying to get her accelerated heartbeat under control. Watching Yojimbo peer around a tree, he motioned for her to follow him. Maechen quickly scampered up behind her.
The past three days had been filled with slipping by regiments of soldiers. The farther out from Zanarkand to pursue Shuyin they traveled, the greater the presence of Bevelle soldiers had increased. Since her incursion with Shuyin in the heart of Zanarkand, Yuna worried he would steal Vegnagun before she could counter him. Avoiding encounters with machina, while necessary, proved to be time consuming.
She desperately desired to thwart Shuyin once and for all. It took all of her patience and discipline to hold herself back from making a reckless decision. Though she hated to admit it, she needed to let Shuyin capture Vegnagun. Yuna needed to see how he planned to transport the monstrous machina back to the present. He was her only way home.
Dwelling on this fact, she hid these thoughts from her two companions. Not that she aimed to be coy, but they didn't need to know she required Shuyin to be successful—at least for now. Whatever feelings of guilt she felt from her deception, she pushed them aside. Preventing Shuyin from fully utilizing Vegnagun concerned her more.
Yuna recalled the absolute deadly power the machina possessed. Shuyin came within minutes of obliterating Spira if not for the intervention of she and her friends. After two years of wandering, she managed to claw back all that she had lost in that battle. Her determination burned hot. Paine, Rikku, and the rest of her loved ones needed her to succeed if they would have a chance at survival.
The fiery surge of emotions inside her cooled down when her thoughts turned to Lenne. Ever since she leapt back into the past, her connection with the songstress had ended. She felt no presence of Lenne within her. At first, Yuna believed their bond had been severed by whatever magic Iutycyr's machine conjured. As the days in the distant past, Lenne's native time, passed by, Yuna's belief changed.
Nothing pointed towards Lenne being present in this time at all. Yuna straddled between fearing Lenne no longer existed at all without her around to play host and Lenne existing on her own, outside of requiring Yuna. She found herself unable to be convinced by either outcome and just hoped Lenne still lived.
She snapped to attention when the sound of footsteps pounded the ground nearby. Emerging from the thick woods of the Macalania Forest, a squadron of Bevelle soldiers scouted the area. They held rifles in hand, meticulously scouring the woods for adversaries. Yojimbo directed Maechen and Yuna to a thick collection of underbrush. More than happy to hide completely out of sight, Maechen scrunched himself up into a tight ball on the ground. Yuna kept her eyes just above the top of the underbrush, spying on the incoming soldiers. With a hand on her pistol, she readied herself to attack.
Yojimbo mumbled softly. "Not now."
"Why not?" asked Yuna.
"This group isn't alone."
With her eyebrow raised, she removed her hand from her side. Watching the soldiers walk through a narrow path winding away from her, she wondered why Yojimbo of all people would hesitate to engage with them until a buzzing sound caught her attention. A contingent of machina arose from out of the forest. Yuna counted eight iron-clad machines, all heavily armed with large cannons attached to their arms.
The sight of a sudden contingent of armed machina caused Yuna to shutter. Yojimbo's instincts proved to be correct. She held her breath, waiting for them to pass. The whir of their motors covered up any sounds of wildlife in the forest. They clanked and clattered their way over the land, leaving large indents in the ground behind them.
One of the machines stopped directly in front of the underbrush. She ducked her head behind the twiggy, green bushes. Covering up her mouth, she feared to even breathe, lest the machina alert the rest of its group to her presence. It stood in place for what seemed like an eternity, meticulously scanning over the trees surrounding it.
To Yuna's relief, the machina continued and marched away from her hiding spot. She let out a long sigh. Bevelle seemed to be on high alert, and she wondered why. She feared Shuyin had already infiltrated the city, causing chaos to run amok. His eternal drive always left destruction in his wake.
Leaving her thoughts behind, Yuna followed her two companions to the outskirts of Bevelle. The walls of trees yielded to the islands the city was situated on. The sky, which had been shielded by the dense canopy of the forest, bore a muted grey tone. A solid curtain of lifeless clouds blocked the sun from shining. Occasional raindrops splattered on top of Yuna's head, dampening her hair.
In the distance, the city protruded from the water surrounding it. Streams of smoke smoldered from the explosion Zanarkand forces caused during her last foray into Bevelle. Her heart raced in her chest, audibly pulsating in her ears. Yuna feared the hell awaiting her beneath her future birthplace.
Cold air from the direction of Mt. Gagazet blew across the land, nipping at her skin. It did nothing to quell the rigid tension she felt. She remained burning hot on the inside, and her heart still pounded in her chest.
"How do we get inside the city without getting caught?" asked Maechen.
Yuna reacted to the break in silence by staring at the young scholar. Her eyes moved over to focus on Yojimbo, who was staring off into the distance. He fiddled with the hilt of his sword. Yuna watched on as the warrior fell into deep thought, holding her breath waiting to hear his reply.
Yojimbo answered, "By blending in."
The words refused to register for Yuna. "Blend in?"
"I know it sounds strange, but there's no possibility of rushing our way in. Especially if we must go under the city."
Maechen rubbed his chin. "I see. Yes, that makes sense. Do we even know how to access the underground?"
Yojimbo sighed. "I don't. It may be difficult to identify an entry point."
"If it's the same as in my time, I can lead us underground," said Yuna.
"That may be a big if," Yojimbo retorted.
"Tell me, Lady Yuna," Maechen said. "What can we expect to find underneath?"
Yuna tapped a finger against her cheek. "Well, in my time, the underground is massive and filled with lots of danger. It's infested by fiends, but there are plenty of old machina as well."
"How many soldiers?" Yojimbo questioned.
"None. In my time, New Yevon controls the temple above the underground. They have no military force like Bevelle does in this time."
"We'll just have to hope your knowledge is relevant enough for us today," said Yojimbo with a slight smile.
Maechen adjusted his glasses. "Her knowledge will be useless if we aren't able to enter Bevelle. How shall we get into the city safely?"
Yojimbo shrugged. "I doubt we will be able to just sneak in. Let's proceed to the main entrance and see."
"That sounds risky," commented Yuna.
"Everything is risky," Yojimbo said. "But something will spark a way in."
Taken back by his blind faith, Yuna hesitated to agree. She hesitated to present a rebuttal as well, having nothing to push back with. Nothing she could think of gave her a better way to enter Bevelle. She looked over at Maechen, who seemed to share in her feelings from the expression on his face. Still, walking with hope was better than doing nothing.
The occasional rain droplets grew into a steady drizzle by the time Yuna arrived at the city's main entrance gateway. Something about the cold wetness communicated a dire foreboding to her. She examined the contingent of soldiers guarding the way in. They stood out from the gate by a hundred feet, distracting those entering and leaving from the hulking machina lying wait in the shadows.
The soldiers questioned the line of people ahead of them before allowing entry into the city. With a harsh tone, they spat at the waiting people they questioned, turning many away. Yojimbo glanced around, his eyes darting back and forth between the soldiers and the people lined up in front of them. Yuna felt her palms begin to sweat from her own anxiousness. She clasped her hands behind her, trying to keep her nervous fidgeting out of view.
Hoping Yojimbo had a plan to persuade the guards of their eligibility, she made sure to shy away from directly looking at any of the them passing by. Her ears perked up at the sound of a dog barking nearby. Looking around, she spotted an orange-furred dog sprinting around outside of the gate. One of the soldiers reached out to grab the dog. He missed, nearly toppling over.
The soldier loaded his rifle and fired a shot, narrowly missing the animal. It yipped before running over to the line of people. Yojimbo, noticing the soldier reloading his rifle, whistled at the dog. When the dog ran over to him, he knelt down, rubbing the dog's fluffy ears.
"Careful boy, or else you'll get shot," he said.
The solider marched up to Yojimbo. "You there! Is that your dog?"
He hesitated before replying, "Yes, it is. My apologies . . . Daigoro can be a bit wild sometimes."
By now, Yojimbo found himself at the head of the line. He stood up and pointed to his feet. Daigoro barked twice before relenting to Yojimbo's silent order. He sat next to him with his tail wagging.
"Well, keep it with you, or else it'll liable to be shot," the solider growled. "Anyway, why are you seeking entry?"
Yojimbo smiled and gestured behind him. "We're here to deliver this dog to my grandmother. She has been lonely without a pet for sometime now."
The solider scanned over Maechen and Yuna with his eyes. "Are you all from Bevelle?"
Yojimbo paused. "He is not, but she was born here."
The soldier's focus turned to Yuna. "Your name?"
"Yuna," she replied.
"Where is your home?"
She swallowed hard. "Well, our home was, er, is in western district near the market."
The remark seemed to satisfy the solider for a moment before he asked, "What is his relation to you?"
She glanced over at Maechen. "Oh, him? Well, um, he's my lover."
A palpable heat radiated instantly off of Maechen's blush face. Yuna could hardly believe the words her mouth had just spit out. She flashed a grin at the solider who glared at her. His eyes bounced between she and Maechen.
"Very well. It's best for you to deliver the dog right away. After the last attack on the city, there is a curfew in effect," the solider said.
Yojimbo nodded. "We will abide, thank you."
Once they walked beyond the gate, Yuna blew out a long stream of air. She felt almost dizzy, unable to believe her pathetic lie worked. Maechen's face still glowed with a reddish hue. She apologized to him profusely, which he sincerely accepted.
"I appreciate the apology, Lady Yuna. It was what we needed. Now that we're inside the city, where do we go from here?"
Yojimbo looked around. "Whever we go, we must be as inconspicuous as possible. There's not a lot of people walking the streets."
Daigoro barked at him. He looked down, stunned to see the dog still at his feet. For a moment, he watched as Daigoro licked his boot before shooing him away.
Yuna giggled. "I think you made a new friend."
He groaned. "At least it will help us blend in."
"If you take me to where the temple will be, I bet we'll find a way down underground," said Yuna.
Yojimbo concurred and starting walking further into the city. Merchants and workers were packing up their wares and equipment for the day. Machina still worked on repairing those structures damaged in the assault Yuna fled from before. Other machines, those armed with deadly weapons, patrolled the streets. The sky continued to darken, signalling the approach of dusk. Yojimbo sped up his pace before nightfall.
He led Yuna to a wonderous building similar in general architecture and size to the temple in the Bevelle of her time, but much more fortified. Replacing the fanciful decorations of New Yevon, hard edges and reinforced plating lined the outside walls. A fully mechanized central door allowed people inside. A sentry machina stood in place next to it, scanning over anyone who drew near.
Yojimbo motioned for Maechen and Yuna to go back into an alleyway. Any remaining people walking the streets had been ushered to their homes as night fell on the city. Yuna watched on as the soldiers barked at Bevelle's citizenry, shoving them off of the streets.
"Bevelle doesn't hesitate to order people around," commented Yuna.
Maechen laughed. "The war has led the government to beleaguer its own people."
"I wonder if this is part of what led to Yevon's rise."
"What do you mean?" Maechen inquired.
Yuna sighed. "I won't get into too much of it, but Yevon centered itself around being authoritarian. Their word was the only correct way."
Yojimbo grunted. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we—"
"You there! Why have you not left the streets yet?" yelled a soldier.
"Ah, dammit."
Sliding out of the alley without hesitation, Yojimbo drew his sword and sliced at the man in one, graceful motion. His sword cut the end of his rifle off, rendering it unable to fire. The soldier growled and lunged at him. He struck Yojimbo in the side of the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him down on a knee.
Pulling out a knife from his belt, the soldier raised it up, intent on stabbing it down onto Yojimbo. He wobbled with a hand held to his head, still woozy from the blow. Leaping into the air, Daigoro bit the arm of the soldier, tugging down on it before he could strike. The soldier screamed as he wrestled with the dog.
Two more soldiers ran up from the other end of the street, rifles in hand. They fired two shots at Yojimbo. Having regained his senses, he dodged the first shot and deflected the second with his sword. Yuna ran out of the alley, firing a shot with her pistol. The bullet ripped through the closest soldier's shoulder, knocking him down to the ground in agony. Yojimbo grinned ear to ear, running up to the second soldier. He engaged the embattled soldier with a clattering of steel strikes.
Quickly subduing the soldier, Yojimbo turned back to find Yuna had already defeated the remaining soldier. With his help, she dragged the bodies back into the alleyway. She panted heavily, wiping anxious sweat from her forehead.
"That was a close one," Maechen said.
Yojimbo added while petting his new dog, "Too close. I don't know how we're going to get inside."
Yuna folded her arms. "You know, I might have a way in."
She explained her idea to disguise themselves as Bevelle soldiers to gain access. It worked before for her and the rest of YRP to infiltrate Leblanc's château. If the rank-and-file soldiers of Bevelle were as gullible as Leblanc's goons, they would have a chance to infiltrate deep into the underground facility.
Though equally apprehensive, both men agreed to the plan. Pulling the disguise ruse again, Yuna prayed her plan worked. If the depths under the city were anything like in her time, Yuna feared the worst. Worse still, she noticed no sign of Shuyin. She worried that she might be too late already to catch him.
Leaving her concerns aside, Yuna suited up in the uniform of the shortest soldier, which still proved to be a bit too big. She rolled up her sleeves and hid her summoning staff behind a rifle strapped onto her back. Yojimbo told Daigoro to stay in the alley. Leading the trio out of the lightless alleyway, Yuna walked to the entrance of the future temple. Sparse lamps sporadically lit the road, and the machina standing watch cast long shadows before her.
Yuna walked in front of it, clearing her throat to attract its attention. A large, amber eye slowly turned to examine her. It had a perfectly round shape. Gears whined as it carefully shifted its focus to Maechen and Yojimbo. Unsure if she needed to speak a command phrase, Yuna bit her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was blow their cover before they could enter.
A thin, red line of light scanned down Yuna's body. The machine spoke some kind of code in beeping noises before a series of clicks shot out from the door. It slowly creaked open, revealing the inside of its hidden contents. Much like in her time, the entrance led into a massive open-air chamber. Instead of priests pacing the halls, engineers filled the vast chamber.
The smell of grease and tar hung in the air. Faint sounds of machinery pounding metal into form echoed off the walls. Unlike the calm and quiet Yuna remembered, she could hardly hear herself think. Looking around the room, the general layout appeared similar to her time, sans the ornate decorations of an extinct religion. Where the lift had been in her time, a complex system of motorized elevators led to depths far below.
"So, how similar is this to your time," whispered Maechen.
Yuna wrinkled her nose. "Some things look familiar to me, but that elevator system does not."
"How will we determine where we shall go next?"
Yojimbo replied, "Normally I'd say we should move quickly, but since we don't—"
Alarm bells rang throughout the facility. Red lights flashed in unison, bathing the giant chamber in a crimson shroud. Yuna covered her ears from the shrill blasts of the sirens. The engineers scattered, racing into the alcoves and upper floor stairways. Not long after their departure, a contingent of soldiers marched into the chamber.
"There's an intruder in the lower depths!" yelled one of the soldiers.
Another soldier called to Yuna. "You there! Come with us to neutralize this threat!"
Yojimbo smirked. "Guess we will be moving fast after all."
Grinning and pumping her fist, Yuna nodded and followed the regiment of soldiers into the elevator. She knew exactly who the threat was, and how much danger he posed. With the steel door closing to the elevator, she readied herself for one last face off with Shuyin.