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CHAPTER 4 – BURNING RAVE
The assault boat's cabin bobbed and jerked with each wave it crested. Squall held onto the armrest to steady himself. Though he'd never been prone to seasickness, the circumstances had caused a swirling pit in his stomach all the same. It was beyond even the dread he'd felt upon their withdrawal from Dollet; so much more than his standing at the Garden was at stake now. Rinoa sat across from him. She'd kicked up her black boots on the central commode, and slumped back in her seat. Her own fingers dug into the upholstery, holding on for dear life just as he.
No matter their discomfort, signaling to Quistis up in the cockpit to slow down was not an option. They already had her to thank for getting them to the southern coast of Timber's Rancor Plains within 4 hours. Given their standing as fugitives, making their way into town to try calling the Garden had been out of the question. They'd left the stolen locomotive on the tracks nearest the shore. From there, she'd guided them to the narrow cove where she'd docked the boat 5 days earlier. Fortune had favored them thus far, but Squall knew better than to get complacent. There was still half the journey to go.
Furthermore, there was Selphie to consider. He'd intentionally neglected to return her wallet, and waited to give Quistis back hers until they were aboard the train. Once on the ship, he'd been at leisure to go through it. A few thousand gil, her fake ID from the original assignment, and her real Garden-issued one were all he found. He held the latter in his free hand now, looking it over for even the smallest discrepancy. Her name and picture matched up, as did her date of enrollment just less than a month earlier. At a glance, there was no cause for suspicion. And yet, there undeniably was. Where had that Galbadian GF sphere come from?
"Ah!"
He glanced up from the card to Rinoa; the latest bump had indeed been a rough one. She swiftly righted herself, and looked across to him.
"You don't think she's doing this on purpose, do you?"
"Only to get us back as fast as possible," he answered, stowing the ID in his jacket pocket. "And even then, it still might not be enough."
"Yeah, I get it," she muttered. "Still… I get the feeling she wouldn't mind freaking me out like this."
"She does have a juvenile streak under it all, but I doubt it. She takes everything seriously in the field."
"You don't have to tell me that."
Their exchange was one of very few since they'd left the depot; she'd barely spoken a word to either him or Quistis the entire way. Perhaps it was on account of having interfered with their plans in Deling City. Or perhaps she simply recognized there was nothing for her to contribute.
"Listen, Squall," she started up again. "I… I know you must have a lot on your mind right now. And I know, to you, I'm probably just one more burden you'd rather not have to worry about."
No argument there.
"I don't want you to feel obligated about keeping me safe, or following our contract. I understand there are way more important things going on now. But… well, I know how seriously you take yourself. So, I've decided… I'm going to let you off the hook, officially. Once all of this hopefully blows over, and the Garden is safe, I'm going to ask Cid to nullify our contract."
Squall welcomed her sound rationale. Given the rapid escalation of world affairs, her faction's fight to liberate Timber had become inconsequential overnight. Galbadia's occupied territory was soon to expand even further. Without SeeD to halt the advance, the other nations of the world would inevitably buckle to Edea's conquest.
"But don't think this means I'm trying to get out of this mess for my own sake," she continued. "I'm not running away. I still want to help, in any way I can. If that's okay with you."
"You've already helped enough," he replied, the lack of sarcasm in his voice surprising even himself. "You convinced that guy to turn back around and break us out. That was a huge help."
Such praise was uncharacteristically sincere of him, but deserved. Even if he and his fellow SeeDs had managed to escape on their own, they would have had no idea where the missile base was. Their afforded window of opportunity, however small, was largely owed to her. Whether it would make any difference in the grand scheme of things remained to be seen.
"Oh," she lightly blushed. "Uh… thanks. It wasn't anything big, really. I was just worried you'd think something like, 'No one has ordered me to escape', and end up sitting in there, doing nothing. False alarm, huh?"
She chuckled to herself from across the cabin. Squall's irritation flared up again. The blaze was squelched as he closed his eyes, letting the bobbing waves lull him back into what scant calm he could find. Rinoa's jab was likely her own way of doing the same; what she'd faced the night before would have been too much for most to handle. There was nothing he could do now except bide the remaining hours ahead on the open sea. Regardless of whether Selphie could still be trusted, or if the infiltration team as a whole could stop the launch, any control over the situation was now out of his hands.
They'll make it happen. They have to. Please don't make me have to carry that kind of burden…
"Three, two, one, heave!"
Zell hunkered his shoulder against the launcher's heavy frame, and shoved with the soldiers to his right. Their feet slipped on the floor as they fought to focus their momentum. Any squeaking from their boots was drowned out by the creaking of the launcher's treads. It inched forward into position at an agonizingly slow pace. Two just like it were already set into their designated indents further along, each a testament to their backbreaking work for the last hour and a half.
Since having parted with Selphie and Irvine 5 hours earlier, Zell had taken up reconnaissance of the base's lower level. The generator was still offline; however reckless she'd been, Selphie's sabotage had done plenty to slow them down. Unsurprisingly, the base was put on total lockdown. He'd spent most of his time since in and around the central control hub, not daring to venture far off the beaten path for fear of garnering suspicion. That an intruder alert had yet to be sounded assured him the others were faring well enough.
With the emergency back-up generators engaged, the technicians' work in the control center had recommenced, albeit at a far slower pace. What scant power they now had was only enough to keep three or four workstations online at a time. It was nowhere near the amount needed to operate the launchers' automated loading systems. And so, after several long hours with no significant progress by the repair team, he and several other grunts had been tasked with manually loading the warheads.
He could have made the job easier on himself by using his GF's power to augment his physical strength. The risk it presented to his disguise notwithstanding, he had no reason to speed along preparations. Momentary exhaustion would be nothing compared to life-long regret should they fail to save Balamb Garden.
Finally, the launcher slid into position. Zell and the troops let go with a collective sigh of relief.
"Holy hell," the nearest soldier groaned. He slumped to the floor, his back pressed to the launcher. "We better be gettin' overtime for this shit."
"Damn straight," another down the line agreed. "I swear, if they suddenly get the power back on any minute now…"
"Still no word on who caused it, though," one of the others piped up.
"Take a wild fucking guess! It's gotta be those SeeDs that brat went storming off after! I just hope I get to see his face when he finds out they turned up the minute he left. That witch'll have his hide."
"How're you sure its them?" Zell casually asked. "Maybe someone just said 'to hell with it', and went rogue."
"Maybe," the first soldier who'd spoken said. "And I haven't heard about anything else getting trashed. You think whoever it was just shorted the generator and flew the coop?"
"What's it matter?" the irritable second countered. "Whoever did it, they've pissed me off. Let's just get outta here. Soon as the power's back on, we're launching. We're already way behind schedule."
"What about the Trabia strike?" Zell nervously prodded. "We still haven't gotten word, right?"
"It's been hours. Once the power's back, we just gotta flip on the news feed, and we'll know in an instant."
"SeeD probably already does," another cut in. "How long d'ya think it takes a story like that to go international? They've probably already evacuated. Kinda puts all this heavy lifting to waste, huh?"
Several murmurs of agreement sprung up among the other soldiers. With nothing more to say, they all shuffled back across the hangar to the steel entryway. Zell remained standing by his lonesome, left to consider for the first time how the world-wide media coverage could well have served their cause already. News of the missile strike, successful or not, would be broadcast over every HD cable feed for at least a full 24 hour cycle. Surely Balamb Garden's intelligence committee would be on top of the story as soon as it broke.
He turned from the prepped missile launchers and started back towards the door. So long as the lives of its students were secure, the Garden could always be reconstructed. SeeD would persevere against any and all adversity, just as it had for more than a decade. The unfortunate sacrifice of Trabia Garden paired with their own sabotage had ultimately bought the student body enough time to escape. Perhaps it was time for the three of them to make their own exit.
As he passed through into the connecting hallway, he glanced down at the console beside the door. It was the data upload terminal for the missiles' integrated AI system. A mass of intertwining cables ran from its rear, into the floor, and onward to the three launchers in the next room. From what he'd gleaned from his fellow workers, the precise coordinate input was to be manually uploaded to the server via USB drive, by which the console would allow the data to be transmitted directly to the launchers. Besides anything out of Odine Industries, it was some of the most advanced technology he'd ever seen.
The lack of station-wide power was all that kept Zell from tampering with it. Though the Garden's coordinates might not have been uploaded just yet, there was the chance he could fiddle with the default error ratio, and send the missiles flying off course. In doing so, he could potentially ensure the Garden's safety. Alas, the console was useless to him without the main generator back online.
He turned away back down the hall, pondering how best to track down Selphie and Irvine. They'd done all they feasibly could. It was time to regroup and make their getaway. Just then, an explosion of light struck his eyes. He instinctually raised his hand, only to find his visor was up to the task. The burst hadn't come from a flashbang, nor any magical incantation, but the fluorescent lights on the ceiling blinking back to life all at once.
A few moments later, he suddenly realized the opportunity he'd been handed. With power restored, and no one else around to stop him, he now had a chance to turn his daydreaming into reality. He spun around, and dashed back down the hall. His boots pounded on the linoleum floor as the intercom system crackled to life.
"Main generator back online. All personnel, take your positions for launch."
He reached the console just as the announcement concluded. He switched on the monitor, and waited impatiently for the screensaver to disperse. It soon gave way to a green-tinted, digital representation of the world map. A banner reading 'The Galbadia Republic Army Dept.' ran across the top. The left side showed a blue scroll-down menu with several command options listed. 'Target' was the first among them. He tapped it on the touchscreen. A new text window opened up, prompting him for an access code. He hit the cancel command, and began looking for an alternative. His eyes soon landed on an option titled 'General Settings'.
Another tap on the tab brought up several different indicators; the data displayed ran the gamut from basic display options to readouts of diagnostic information. He scanned over the selection, and finally pressed the one reading 'Targeting Calibration'. A single gauge popped up, showing the error-correction ratio fixed to its maximum setting. With a swipe of his index finger, he lowered the calibration to its lowest level, and pressed the confirm prompt.
"State your business, soldier!"
Zell bolted upright. His heart leapt into his throat as he quickly tapped the return icon in the upper right-hand corner; the screen reset back to the home page. He turned to see the base commander in his bulky red uniform come striding down the hall; he'd briefly run across him in the control center, before his assignment to the launcher bay.
"Sir!" he saluted. "I was merely checking to make sure the targeting systems were back online… and that no settings had been wiped clear by the blackout."
He stood face to face with the commander for an uncomfortably long time, the piercing stare from behind the visor boring straight through him. He didn't dare release the salute prematurely.
"At ease," he ordered. Zell lowered his arm from his forehead, and allowed himself to breathe again. "Is everything in order?"
"Yes, sir! No issues as far as I could tell. Permission to return to the control center, sir?"
"Granted."
The commander stepped aside to allow him passage. Gracious for his quick wit, Zell strode on past, casual as he could be. With any luck, the newly adjusted settings wouldn't be checked before the launch. Hopefully it would be enough to send the missiles careening off course and into the sea.
"In fact, why don't you let me show you the way?" the commander growled.
Zell's helmet was yanked clear off before he could react; his neck jerked back as it left his head. The next moment, a steel barrel pressed against the back of his hair. He froze on the spot.
"Hands up! That salute was completely wrong! And what is that crap on the back of your uniform? You're the most pathetic excuse for an intruder I've ever met."
What's that say about the rest of your men?
He didn't dare speak his thoughts. Instead, he slowly raised his arms up over his head as ordered. There was no way for him to activate his GF sphere without drawing attention.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow a hole through your head right now," the commander snarled.
"Because I'm not alone," he blurted out on pure instinct.
"How many? Tell me!"
"And where would the fun be in that?"
The pistol-whip cracked across his head like clockwork. He grit his teeth, stifling the urge to retaliate; one false move would be the end for him.
"Alright, smart-ass. Have it your way. Let's go!"
Zell stumbled forward with a forceful shove to the back. He begrudgingly let himself be marched down the hallway. As they retraced their steps back to the main control hub, a pair of soldiers approached from the other direction. Their jaws dropped at the sight of their commander and his captive.
"Caught this brat tampering with the upload terminal," he said. "Check it over, and make sure everything's in order."
"Yes, sir!" they both saluted.
Zell noticed the considerably more narrow angle formed between their sides and forearms; it pained him to realize such a minor discrepancy had been his undoing. The two sidled on by as he was pressed further down the hall.
Eventually, they came to the control center. The technicians and soldiers bounced from one reactivated workstation to another with renewed vigor, only stalling as they took notice of him. Several drew their firearms. The commander lowered his own, ambling over to an intercom system set beside the primary console array.
"Attention, all personnel!" his voice boomed over the PA. "We have a confirmed capture of an intruder within the base. We have reason to believe there are still an undetermined number more at large. Stay vigilant, and do not leave your designated area. Estimated time of launch is T-minus 10 minutes. So, if you little twerps can hear this, we've got your friend down here in the control center. You've got that long to turn yourselves in before we put a bullet through his spiked dome!"
He angrily jammed the toggle button to cut the feed. He then turned back to Zell, now surrounded by three assault rifle barrels.
"You from that Garden?" he asked in a derisive, mocking tone. "Hope you made some good memories back home, because pretty soon that's gonna be all you'll have left of it."
Zell did not speak a word, no matter how many venomous insults he longed to spew. He likewise stifled the urge to gloat on how the student body had likely already evacuated. He had no intention of becoming a martyr.
For several more minutes he stood in place with his hands over his head. The launch preparations continued all around him, the screens of the many workstations alight with streams of code and statistics. Before long, a slim USB drive was ejected from the central console and presented to the commander. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for the technician to take it to the data upload terminal. The atmosphere remained tense. Soldiers' heads swiveled between one another, ready for any sign of an incoming ambush. Zell could only hope one was on its way, and preferably with more finesse than Selphie had displayed in the generator room.
"Sir!" the technician saluted on his return. "The coordinate data has been successfully uploaded. We should be ready to fire at your command."
"It's about time," the commander grumbled. "Let's finish up and get those missiles airborne. Everyone take your designated positions! Prepare for the final launch phase!"
Frenzied keystrokes and shuffling kicked up amid the consoles. Zell's three captors stood by his side all the while, their rifles rigidly pointed inward towards him. He raised his head as he heard the nearby freight elevator descending. Up above, a pair of soldiers stood just beyond the closed shutters. The shorter one to the fore was presently held at gunpoint by the second, their arms raised upward like Zell's own, allowing the sleeves of the oversized uniform to sag off.
The lift came to a stop at the bottom. The shutters parted, and the duo stepped out into the control center. The familiar shotgun with which the impostor was prodded across the divide perked Zell's deflated spirits. Likewise, the two severed nunchaku halves were now wedged in the gunman's right underarm, their chains jangling as he guided her forward to the commander.
"What the hell is this?" he snorted. "And I thought that kid's disguise was shoddy! How in the holy hell weren't you discovered sooner?"
"Up yours!" Selphie shot back. The soldiers around Zell reeled at the unexpected feminine timbre.
"Well, quite the feisty one, aren't we?" the commander scoffed, turning his attention to her disguised escort. "Don't take your finger off that trigger, soldier. And that goes for you three, too!"
He spun on his heel to face Zell's retainers. None but he and Irvine appeared to notice the sparks gathering in Selphie's raised palms; the crackling electricity was completely drowned out by the humming machinery all around the control center. She nodded to him. He signaled back with one of his own.
"I think the least we can do is let them live long enough to see all their efforts go up in smoke. We'll kill them once we've launched. I don't care what that stubborn brat needs them for. Fire when rea-"
Selphie's hands fell. Zell took the signal to drop to his knees just before the blast of lightning was released. The shockwave soared over his head, blowing the three soldiers across the room. Not waiting, Zell leapt back up, and charged straight for the commander. His right hook met the stunned officer in the jaw, sending him toppling him over just as easily. He took the opportunity to snatch up his pistol and slide it across the ground, just as the gunman to Selphie's rear handed her the two nunchaku halves.
Technicians all around frantically scrambled for cover. Zell fumbled his hand through his uniform, seized his GF sphere, and activated it. He immediately conjured a protective barrier around himself, and then a pair of earthen gauntlets around his fists. He promptly tore across the hub to the nearest control console. Shotgun fire erupted; be it near or far away, he could barely tell in his state of tunnel vision. He reached the workstation, and brought down his stone-cast fist upon it. The resulting divot and electrical sparking put the damage Selphie had done to the generator room to shame. The horrified technician cowering by its side took off as fast as he could to the staircase winding up beside the elevator.
Whizzing spellcraft and gunfire permeated the air amid myriad yelps and cries, forming a cacophonous racket devoid of rhyme or reason. The next moment, it was drowned out by a blaring alarm. Its screeching reverberated all around, climbing high to the base's upper levels. An automated announcement sounded over the intercom, too muddled by the noise for Zell to make out. With a glance towards the central console, he understood. The commander lay slouched atop, his hand pressed to a large button on the control panel.
"Game over, you little shits!" he roared over the ruckus.
Zell's heart sunk. He disengaged his gauntlets and raced over, hauling him up into a headlock.
"Shut it down, now!" he screamed into the man's ear as he throttled him from behind.
"There's… no way… to stop it!" he choked out. "The launchers are… headed up… less than… thirty seconds…"
The nunchaku cracked across his face the next moment. Zell reflexively released him from the hold. His body collapsed to the floor as Selphie began to screech with an intensity to rival the alarm.
"Where are the launchers?!"
"Down that hall!" Zell hollered. He pivoted, and charged faster than he ever had in his life.
Despite her legs being less toned than his, Selphie managed to match his pace, as though she were propelled forward by a great gust of wind whipping at her heels. Within seconds, the sealed entrance to the launch bay came into sight. A shimmering burst of pure white light shot from the girl's outstretched hand. The door was utterly obliterated on impact. Beyond its crumbling remnants, a trio of thick pillars extended upward from where Zell had helped set the loaded launchers. Selphie overtook him, and bolted on through.
"Stay back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
She raised her arm before her, casting a voluminous stream of ethereal aura from her hand. The swelling, amorphous energy quickly took shape, molding itself into a recognizable outline akin to a rabbit. In a flash, the small, pale-green creature that had dispatched the monster aboard the train appeared. A piercing ruby light emanated from its forehead, intensifying by the second. The glare was so brilliant, Zell soon had to squint against it. Selphie stayed in place with her arm outstretched. Her focus was absolute, unwavering in her effort to imbue as much energy as she could into one blast.
With nary a second left to spare, the tiny familiar unleashed the energy. The blinding stream enveloped the center of the nearest pillar. It sheared clean through the reinforced titanium before swiveling sideways to chisel away at the second. The unsupported beam dropped, bringing a deafening crash with it. A series of consecutive, monstrous explosions from above rocked the very foundations of the underground compound. Zell barely managed to maintain his balance. Selphie was knocked to the ground. Instantly, the outpour of energy withered and shriveled into nothingness, as did the rabbit. Large chunks of debris rained down from above, crashing all around her. Zell raced inside and grabbed her wrist.
"Come on!" he yelled, hoisting her to her feet. "We gotta move!"
He practically dragged her into the corridor. The floor continued to tremble beneath his boots all the way back to the control center. High above, yet more explosions rumbled up on the surface. Selphie's last ditch effort to stop the launch had doubtless started a chain-reaction. No matter the end result, the base's structural integrity wouldn't hold much longer.
"What the hell'd you two do?!" Irvine yelled from the foot of the metal staircase. "This place's fallin' apart!"
"Just shut up and move it!" Zell roared. He escorted the as yet silent Selphie to the stairs, and the three started up as fast as they could.
The explosions continued above, prompting yet more wreckage to come smashing down into the desecrated control center. The staircase's steel girders wobbled, very nearly sending Zell tumbling over the edge to his doom. He righted himself, sparing only a quick glance down. Flaming rubble now dotted the bottom, the notion suddenly occurring to him that only a scant few metal planks stood between him and perdition.
After roughly a minute and a half of frantic climbing, the stairs ended at the top floor where they'd entered. Irvine rushed ahead along the collapsing catwalk. Zell followed him through the open airlock, and up the last remaining staircase to the exit.
They emerged into the interior courtyard. Black smoke soared high into the sky from the nearby hangar bays, consumed by a raging wildfire spreading along the grounds towards the containment tanks at the complex's rear. Shards of scrap metal and other construction material littered the pavement, freshly settled shrapnel from the blasts. Their decimated victims' bodies lay beneath.
The team's vehicle had been utterly demolished, as was chain-link fence they'd parked it beside. The remains of two obliterated missile launchers stood in the enclosure beyond, with a gaping divot in the earth where the third had been. Most worrying of all were the still fresh streams of white smoke trailing off from where the first two had stood. They intertwined in midair, to be finally consumed by the thick smog. It was a soul-crushing omen to behold. Despite their best efforts, the first two salvos of missiles had been successfully launched.
"The door!" Irvine yelled.
Zell swept his eyes back across the mass grave. The towering gateway ahead had completely collapsed in on itself.
"Step aside!" he roared.
He leapt over the piled up mounds of debris in their path. Yet more blasts sounded from close by, now more vivid than ever. He would need to perform the summon quickly if they were to have any chance of escape.
He fought to focus his mind on channeling the energy, just as he had in Dollet as he'd faced down the rampaging spider robot. He cast his hand forward, and willed the power to leap from him. The aura obeyed. It rapidly metamorphosed into the two minotaur familiars he'd come to master. Their vibrant, violet furred bodies popped into being in a flash, and charged forward to meet the obstruction.
The gateway bulged as they slammed into it. Several more thunderous blows followed, melding with an undetermined amount of additional booms from behind. At last, the wall came tumbling down rock by shattered chunk of rock. The small landslide cascaded down on the other side. Their escape route was as clear as they could have asked for. Zell allowed the beasts to fade back into the light they'd sprung from, and turned back to his comrades.
"Let's go!"
"Love to!" Irvine called back. "But she's not budgin'!"
Selphie was slumped over on both knees by his side. Her head hung limply, her nunchaku halves fallen to the pavement.
You've gotta be kidding me!
"Selphie!" he shouted as he charged back over. He seized her wrist and jerked her up. "We don't have time! We need to get the hell outta here, now!"
"I… I couldn't do it," the girl weakly mewled. Tears streamed down her cheeks from beneath her visor. "I couldn't save Trabia, or Balamb…"
"Snap out of it! We've bought them enough time! They've probably already evacuated by now! But if we don't get moving, who's gonna save us?!"
"I can't…" she sobbed in a broken voice. "I just… I don't know what to do anymore! It's over… everything's over. Dad… I really… really wanted to see you again… but it was all for nothing… I'm-"
Her final words were drowned out by an explosive roar unlike any yet. It shook the earth beneath Zell's feet, sending him scrambling to right his footing. He raised his eyes in the direction of the blast. Billowing flames spread from an ignited fuel tank, sending each and every one of its nearby counterparts up in a raging conflagration. Time slowed to a crawl as the compound proceeded to explode all around them. There was no escape.
Mom… Squall, Quistis, Rinoa… everyone… I'm sorry. I'll miss you all. Just please… be safe…