5

CHAPTER 5 – OF MAN AND BEAST

"Yeah, this shouldn't be too tough," Zell insisted as he crouched down beside the auxiliary generator. "Let's see… here's the power source… and that's going to…"

Squall turned his oversight away from the blonde; with any luck, he would have no difficulty getting it up and running. He strolled away towards the great curved window running along the room's outer wall. That it happened to be facing west was a relief, never mind that it was still intact at all. At just beneath the water's surface, the setting sun above was still potent enough to pierce through the shallows, providing them enough light by which to comfortably make their way around. Better still, Reiner and Brent both had flashlights.

The route below deck had been largely straightforward and obstruction free. Still, they had remained on guard at the White SeeDs' behest. Although the monsters outside had been occupied with one another, the research center's ravaged halls were still very much cause for concern.

As Zell toiled behind, Squall peered out at the sprawling ocean depths before him. Down into unfathomable darkness it stretched, to a place where even the boldest, brightest light could not reach. The underside of the research center hanging above did him no favors in determining what lay below. Closer to the surface, he could make out the odd school of fish swimming about. To think they could go about their day so leisurely in these waters, with the massive jellyfish creature just on the other side of the facility. Although he could no longer see the battle, he could be certain it hadn't yet ended; he would surely have noticed that monstrosity's descent back into the depths, if nothing else.

"So, it lives down there?" he asked Reiner by his side.

"Seems like it," the White SeeD answered. "That's where it always retreats to, whenever it's done scrapping with the dragons. As for them, they've staked their claim up in the control tower."

Squall furrowed his brow; he thought he'd heard correctly earlier, when the lieutenant had told his subordinate to keep watch for the 'other one'. Provided there were another dragon up in the tower right now, resting or otherwise indisposed, he could only hope Selphie and Irvine would have more sense than to go snooping around by themselves. Had only the both of them not stormed off in such a hurry.

"Just what happened here?" he wondered again.

"Who knows?" Brent answered; he stood off to Zell's side, holding the flashlight for him as he worked. "Those spheres are all we've had to go by."

"You said you'd seen them before?" Reiner immediately pivoted.

"One," Squall clarified. "We couldn't believe it, either. Looks like we finally found where it came from."

Going by Selphie's testimony, having supposedly received the GF from her adoptive father more than 5 years ago, the facility must have been derelict for roughly as long. That was as much as he could deduce, however.

"How they could make 'em is another story," Zell piped up, not taking his eyes off his work. "Hell, all these years later, we still don't have a clue how Esthar does it."

"Speaking of which, you still haven't told us what happened to Ellone," Squall made a pivot of his own. He turned to face Reiner again, shooting him the most stern look he could conjure up. "Why do you say she's en route there?"

"Right," he sighed, averting his own gaze back out the window. The tone in his voice told Squall enough; it was surely a story he would take no pride in telling.

"Per the headmaster's orders, we held position along the coast. It was probably the longest we've ever stayed in one place since I've been a member of the crew. Some of us even started up a betting pool to guess when you'd finally show up. Not that we minded the wait. Our food stores were well stocked, and we've run down along Centra enough times to know where the best fishing spots are in these parts. Everything was going fine… until they showed up a few days ago."

"Who?" Squall prodded.

"Galbadia. Piloting your ships."

His eyes bulged at the prospect. He could only imagine what a cruel twist of fate it must have been. There they'd idled, perpetually moored for a month and a half, waiting patiently for the first sign of SeeD's forces on the horizon, only to be deceived by a red herring. Worse still, the blame lay squarely on his shoulders. He should have mentioned it to Ellone, as a precautionary warning in case the fleet ran across them first. With how frantic he'd been just to get his plea out to her, it simply hadn't crossed his mind then.

"It caught us completely off guard," Reiner continued. "Fortunately, our lookout spotted the soldiers manning the turrets, and we took off before they could pin us to the shoreline. They tailed us southwest, out into the open sea. We pushed our boat's engine to its breaking point, but there was no way we could outrun them for long. It was only a matter of time…"

The great white ship tore across the waves at a speed faster than Reiner could ever recall. He held tight to one side of the helm to keep himself steady, just as Captain Cody to the other, and Kurdt to the wheel. He pitied those down on the deck; many among them were still scurrying into position after a sudden call to action over the intercom. Some rushed to the banister on either side, their weapons at the ready to repel the enemy advance. Others dipped below to assist the engine team. He personally had seen to organizing Ellone's security detail in the captain's quarters before rejoining him up top.

They'd quickly pulled away from the shore to avoid becoming boxed in on all sides. Ahead lay countless miles of ocean. Behind, their pursuers continued to nip at their heels. From what he could see on the sonar, the sleek blue assault boats had spread out all across the open expanse to their rear. Several were already set to overtake them, coming up on either side. Their machine gun turrets blazed as they drew parallel. The crew below returned fire with rifles, cannons, and spellcraft alike. Although they were hopelessly outnumbered, Reiner could at least be reasonably sure the Galbadians wouldn't resort to explosive shells so long as they still had Ellone aboard.

The enemy rounds sprayed wildly across the deck from the starboard side. Some made their mark, sending a few unfortunate White SeeDs toppling over. Others peppered holes in the polished wood, and undoubtedly the hull's underside. He could only hope the ship's structural integrity would continue to hold, and that whatever leaks might spring up would be swiftly patched by the crew below deck. By contrast, their own efforts appeared all the more futile; their cannons were ultimately insufficient to pierce through the assault boats' thick armor. With a look to the one presently attacking, the turret fire abruptly ceased as the soldier manning it slumped backwards over the circular railing; apparently, one of the defense team had finally managed to land a clean shot. The pilot immediately pulled away in response, just in time for another ship to pull up in between to take its place.

"How's it looking behind us?" the captain asked him from across the helm.

"Not good," Reiner replied, turning his attention back to the sonar readout. "They're closing in all around our six. We won't even be able to make a turn soon."

The enemy's formation had indeed cut off any alternative but to keep their course set dead ahead. They had no heading, nor was there any known body of land in their present direction for thousands of miles. Not that any of it mattered; the assault boats were clearly capable of outpacing them at top speed. Galbadia would have them surrounded in no time at all, leaving them with no choice but to stand their ground and fight. And then, before he knew it, the nearest ship to port zoomed in right alongside them.

Reiner fought to steady himself again as the collision rocked the entire ship. Kurdt looked to be faring no better at the helm, with the wheel having been momentarily torn from his grasp; he seized hold of it again, struggling to force it back into position. The piercing screech of steel cut through the ongoing gunfire as the enemy ship finally pulled back again. Before they could even recover, another tremor came, just as severe. A second ship had just as suddenly bashed into them along the starboard side. The enemy's attack strategy was becoming more brazen by the minute.

"Lower Deck, report!" Captain Cody barked into the nearby intercom receiver.

"The port-side hull's been breached!" a frantic response came over the speakers. "It's not a massive dent, but we're taking on water, fast!"

The captain turned his eyes to Reiner, shooting him a dour look. He returned one of his own in mutual understanding; they couldn't possibly keep running with the hull punctured.

"Engine Room, cut the power!" the captain ordered. "Maintenance team, plug up the damage as quick as you can! All other hands on deck! This is our last stand, so give 'em everything you've got!"

He clicked off the intercom. At his command, Reiner could feel the ship begin to slow. The enemy vessels on either side abruptly overtook them; they continued to speed ahead, swiveling back around only once they were far enough ahead to anticipate where the ship would eventually come to a rest. Others took their place as the rest of the fleet inched further inward on the sonar. They were surrounded, left with no recourse but a fight to the last. As even more crew members swarmed onto the deck, Reiner prepared to take his leave to join them.

As he took one last cursory glance at the sonar, his eyes bulged. Far out ahead, beyond the enemy ships making the turn back towards them, were yet more blips. There had to be at least as many as those presently on their tail, if not more. Horrified, he seized a nearby pair of binoculars, and raised them to his eyes as he turned to look back out the window; could Galbadia have sent another dispatch of ships ahead to cut them off?

There, on the horizon, he could see them approaching fast. Their make and model were unfamiliar to him, though their gleaming silver color scheme was nothing at all like the blue SeeD assault boats, nor any Galbadian ship he was aware of. All the same, they seemed just as nimble, if wider and stouter. Each sported a turret of its own set high up on the rear as opposed to the front. He had no idea who they could be, nor where they had come from. As they zoomed ever closer into the fray however, it became abundantly clear they weren't in league with Galbadia; a number of the enemy ships had broken formation, and sped ahead to meet them, guns blazing.

"What in the world?" the captain wondered aloud.

Reiner continued to watch through his binoculars. The newly arrived fleet abruptly dispersed at the first sign of impending battle, spreading out from one another. They zigged and zagged along the water, kicking up waves in their wake. Eventually, they began returning fire. From the moment the side of the nearest assault boat combusted in a blast of twisted metal, it was clear that their turrets were built to fire rounds more potent than mere machine gun ammunition.

"Looks like they're no friends of theirs, at least," he noted.

"Nor us," Captain Cody replied. And it was true; the White SeeDs had formed no other alliances over their many years spent operating in secrecy.

"Any port in a storm?" Reiner suggested.

"Send up a distress flare. If nothing else, they'll know we're not with the Galbadians."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

He made for the door without even bothering to give a salute. He knew they were in no shape to pull away with the hull still freshly breached. Worse still, despite the clear discrepancy of their vessel against the blue assault boats, there was no guarantee the approaching fleet wouldn't assume guilt by association. As he stepped out into the whipping ocean breeze, hunching low to keep himself covered amid the ongoing battle, he fumbled about his belt for his water-proof supply pouch. He unzipped it and rummaged his hand through for the flare gun, brushing aside his flashlight, emergency rations, and spare rounds. He finally pulled it out and checked the chamber had one loaded. Satisfied, he raised it to the sky, and fired.

The red flare soared up into the sky, trailed by a cloud of smoke. Knowing better than to stay put in absentminded admiration, Reiner pulled his head back down to the scene at hand, and began down the steps from the helm to the deck. All around, the once organized Galbadian formation had completely broken rank. The boats scattered, their turrets blazing as the opposing silver ships stormed onto the scene. Within moments, the water around them had devolved into a free-for-all. The White SeeDs on deck continued to take potshots at their gunners in the meantime. As the other ships' cannons quickly showed however, their assistance was not at all necessary; one assault boat after another burst into a grand conflagration, shrapnel flying wildly in all directions as they were blown clear out of the water.

As the many individual scuffles began to fan out further from the conflict's center, one silver boat came up alongside them. It gradually slowed to a halt on the starboard side. Reiner approached to stand among his comrades, waiting with intrigue to see who might be aboard. His heart leapt into his throat the moment its crew stepped out onto the deck. Their sleek purple, grey, and gold colored bodysuits were unmistakable; although he'd never seen them firsthand, he remembered them perfectly from the old pictures he'd been shown before his induction into the White SeeDs. Several strode up to the side of the ship, directly adjacent to his own retinue. Their helmets' bulbous, insect-like red eyes unflinchingly looked them up and down from across the divide.

"Is everyone alright?" the nearest Esthar soldier called over.

"We've taken some casualties, and a few blows to the hull, but we'll manage," Reiner answered on behalf of his crew.

"Is there anything we can do to assist?" another suited infantryman asked.

"You've already done plenty. Please, pay us no mind."

Grateful though he was for their intervention, and despite their forthright attitude, he knew he couldn't possibly allow them to come aboard. His regiment had been established for the purpose of keeping Ellone out of the clutches of anyone who would seek her power for their own ends. Esthar sat at the very top of that list.

"Your ship must be in dire condition," the first soldier observed. He cast his hand out in a sweeping motion, gesturing to the battle all around. "Surely you wouldn't stay floating in the middle of all this if you could help it. Please, allow us to bring you to shore."

"It's only a small leak," he insisted. "Our crew below deck are patching it up as we speak. We appreciate your concern, but there's nothing to worry about. Thank you for your assistance."

He kept his resolve firm. Despite their silence in his midst, he knew his comrades shared his sentiment. To enter the fold of the White SeeDs was to become beholden to Ellone's secret, and her history with Esthar. And yet, for what classified information they'd been afforded, there was still to date nothing regarding the other side of the story. This was the first time they'd ever sighted an Esthar naval battalion out in the open; who could say what had been going on behind the country's closed borders in all the years since the war, or why they had chosen now to finally break out of hiding. Surely it must have been related to Edea's conquest. Whatever the case, he refused to let them anywhere near Ellone.

They seemed to understand. Without another word, the head soldier turned and motioned for his crew to make their way back to the cockpit. They hurriedly complied; though the surrounding firefight had died down considerably with the decimation of Galbadia's forces, there was no time to dawdle. Reiner breathed a sigh of relief as they did so. It just as quickly became a startled gasp as a hand suddenly placed itself on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Ellone's big brown eyes staring back at him; for as timid and scared as they'd looked before when he'd secured her to the captain's quarters, they were now brimming with determination.

"Get back to the shore and wait for the Garden to arrive," she firmly told him. "And tell Squall I'm sorry."

"What are you…?"

She'd pushed on by him before he could even get the words out. In a flash, she surmounted the ship's wooden banister, standing atop like it were a balance beam, and leapt across to the Esthar vessel just as it began pulling away.

"Ellone!" he yelled after her as she landed on the deck.

Without a second thought, he took hold of the banister himself to parkour over it. To his dismay however, the ship had already begun picking up speed. It zoomed away from their side before he could even get one leg up.

"What the hell is she thinking?!" one of his comrades shouted in disbelief.

"Why didn't you try to stop her?!" another roared.

Reiner stood dumbfounded, numb to the ensuing argument, watching as the boat raced back into the fray. He couldn't fathom what had possessed her to do something so reckless and downright stupid. Nevertheless, he knew there was no time to ponder. He spun around on his heel, and darted back up to the helm to inform the captain as fast as he could.

"I still don't understand why she did that," Reiner admitted. "They took off as soon as the battle was over. All we could do was keep floating there until repairs were finished, and hope they might turn around to bring her back. They never did."

"You think they knew who she was?" Squall finally asked.

"My guess is that she probably told them herself. What other reason would they have to take her along? The real question is why she would even want to go with them at all."

Squall had at least an inkling. Ellone had already told him how desperate she'd been to learn what had become of Laguna all those years ago. Even so, there had been no need to go throwing herself into danger so recklessly. There was surely nothing across the ocean she couldn't glean from seeing through his own eyes. Much as he'd resented being thrust into his mind time and again, it was something Squall could live with if it meant her continued safety. But then, why she even needed him of all people for a conduit still remained a mystery.

"We set out after them as soon as we were able. All we had was the general direction they'd taken off in. Eventually, we picked up a massive reading on the sonar. That led us here. We figured it might be an outpost of theirs, and moved in to investigate. And that's when…"

His voice had begun to quiver as he trailed off. He promptly hung his head, seemingly overcome by the grief and trauma piling on all at once. Squall knew better than to press the issue. Clearly, their ship and crew had not been so fortunate as Balamb Garden to escape the sea monster's wrath; Reiner and his fellow survivors' last two nights stranded aboard the facility must have been all the more sleepless for it.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

For once, he wholeheartedly meant it. For as long as he could remember, from his earliest days as a cadet, he'd become conditioned to treat death with cold, logical indifference. Each casualty in the line of duty had been a statistic to him, and nothing more. In just a few short months, everything had changed. Xu's passing had been the final piece of the puzzle, all the proof he ever needed that the lives of those close to him were worth fighting for.

"What's done is done," Reiner affirmed, finally finding the strength to raise his head again. "All that matters now is that we get her back. And that means getting out of this damn place."

Squall concurred, though couldn't fathom how they were to do so. The giant jellyfish monster seemed an impossible hurdle to overcome. The Garden couldn't possibly draw near the research center so long as it still commanded the waters. With less than a full day until the time he'd ordained it to return however, something had to be done. Getting the power back on would be a good start.

"How's it coming, Zell?" he impatiently asked the blonde.

"Almost there! Just gotta connect this here, and… bingo!"

Lieutenant Reiner had been right on the money regarding how long the battle would likely take. Even now, coming up on 30 minutes by Quistis' watch since the rest of the team had left, the firefight between the two monsters had yet to let up. The dragon remained ever nimble, expertly weaving through the air to evade the incoming laser blasts. The giant domed sea creature scarcely moved at all by contrast; it was too bulky to take evasive action in any capacity. Ultimately, there was no need for it to. Not a single fireball peppered across its hide seemed to faze it any more than the last.

And yet, the dragon persisted. Quistis could hardly believe its resilience and determination, much less the spectacle as a whole. She continued to watch from the blown out hole in the side of the research center, mesmerized by it all. The entire scene looked as if it had been lifted directly from the pages of an ancient legend.

"It's like this every day?" she asked again, purely out of disbelief.

"Since we've been stuck here, at least," Liza answered. "Who knows how long they've been going at it until now."

Quistis couldn't imagine the reason. Territorial instincts aside, there was nothing for either party to gain from maintaining a foothold on the derelict research center. Food supplies aboard the facility had long since run out according to Liza; she and her comrades had only managed to get by on what emergency rations they'd had with them after jumping ship. Indeed, the White SeeDs had supposedly even spotted the two dragons each flying away towards the mainland at separate times, presumably to seek game. There ought to be nothing keeping them there. And yet, at least 3 times a day, they would interchangeably fight the sea creature to an inevitable stalemate, forcing it back down to the depths from whence it came, before retreating to their roost up in the control tower.

"And it's only ever one of them at a time?" she followed up. "The other dragon never comes out to assist?"

"Not that we've seen. They just take turns trading shifts, probably to let each other get some rest. They're definitely smarter than your average monsters."

She'd already gleaned as much just from watching the one's deft movements; each swoop and evasion attested to its familiarity with the other creature's attack patterns. It was clearly well experienced. That the duo could seemingly formulate such a plan of action however spoke volumes of their intelligence, the likes of which she'd only ever seen before in moombas. Still, the all important question remained: why?

As another laser shot past the dragon, arcing just too far overhead, Quistis noticed the waves beginning to rise up over top the jellyfish's giant dome. She soon realized her eyes hadn't been deceiving her; the massive creature was sinking back into the ocean. There came no further retaliation as the last few fireballs impacted on its hide. Within moments, it was fully submerged.

"Looks like it's over," she commented. "For now."

Up above, the dragon finally ceased its wild swerving. It spread wide its wings to coast on the ocean breeze, arcing back towards the research center. Just as Quistis prepared to dip back inside to make herself less visible, a screech met her ears. She turned her attention further along the station in its direction. To her surprise, the second dragon had finally emerged; it flew straight out over the water, looking to intercept its partner head on.

"So, what now?" she asked Liza. "Changing of the guard?"

"I… don't know," the White SeeD muttered. "Usually one heads in, and the other comes back out. It's not often you see them together out in the open like this. Unless one's going out to hunt."

Given the second dragon's current trajectory, she could be positive it wasn't heading towards the shore. It met the other one halfway before circling back around to come alongside it. As they drew closer, flying parallel to one another in the light of the setting sun, the physical discrepancies between the pair became more obvious. The one that had just been fighting the sea monster was a darker, more muted shade of blue, with golden flourishes lining its tail, underbelly, and the edges of its wings. The second had a gleaming silver breastplate to match its body's lighter hue, with a dark crimson on the underside of its wings.

Only as they crossed over the broken metal scaffolding surrounding the research center did it occur to Quistis to take cover; her curiosity had clearly gotten the better of her. Before she could react however, a sudden blast of light exploded all around her. She flinched, darting her head back to make sense of it. It was then she realized the power was back on; the ceiling lights had all lit up at once, just as the still functional computer terminals around the room automatically booted into recovery mode.

"They did it!" Liza exclaimed.

Quistis scarcely had time to share in her delight. Whatever it meant for the others, or the rest of the their time to be spent aboard the derelict facility, the timing couldn't have been less opportune. The dragons immediately changed direction on the fly, dipping down towards their position. They'd obviously taken notice.

"Run!"

She pivoted on her heel, making a beeline for the door. Paying only what heed she could afford to with the winged beasts set to land just outside the hole in the wall, she rapidly maneuvered among the wreckage and shot out into the hallway. She pressed her back against the wall to the left of the door. Liza bolted through a moment later, and mirrored her on the right-hand side. There they stood, flanking the entrance, waiting with bated breath for the moment the dragons touched down. Quistis reflexively sucked one in as two mighty thuds rumbled on the platform just outside, and held it.

Footsteps followed, heavy and labored. Their rhythmic pounding swelled in volume as they proceeded inside, coming to rival Quistis' own heart beating in her ears. Though the door was certainly much too small for either of the dragons to fit through, she knew that alone wouldn't stop them should they choose to burst through. Likewise, though she and Liza could flee further into the research center if need be, especially with the lights back on, they still had a duty to remain in position. Squall and the others were bound to be on their way back. They couldn't just abandon the rendezvous point, and let their team return to find them missing, or worse, the two dragons in a tight, close quarters environment.

She doubted her GF's power would be sufficient to stand up to them. Putting aside the sheer amount of energy she imagined it would take, hers was an ice elemental sphere; the result would be no different than when she'd gone up against the giant fire-breathing three-headed dog. Just as then, she was not alone. There was still Liza's sphere to account for; she hadn't bothered to ask which spellcraft denomination hers belonged to. Depending on the element and her own level of experience, in addition to the one dragon likely being fatigued from its long slog against the sea creature, she realized they might have a fighting chance should it come down to it. All the same, she hoped it wouldn't.

The lumbering footsteps had become more sparse from within the control center. Each one now brought with it the sickening creak of metal crushed under their mighty talons. In between, Quistis could hear a husky, bestial snorting as they moved about. Were their noses as keen as their intellect seemed to be, she and Liza would need to move, fast. Soon, the rumbling ceased altogether. She counted to ten before peeking her eye around the door frame.

The dragon with the lighter blue scales loomed closest, its attention trained to the floor. As it tilted its neck up, raising its head to face the far wall, she could see a significant chunk of scales appeared to be missing from its face, clearly the result of a tremendous blow from something. More concerning was the discarded life vest held clenched between its teeth; in her hurry, she'd completely neglected them left lying around the room, not that she would have had time to gather them all up. Now, regardless of whether the dragons had gotten a clear visual of them, there was no denying they had been there.

A sudden metal screeching from further inside prompted her to duck back around the corner. It continued unabated like nails on a chalkboard, forcing her to cover her ears. Liza looked to be faring no better on the other side. It went on for at least half a minute, until finally it was overtaken by yet more booming footsteps. They trailed away, back towards the hole from what Quistis could tell. Removing her hands from her ears, she perked them up to listen for anything else of interest. When at last she heard the beating of wings, she found the courage to peek back around for another look.

Having moved back outside, the two dragons took off one after the other. Only once she could be sure they'd flown a comfortable distance away did Quistis step through. The wreckage-strewn floor had predictably become even more dilapidated in their wake. By some miracle, the surrounding computer terminals had been spared; the system reboot looked to be more than halfway complete judging by the loading bar displayed on the screens. With a glance to the opposite wall, she noticed a mess of jagged claw marks now incised into the metal, undoubtedly the cause of the earlier screeching. Otherwise, the ravaging had been kept to a minimum.

"You think they'll be back?" Liza wondered as she stepped in behind.

Quistis hesitated, casting her eyes back across the floor. Their life vests lay scattered about, some trampled upon, others simply swept away; the one the dragon had picked up in its mouth had been perforated by its teeth.

"Eventually," she answered. "At any rate, they definitely know we've been through here. Still, we need to stay put until-"

The pounding of boots echoing from down the hall finished the thought for her. She turned her attention back to the door just in time to see Selphie and Irvine come barging in one after another.

"You guys got the power back on?" the girl immediately asked.

"The others did," Quistis affirmed. She swept her hand across the floor to the far wall where the claw marks had been incised. "I'm thinking we might want to move position once they get back. We just had a pretty close call."

"You and us both," Irvine grunted.

He certainly seemed rattled. She then noticed his Galbadia Garden uniform, now further blackened than she recalled of its charcoal color scheme.

"Well, while we're waiting for them to show up, how about we take a quick look at what's on here?" Liza suggested.

She motioned to the computer terminals. Quistis turned her attention to the nearest one just as the loading bar filled completely, and blinked out. A moment later, the display flashed back on, this time to a start-up screen. 'Battleship Island Deep Sea Research Center' ran across the top above the Galbadian logo. Below was smaller prompt, reading 'Press Enter to continue'.

"Might as well," Selphie said.

Despite her clear effort to keep composed, Quistis could tell she was antsy for any information they might find. She was plenty curious herself to get to the bottom of what had gone on at this facility, and most pertinently, how Galbadia had managed to produce their own brand of fully functional GFs. Thankfully, the keyboard was still intact. She took the initiative, and pressed the Enter key as instructed.

The start-up screen gave way to a menu selection, sub-dividing various aspects of whatever information was stored on the system. Most appeared to be various diagnostic figures regarding the facility itself, among other minutia unimportant to them. She shouldn't have expected anything more from this specific console's local hard drive; the information they sought was bound to be stored elsewhere. With a bit of maneuvering about the system directory, she managed to shift over to the research center's local shared server.

Instantly, the available options became more substantial. From so-called 'specimen' reports, to shipping and inventory statistics, there suddenly was a treasure trove of information at her fingertips. She skimmed through, opening what files caught her interest along the way for a quick look over. Most were far too dense and clinically written to give a thorough reading at the moment. She was content for the time being to mentally note which might be noteworthy for later, when they had relocated to a less compromised position.

Eventually, one document's name caught her attention for how starkly different it was. As opposed to being made up of some scientific jargon, sometimes followed or preceded by a date, it was concise, plain, and unambiguous.

"Matt's Journal?" Selphie read it aloud from over her shoulder.

Quistis selected it right away; she too was intrigued. On cue, a prompt for a password popped up.

"Of course," she sighed.

"Damn," Selphie moaned. "Just when you think you've struck gold."

"You mean… you think that's your father's journal?"

"No, that's not his name. I'm just saying, it'd be nice to get a blow-by-blow rundown of what went on here."

Quistis agreed. Catalogued reports and statistics were practically immaterial when weighed against firsthand testimony. Alas, without the password, there was nothing they could do.

"Uh, ladies?" Irvine called from behind. "Has that always been there?"

She turned around together with Selphie and Liza to see what he was talking about. He stood facing away from them, his finger pointed to the far wall bearing the dragon's claw marks.

"I told you, we had a close call," she reminded him.

"Well, take a closer look."

However much his smarmy tone irritated her, she stepped away from the keyboard to join him. She brought her head up just beside his, carefully looking over the incisions. And then, after a moment spent puzzling over what she was supposed to be looking for, it became clear. She couldn't believe her eyes. What she'd been so quick to dismiss as wanton destruction to the control room was in fact so much more. The talon marks, jagged, angular, and crooked as they were, had been carved with a purpose. Of that there could be no doubt. Altogether, they made up two short lines of text, letters on top, numbers on the bottom:

MATT

2713

"What the…?" Liza stammered, having evidently recognized it as well.

Quistis was completely gobsmacked. With her rational mind determined to prove it was a coincidence, she turned right back around, marched up to the computer console, typed the four numbers into the text field, and pressed Enter. Her thought process just as abruptly stalled as the screen proceeded to display a list of numbered journal entries. She was well and truly at a loss for words. She turned to Selphie and Liza on either side to be sure she wasn't losing her mind. The shocked looks on their own faces assured her otherwise. Of every single revelation they'd become privy to since arriving on the research center, none could compare to this.

"How…?" Selphie exhaled in disbelief.

Quistis couldn't fathom a sensible explanation. Never mind that the dragon knew of the journal or its password, that it could understand human language and numerics was more baffling still. It was an impossibility with too many layers to even know where to start picking it apart. And so, rather than attempt to, she simply selected the first entry listed. A new window popped up on command, displaying several paragraphs worth of text.

'Well, I'm finally here, my new home away from home for who knows how long. I honestly didn't expect much when they told me they'd be sending us down to Centra, but from what I've seen of this place so far, it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment. No expense was spared on setting up the labs and equipment, that's for sure. The food supply's well stocked with a new shipment scheduled to arrive every month, we've got a station-wide water filtration system, basic plumbing (thank fuck!), and as for my quarters… well, it'll do. I know I shouldn't complain, especially when I got priority placement. At least I've got my own workstation. And at the end of the day, we're all in the same boat out here.

'Anyway, I guess now's the perfect opportunity to start up a little journal chronicling my time at this research center. With security tight as a drum around here though, everything I write has to go on the central network. No personal computers, cameras, or other devices capable of recording or storing information allowed. Not even sheet paper! Paranoia-based security at its finest. Odds are they might not even let me take this off the system for my records back home once we're done here. Maybe if I just skirt around the juicy bits, or use some code-speak for whatever I can't say. Not like I'm writing this for anyone but me to understand. At any rate, the government's not taking any chances on this one. Just thinking of the hoops I had to jump through to get one extra guy on board… again, it might sound like I'm complaining, but I get it. They'd be shitting themselves if word of this place ever got out to SeeD or Esthar.

'The long and short of it is that if we're successful here, we'll be able to finally level the playing field. After conducting a thorough survey of these parts, one of our scouting teams picked up readings of a strong energy field on the ocean floor at this precise location. The top brass determined it to be the very same kind used by Odine Industries in their research. We've known of their method for years, thanks to an insider. Now, we have the opportunity to put it into practice ourselves. My team and I have been assigned to conduct initial testing, among other proposed applications of the energy.

'I'd say that's about the least incriminating way I can put things. Anyway, it's been a long voyage, and we've got an early start tomorrow on the continent. Can't start testing without specimens, now can we?'

Quistis speed-read through, rapidly absorbing the information on the fly. Much of it she had more or less already deduced, although there was still plenty to glean despite the author's insistence on keeping things vague. For one, Galbadia indeed knew of Esthar's GF manufacturing process; she had no doubt the insider mentioned must have been the same person who'd helped supply the Odine Bangles to the military. The biggest revelation however was the mention of a strong energy field on the ocean floor. The gears started slowly turning in her head. Finally, she turned to Liza.

"You said that thing lives down below the research center, right?" she asked.

"That's where it always seems to go. You think…?"

The correlation was clear as day. Why else would the monster retreat below between its bouts with the dragons, where this mysterious energy source used for GF production supposedly lay?

"Do you know if there's any access down there?" Quistis followed up.

"I'm not sure," Liza frowned. "We searched all around the first day we washed up here. After a few floors, every route we found was either flooded or blocked off."

"Well, why don't we give it another look once the others get here? Maybe having the power back on will open up a few more options. In the meantime, let's see what else we've got here."

"How about you just skip to the end?" Irvine suggested from behind. "That's our best bet for figuring out what went wrong."

Quistis realized he had a point. Besides efficiency, she remembered their position was by no means secure. But then, could she still be so sure that the dragon were indeed a threat to them? Regardless of however it knew the password, it had obviously left it engraved in the wall for them to find. Closing the current entry, she scrolled down to the bottom, skimming over roughly a dozen or so more, and selected the last one.

'As of today, production is up to 35 fully functional units. We should be ready to send out our first shipment within the next week. I still keep pinching myself every morning. And as if that weren't enough reason for excitement, Project Eden finally starts tomorrow. Preliminary testing has given us some promising results, so with any luck, it'll be another red-letter day. Here's hoping the look on Mutt's face will be as sweet as I'm imagining.'

"Gotta say, I was hoping for a little more than that," Selphie moaned.

"Guess he started getting lazy," Irvine muttered.

"Project Eden?" Liza read aloud. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Quistis had no clue herself. From what she'd read so far, the author had certainly done well to keep things purposefully vague. Although he'd never explicitly mentioned GFs by name, they'd at least had some point of reference courtesy of the White SeeDs' discovery to understand. Here, there was nothing. She could only infer that the project, whatever its intended outcome, hadn't gone according to plan. In any case, a thorough investigation of the facility's lower levels was in order. She turned to Liza again, only for her attention to flit right past her to the hole in the wall.

She nearly stopped breathing. It was perhaps to her benefit; she might have been inclined to scream had she any air to waste. Right on the other side stood one of the dragons, hunched down on all fours, watching them. There was no telling how long it had been lying in wait; for something so large, it had taken great care to stay quiet in its approach. It was the one with a chunk of scales missing from its face. Clearly, Quistis' own face must have betrayed her; Liza immediately spun around and let out a shriek in her place.

"Get back!" Irvine shouted.

He raced out in front, hoisting his assault rifle up to ward it off. The dragon growled lowly; seeming to recognize the threat, it backed away further from the hole. Still, it kept its slitted eyes trained on them. Irvine began advancing further forward to push it away. And yet, in spite of all rational concern, Quistis couldn't help but think his efforts unnecessary. It had already managed to get the drop on them while they'd been distracted by the journal's contents; had it intended to kill them, a single fire blast would have surely done the job. She opened her mouth to tell him so, when Selphie suddenly stepped forward, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on a sec," the girl reassured him. "He didn't kill us before, and I don't think he's going to now."

Without waiting for a response, or even for him to lower his weapon, she dropped her nunchaku, and started forward. Quistis could hardly tell confidence from recklessness as she strode over the threshold and out of the diagnostic center. Irvine finally brought his gun down as she passed into his line of fire. The dragon stayed hunched forward in place. Its growl subsided as Selphie continued approaching. Her own movements became slower and more deliberate with every step, doubtless to show she meant no harm. Then again, it could have just as likely been fear; however brave a front she put on, it surely couldn't be easy for her to face down something so fearsome.

"Hey," she gently spoke to the beast, holding her arms up in front of her. "It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you anymore. Promise. You're friendly, right?"

Quistis couldn't believe what a display of insanity she was allowing to proceed. In any other case, she would have raced out, lassoed the girl with her whip if need be, and dragged her back by force. Instead, she merely ambled up beside Irvine, content to watch things play out. If the writing on the wall could be believed, Selphie ought to be in no real danger. Before long, she'd come to stand just before its snout, and reached out one hand. All was silent but for the sounds of the ocean upon the evening breeze. She touched the tip of its nose, and gave it a light stroke. Almost predictably, there came no sign of animosity from the dragon. It instead simply bowed its head further down, allowing her hand to run further along the length of its face. She obliged, continuing to pet the creature for longer than anyone else alive could have dared to.

"Well, fuck me!" Liza exhaled.

"I'm not even gonna pretend I understand what's happening anymore," Irvine grumbled.

Quistis said nothing at all. She was yet again at a loss for words. Before she could find them, the familiar beating of wings came into earshot. She craned her neck up just in time to see the other dragon coming in for a landing. It touched down with a mighty thump just beside its brethren, momentarily throwing Selphie off balance. She toppled over right onto the first one's snout, and reached out for its horns to steady herself. The next moment, it raised its neck up towards the sky. She let out a shriek as she was carried into the air along with it, and began sliding down its back.

"Selphie!" Quistis called her name as she bolted out to intervene.

The dragon's retracted wings halted her before she could tumble any further. After a moment, she flipped herself around to where she was straddling the creature's lower neck, and peered down over its shoulder.

"I'm… I'm alright!" she anxiously called out.

Satisfied for the moment, Quistis turned her attention to the dark blue second one with gold fringes. She assumed it to be the one that had left the password clawed in the wall; the other had been preoccupied with their life vests.

"We… we found your message, and we've read through the journal," she spoke to it; even as she did, her mind refused to accept the situation for how plainly ludicrous it was. "We're not here to cause you two any trouble. We just want to get back aboard our ship, and it looks like stopping that creature is the only way."

"Hold on," Irvine cut in as he strolled up beside her. "If these two really aren't looking to eat us, can't we just fly them back to the Garden? Hey, you guys wouldn't mind giving us and our friends a lift, would you?"

Neither gave any kind of response to his request, whether vocal or physical. With all she'd learned, Quistis knew better than to assume they hadn't understood him, or her for that matter. It was obvious what they were after.

"They want us to help them," she answered, turning back to the dragons. "That thing is feeding off the energy below, right? And you need us to find a way down there to cut off its supply."

The dark blue dragon snorted as it bowed its head. Evidently, it could indeed understand human language whether spoken or written.

"Then we'll do it," she accepted. "We'll wait until it surfaces again. Then, while you two are keeping it distracted, we'll head down there and see what we can do. Deal?"

This time, both lowered their heads, forcing Selphie to re-secure her grip on the one's scales. And so, the pact was sealed. Regardless of how many questions were still swirling through Quistis' mind, one thing was for certain: with or without the aid of the inexplicably intelligent dragons, their escape from the research center was contingent on putting an end to the monster from the depths. Any help would be better than none. At the very least, they now had two less enemies in the vicinity to worry about.

She turned to Irvine, his eyebrow cocked in skepticism. Then to Liza, still as a marble statue just behind, and nearly as white. And then, as she turned back towards the diagnostic center, there were Squall and the others all standing just inside the hole, open mouthed and wide-eyed. She barely stifled a chuckle at the sight of them; it was very possible the absurdity of it all was making her delirious.

"We made some new friends while you were gone!" Selphie called over from her perch. "Come say hi!"