13
CHAPTER 13 – DOOMSDAY IN MOTION
"Sit him down over there."
The guards escorted Raijin to the indicated chair at the end of the table. Fujin sat beside. Stern as her face was, the look in her eye told another story. He could tell it was relief, the same as he felt to see her again after days spent in solitary confinement. The magnetic restraints were removed from both his wrists as he was forced down into the seat. And then, just as promptly, the guards saluted and saw themselves to the door.
Rubbing his newly freed wrists, Raijin took the opportunity to glance around the cramped interview room. Predictably, it wasn't much to look at. The walls were plain drab white, absent any of the colorful ornamentation which had adorned the palace halls; only a pair of security cameras had been fixed below the ceiling. There were no other furnishings besides the table and chairs, both composed of cold, rigid steel. It was barely a step up from the cell he'd been given.
By contrast, the robes of the two men seated opposite popped out against their dreary surroundings. Though their sleeves were pristine white fabric, a wide streak of color ran from their shoulders straight down the torso, decorated with gold trimming upon each curve in the design. The man straight across from Raijin wore brown; he looked slender in build, the color scheme only a few shades removed from his natural features. The other was dressed in green; his frame was significantly taller and wider, with a prominent scar on the left side of his pale face. Laid on the table in front of them were a pair of electronic readers.
"Commissioner Seagill," the first introduced himself. "Head of Esthar City's security division. I'd planned on questioning each of you individually, but it seems your friend here isn't very inclined to speak without you present."
"Well, she's… jus' not too talkative as a rule, y'know?" Raijin bashfully replied. He ruffled his hair as he briefly glanced towards Fujin. "It's got nothin' to do with me."
"I see… well, that's fine, I suppose. He's not exactly one for small talk, either."
The commissioner gestured to the hulking man in green at his side. Sure enough, there came no response from him but a roll of the eyes. Though he hadn't introduced himself, Raijin didn't have to think very hard to figure what purpose he served at the table. His broad neck and chiseled jaw spoke well enough to the muscles concealed beneath his robes, just as the scar did to his experience in the field. This man was clearly a cut above the standard grunt. There would be no need for additional guards stationed inside the room with him on hand.
"So, why don't we cut right to the chase, then? Who are you two?"
Raijin frowned as he turned back to his own partner. Though he'd anticipated an interrogation ever since awakening in his holding cell, he'd consistently grappled with what to tell them when the time came. Associating themselves with Galbadia was out of the question. But then, would SeeD be any better? They were intruders regardless, unwelcome guests of a regime they knew little to nothing about.
"We're… students of Balamb Garden," he finally said. "SeeDs in training, y'know?"
"So I've gathered," Seagill responded, reaching into his robes.
His hand returned clutching a pair of silver metal spheres. He placed both on the table beside his reader before gently twirling one around with his fingers.
"And what is it that's brought you so far from home in these troubled times?"
"Friend," Fujin spoke before Raijin could come up with anything better.
"Your friend?" Seagill echoed curiously. "The two of you can't be older than the war. What friend would you have in Esthar?"
"It's a long story, y'know?"
"And lucky for you, we have nowhere better to be."
With nothing else for it, Raijin proceeded to sum up the events of the last several months as best he could. He skirted around the details of their occupation of Balamb, or anything else which could potentially incriminate him and Fujin as having been part of the enemy faction. The commissioner said little, the other man still nothing at all. Both took the occasional note down on their readers, but otherwise let him speak largely uninterrupted. Neither appeared particularly surprised by what information he had to share on the sorceress; apparently, they already had a firm enough grasp on the state of the outside world. Nor did they seem fazed by the threat of Galbadia moving in from the north.
"From the sound of it, this friend of yours might be too far gone by now," Seagill said bluntly.
"Not a chance," Raijin countered. "He'll listen to us."
"Posse," Fujin backed him up.
"You really think so? Well, in any event, I can assure you that we're prepared for a fight should it come down to that. Not that I expect it to. You two are the first in 17 years to break through the border."
"Squall?" Fujin blurted out.
"Oh, yeah! Where's he at?" Raijin followed up; he'd all but completely forgotten about him in the heat of the moment. "He'll be able to tell you guys a hell of a lot more 'bout what they're up to than us, y'know?"
"I'm sorry?"
For the first time, the commissioner and his aide's faces showed clear confusion.
"The other guy who came in with us, y'know? All dressed in black? Had this girl with him?"
Seagill abruptly turned his eyes down to his reader. Streams of letters and numbers flew by as he rapidly scrolled through its contents from top to bottom.
"There's no record of anyone else entering the city but you two," he calmly said.
"You're shittin' me!" Raijin roared. "He was right there with us when we got gassed, y'know!"
"Easy now. Don't get excitable. Just tell us who this person is. Another member of your 'posse', I take it?"
"Not exactly. He's from Balamb like us, but… well, he's never really wanted to be part of any group."
"Loner," Fujin added.
"Yeah, far as we've known him, y'know? Now, though… it's lookin' like he's turned over a new leaf."
"Because he came all this way with you?" Seagill prodded.
"Nah, we jus' happened to meet up crossin' the lake. He's got his own reasons for comin' here, y'know?"
"Ellone," Fujin added.
Instantly, both their interrogators' eyes bulged.
"What… did you just say?" the commissioner stammered, visibly unsettled.
The reaction gave Raijin pause. Perhaps being so forthcoming on this matter would only lead them to trouble, after all. Now that Fujin had opened the door however, there was no hand-waving their familiarity with the girl away.
"We don't really get it either, y'know? He told us he came here to see Ellone, to figure out why his lady friend's gone into a coma. Said she had some kinda strange power that could help."
There came no follow-up question for a long time. Seagill and his counterpart hastily typed away on their tablets; whatever the reason, they were certainly doing more than just taking his statement down.
"And what does any of that mean to you?" he eventually asked.
"Not a whole lot. We're jus' goin' off of what he told us. Well, that an' we got it on authority that the sorceress wants Ellone for somethin', too. What she's after… well, I don't have a clue on that one, y'know?"
"And I suppose you wouldn't know that she's been missing for the last two days either, would you?"
"I'm tellin' you guys, we… wait, what?"
It took a moment for the comment to register. By the time it did, his train of thought had completely derailed.
"You heard me," Seagill said with a stern glower. "She hasn't been seen anywhere around the palace since Wednesday. We've scoured the city high and low, but come up with nothing. Curiously, her disappearance happens to line up perfectly with the two of you being detained. And now you tell me this other person you allegedly came in with was on an explicit mission to find her. How do you think that looks?"
If true, Raijin had no issue connecting the dots. Regardless, he couldn't believe Squall could have pulled such a stunt; he'd seen him go down alongside them in a cloud of noxious fumes.
"Coincidence," Fujin asserted.
"There's no way," he agreed. "An' you better not be tryin' to pin it on us, y'know?"
"I never said I was," Seagill clarified. "I just find the timing very suspicious. That, and why you didn't see fit to bring this up earlier. So, let's rewind a bit. I want you to tell me exactly what-"
He was cut off as the door suddenly flew open. Raijin jumped in his seat as he turned to face the uniformed officer standing in its frame.
"Commissioner!"
"Damn it, don't just barge in while we're in the middle of an interrogation!" Seagill angrily snapped as he rose out of his seat.
"I'm sorry, sir," the man hurriedly apologized. "But it's an emergency! The Lunatic Pandora has been sighted off the coast of the Mordred Plains!"
"What?!"
The commissioner caught hold of the back of his chair to steady himself. Though his perpetually silent aide remained so, his face no longer reflected any inkling of stoicism; his eyes were wide, his chiseled jaw left hanging open as he stared dumbfounded at the officer.
"Has the president been informed? And Dr. Odine?"
"The president is being briefed as we speak, but we can't seem to find Dr. Odine anywhere."
"Damn it all!" Seagill raged. He slammed his clenched fist down on the table, generating a stronger tremor than Raijin would have expected given his bodily dimensions. "First Ellone, and now… alright, send out word to every precinct. I want any and all available troopers on standby for a potential code red. Tell them to be ready to start directing the people underground, ASAP. For all we know, there might already be a Lunar Cry in progress. What are you waiting for?! Go!"
Without even bothering to salute, nor close the door, the officer bolted down the hall. The commissioner stepped forward, took hold of the handle, and then stopped. He turned his head back, his steely eyes swiveling between Fujin and Raijin.
"Ellone will have to wait. Your friend and Galbadia are toying with power beyond their understanding. We're all doomed if they manage to get the Pandora operational."
"Explain!" Fujin insisted.
"Yeah, you wanna tell us what the hell this thing even is?" Raijin moaned.
"You wouldn't believe me if I did. It doesn't matter, anyway. This interview's over. Now's the time to figure out how we're going to neutralize the situation. Ward, escort them back to their cells."
"We can help, y'know?!"
He shot up in tandem with the muscular aide, throwing out one hand on the table to steady himself.
"We didn't come all this way for nothin'. Let us go out there an' talk with him! Maybe we can settle this all here and now, y'know?"
"Negotiation!" Fujin summarized.
"You're both crazy," Seagill snorted incredulously. "And way out of your depth. You think they're just going to let you waltz on in?"
"Seifer will see us," Raijin declared.
"How can you be so certain?"
He hesitated. Try as he might to wrack his brain for the right words, it was no use. Ultimately however, his heart proved more than up to the task.
"'Cause of everythin' we've been through together, y'know? All the time we've shared. All the memories we've made. We were just a buncha misfits, y'know? The kids nobody understood, or wanted anythin' to do with. We'd act out 'cause we wanted the attention. We wanted someplace to belong, with people we could really relate to, y'know? An' at the end of the day, that's what brought us together. A family full o' delinquents. But it was still a family, y'know? An' family stick by each other through thick an' thin.
"We're not perfect. Nobody is, y'know? Seifer's gotten under my skin plenty o' times. An' Fujin… well, I don't know if I'd have had it in me to forgive him the way she did a few years back. But we've kept it together all this time 'cause we understand each other. Deep down, we're all still lonely kids lookin' for a place to call home, y'know? But together… that's when we're at our best. An' that's why we'll do whatever it takes to get him back on the right track, an' keep him there."
He finally reigned himself in. For however passionately he'd spoken, it seemed none of it made a difference to his interrogators.
"Pretty words, I'll give you that," Seagill replied dismissively.
"Honest," Fujin muttered with one hand held up to her eye-patch.
"You never had someone you were willin' to go the distance for?" Raijin fired back.
The commissioner said nothing in return. Simultaneously, he and his partner turned their heads to one another. Both their faces wore a curious expression, its meaning impossible to tell. An awkward silence lingered as they stared each other down, neither giving an inch. Seagill at last broke eye contact after what felt like an eternity, and cleared his throat.
"I suppose the president is the one who has the final say in these matters," he said. "I'll mention it to him once his briefing's finished."
"Thanks," Raijin replied, bowing his head. He knew it was the most he could reasonably ask for.
"Grateful," Fujin said, mirroring him.
With a hand-wave to his aide, the commissioner stepped out the door. Raijin willingly let himself be taken by the arm and escorted out right after. Whatever kind of man the president of Esthar was, he only hoped he might by some chance be sympathetic to their cause. They'd traveled too far and pushed too hard to be stopped now. They would bring Seifer home, no matter the cost.
Though the group's gasoline supply had been enough to get them across the Horizon Bridge, it hadn't lasted much longer. They'd traced the winding dirt trail heading north along the coastline for as long as they were able. To one side loomed the Nortes Mountains, a nigh impassible barrier into Esthar beyond. To the other, a precarious drop down a rocky cliff-side to the waves. It was all new to Irvine; to his knowledge, they were among the first foreigners in nearly two decades to set foot on the continent. Yet what splendor it may have commanded was hopelessly upstaged by the great monolith still hovering in the distance.
They'd snaked their way along the edge for more than an hour before the gas light blinked on. Unbelievably, the distance cleared was minuscule; the gleaming metal prism looked barely any closer by the time the transport eventually sputtered out. They continued ahead on foot with what supplies they could carry, stopping to make camp once the sun had set. However antsy Irvine was to keep moving forward, he recognized the futility. Impenetrable pitch black shrouded their surroundings. Attempting to traverse the ridge in the dark would be suicidal.
They were off again the next morning, Quistis leading the way at a brisk pace. Her determination shone through with every step; no cragged patch of rock beneath her feet could slow her, nor even the dishearteningly slow rate at which the monolith grew bigger. Zell and Selphie seemed to have no trouble keeping up just behind her. And though Irvine trailed a fair ways to the rear, it wasn't for any lack of physical endurance. He routinely scanned his eyes across the mountains, wary for any sign of movement. Many a rocky outcrop thus far could have made for an adequate sniping position. Remote as the region appeared to be, it was enemy territory nevertheless.
Despite the laudable amount of ground they'd covered, by the end of the day, the towering metal monstrosity was still far out of reach. Given the distance it had already been visible from, Irvine couldn't fathom its dimensions. Galbadia Garden had been his life-long benchmark for massive structures, matched only by its Balamb and Trabia counterparts. Not only was this clearly bigger, he wondered if it could perhaps fit all three within its shell, one atop the other. It only piqued his curiosity further as to what actually lay inside.
Let's just hope it's not another science experiment gone wrong…
Where the previous night's discussion around the campfire was rife with enthusiasm at having made it across the bridge, little now remained. It would doubtless take another day of fording the uneven, rocky terrain on foot. Moreover, they still had no indication that theirs was the same route Squall had taken. They could only assume the monolith's sheer size had attracted his attention just the same. And on top of everything, they knew nothing of its purpose, nor what they would find once they'd reached its base. All they could glean was that it must have been a product of Esthar. Provided all three Gardens had indeed been constructed by the country's technicians, as Quistis claimed, they were likely the only ones who could have built it.
By the afternoon of the third day, they had finally stepped into the looming shadow of the metal prism. Their trail of choice gradually drifted off the beaten path and up the nearby slopes. It was as much a strategic decision as one dictated by the changing landscape; there was no guarantee what kind of reception they would be met with upon arrival. Their caution was vindicated by the time they reached an overlook from which to observe the coastline below. They ducked down behind a nearby clump of protruding rock for cover, and peeked out over top. The monolith hovered in place on the rim, accessible by a wide metal ramp deployed from its bottom-most level. The scope of its full frame blocked out any view of the ocean beyond. Just craning his neck up far enough to see the top was a challenge for Irvine. Yet, what most caught his interest were the milling infantry on the ground. They traversed the expanse amid a variety of pried open shipping containers, those not standing guard atop the ramp all slowly making their way aboard.
"Those uniforms!" Zell remarked. Indeed, Irvine had noticed immediately the familiar blue and silver colors, along with the occasional black and red of Galbadia Garden among them.
"I guess that settles where they all retreated to after the battle," Quistis muttered.
"But where the heck did they get this thing from?!" Selphie gawked.
Irvine had no idea. As the prior months he'd spent with the group had proven, there was so much more to Galbadia's military arsenal than he'd ever been privy to in his education. The mobile ocean research center had already driven that point home well enough. This, however, was on another level entirely.
"What's it even for?" he added. "I'm guessing nothing good."
"We'll just have to head on in and find out," Quistis said.
"How?" Zell asked. "There's no way we're gonna be able to walk right in there without being noticed."
"Maybe not all of us."
She flitted her eyes straight past him to Irvine. It took another moment before he realized they were not fixated on his own, but rather just below. He glanced down to his chest. In a flash, he understood. Though he couldn't have anticipated the scenario, he was perfectly dressed for it all the same. And despite his uniform's slight charring still left over from the dragon's fire breath, he doubted it would be any worse for wear than those of the sorceress' knights. Had the Battle of the Gardens not left their outfits ragged, surely two months spent in the wilderness would have.
"I'll be expecting backup the minute you hear gunshots," he said, motioning to the assault rifle on his back.
"We'll all come running!" Selphie assured him.
"Just don't go sticking your neck out further than you have to," Quistis warned. "A quick look over the interior will do. Just enough to give us an idea what we're up against."
"Don't think there's gonna be anything quick about this," Irvine muttered as he looked the monolith up and down once more.
"How's 30 minutes sound, then? Get in, get out, and report to us whatever you find. We're not going to learn anything else just standing around out here. Now, move!"
He immediately resented her bossy attitude; for however much she'd forgotten of their time at the orphanage, some habits had still clearly persisted. He knew she was right, however. The moment called for infiltration, and he was the one among them perfectly outfitted for it. He nodded, turned, and slowly began making his way down the rocky incline they stood upon.
Carefully, he crept to the bottom. He kept his eyes on the thinning crowd before him; to his delight, all those out and about were gradually trailing up the boarding ramp, making his approach all the more feasible. Provided he could make it into their midst without being seen, there was no reason he couldn't follow them inside. Taking a glance back up, he could spot no trace of his squad hunkered in place above.
Don't go sticking your own necks too far out, either…
He made it down safely, and quickly took refuge behind the nearest shipping container. A glance inside revealed it to be empty. Another in the monolith's direction gave him the best sign he could ask for: none of the soldiers nor knights were looking in his direction. Satisfied, he ducked back around, straightened his posture, and confidently stepped out into the open. He strode forward, his eyes fixed to the entrance.
His best disguise would be an abundance of swagger, that outwardly expressed aloofness which had kept his ego thriving for years. Once upon a time, he'd had plenty of it in reserve. And yet, unbelievably, maintaining the facade was no longer second nature for him. He'd come a long way in just a few short months. Carrying his rifle in his arms might have alleviated what jitters he felt, albeit at the cost of potentially drawing attention. Regardless, none batted an eye as he made his way up and into the entrance hall.
The span of the chamber was proportional to the width of the boarding ramp. Its circumference must have been at least that of Balamb Garden's main atrium, its height likely even taller. Before him, arrayed in a semi-circle against the looming metal walls, were similar capsule elevators. Their doors were color-coded in addition to their ordered numbering. Five Galbadian troops were clustered around one close to Irvine's position, presumably waiting for it to return. With no particular heading in mind, he crossed over to hitch a ride along with them.
Those attentive saluted him as he approached. The rest were quick to follow as they too took notice. The token gesture reassured him of his disguise; the grunts at least recognized the stature his uniform carried. Whether it would work on a genuine knight was another story; there was no telling how tightly knit a unit they'd become over the last two months. Things would surely fall apart if he were ever asked for his identification. He would need to keep his head down as much as possible to get by, just as when he, Zell, and Selphie had infiltrated the missile base.
The elevator soon descended, and dinged open. He filed aboard after the group of soldiers, waited until they'd selected a floor from the control console, and then picked one of his own at random. Even had he not already seen the monolith's full scope from the outside, the extensive amount of buttons spoke volumes. The lift shot up moments later. Level after level flew by along the metal shaft, the indicator above the doors quickly surpassing Balamb Garden's total floor count. They arrived at the one Irvine had chosen first. To his alarm, it was the door to their backs which opened instead. Fortunately, none of the troops payed his blunder any mind; all five parted ways to allow him through. He casually stepped off, and continued straight ahead without stalling so as not to attract further attention. Only once he heard the doors hiss behind him did he turn his head to take in his surroundings.
The hall was enormous. Its far wall's cold metal paneling looked no different to that of the entrance hall, wrapping around in either direction. The curve was almost impossible to distinguish; the chamber's dimensions were so vast, it could easily be mistaken for a straight, horizontal plane. What struck him even more was its barrenness. Not a soul beside himself stood around the massive ringed hall. The notion wasn't out of the realm of possibility, given how tall the monolith was, and how scant the forces that had fled the battle at Trabia had been.
Probably just made myself look like a moron to those other guys, though…
As he turned back around to give the entire hall a proper look over, he saw the wall segments on the elevator side were divided by evenly spaced swathes of luminous pale green. It was another moment before he realized they were glass windows. He approached cautiously, curious as to what the meaning behind the color could be. What he saw on the other side was unbelievable.
A giant pillar of crystal stood upright in the center. Its dimensions were beyond his ability to fathom; up and down the shaft it stretched, disappearing from sight in either direction. The excavation process must have taken ages, provided it were indeed naturally formed. Dozens, if not hundreds of reinforced struts extended from all around the shaft, boring deep into the crystal from every angle. At first glance, their purpose seemed merely to hold it in place. Given the routinely pulsing yellow light from each however, Irvine couldn't help thinking there might be something more. What that something was, he had no clue.
Forget the research center, what the hell have we gotten ourselves into here?!
He stared open-mouthed for minutes on end. Eventually, it occurred to him that he ought to keep moving. Though the level was still presently abandoned, there was no reason to assume it would stay that way. The last thing he needed was to be caught gawking like a tourist. As he started circling around to better get the lay of the land, a loudspeaker above abruptly exploded, reverberating off the walls.
"All stations prepare for lift-off!" the voice spoke. "Repeat, all stations prepare for lift-off!"
"Shit!" Irvine blurted out loud.
He'd let himself become too preoccupied with the monolith's gleaming centerpiece. Worse yet, he hadn't picked up that the crew were in the midst of making take-off preparations; the troops' hurried boarding outside suddenly took on a new meaning. Perhaps surveilling a more occupied floor would have clued him in faster.
He turned on a dime, bolting back to the nearest elevator, but stumbled as he reached the doors. The speed of the lifts notwithstanding, there was no excuse he could think of that would get him back outside without exposing himself as a spy. And then, the room subtly jerked, throwing him further off balance. It was a feeling he'd become increasingly accustomed to with each time the Garden had cast off from its mooring. Both the monolith and Galbadia's plans were in motion. His heart sunk as the momentum raised him up with the floor.
Well, here comes my second tour of duty…
"What the fuck?!" Zell roared.
The thought didn't even cross Quistis' mind to shush him. She was too taken aback by the sight of the giant metal prism's boarding ramp folding up, retracting back into the mouth of the equally wide, ground-level entrance. What guards had been holding position at its height likewise retreated inward. With no sign of Irvine since he'd snuck inside minutes earlier, she could only assume he was still on board.
"We've gotta get in there!" Selphie yelped, shooting to her feet.
"Hold it!" Quistis cut in. She grabbed hold of the girl's shoulder, and pulled her back down to their level. "It's too late. There's nothing we can-"
She stopped talking as a raucous, mechanical whirring intensified. Turning her head back to the monolith, she saw it begin to rise up ever so slightly from its position beyond the shore; that she could actually notice water coming to sight below assured her that she wasn't imagining things. The sound grew louder as it continued to ascend. She plugged her ears accordingly, and ducked for cover behind the rocks as a mighty gust swept through. Selphie and Zell both followed her example without needing to be instructed; any advisement she could offer would have gone unheard, regardless.
There they stayed huddled together in waiting for minutes on end. Dirt kicked up all around in the storm's wake, sending innumerable stinging grains clawing at Quistis from all sides. Finally risking a peek up, she saw through squinted eyes the underside of the great metal prism as it passed overhead. Its propulsion system carried it onward and upward at a sluggish pace. Given its size, she couldn't imagine it moving much faster. Even so, it was only another minute more until she could see sky again. Steadily the monolith climbed higher, its base drawing close to the stoutest peaks of the mountain range. It seemed it would have no trouble passing over into Esthar.
"C'mon!" Selphie hollered over the still ever-present din. "We've gotta follow it!"
"There's no way we're catching up with that thing on foot!" Zell yelled back.
Quistis silently agreed. Even were they fully equipped with the proper gear to scale the mountain range, the monolith would be untold miles away by the time they made it to the summit. She quickly tore her eyes away from its passing, and set them to work on the ground below. With any luck, there would be a leftover transport for them to commandeer among the emptied cargo containers. Finding reliable passage around the mountains would still be time-consuming, if nowhere near as hazardous. To her dismay, there were none to be found. A fair few Galbadian sea vessels had been left docked on the water beyond the cliff-side, but nothing more. And then, out of the blue, their salvation came roaring onto the scene.
A small convoy of four vehicles sped in along the coast, from the direction opposite the one she and the others had come from. She did not recognize their makes and models. All were silver plated, the leading three sleek and nimble as they drifted to a halt on the edge of the former encampment. The fourth at their rear was practically a tank by comparison; its dimensions were bulkier, its armor seemingly thicker, and its deceleration accordingly slower.
"Who's this, now?" Zell moaned. There was no need for him to shout it out; the monolith had moved on far enough that they could again converse at normal volumes.
As if to give him the answer, the doors to the foremost vehicles opened one after another. Out filed a troop of outfitted Esthar soldiers; though she'd never laid eyes on one in the flesh, their bodysuits were virtually unchanged since the Sorceress War.
"Think they'll give us a lift?" Selphie asked to no one in particular.
"They'd probably just think we're a few stragglers who got left behind," Quistis replied.
More figures proceeded to exit the transports. Four stood out among the otherwise uniform color palette of their collective attire. Two wore flowing white robes with a bold streak running down the center, green and brown respectively. The outfits of the other two looked significantly more ragged and worn: the taller was clad in a tight-fitting vest with baggy black pants, the shorter a tattered blue uniform. Fashion notwithstanding however, it was their physical attributes which piqued Quistis' curiosity more than anything else. From one's tanned, muscular physique, to the other's hair nearly the same shade of silver as the vehicles, they were eerily familiar. Apparently, Zell thought so as well.
"Hold on a sec," he said, disbelievingly.
Quistis turned back to warn him not to go rushing in. To her dismay, he was already skidding down the rocks to the bottom. She instead met Selphie's green eyes staring back at her. The girl shrugged as if to say they might as well follow. However terrible an idea her conscience told her it was, Quistis realized how limited their options were. On top of having no vehicle of their own, their supplies were practically gone. Capture and imprisonment would still be preferable to potentially wasting away in the wilderness. Yet there might also be room for optimism if the pair they'd spotted below were indeed who she thought they were.
Regardless of her apprehension, Zell had already managed to get the soldiers' attention. He raised his hands as they drew their firearms on him. Sure enough, the familiar two bolted in to meet him halfway. With the wheels already set in motion, Quistis stepped out of cover, and carefully started working her way down the incline. By the time she neared the bottom, they'd drawn close enough for her to positively identify.
"Hold up!" Raijin yelled back to the troops following behind. "These guys ain't with them, y'know? They're our pals from Balamb!"
"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Zell called out to him.
"Tryin' to talk Seifer down! Like we said we were gonna back in Balamb, y'know? Esthar's people are sayin' he's probably on that thing right now! What about you guys? You lookin' for Squall?"
"Have you seen him?!" Quistis jumped in as she came running up. That he'd even asked the question at all practically confirmed it.
"Rodger," Fujin said.
"Yeah, we bumped into him a few days ago, y'know? Don't know where he is now, though. These guys weren't even buying that we came in across the border with him, y'know?"
"Don't go putting words in our mouths again."
The comment came from one of the two robed officials. His bodily dimensions were slender where his companion's practically bulged from his regal attire. Both pushed through the cluster of Esthar troops to join the conversation, just as Selphie shuffled into place from behind.
"More friends of yours?" the man asked, skeptically glancing between the three of them.
"We're SeeDs from Balamb Garden," Quistis explained, performing the Garden salute. "We saw that… thing on our way across the bridge, and came here to investigate. We sent one of our team aboard just before it lifted off. Now he's stuck in there."
"And you don't even know how lucky he is," he responded. "Whatever happens to him in there, it'll be merciful compared to what we're all in store for."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Zell spluttered.
"Nothing you can understand. But if you value your lives, I suggest you come along with us. We have to start moving underground before its too late."
Quistis understood nothing of the situation they'd wandered into, nor the implied danger the monolith posed. From the tone in his voice and the look on his face however, she knew better than to distrust this man's judgment.
"We can't just leave Irvine by himself!" Selphie frantically insisted. "We've gotta get inside that thing and back him up!"
"Don't forget about us, y'know?" Raijin cut in. "Just get us inside, and we'll make sure Seifer has that thing shut down."
"Determined!" Fujin barked.
"There's just no way," the man refused. "Not now that the Pandora is mobile. Forget the metal casing, its shields were designed to withstand more damage than we can ever hope to deal to it. There's nothing left we can do but take shelter."
He hung his head in defeat. His larger companion, still yet to speak at all, trodded over beside him, and placed one giant hand on his shoulder in sympathy.
"I don't believe what I'm hearing."
Quistis abruptly turned her head in tandem with everyone present. From beyond the rim of soldiers stepped a man yet unseen by her. His choice of wardrobe was strikingly casual by comparison to every other Esthar representative among them: a light blue collared shirt unbuttoned below the neck, khaki pants, and perhaps most bafflingly of all, sandals. His luscious dark brown hair was tied up in the back, leaving a thick fringe drooping down along the right side of his face. Despite his appearance, the soldiers quickly parted to either side at his approach. Another, larger security detail trailed just behind him.
"This can't be the same guy that got my mopey ass out the door all those years ago," he smirked playfully.
"I thought we agreed you'd stay put in the Tempest," the robed man shot back with a glower. His hulking friend wore a newly fashioned expression of his own, albeit with a cocked eyebrow instead.
"And when's that ever been my style?" the newcomer shrugged. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Fujin and Raijin. "Where there's a will, there's a way. We've got one if you two've got the other."
"Surplus," Fujin replied.
"Damn straight!" Raijin seconded.
"Don't tell me we're in for another big-brained scheme of yours," the robed man scoffed. For how much respect everyone else was so quick to show to the man in sandals, there was clearly something else between these two.
"We'll have to talk on the way if we're gonna make it," he said. Gesturing to Quistis, Zell, and Selphie, he waved them all over as he turned on his heel. "More the merrier, I say! Let's get going, people!"
He traipsed back to the heavily armored car at the convoy's rear with his security detail in tow. Begrudgingly, the two robed aides followed suit along with their assigned troops. Fujin and Raijin were right behind, leaving the three SeeDs standing in place. A glance between Zell and Selphie assured Quistis she wasn't the only one confused. Of every regime that could have prospered in Esthar behind closed borders for so long, she never would have expected a leadership structure so nonchalant. In any case, they seemed amicable to their cause for the moment. That was enough for her. The three nodded to one another, and fell in after them.