MC Falling Into Infinity 04

Part 7: Bookends

It was strange how Squall would turn to duty while his personal life crumbled around him. With the destruction of the mysterious, unmarked ship, he had something to do that occupied his time, kept him from thinking about Rinoa's sudden and palpable absence. True to her word, she had packed her things and left Garden, boarding a train that took her back to Timber. She hadn't even said good-bye to him again. No tearful farewells, no pleading last looks. He had been compelled to stay as the ship was extracted and evidence gathered, and that took most of the day. When he finally crawled to his room for sleep, her things were gone, leaving only a picture on the wall, a memory and a last scent of her perfume in her wake. For the first time in years, or that he could remember at all in fact, Squall Leonhart cried himself to sleep.

He was awoken too soon, not to a knock, but to a hand on his shoulder. Zell Dincht looked grim, yet at the same time concerned. For once, he didn't quite bounce like he was on a constant sugar high, but merely stood there and gave the Commander time to gather his wits and wipe the sleep and dried tears from his eyes. Something was obviously wrong. Where was Selphie? If they were back, then they didn't need to wake him, merely to file their reports and go about their merry ways.

"What's wrong?"

"Selphie's gone, missing since yesterday. I had to fly the Ragnarok back by autopilot. Galbadia's not happy."

Selphie's gone? Squall blinked owlishly at Zell as if he were an alien suddenly. The fog of sleep cleared and he rose from the bed, reaching for his jacket. "When and where was she last seen?" This was serious, he'd deal with the Galbadians another time, probably just not charge them anything even though the escort was needed to get their diplomat there. Selphie, on the other hand, was a much larger concern. Why in the world would someone kidnap her?

"I was with her at the shopping arcade in Esthar. We split up," Zell paused for a moment and shuffled, fidgeting again as he usual did. He honestly felt terrible about this entire situation. It wasn't his fault, and he knew it, but there were the typical doubts. If he'd just stuck with her and endured the shops he had no interest in, maybe he'd have been able to keep her safe. "I didn't think anything would happen to her. I don't know what happened to her, just that she was gone. I looked all over, President Laguna sent out soldiers to search for her. As far as they know, she's not anywhere in the city."

Running a hand through his toussled hair, Squall sighed. Duty called, and as the Commander of Garden, he would have to rise to the challenge. Now, Selphie always seemed a bit scatter-brained to him, but never bad enough to get lost in a place like Esthar, and certainly not without eventually checking in with someone. This meant foul play somehow, and he only prayed that the girl was still alive. He didn't want to deal with Irvine if he had to tell the cowboy his sunflower was dead.

"All right, we'll head for Esthar, start there. I'll radio ahead to my--"Squall paused then. His father. Laguna Loire. He had avoided talking to the man, actually. There was a certain animosity he felt toward him, though he hardly understood it. He had never been a true orphan, not like the others, he was abandoned by his father. Or, at least, that's how he had come to view it. Now, he would have no choice. He only hoped his father decided to stick to the issues of the missing Selphie.

As the Ragnarok lifted into the sky, Squall setting the autopilot course for Esthar, he wondered where Selphie could be, and how in the world he and Zell would find her. If she disappeared seemingly into thin air, there was the possibility they might not ever find her again. After Rinoa's abandonment, the commander wasn't sure he could take that loss as well. Please be ok, Selphie. For all of us.

Part 8: Angels of the Silences

The rain had stopped, finally, by the time Quistis and Irvine reached the Bull's Red Eye, the only place in all of the phonebook directory that even remotely matched the title they'd gotten off that sign. Even turning down that paticular street, the cowboy's keen eyesight realized this was it. Somewhere near here was the spot where Seifer had filmed that introduction. Of course, this could be a cold trail by now, for who knew when he'd made that datatape. Rebellion groups were notorious for changing hangouts and bases of operations. It was good policy if one wanted to remain alive and active. Still, it could provide them a clue, perhaps two.

Quistis had assumed her leadership stance again, which had irritated the cowboy all afternoon. She seemed especially cross lately, the more they were forced to work together. Figuring he'd hurt her pride by smoothing talking the contacts without her, he'd attempted to be rather docile about her irritations. But, after she'd snapped at him for the third or fourth time, over something utterly trivial, he'd lost his temper and the two of them started shouting at one another on the carriage. The driver even had to stop and ask them to please be quiet or he'd make them to get off and walk. Chagrinned, the two immediately shut up, glaring at each other silently. Irvine had no idea what was eating away at her, but he wasn't going to continue to put up with it. Selphie never snapped at him like that, after all. It wasn't something he was accustomed to.

For her part, Quistis didn't really mean to act so utterly cross with the cowboy. His presence, however, got under her skin in a way that she simply didn't understand. Crowded against him on the carriage, she'd felt his warmth, and couldn't help but glance over at him to watch the breeze wind through his auburn hair. This was not something she knew how to handle, nor could she make it just go away. She was a SeeD specialist, not some thirteen year old Cadet with her first crush. Still, she remembered how she'd felt for Squall originally and though she had felt close to him, she had never felt this sort of heat being near him. This was something entirely new and she did not like one bit of it. Irvine was a rather good looking man, but he was too young for her. She was not attracted to him. She simply was not attracted to him! Zell didn't do this sort of thing to her. From now on she would definately insist he accompany her on missions.

So, when Irvine had accidently elbowed her when the carriage suddenly turned, Quistis had snapped at him for it. It was an accident, and had anyone else done it she'd have accepted it without more then a sarcastic comment. This time, she lost it. All her cool and calm SeeDly demeanor right out the side of the carriage. And, to her amazement, the normally laid back cowboy had stood his ground and shouted right back at her. After both were admonished, she sulked, refusing to look at him, refusing to acknowledge his presence beside her, even as his scent invaded her senses. Why was life so cruel?

Luckily, she managed to distract herself as the carriage dropped them off at the edge of the seedier area of Deling. It seemed somewhat darker here, the streets in disrepair, the litter here far more prolifferate. This was a well known crime area. The Galbadian police rarely patrolled it unless absolutely necessary and the criminal element was known to take root and flourish amongst the poverty. Both their bad moods seem to fade, duty and precaution replacing flaring tempers. The Bull's Red Eye was a bar somewhere in the center of the street. Once the sign was located, they began to search the general area. Windows were the primary target, seeking one that might have the proper angle from which that camera could have gotten the right shot.

It was Irvine who first discovered it, gesturing for Quistis to join him. The building itself was two story, and not a shop of any sort. It looked like a warehouse. Most notable to him, however, was a basement level, twin windows on opposite sides of the entryway. Crouching down, he boldly peered into the first window, resting a hand against it to block out the light and allow him to see the interior better. Quistis had to resist the urge to smack him for that. Someone could be down there and see him peering in. Not only did he have no propriety, but he obviously wasn't thinking either. But, it was too late now, and the cowboy suddenly seemed rather excited, glancing at her from over his shoulder to gesture toward the window. She kneeled down beside him and found herself repeating the same actions she'd cursed him for. White washed walls greeted her gaze, as well as the chair and table. They'd found the film sight.

And apparently a lot more.

"Ok, cowboy, instructor, hands up. This ain't a stick up, and please, do try something," a familiar voice quipped. With a sigh, Irvine rose to his feet, turning as Quistis did as he laced his hands behind his head. And there stood Seifer in all his arrogant glory, holding a firearm on the SeeD pair.

"You know, you guys are really slipping. SeeD not offering you refresher courses?" Seifer said, grinning at the pair as he gestured for them to head up the stairs of the building. "Fuujin, open the door, we got ourselves a pair of stoolies."

Reluctantly, the pair entered as the white haired Fuujin held the door open for them, Seifer chuckling all the way in behind them. He'd seen the two arrive, and even start poking around. He'd been amazed they'd located the hideout, though Fuujin had nearly been kicking him in the shins for days now that it was time to go. He'd learn to follow her intuition from now on, he guessed. Now, the problem lay in what to do with them. He wasn't going to kill these two, as he would any of the Galbadian spies. But, it was rather obvious that Frankard Deling was tired of losing his investigators and under cover officers while trying to snuff out the Freedom Front, the most powerful of the rebellion groups that plagued the current establishment. So now they were sending in SeeDs, no doubt hired without anyone even realizing the situation going on over here. Oh he figured he could probably appeal to the cowboy's bleeding heart, but Quistis, that was another matter entirely. She was just another of Squall's flunkies, a jilted lover in his eyes who still mooned over her former student. And if she refused to join, more then likely the cowboy would refuse too. Loyal to the end.

But, he could always try.

To be continued....

NExT...


	Part 7: Bookends It was strange how Squall would turn to duty while his personal life crumbled around him. With the destruction of the mysterious, unmarked ship, he had something to do that occupied his time, kept him from thinking about Rinoa's sudden and palpable absence. True to her word, she had packed her things and left Garden, boarding a train that took her back to Timber. She hadn't even said good-bye to him again. No tearful farewells, no pleading last looks. He had been compelled to stay as the ship was extracted and evidence gathered, and that took most of the day. When he finally crawled to his room for sleep, her things were gone, leaving only a picture on the wall, a memory and a last scent of her perfume in her wake. For the first time in years, or that he could remember at all in fact, Squall Leonhart cried himself to sleep. He was awoken too soon, not to a knock, but to a hand on his shoulder. Zell Dincht looked grim, yet at the same time concerned. For once, he didn't quite bounce like he was on a constant sugar high, but merely stood there and gave the Commander time to gather his wits and wipe the sleep and dried tears from his eyes. Something was obviously wrong. Where was Selphie? If they were back, then they didn't need to wake him, merely to file their reports and go about their merry ways. "What's wrong?" "Selphie's gone, missing since yesterday. I had to fly the Ragnarok back by autopilot. Galbadia's not happy." Selphie's gone? Squall blinked owlishly at Zell as if he were an alien suddenly. The fog of sleep cleared and he rose from the bed, reaching for his jacket. "When and where was she last seen?" This was serious, he'd deal with the Galbadians another time, probably just not charge them anything even though the escort was needed to get their diplomat there. Selphie, on the other hand, was a much larger concern. Why in the world would someone kidnap her? "I was with her at the shopping arcade in Esthar. We split up," Zell paused for a moment and shuffled, fidgeting again as he usual did. He honestly felt terrible about this entire situation. It wasn't his fault, and he knew it, but there were the typical doubts. If he'd just stuck with her and endured the shops he had no interest in, maybe he'd have been able to keep her safe. "I didn't think anything would happen to her. I don't know what happened to her, just that she was gone. I looked all over, President Laguna sent out soldiers to search for her. As far as they know, she's not anywhere in the city." Running a hand through his toussled hair, Squall sighed. Duty called, and as the Commander of Garden, he would have to rise to the challenge. Now, Selphie always seemed a bit scatter-brained to him, but never bad enough to get lost in a place like Esthar, and certainly not without eventually checking in with someone. This meant foul play somehow, and he only prayed that the girl was still alive. He didn't want to deal with Irvine if he had to tell the cowboy his sunflower was dead. "All right, we'll head for Esthar, start there. I'll radio ahead to my--"Squall paused then. His father. Laguna Loire. He had avoided talking to the man, actually. There was a certain animosity he felt toward him, though he hardly understood it. He had never been a true orphan, not like the others, he was abandoned by his father. Or, at least, that's how he had come to view it. Now, he would have no choice. He only hoped his father decided to stick to the issues of the missing Selphie. As the Ragnarok lifted into the sky, Squall setting the autopilot course for Esthar, he wondered where Selphie could be, and how in the world he and Zell would find her. If she disappeared seemingly into thin air, there was the possibility they might not ever find her again. After Rinoa's abandonment, the commander wasn't sure he could take that loss as well. Please be ok, Selphie. For all of us. Part 8: Angels of the Silences The rain had stopped, finally, by the time Quistis and Irvine reached the Bull's Red Eye, the only place in all of the phonebook directory that even remotely matched the title they'd gotten off that sign. Even turning down that paticular street, the cowboy's keen eyesight realized this was it. Somewhere near here was the spot where Seifer had filmed that introduction. Of course, this could be a cold trail by now, for who knew when he'd made that datatape. Rebellion groups were notorious for changing hangouts and bases of operations. It was good policy if one wanted to remain alive and active. Still, it could provide them a clue, perhaps two. Quistis had assumed her leadership stance again, which had irritated the cowboy all afternoon. She seemed especially cross lately, the more they were forced to work together. Figuring he'd hurt her pride by smoothing talking the contacts without her, he'd attempted to be rather docile about her irritations. But, after she'd snapped at him for the third or fourth time, over something utterly trivial, he'd lost his temper and the two of them started shouting at one another on the carriage. The driver even had to stop and ask them to please be quiet or he'd make them to get off and walk. Chagrinned, the two immediately shut up, glaring at each other silently. Irvine had no idea what was eating away at her, but he wasn't going to continue to put up with it. Selphie never snapped at him like that, after all. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. For her part, Quistis didn't really mean to act so utterly cross with the cowboy. His presence, however, got under her skin in a way that she simply didn't understand. Crowded against him on the carriage, she'd felt his warmth, and couldn't help but glance over at him to watch the breeze wind through his auburn hair. This was not something she knew how to handle, nor could she make it just go away. She was a SeeD specialist, not some thirteen year old Cadet with her first crush. Still, she remembered how she'd felt for Squall originally and though she had felt close to him, she had never felt this sort of heat being near him. This was something entirely new and she did not like one bit of it. Irvine was a rather good looking man, but he was too young for her. She was not attracted to him. She simply was not attracted to him! Zell didn't do this sort of thing to her. From now on she would definately insist he accompany her on missions. So, when Irvine had accidently elbowed her when the carriage suddenly turned, Quistis had snapped at him for it. It was an accident, and had anyone else done it she'd have accepted it without more then a sarcastic comment. This time, she lost it. All her cool and calm SeeDly demeanor right out the side of the carriage. And, to her amazement, the normally laid back cowboy had stood his ground and shouted right back at her. After both were admonished, she sulked, refusing to look at him, refusing to acknowledge his presence beside her, even as his scent invaded her senses. Why was life so cruel? Luckily, she managed to distract herself as the carriage dropped them off at the edge of the seedier area of Deling. It seemed somewhat darker here, the streets in disrepair, the litter here far more prolifferate. This was a well known crime area. The Galbadian police rarely patrolled it unless absolutely necessary and the criminal element was known to take root and flourish amongst the poverty. Both their bad moods seem to fade, duty and precaution replacing flaring tempers. The Bull's Red Eye was a bar somewhere in the center of the street. Once the sign was located, they began to search the general area. Windows were the primary target, seeking one that might have the proper angle from which that camera could have gotten the right shot. It was Irvine who first discovered it, gesturing for Quistis to join him. The building itself was two story, and not a shop of any sort. It looked like a warehouse. Most notable to him, however, was a basement level, twin windows on opposite sides of the entryway. Crouching down, he boldly peered into the first window, resting a hand against it to block out the light and allow him to see the interior better. Quistis had to resist the urge to smack him for that. Someone could be down there and see him peering in. Not only did he have no propriety, but he obviously wasn't thinking either. But, it was too late now, and the cowboy suddenly seemed rather excited, glancing at her from over his shoulder to gesture toward the window. She kneeled down beside him and found herself repeating the same actions she'd cursed him for. White washed walls greeted her gaze, as well as the chair and table. They'd found the film sight. And apparently a lot more. "Ok, cowboy, instructor, hands up. This ain't a stick up, and please, do try something," a familiar voice quipped. With a sigh, Irvine rose to his feet, turning as Quistis did as he laced his hands behind his head. And there stood Seifer in all his arrogant glory, holding a firearm on the SeeD pair. "You know, you guys are really slipping. SeeD not offering you refresher courses?" Seifer said, grinning at the pair as he gestured for them to head up the stairs of the building. "Fuujin, open the door, we got ourselves a pair of stoolies." Reluctantly, the pair entered as the white haired Fuujin held the door open for them, Seifer chuckling all the way in behind them. He'd seen the two arrive, and even start poking around. He'd been amazed they'd located the hideout, though Fuujin had nearly been kicking him in the shins for days now that it was time to go. He'd learn to follow her intuition from now on, he guessed. Now, the problem lay in what to do with them. He wasn't going to kill these two, as he would any of the Galbadian spies. But, it was rather obvious that Frankard Deling was tired of losing his investigators and under cover officers while trying to snuff out the Freedom Front, the most powerful of the rebellion groups that plagued the current establishment. So now they were sending in SeeDs, no doubt hired without anyone even realizing the situation going on over here. Oh he figured he could probably appeal to the cowboy's bleeding heart, but Quistis, that was another matter entirely. She was just another of Squall's flunkies, a jilted lover in his eyes who still mooned over her former student. And if she refused to join, more then likely the cowboy would refuse too. Loyal to the end. But, he could always try. To be continued.... NExT...