Quistis had recovered from the initial shock of the incident-as much as she would for now, in any case. As a member of as paramilitary force, violence was a part of the job. She couldn't escape it. It clung to her like the stench of smoke after a night in a seedy bar. The only thing that she could do to keep her sanity was to learn to distance herself from it enough to complete the task at hand. Later, in the comfort and privacy of her quarters, she could release her pent-up fears and frustration in whatever way she saw fit. But not here. Not now.
She had to get to the bottom of this, before another war tore across the continents.
She'd had no luck in obtaining any information prior to the missile attacks, but then she'd already determined that she was going about it the wrong way. What was it that Zell had said?
Maybe someone had put something in the system, instead of taking information away. That was it. She began her scans again, looking for new data that would have just been inserted.
Nothing. Quistis pounded her head against the console. After a moment, she raised her head and stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes filled with desperation.
Of course there would be nothing new in the system, she reasoned. If it were coded as a new file, she would have picked it up in her initial review of the data files. It would have been dated so that it would not arouse any attention. The date on the file would have catalogued it somewhere where it could be camouflaged.
Quistis bit her lip as she typed. The only place that didn't incur standard maintenance was the boot file folder, containing the initial instructions for the system on start-up. No one ever used that aspect of the system, since it ran constantly. The screen flashed through the files, and Quistis waited, tapping her fingers in anticipation.
There it was.
"Oh, Hyne," Quistis muttered, printing the data on the screen. She tore off the page from the printer and ran for the door. She had to warn Cid before anyone else found out.
Caraway looked around at the faces of his staff members. The tableau before him was one of tense fury and impotent rage. Someone had sabotaged Galbadia Garden's computer system in order to set up Galbadia as the scapegoat for an international war. All of the men gathered around the table wanted a piece of whoever had done this, but unless the technicians at Garden could come up with anything further, it didn't look as though that was going to happen anytime soon.
"Sir," the tech called from the computer bank. "We have a lock on the missiles. They are in range."
Caraway waved an impatient hand. "Fire when ready."
The tech saluted, entering the commands. Moments later, the distant rumble of jet engines igniting shook the foundations of the Presidential Palace. Caraway strode to the computer bank and leaned over the tech's shoulder, watching as the blips that indicated Galbadia's interception missiles made their way toward Esthar's missiles.
Seconds later, the blips intercepted. Five of the seven Esthar missiles disappeared from the screen. The other two remained on a steady course.
Caraway clenched his fist. "How long before we can fire another round?"
The tech shook his head. "Not before those missiles strike," he replied.
Caraway slammed his fist down on the console, making the tech jump. "Not good enough! I want two missiles up to intercept immediately!"
The tech nodded, his fingers flying over the keys. His brow furrowed in confusion, and he tried the combination of commands again.
"Sir," he announced, "controls to the missile silos are offline."
"WHAT?" Caraway bellowed.
"Whoever did this really wanted to make sure that we suffered, didn't they?" one of Caraway's aides interjected.
Caraway stalked back to his seat at the head of the table and prepared for the missiles to strike his city.
Quistis paced in the elevator as Zell stood to one side, his body tense. "What did you find?" he asked.
Quistis shook her head. "This can't be happening," she muttered. The doors opened, and Quistis ran out of the elevator, flinging herself at Cid's office door.
"President Caraway," the tech called, "I have an incoming message from Garden."
Caraway pivoted in his seat. "On speaker."
"Mr. President," the voice began. "We have located the source of the worm."
Quistis shoved the door of Cid's office wide open and burst through, Zell a moment behind her. Inside, the area was a melee of activity. Aides rushed in every direction, shuffling papers and communiqu�s. In middle of all the commotion stood Cid, looking older than Quistis had ever seen him.
"Headmaster!" she cried. "I have information of the highest urgency!"
Cid turned to her, about to reply, when the communications screen behind him lit up. He turned back to see the grim visage of President Caraway glaring at him.
"Too late," Quistis murmured, slumping into a chair and covering her face.
"President Caraway," Cid greeted him. "We are aware of your situation. We are organizing a team of SeeDs to assist in the cleanup efforts in both Galbadia and Esthar."
Caraway cut Cid off with a sharp retort. "I can't speak for Esthar, but if you send SeeDs onto Galbadian soil, I will have them slaughtered."
Cid's face reddened. "I understand your situation, Mr. President. However-"
"Your Garden was the source of the worm that took control of our missile silos and weakened our defenses! How dare you stand there, sanctimonious, and offer your assistance?" Caraway spat.
Cid shook his head. His hands shook, and his eyes were pleading. "President Caraway, I assure you, Balamb Garden had nothing to do with this attack! There must be some mistake."
An aide appeared behind Caraway. "Mr. President, incoming in one minute!"
Caraway nodded, not taking his eyes off Cid. "Your SeeDs served Galbadia well in the past. My dealings with you have been profitable." He huffed a breath through his nose. "I will grant you forty-eight hours to find this mystery culprit. Then I send in my army." Caraway glanced at someone off-screen before glaring at Cid once more. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the bombing of my capital."
The screen went blank, and Cid's shoulders slumped.
Squall watched as the last two missiles disappeared over the horizon. Moments later, there was a blinding flash of light, and a distant shockwave echoed across the Great Salt Lake.
"Rinoa!" Squall yelled. He felt his knees weaken, and he stumbled. Laguna reached out to catch him, bringing him back to his feet.
"There's no guarantee that she's dead, Squall," Laguna reassured him. "They do have bunkers in Deling City as well, you know."
Squall looked at him, then nodded. "Let's get moving."
Cid turned away from the window as the aurora of the missiles' impacts faded on the horizon. "I don't understand, Miss Trepe. How could he think that we had something to do with this? We don't even have access to Galbadia Garden's computer system."
"Yes, we do, Headmaster," Quistis replied softly.
Cid was taken aback. "What?" he breathed, slumping down into his office chair.
Quistis laid the report on Cid's desk. "That's what I was coming here to tell you. Someone hacked into our security system and inserted a worm-a program that allows remote access to another computer system."
"And that system was Galbadia Garden's," Cid deduced.
Quistis nodded.
Cid sighed. "Forty-eight hours." He looked up at Quistis. "Any word from Esthar?"
Quistis shook her head. "Squall is still missing."
Cid leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face. "Try again."
Quistis saluted, turning on heel and heading out of the office. She reached the elevator and slumped against the wall when the doors had closed. Quistis closed her eyes, and she felt the tears roll down her cheeks.
"Squall," she whispered.
"There's the bridge," Squall observed.
"It's a bit of a walk, as I remember," Laguna sighed.
Squall nodded. "Two hours' worth. Of course, I was carrying someone on my back."
Laguna turned to look at him as they trudged toward the bridge. "You mean you walked from FH all the way to Esthar with Rinoa on your back?"
Squall shot him a sidelong glance. "Well, there wasn't any other way that I could see to get her there."
Laguna shook his head. "She must be something special."
Squall half-smiled. "You have no idea."
His smile faded. "I just hope she's all right."
"HALT!"
Squall and Laguna spun around to see a pair of Esthar soldiers, shotguns raised, approaching them slowly. "Keep your hands where we can see them," they ordered.
Laguna and Squall raised their hands over their heads. Laguna laughed. "You guys are out of it," he chuckled. "Do you have any idea who you're trying to arrest?"
The soldier nodded. "Yes, Mr. President. We are ordered to take into custody one Squall Leonhart, on suspicion of kidnapping, and return you safely to Esthar."
Laguna's laughter grew louder. "Kidnapping? Squall? He's..." he caught himself, "...the Commander of Balamb Garden! He'd never..."
The soldier nodded. "We were told to anticipate this, sir. He's obviously convinced you that he's only taking you to safety. We were ordered to bring you back and place Leonhart under arrest, regardless of your protests."
Laguna's leg twitched. "This is not good." His arms dropped, and he clutched his leg.
The soldiers lunged forward. "Mr. President! Are you..."
As the soldiers approached, Laguna jerked his arm upwards, catching the nearest soldier in the chin. The soldier fell back onto the ground, stunned. The other soldier was caught off-guard as he tried to determine a way to restrain his unhinged commander-in-chief without harming him. Squall lunged forward, catching the soldier in the face with a right hook. The soldier stumbled, shook his head, and turned on Squall.
"We were ordered to take you alive, Commander. Don't make this hard," the soldier advised as he approached. "To be honest, I'd rather you had an accident on the way back. It would make my job much easier."
Squall caught the flash of a blade in the soldier's hand. He made a grab for the weapon, and the soldier flicked the knife-edge upward, into Squall's hand. Squall jerked back with a cry of surprise, and he felt the world start to spin around him.
Laguna took advantage of the opportunity and jumped onto the back of the soldier. The other man stumbled under Laguna's weight, and the two men crashed to the ground.
Squall dropped to his knees a few feet away, the world tilting on its axis inside his mind. Laguna looked up to see his son collapse in a heap on the soil a few feet away, and he started to get up. The soldier's hand, gripping his sleeve, stopped him. He looked down and realized that the ground beneath them was slowly pooling with blood.
"Oh, Hyne," he muttered. "The stupid bastard fell on his own knife." He heard a scrambling behind him, and saw the other soldier running back toward Esthar.
"Shit," he gritted. "That's gonna make things a little more difficult." He extricated himself from the grasp of the now-dead soldier and made his way over to where Squall lay. He lifted Squall's arm and examined the wound.
"Poison-tipped," he observed. "Well, I can't wait around for you to wake up, and you're too damn heavy to carry." Laguna got to his feet and looked around. The train station was nearby. Maybe there would be something...
Selphie rubbed her bleary eyes, staring at the monitor. The blip that crossed the screen, a near silent sentinel that kept watch on Irvine's heartbeat, was keeping its steady pace. She heard the gentle whoosh of the infirmary door, and Zell walked into Irvine's room.
"Hey, Selph," he greeted her softly.
She gave him a wan smile. "Hey."
Zell stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes on Irvine. "How's our buddy?"
Selphie sighed. "Still nothing."
Zell nodded. "Can I get you anything? Some coffee, some food?"
Selphie shook her head. "No thanks. I'm fine."
Zell regarded her for a moment before nodding again. "OK. If you need anything, have Doctor K page me, all right?"
Selphie smiled again, a little more brightly. "OK. Thanks."
Zell shrugged, walking out of the room. Selphie looked back down at Irvine and slumped in her seat.
Quistis bit her lip as she typed away at the communications systems' main entry board. The missiles had knocked out the lines between Balamb and Esthar, and she had been trying for over an hour to reestablish a satellite link by bouncing the signal off another country's dish. Timber had finally agreed to allow the usage of their satellite link, but the equipment was older Galbadian technology and slightly sub par. What signal she would get would likely be fuzzy at best.
A chime from the speaker to her left indicated that a connection had been made. There was another sound a moment later that indicated that someone had switched on the signal at the other end.
The screen in front of her flickered to life, and the snowy image of Kiros appeared.
"This is Quistis Trepe of Balamb Garden. Have I reached the Esthar government?" she asked by way of greeting.
Kiros nodded. The screen flickered, and the sound slurred for a moment before coming back on-line. "This is Minister Seagill. What can we do for Balamb Garden, Miss Trepe?"
Quistis crossed her fingers. "I have been instructed to contact you regarding the whereabouts of Garden Commander Leonhart."
Kiros' face hardened. Quistis' heart jumped into her throat. What had happened?
"I'm afraid, Miss Trepe, that we do not know the whereabouts of Commander Leonhart. The Ragnarok, though it survived the missile attack, has been confiscated by our government, and Commander Leonhart is wanted for the kidnapping of President Loire."
Quistis shook her head. "I don't understand."
Kiros sighed, his features softening a bit. "Nor I, Miss Trepe. I have ordered him taken alive; hopefully, when he is taken into custody, we can satisfactorily resolve the matter. Until then, he is considered a fugitive. Now, if you will excuse me, I must attend to the rebuilding of our capital."
The screen went black, and Quistis slumped back in her chair. She felt the tears forming in her eyes again, and she fought them back. The Headmaster had to be informed of the situation. There would be time for fear and sorrow later.
"Minister Seagill!"
Kiros spun around to see the soldier, gasping for breath as he entered the command bunker. "What is it, Sergeant?" he inquired.
The soldier saluted before speaking. "We made contact with the President and Commander Leonhart near the railway bridge, sir."
Kiros arched an eyebrow. "You have them in custody?"
The soldier shook his head. "No, sir. They attacked us."
"They did what?" Kiros shouted.
"Attacked us, sir. My partner was killed."
Kiros waved a medic over to the soldier. "See that this man is treated," he ordered. To the soldier he said, "You did your best. I'm sorry about your partner."
Kiros spun on his heel as the doctor helped the soldier away. "Ward," he huffed to the large man at his right, "Inform the standing army that our orders have changed. President Loire is to be brought back unharmed. Squall Leonhart is to be shot on sight."
