FFVIII-The Second War-

[Magi of Worlds]

The new day sun rose to its peak with a brilliant crescendo of light. The dew on the leaves and grass petals sparkled against the background of the mountainside. The early morning chill chased the students of Balamb Garden along their route to the Cafeteria or their classrooms. In the 2nd Floor hallway a new poster was stirring much anticipation in Garden's students. It announced that the Field Exam was soon approaching.

The classroom was abuzz with much excited talking when Instructor Arc Noman entered the room. Upon his entrance the chaos died down.

"Ah, I see you have heard the announcement for the Field Exam" he said to his class.

Immediatly they went into an uproar again. He raised his right arm to silence them. He strolled around the room before making his next announcement to his class.

"I have decided that today's class will be training in the Training Center."

He waited for the buzz to die down and had his class follow him to the elevator. As they approached the Training Center Arc reminded them to watch out for T-Rexaur's and use caution against other monsters too.

[DragonHeart]

The T-Rexaur snarled. Its thick tail lashed, ripping through vegetation on either side of the trail. Bright, beady eyes fixed on her with single-minded intensity. Storm backed up a few paces, her hands resting lightly on the twin sheaths on her belt. Sweat plastered her short black hair to her forehead.

She faced the titanic predator calmly, appraising it with her dark gray eyes as coldly as it did her. This monster was tough, even for its kind. She glanced behind her, noting how close it had pushed her to the entrance. She had to stop it here.

The rex lowered its massive head, all jaws and teeth and vicious hunger, and launched another earth-shaking charge. Its thunderous roar seemed to shake the very air.

Storm vaulted into the air, avoiding teeth as long as her hand by mere inches. Twisting her body in midair, she drew her swords, a pair of curved assassin's blades, and hurtled toward the monster. She landed squarely between its narrow, bony shoulders. With swift, practiced strokes she drove her blades into the sides of its neck. Hot blood gushed out, soaking her blades and arms to the elbow. It bellowed and spun in a circle. Storm fought to keep her balance on the slippery ridge of scales along its back.

A flicker of movement touched the edge of her vision. She dove to the side instantly. Tucking her shoulders in, she kept her body as relaxed as possible. The beast's tail lashed through the space where she'd been with the force of a bullwhip. She hit the ground hard and rolled. Scrambling to her feet, she nearly fell when her feet slid on the damp, lichen-covered edge of the trail.

With an enormous thud, the rex toppled to the earth behind her. It drew a last, blood-flecked breath and died.

Storm gazed at the fallen beast for a moment, frowning. T-Rexaurs weren't usually that persistent. She shrugged. Flicking the blood from her blades, she turned back toward the entrance of the Training Center. She hadn't even noticed the class gathered there. They must have just arrived. Half of the pale-faced students stared at the rex; the rest, at her. She offered them an encouraging smile as she passed, slipping through the crowd with ease. She paused beside their teacher for a moment.

“Instructor,” she said, nodding to him. She didn't recognize him but then, she'd been away for awhile.

She strode down the corridor, dripping blood on the clean white floor all the while. Another SeeD was moving through the hall at double-time, his hand on his weapon. He slowed down when he saw her and waved, relaxing his guard. Storm halted.

"Killed another one already, I see. Didn't you just come back from a mission?"

"Three days ago." She smiled.

"You work fast," he said, sounding impressed. He saluted sharply.

"It's my job," she said and shrugged. She started walking again. A thought struck her and she half turned. "You might want to check on the kids, half of them looked ready to faint."

His laughter followed her down the corridor. She emerged into the main hall of the Garden just as the clock began to chime, signaling the hour. It was nearly time for breakfast. But first, a shower.

[EvT1991]

John wakes up and looks at the clock, alarm still blaring.

“IM LATE!” John yells, as he rushes out the door, not caring to take a shower. Stinky, and sweaty, John bursts through the door just in time to see Storm annihilate the T-Rexaur. He stands there amazed. As Storm walks by, John goes to say something, but finds himself "short of words".

[Magi of Worlds]

Arc laughed as soon as the girl was out of sight of the Training Center.

"Hmm, she seems to have quite a bit of skill... I might need to talk to Headmaster Squall about her."

He turned towards his students, some of which looking like they were about to have a nervous breakdown. He walked over to those and spoke to each one privately until they all settled down. As soon as he was done with that he turned his attention back to the entire class in general.

"Those of you who have fire magic, burn the body!"

He led the rest of the students off further into the Training Center. Before getting completely out of site he turned around to check on the four students who stayed behind. That was when he noticed John near the entrance.

"Hey John, you're a little late! You can either stay here and help them burn the body or come with me" Arc yelled to him.

Without waiting for him to respond, Arc herded the class further in looking for an easier fight for them than the T-Rexuar's.

[EvT1991]

John stands there still re-watching Storm kill the T-Rexaur so mercilessly but yet so humanely in his head, until Arc yells at John. Then he realizes that he needs to start moving, so he moves along. Following Arc, and the rest of the class into the search for something easier to kill...

Along the pathway, John notices a Grat. Without thinking, and realizing that the thing can knock him out with its gas, he rushes it. Startled, it released the gas, and John was out.

John woke up realizing that he (once again) made a total fool of himself. Quickly, John jumps up."I've GOT to start thinking before i attack.." he says to himself as he walks with the rest of the class...

[Magi of Worlds]

As Arc led his class further in he pointed out where Grat's were lying in wait for the large "hunting" party. Several of the students took the hint and moved out, scouting for hidden monsters they could fight. As they went further in more students peeled off until only three were left with Arc.

"Instructor, how far in are we going exactly?" a young girl asked him. Arc thought for a minute before he responded to her question.

"As far as everyone wants to go in. We could go all the way to the 'secret area' if you guys want," Arc said with a smile.

They all agreed to go with him that far and set off again. Not a moment later the small party was ambushed by several Grat's. Seeing the need to probably help out a little, Arc unslung the Springfield from his back and lined up one of the six Grat's in his sights. With a deafening roar a bullet left the chamber and completely exploded the top half of the Grat's head off. Seeing this the rest of the students grew hopeful and fought with an abandoned wildness. It wasn't long before the Grat's were all dead.

Although the two male students were sporting pretty bad gashes, the cure spell from the female student fixed that right up.

"Well I think that's good enough practice. Let's go back to class."

They went to find the rest of Arc's class and eventually found John knocked out by a Grat's sleeping gas. One of the students went to help him while the rest left with Arc. Just as they exited the Training Center the familiar sound of the PA system could be heard.

"Instructor Noman please head to the 3rd Floor to see Headmaster Squall, that is all."

Arc left his students to go up the elevator to the 3rd Floor.

"I wonder what's up..."

[EvT1991]

Still feeling ashamed, and angry about being beaten by a Grat, John yells "LEAVE ME ALONE!!" to the girl that tried to help him, and walks to his room slowly... By the time he gets to his room, he's so depressed, he feels like giving up and leaving.. But then he remembered the words his father told him when he was young... "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." With that, he turns around and at first, walking, but soon starts running towards the garden.

When he arrived at the garden, it didnt take him long to find another Grat. "I swear its like these things appear out of thin air sometimes." he says to himself.

He draws his sword, and this time,waits. The Grat charges at him, swinging its tentacles wildly in the air. When it got close enough it tried to whip him, he quickly moved to the left and it missed him, but it was close enough for him to feel the wind off of it. He swung his sword, but he too, missed by a hair...

The Grat, trying to knock him out, started to release gas.John, realizing what it was doing, quickly held his breath... Quickly, he ran backwards to get out of the gas, so he could breath... when he finally did, he took a deep breath and realized he is pressed up against something.. "I sure hope this is a wall" he says to himself, and he turns around to find that....

He ran right into the back of a T-Rexaur's leg. He screams in panic, and finally realizes why they arent supposed to go into the garden alone...

The first thing he thinks of is to run, but he then decides not to... He then thought of grabbing onto the tail of the beast, but that wouldnt be smart either, it could swing its tail (and him with it) into something solid, and severely hurt him... or worse...

Then it hit him.. his GF... that could save him!

so he calls on his GF: the Jumbo Cactuar, and watches as it shoots off 10,000 needles into the T-Rexaur, and the Grat, killing them both. Afterwords, he ran for his life out of the garden doors before something ELSE could attack him

[DragonHeart]

Ahh, that felt so much better. Storm ran a hand through her still-damp hair and sighed contentedly. A clean body and a full belly, that was how it was meant to be. Even moreso today, when she had the entire day off. She supposed she should at least try to stay out of trouble this time, though.

With that thought in mind she started off in the library, catching up on the latest gossip through the public diaries of students and instructors alike. The tradition had started with Headmaster Squall himself to counter the longterm effects of GF junctioning. Storm didn't keep a journal herself but it didn't stop her from enjoying the commentary of others. Xu in particular always seemed to have something snarky to say.

So engrossed in the pages upon pages of imaginary drama, rants and just plain entertainment, Storm almost didn't notice the bell chiming. Consoles did have a time limit, after all. She logged off and stood, nodding politely to a student waiting nearby.

As she left the library, she noticed a student running toward the Training Center. Alone. Storm frowned, watching him. After a moment she recognized him as one of the young students from earlier that morning. She followed at a wary distance, expecting the worst. Every once in awhile a particularly hotblooded student would try their luck in the Center by themselves. Most of them ended up splattered on the walls.

To her great relief, the student only went after one of the fairly harmless grat. Still, she stood ready as she observed him, just in case. He wasn't doing too badly though, she had to admit. Most kids didn't think to hold their breath against the sleep gas. This one had brain to go with his brawn, a rarity as of late.

A familiar reddish hue to a tree trunk caught her eye as the student fetched up against it and she felt her stomach drop. He'd run smack into the back of a T-Rexaur's leg. He was lucky it hadn't been hunting or even she wouldn't have been fast enough to save him. It would be a close race as it was. She started to draw her blades, preparing to take on her second of the titanic monsters in a day, when a huge green Cactuar suddenly appeared to finish the battle instead. The Jumbo Cactuar was a rare GF; that he could summon it at all impressed her. A little.

The student wouldn't be that bad in a few years, she thought. She slipped away, back to the hallway just outside the Center. She'd let him celebrate what was likely his first solo victory on his own. As she had, when she too had been a foolish, hotblooded young student, she thought with an amused smile.

He emerged a few minutes later, looking rather panicky. She knew that feeling well, too.

“Not bad, cadet,” she said as he passed, knowing he probably hadn't even noticed her presence yet. “Be more aware of your environment next time or you may not be so lucky.”

[EvT1991]

Rushing out the door, John hears something from someone, but could understand neither what was said nor who said it. John, without turning around or anything jumps to the hasty conclusion that it was all in his head…

By the time he realizes he’s outside of the garden, he runs smack into someone. “WATCH WHERE YOUR GOING” the boy yells at him, as he gets up and walks off muttering “Man he stinks...”

“What’s that smell?” he asks himself as he stands up, embarrassed about running into that boy. Finally remembering that he never took a shower today, he says to himself “I need to take a shower before the WHOLE BUILDING smells me!”

He squeezes his arms against sides, to help keep the odor from escaping, as he walks to his room. When he got there, he put his sword, Ragnarök down, grabbed clothes, and then went to his shower...

"PHEW! WHAT A RELIEF!" John says to himself getting both out of the shower, and dressed.

Once he was done, he walked back into his room, grabbed Ragnarök, and walks out the door to the lobby to meet up with his friends, to brag about his ‘recent success’. As he walked to their 'hangout zone', he looked at the clock… “ITS TIME FOR LUNCH!” he yells in excitement, as he runs to the food court to get a hot dog before they were all gone.

When John finally gets there, there’s one left. He goes to get it, but someone cuts him off, and takes it.

“THAT WAS MY DOG” John yells at him, but the guy just walks away, not paying any attention…

Realizing that he wasn’t going to get one, he walks hungrily out the door…

[Magi of Worlds]

Arc knows that something is up immediatly upon entering Headmaster Squall's office. The look on Squall's face and the fact that Zell and Quistis are there also gives it away. Arc sits down at the table that Squall had set up in his office for meetings as Zell and Quistis nodded at him and focused their eyes on Squall. Arc followed suite as Squall stood up from his seat.

"I have bad news, the Field Exam is being changed. I heard word last night that President Laguna of Galbadia has been attacked by his own military and might be dead."

Everybody gasped at such an attrocity towards the President. Glancing around, Arc could tell that Zell and Quistis had many questions to ask but Squall shook his head so he could continue speaking.

"This year's Field Exam is so dangerous that only a small group of Cadet's will be allowed to go" he finished explaining.

"There will be three groups. One to check out the Galbadian Military's main base near Deling City for evidence, one to travel to Deling City and find ex-general Caraway to see if he is against the President, and one to check out the palace and hopefully find Laguna and Kiros."

"Now Arc, Zell, and Storm Zephyre will be leading the three groups. Let me call Storm in so that she can be briefed too," Squall finished.

[Acheron]

Some years ago…

Though each of the four sitting at the table had long since emptied their drinking glasses, tension still remained between them. The wine, an expensive import from somewhere near Trabia, was supposed to be opened on a joyous occasion but neither the two men nor the two women sitting at the wooden dining table revealed any joy. Their moods were in complete contradiction towards the beautiful, fair night that often blessed Winhill like it did on this night. Each of them could sense that nobody wanted to give their situation words. Each of them also knew that this night could very well be the last time they would sit together. A table that saw plenty of revelry over the years was now the host of a grim party. Finally, a man who sat at the end of the table stood up. He paced around for a little bit, looking outside during his steps and then released a heavy sigh. With this noise, the other members at the table looked over to him, as if a decision had been cast in their silent debate.

“It has been three years since the death of Ultimecia and the resolution between Balamb and Galbadia but yet we all know things are still not in the clear. Because of what we, what is the right word? Possess? Control? Our risk seems to go up with every single day. Between the four of us, I think I can speak for everyone here that we all know any decision we make is not going to be easy, if it would be than we would have made it already.”

“So what are you saying?” the voice came from one of the women.

The man scratched his beard and then let off another sigh. “It must remain here in Winhill, for as long as possible. One day the truth will come out and we cannot prevent that, it is simply how time works. But until then, we must split up. It is for the good of everyone. By doing this, their search might be dampened just a bit and maybe they’ll think they made an error. Two will remain and two will go, that is how it must be done. I feel these next coming years will be hard on all of us, but if we are to protect it, this is what we must do.”

Present Time

Like usual, the halls of Galbadia Garden were noisy with chatter and gossip but even today’s news got the attention of Quinn, who normally avoided gossip. The word was that President Laguna Loire had been attacked, possibly killed, by the G-Army. Quinn had to hide her laughter from her friends when they told her the news; last week there was a rumor Squall was dating Selphie secretly and that Irvine really had feelings for Zell, unsubstantiated information was a constant among the students. Yet people were not treating this in the normal haphazard manner they usually do, students seemed to be very concerned. One possible explanation for that was the very location in which they were all in. Quistis Trepe ran a strict Garden. Quinn did her time in the Library, unlike most of her contemporaries, and knew very well that Headmaster Trepe still had shame from her failed days as an instructor. Quistis had gone to great length to make it known that her Garden, and every facet of it, was going to be running at an optimal pace at all times. Plus, Headmaster Trepe had left very early in the morning when a majority of the students were still sleeping and Quinn was doing her morning run. So the possibility that these rumors actually were true was something that Quinn was starting to consider.


Once she made it through the crowds assembled in the second floor north hallway, Quinn went down a set of stairs and stepped into the main square of the Garden. Her books cradled in her hands, she looked around at all the students moving from floor to floor, room to room, suddenly missing the days that she was a panicked student herself. It was only a few years ago that she would drive her closest friends, Gabriel and Claire, absolutely insane with her panic over whatever test they would have to take. Quinn ended up graduating academically first in her SeeD class, much to her own relief and not to the surprise of either friend. Those days were gone now, as both her good friends worked at Trabia Garden as instructors and she was a SeeD here in Galbadia. Quinn could not allow her memories to derail her schedule however and quickly left the square and returned back to her room. Being a SeeD had many privileges in the Garden and a single room was one that Quinn enjoyed immensely. She placed her books, mostly history books on military technology, on her desk in her room and sat down on her bed. The memories started to seep in once again; pictures of Gabriel and Claire’s wedding, pictures of her parents, of her town, all posted above the organized desk. Other things included were tickets from the past two Garden Festivals and a thank you letter from a little girl named Tara, thanking Quinn for saving her dad’s business on her first mission. The letter was the rare bright spot Quinn experienced since becoming a SeeD. Once again, she had to fight off the desire to sit and reminisce, and she did so by grabbing her staff from the corner of her room and headed off towards the training center.

The Training Center was usually a busy area of the Garden and today was no different. Quinn had a usual spot that she would practice in, towards the back of the area, where the monsters were a little stronger than others found in the forward area. A large, steel door opened up in front of her and Quinn entered the area, leaving behind the security of the others training in the front area. After a few steps in the area, a Forbidden came storming out of the bushes that lie to her right. It lunged forward with an overhead strike from its sword but the sword only met the ground. Quinn evaded by quickly stepping to her right. She twirled her staff around once and spun around too, landing a blow across the face of the Forbidden with her staff. The monster stumbled back a step and Quinn rushed in, laying another blow into its stomach and then one right under the chin, which sent the monster into the air and into another world. She regained her composure and scanned the area for anything else, not to be surprised again. Two Ruby Dragons were slowly making their way over a small bridge, much like the ones built in Balamb’s Training Center, and both looked rather hungry. Fighting both with just her staff, a physical dual with them, was sure to be disaster at the moment. Quinn took a few steps forward and held her staff in her left hand. She brought her right hand to face for a moment and then held her open palm towards the dragons, quickly saying “Holy” as the crossed the bridge. Both Dragons could not handle the spell and Quinn was pleased with her magic performance. As the calls of other monsters could be heard in the near distance, Quinn charged over the bridge.

Almost three hours later, Quinn emerged from the sealed part of the Training Center. Though she was exhausted, SeeD’s needed to be at the top of their game both physically and mentally; this was something Quinn took very seriously. She was not a terrifying opponent at first glance but her physical capabilities were vastly underrated and her magic power was something to be reckoned with. As she found a downed tree to sit on, her pleasant day hit at damper as she noticed Tyrod and Bourdon walking towards her. Both were wearing their SeeD uniforms and Quinn immediately wanted to add blood to that list. She had her staff on her lap and looked up to face them; they both stood only a few feet away from her.

“I just spent a few hours training; I don’t need verbal jousting to add to what I just did.” Normally she was not this blunt or harsh towards people, but these two were exceptions.

“Training? Haha, you think you’re a student again? Maybe you didn’t learn yet Quinny but real SeeD members do their work in the field. You train here, so you can be a SeeD, not so you can relive the past.” Tyrod placed a foot on the log next to her. He had a burn under his left eye and brown eyes that Quinn hated.

“I was on assignment last week; I don’t need to justify my work schedule to you. Some of us prefer training against the monsters here, monsters that are continuously bred so they’re replaced.”

Bourdon placed a foot on the log to match his friend. “Ty, don’t even waste your time. Remember who you’re talking to. The Angel of Mercy over here never took a god damn life in her whole time as a SeeD. Funny too, she uses a weapon as brutal as that staff but can’t break anyone with it.”

“Innocent women and children have died from both of your hands. Keep your pride about your bloody hands, I want none of it.” Quinn turned her attention to Bourdon specifically, “And my staff can break plenty, don’t you worry about that.” One her hands started to grip her staff, tight enough that her knuckles were going white.

Tyrod leaned in a little more towards her. “We do what gets the job done. You worry about the details, we worry about getting paid and completion rate.”

Bourdan once again did the same. “And maybe if you showed some of the spine that we do, Carsten would still be….”

Quinn lifted her staff and sent Bourdon off his feet, falling flat on his back. As Tyrod put a hand on her shoulder, Quinn spun around and used her staff to smack Tyrod in the cheek, which caused blood to immediately leave his mouth; Quinn also heard the shattering of bone. Bourdon tried to get to his feet but Quinn kicked him in the nose as he attempted to rise. Tyrod was stumbling behind her, so Quinn once again turned her attention to him and casted “Fira”; the blast from the fire spell knocked him into the trunk of a standing tree. She placed a foot on Bourdon’s neck, looking down at him as she spoke.
“I never want to hear you speak that name, do you understand!? Never again! And the next time the two of you try this shit, I’ll break you both in half!” Her words echoed in the Training Center. As she removed her foot and started to walk out, a group of students came in and immediately tended to the wounded SeeD.

Her tears quickly mixed with the hot water in the shower. She was divided within herself though; were they tears for Carsten or were they tears on the brutality she just displayed in the Training Center? Quinn did not have a temper, she remained composed and unless severe injustice was being done in front of her, she stayed in control. Both Tyrod and Bourdon had it coming though. Nobody was going to debate how much they deserved a beating. Quinn would have loved that beating to have come from someone else but even she could not deny how much better the fight made her feel. As each droplet of water ran down her skin, from the freckles across her face to the freckles across her chest, the stress was slowly leaving her body. She did not waste more time however, as she did have a schedule and was keen on keeping up with it.
With her usual outfit of her black long sleeve, her beige shorts and black boots, Quinn was dressed and ready to be going. She had a weekend pass given to her yesterday by Headmaster Trepe; an extra reward for a stellar job on her previous assignment. Quinn had a small suitcase packed and her staff ready to go, when a Garden Official walked into her room, without even knocking.

“And where do you suppose you will be going?” The man’s voice was nasally and annoying. Quinn recognized him as an undersecretary to the Headmaster; Quistis did not like him much.

“I’m going home for the weekend. Headmaster Trepe gave me a weekend pass yesterday, it took effect an hour ago and I plan on using it to the fullest extent.”

“That is not going to be possible.” The undersecretary handed Quinn a sealed envelope. “Express from Headmaster Trepe. She did not tell me what it said, but did say to revoke your weekend pass.”

“What? Why!? I was looking forward to this trip!”

“Like I said, I don’t know why, read the letter.” He started to leave but turned around before he was fully out of the room. “Oh. There was an incident in the Training Center a short while ago. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

Quinn dropped her suitcase and placed her staff against her desk, she then sat down on her bed. “No, not at all. Close my door on the way out please.” As the official left, she opened up the letter and immediately started to frown.

Dear Quinn,

Let me apologize on two fronts to begin: This letter will be brief and I cannot permit you to return home this weekend. In light of the news about President Loire and the lack of communication we have received from his Administration, Headmaster Leonheart has made his SeeD Field Exam to investigate what has happened. Now, his task force is split up into three groups and I believe you can help any of them. Your talents both physically and magically will be of great aid, as will your general knowledge of Galbadia. Proceed to the train station in Deling City and wait for the SeeD to arrive; whichever task units arrive, assist them. That is all.

-Headmaster Trepe

[DragonHeart]

The familiar chime of the PA system gently intruded on Storm's reminiscence. She didn't pay much attention to the announcement until she heard her name.

“Storm Zephyre, please report to the Headmaster's office. Repeat, Storm Zephyre, please report to the Headmaster's office.” The PA chimed again as it turned off, the sound deceptively cheerful to her ears.

The usual drone of the students faded to furtive whispers. Storm was called upon for only the longest, most difficult of missions. She fancied herself a harbinger of sorts and judging by the troubled glances she received, she was not the only one to think that way.

With a brisk double-time stride as crisp as any solider, Storm made her way to the plush office resting at the crown of the Garden on the third floor. Squall had, she'd noted previously, never redecorated after Cid retired.

She entered and stood at attention just inside the door, saluting the Headmaster even as she assessed the situation. It was, she judged, not a good one. Squall himself looked mostly tired. Zell was grim-faced and shaking his head, the tattoo on his face stark against his unusually pale skin. Quistis was more composed, as always, but Storm didn't fail to note the way her fingers never strayed from the deadly whip at her side.

The instructor she'd passed earlier that morning was present as well. They still hadn't been introduced properly. Ah well, there'd be time enough for the formalities later.

Squall looked up, acknowledging her presence.

“At ease,” he said.

“Sir.” She dropped her hand and stepped to the side of the door. She did not relax her stance, remembering well the assassin she'd stopped as a trainee. Over a decade ago, now. The Headmaster had not forgotten either. He nodded slightly in approval.

“I am sorry to call upon you so soon, but there is a situation,” he began. Storm listened attentively as he explained the recent events. She remained silent, processing the information and filing it away as needed.

“In light of this, I am dispatching three squads. Storm, you will be leading the team to the Galbadian base near Deling City.”

“The one that was rebuilt after the war, sir?”

“Yes. You may use Galbadia Garden as your base of operations. Quistis will supply you with anything you need.”

“Understood. Will I need to gather my squad, sir?”

“No. The orders are being issued as we speak. Be ready to deploy tomorrow, 0800 hours. Do you have any questions?”

“No, sir.”

Squall even smiled a little, recognizing her intense, dark-eyed expression. She barely heard his dismissal, the mission already fixed in her mind, her long-awaited vacation already a distant memory.

[Acheron]

Quinn was no more pleased with the news from Quistis an hour after she had received it. She literally spent the following hour sitting in her room; nothing seemed like it had much of a purpose once her vacation had been canceled. Of course, there was plenty of information that she withheld from the undersecretary, such as she was planning on resigning as soon as she returned from her planned break. Now that plan was going to have to be heavily revised, if not scrapped for awhile altogether. But even if the vacation did take place, was retirement from SeeD really the best option? She had grown rather tired of the daily tasks of a SeeD and their overall purpose but there was really no viable alternative that came right to mind. There always was the possibility of taking up the family business. Yet her greatest fear, far greater than any fear of her opponents, was that she could succeed as a mercenary but fail miserably as a Florist.

After another hour of sitting in her room, she was brought another message from the undersecretary of Quistis. Her plans had been changed once more. She was no longer to proceed to Deling City ahead of the teams; Quinn was to remain at the Garden and prepare for any of the units that came by to use the Garden as a base of operations. Furthermore, she was given news that the squads would be leaving early tomorrow, which meant that she had the rest of the afternoon and night to prepare for their arrival. She also prepared herself for the possibility that they could encounter delays but was hopeful that SeeD units from Balamb would not waste more than a moment. She decided there was plenty of time left in the day to do a few things, along with setting up a meeting room for the units. Quinn left her staff in her room and shut the door behind her, setting off for the square of Galbadia Garden.

Three Years Ago…

She was nervous and there was no way of hiding it. Quinn had been trying to however, yet the tight grip on her long staff was quickly giving her feelings away. It could have been worse though, some of the candidates were already vomiting and shaking, yet they hadn’t even touched land yet. All of them had been briefed multiple times on the same details. Success on this field exam required a sharp mind and patience; an aquatic entry on Fisherman’s Horizon seemed almost like shooting fish in a barrel and she was not the one holding the gun. She had more responsibility than she wanted as well, leading a unit was not what she wanted to hear during the initial briefing. But there was no getting out of it and that was that.

“Two minutes!”

The call came out from the driver of the boat and a few of the students started to vomit a little more. Quinn stayed composed, just enough to notice the SeeD sitting across from her. He had been staring at her and didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he had been caught. She knew him from her training, he often helped the Instructors deal with her class and he was the first SeeD to volunteer in watching over the students for the mission. Quinn knew that while she didn’t barter to get herself a leadership position, he must have found a way to get on this specific ship.

“Is there any reason why you’ve been staring at me?”

The SeeD smiled a little bit and then nodded, “Yeah there is. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

Quinn turned bright red. There was no mirror across from her but she was sure her hue matched the deep red on his SeeD uniform. “Th, thank you. That was a really nice complement.”

“Well, it’s the truth. Top in all your training, top scores on your written exams and now you’re leading a unit. Sounds like you’re going to do fine.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow but couldn’t hide her smile. “You know, that’s borderline stalker right there. What exactly do you want?”

"Just give me a dance. One dance, at the graduation ball, that’s all I’m asking for.”

“And how exactly do you know that I’m going to pass?”

“Simple. I’m watching your back.”

The boat slammed into the dock at Fisherman’s Horizon and the door opened up. Quinn took to her feet and was the first one out of the boat. She looked up to the gunner who gave her a thumbs up, then turned her attention to the students flooding out of the boat. Her own unit was standing around her, the four of them ready to move out. Quinn gave them their objective and they started to run off but she stopped, turning back to see the SeeD standing on the boat ramp. The nerves were completely gone as he gave her another smile and waved her off. She didn’t know his name but for some reason, believed every word that he had said.

Present Time

The square of Galbadia Garden had quieted down considerably from hours before. Being late in the afternoon, only a very small number of classes were still going on and the dinner rush was soon to begin. After a few more minutes she was the only one standing in the square. Her solidarity didn’t last for too long, she heard footsteps coming down the North Stairwell and turned to see who it was. A man of average height, with short white hair, glasses and a black business suit, came down the stairs with a clipboard in his hands. Immediately Quinn waved and smiled towards the man, he returned the favor and came over to greet her.

“Good evening Quinn. What are you still doing here? I figured you would be heading home immediately after your training session?”

“Evening Instructor. Yes, I figured I would be doing that as well but plans changed. Headmaster Trepe has assigned me to assist with a mission out of Balamb. Apparently their forces will be here tomorrow, hopefully.”

“Ah,” Instructor Grenoble pushed his sliding glasses back up his nose, “Well Headmaster Trepe does not like going back on her word, so I’m sure it was not an easy decision for her. Do not forget, you are one of the most talented SeeD here, that talent does not go unnoticed.”

Quinn blushed but shook her head. “I just work hard, that’s all Instructor. The Headmaster will have to find someone else to depend on soon enough; I don’t think I’ll be sticking around much longer.”

Grenoble frowned but did not protest, just let off a sigh. “That would be nothing short of a shame Quinn, I assure you of that. However, given your history here…it would also be nothing short of perfectly acceptable..though my acceptance in the last thing you need.” He smiled a smile that Quinn was used to from his class on Advanced Magic.

“I hate to be short Instructor but I better make sure everything in the Briefing Room is set up for tomorrow. It was nice to see you.” She gave him a brief hug and started for the East Stairs.

“Oh, Quinn, one moment please!” He walked over to her at the stairs. “Just do me one favor please. If you can, refrain from attempting to kill Tyrod and Bourdon. The last thing I would want is a contract out on you due to their murders.”

“I would never Sir, don’t worry.” She continued up the steps and went towards the main Briefing Room.


The Briefing Room was in far better shape than she anticipated. Usually a mess of papers on the table, it had a perfect set up, complete with fresh flowers in each vase. This was the room that lived in Galbadia Garden lore; Squall Leonheart and his unit used this room before they attempted to assassinate Sorceress Edea. Quinn took a seat on one of the couches and allowed her mind to wander for a few moments. What were all of them thinking? Were they scared? Eager? It had been such a tremendous mission they were tasked with; Quinn would never hide the fact that she would have gladly picked any other mission besides that. Never in her life did she need to prove to others her skills. Looking back around the room once more, she decided there really wasn’t much for her to do after all and she got up and left.

[Magi of Worlds]

After the meeting Headmaster Squall had everyone leave his office except for Instructor's Norman and Dincht. Arc and Zell were sitting across from him so they could read his facial expressions better.

"The first thing I want to inform you two of is the fact that each group will be taking a separate train to minimize detection by the G-Army. Understood? Ahem, now Arc, you will be heading to Caraway's mansion while Zell will be going to look for Kiros and Ward. Now I've heard that Ward is in Winhill so be careful. That is all, dismissed!"

Arc left the Headmaster's office and headed back down to the 1st Floor lobby. He headed straight for the main gate and walked the short distance to the town of Balamb. Upon arrival he was greeted by several old friends, including the town's SeeD guards at the entrance. He exchanged greetings and headed for his old home on the outskirts of town.

It was an old, dilapidated building that had stood there for over one hundred years. The floorsboards all creaked and the house made many odd noises as it settled. Arc headed for his room in the basement of the house. Upon entering the room his eyes fell upon an old picture frame by his bed. It contained an old picture of his parents before they were killed by Galbadian soldiers.

Sighing Arc went to the cedar chest and opened it up. Inside was a large sword with a plain black hilt. The blade was easily 3 and 1/2 foot long. underneath it was a plain black sheath. Arc put the blade in its sheath a slung it on his back with his rifle. He slowly left his house and headed back for Balamb Garden. He headed for the Training Center to test out his old sword.

[DragonHeart]

The Secret Area was silent but for the crickets and the occasional rustling of a Grat resettling its vine-arms. No students trysted this night. Not surprising. Though the details of the missions were not known among the student body, they sensed the tension in the air. Storm felt it too, like the moment before a lightning strike.

"The Training Center is off-limits after dark, you know."

She turned her head slightly in acknowledgment, a smile quirking at the edges of her lips. "Are you on the Disciplinary Committee again, sir?"

Squall snorted, the tension broken. For the moment. He stepped up beside her, leaning against the short barrier wall. His smile didn't touch his deeply shadowed eyes. They stood silent for a time, watching the twinkling lights of the Garden, bright beacons against the solitary night.

"I'm sorry I canceled your leave time. I've been working you hard these past few years. Too hard."

"It's my job."

"I know." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I promise to make it up to you as soon as this is done. One way or the other."

"You expect me to fail, then?" Storm faced him with narrowed eyes.

"Not at all, you've never failed me. I'm just tired. My apologies."

"You need sleep, Headmaster. Go. There's nothing more to be done now."

"You're right. Good night, Storm. I won't see you tomorrow, so let me say this now. Come back alive."

He turned away and vanished into the darkness, leaving Storm alone with her thoughts once more.

"You lied, Squall," she murmured. "I did fail you. Once."

[Magi of Worlds]

Upon arrival at the Training Center Arc noticed Headmaster Squall leaving. Arc greeted him and the two talked about the old days for a time. Eventually Squall said he had to attend to some paperwork before he could see the three groups off the next day. Arc agreed and left Squall for the inner sanctums of the Training Center.

At the fork in the path Arc turned right, eager for some T-Rexaur action. It wasn't long before he got some. Less than a mile from the fork stood a lone T-Rexaur gazing upwards into the night sky. Arc too looked heavenward and recalled days long past...

It was over fifteen years ago that Arc's parents were killed by Galbadian soldiers. At the height of the war behind Balamb Garden's SeeD forces and Sorceress Edea they had just been two more casualties of that horrible war. Caught in the wrong place and at the wrong time, they had been executed as ex-SeeD members. A terrible roar snapped Arc out of his depressing thoughts. He looked up in just enough time to see the T-Rexuar charging towards him. With a smirk Arc drew the longsword from its sheath on his back and prepared to "defend" himself.

The T-Rexaur stood well over fourteen-feet tall, a rather large opponent for even most SeeD to handle alone. Its red skin shone like blood in the moonlight, its blue scars like veins. With another mighty roar it threw itself at him. Arc waited for the beast to get closer and aimed for its face. Seconds later the dinosaur thundered to the ground ten paces behind Arc, bleeding from a ferocious cut angled down its huge snout.

Arc could hear more roars in the distance and knew that the smell of blood and familiar species had attracted a few more playmates. In seconds he was surrounded by five more T-Rexuar's. Arc smiled and threw back his head. A mighty laugh escaped his throat as he charged ahead...

An hour later Arc headed towards the Secret Area dripping blood from several cuts on his body and from the T-Rexuar's bodies too. He hadn't killed them all. No one could have taken down five, humongous man-eaters in a row. But he had scared away the two he couldn't kill. Arc noticed the SeeD girl from earlier as he entered.

"Hmm. I keep running into you everywhere I go. Could it be fate? I'm SeeD Instructor Arc Noman," Arc said, holding out his bloody hand in greeting.

[DragonHeart]

It wasn't long before a violent commotion broke the stillness of the night. T-Rexaur roars, fairly close by. She cocked her head slightly, listening. Not the Headmaster, of course. Yet another daredevil about to get themselves killed. Those fights went fast; before she even determined the exact location the sounds faded away, retreating into the ominous silence that could only mean a kill.

To her surprise a young man soon emerged from the simulated jungle into the secret area. He was bloody, some of it his, some of it not. She recognized him from earlier in the day, both at the Training Center and the Headmaster's office. The instructor whose name she didn't know.

"Hmm. I keep running into you everywhere I go. Could it be fate? I'm SeeD Instructor Arc Noman," he said, extending a bloody hand to her.

"Are all instructors so reckless these days?" she asked. Then, after studying him a moment longer, "Storm Zephyre." She was tempted to throw her rank in his face. Tired of all the posturing and chest-beating she'd seen, but not surprised. Every time she had to kill a T-Rexaur to save an idiot student, more idiot students and even a few SeeDs would try their luck in taking one down. Most failed. That an instructor would even get involved...no wonder why Squall put her on the mission.

Forcing a smile, she clasped his hand and returned the greeting. Best she was civil for the mission's sake. And it was best he didn't learn her real rank anyways. On the books she was Rank 21. Only the Garden Headmasters and Xu knew the truth. She intended to keep it that way.

"You should see the doctor. It wouldn't be very professional to start a mission wounded," she said, turning away from him. It seemed she was destined to get no peace of mind tonight, so she might as well rest while she had the chance. "Good night, Instructor," she said over her shoulder, and left.

[Magi of Worlds]

"Are all Instructor's reckless these days?"

"You should see the doctor. It wouldn't be very professional to start a mission wounded."

"Good night, Instructor."

As Storm left the Secret Area Arc couldn't help but chuckle. Me reckeless?, he thought to himself. He stood there laughing to himself for a little over an hour. Finally Arc left the Training Center for his rooms. Outside his door stood Zell Dincht.

"I was watching you in the Training Center," he said by way of greeting. Arc smirked and led the way into his room.

"You need to be more careful about conversing with people when you're in your bloodlust state of mind Noman. You could have done something stupid."

Arc paced the room before answering Zell's logic.

"Nothing did happen though, did it?" he shot back.

Zell sighed and went to Arc's personal kitchen. Reaching into his fridge he pulled out a cold bottle of beer.

"Being Squall's personal bodyguard is a bitch, huh?"

"Tell me about it," replied Arc. "Atleast I like this Headmaster."

"You're the best marksman in all the land. Why did you decide to get a job as Squall's bodyguard under the pretense of being a SeeD Instructor?" Zell asked even though he knew the answer already.

Now it was time for Arc to sigh in frustration.

"You know that Zell. Because I'm his nephew and Rinoa sent me to keep an eye on him."

"Heh. You think he knows?" Zell went and sat down on Arc's couch.

"No, nor will he learn it from me. Now I'm taking a shower," Arc headed for his bathroom.

[Heartless Angel]

A ragged, bloody man limped through the front gates of Balamb garden... Anybody else would've died from these injuries, but Dante's will to live was indominable. He managed to take a few steps before collapsing, and being found by group of SeeD hopefuls. He would not wake for another hour or so. But even in his dreams he could not escape what had happened.

"Ramirez, you take point, Im covering the rear.", he said. The young male nodded and ran ahead. He looked around... all seemed normal. It was far too quiet. "Joy, Trepe, I have a bad feeling about this, you two go ahead, back Ramirez up." The young girls nodded and followed orders without question. He proceeded with extreme caution. They were supposedly being chased by these rennegade soldiers, but there was absolutely no sign that anybody was following them... His thoughts were interupted by gunfire and screams. He ran towards them, recognizing one as Amy Joy, one of his teamates. What he found could not be worse, the corpses of his fallen team, covered in bullet wounds. He saw one moving! She was still alive! Her hand took hold of his pants leg.

"D-dante... run... it was... a setup... we were ambushed...", she said, before losing consciousness. He checked for a pulse, it was faint for just a moment, but then, nothing...

"How could I allow this to happen?", he asked himself alloud. He sighed, "It is my final duty to bring you all back to Balamb for proper funerals...", he said. He he began to lift the first of three lifeless bodies, he heard another gunshot, and felt a sharp pain in his left calf. "Shit!", he yelled, dropping the body and making a run for it. Cowardly as it may be, his own life took priority, there had to be somebody left to give the report to Squall... Somebody left to avenge these meaningless deaths. He sustained several more hits, and nearly fell into at least three traps escaping... but he did escape... heavily injured, he couldn't go to Galbadia, the enemy was no doubt there. And being the closest Garden, it would be where they expected him to run. Though against regulations, he decided to return to Balamb...

He yelled and sat up quickly. "Lay back down!", a nurse yelled.

He looked around for a moment, it took him a few seconds to realize where he was. "Alright...", he said weakly, and fell back to a resting position. "How am I?", he asked. Though he did not care, as long as he was able to give his report before his death, his mission would be complete.

The nurse walked towards his bed and handed him a clipboard with his own treatment records. "You were in rough shape, I'm not sure why you were still alive when you got here to be perfectly honest, but you responded well to treatment. You'll need to restfor a few days, bu you'll live", she said.

"Why do I deserve to live?", he asked himself quietly.

"Pardon?", the nurse asked.

"I said, I need to see Squall immediately.", he lied.

"Well, I certainly can't let you go, I'll contact him and have him come down here.", the nurse said, walking into her office. "Squall, this is the infirmiry, we have a student here who needs to make a report, he's requesting your presence.", he said.

"I'll be there shortly, how is he?", he asked, he had a feeling he knew who it was.

"He's... Gone!", she said, looking out of her office at the now empty bed.

"No worries, I've found him, he's in my office." Squall answered, hanging up the phone.

"Dante Valentine reporting, sir.", he said grimly.

"Just you?", Squall asked, believing he knew what was coming...

"Sir, Luis Ramirez, Amy Joy, and Selena Trepe have been killed by Galbadian rennegades. This mission was a setup, we were ambushed 10 miles from the Galbadian border. I did not reprt to Galbadia Garden, assuming that the enemy would have expected it. I am prepared to accept punishment for my failure, and for ignoring regulations.", he said in a serious voice.

"Their bodies?", Squall asked.

He shook his head. "I was not able to retrieve them.", he answered. "...And, on a personal note, I should be the one to inform Quistis. It was my faulty judgement that cost their lives.", he said

[Treize]

“Finally, today’s the day,” Kyle said to himself as he woke up to the sound of birds chirping. “Just one more step until I can finally become a part of SeeD. I’ve been waiting for this mission ever since that day. Now, I just wish that I could’ve had a better night’s sleep. I wonder how many people were injured last night with all the noise those T-Rexaurs were making.”

Kyle got out of bed and started getting ready for the day like normal. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, and changed relatively quickly because he knew that there was a lot to be done before the mission.

“I think I’m going to warm up a little bit in the training center before the mission,” Kyle thought. “I don’t want to be marked down just for being stiff.”

Kyle made his way to the training center not even giving a thought to possibly getting injured. He figured that if he got injured by the small fry in the training center, there would be no way he could pass the field exam anyway. When Kyle got there, he was surprised to find the place relatively empty. He figured that more people would be making some last minute preparations for the field exam.

Kyle saw three grats roaming around and figured that they would be the perfect warm up. He took one down with a single shot from his bow. He then got another one with a fire spell. Kyle had been studying for the past couple years and learned the elemental weaknesses for most monsters that he expected to face in future SeeD missions. He learned from experience that studying and preparing for a battle beforehand could be a lifesaver. Finally the last grat charged at Kyle. Kyle realized that he wouldn’t have enough time to cast a spell or load an arrow, so he quickly pulled out his dagger and slashed at the grat. Unfortunately before he could deal the finishing blow, the grat let out a loud screeching noise. Kyle knew that this could only mean trouble.

A large T-Rexaur seemed to appear from nowhere. Kyle quickly shot an arrow at it, but the arrow bounced off the tough skin of the T-Rexaur and did practically no damage. Kyle then cast a blizzard spell seeing that T-Rexaurs were weak towards ice spells. Unfortunately, the T-Rexaur didn’t even flinch.

“Damn! Why aren’t my attacks doing any damage? I thought that I was ready to take on a T-Rexaur.”

Seeing little possibility of winning even if he used his GF, Kyle decided that it was in his best interest to flee. Luckily he escaped without receiving too much damage. This however completely ruined his mood and really made him lose confidence that he could pass the field test. Seeing as there wasn’t much time until he had to report to the parking lot to leave for the mission, Kyle heading straight there. On the way he muttered to himself, “Damn, I hope I can get my act together. If I don’t pass this exam I don’t know what I’ll do. I promised… I promised that’d I’d become stronger and become a SeeD.”

On the way to the parking lot, Kyle passed by one of the Garden instructors. Kyle thought to himself, “Who’s this guy, going on a mission while he’s injured? I just hope that I’m not on his squad. I may end getting killed if I’m with this reckless guy.”

Arc Noman was still in bandages and looked all beat up from his fight the previous night with a T-Rexaur. He was talking to Squall, but Kyle didn’t hear what they were talking about.

Finally, all of the team leaders and SeeD cadets were gathered in the parking lot. Everyone was paying close attention to Squall as he was just about to brief them on the mission.

In a low, commanding voice Squall said, “As you may have noticed, there are not that many cadets here to participate in the field exam this year. I’m sorry to inform you, but this year the field exam will be a little different than normal. There has been a coup d'état, and President Laguna of Galbadia has been overthrown. We are going to send three teams for support. These teams will each consist of an experienced SeeD leader and two SeeD cadets. Storm’s team will infiltrate the Galbadian Military's main base near Deling City, Arc’s team will head towards Ex-General Caraway’s mansion, and Zell’s team will find Kiros and Ward and try to collect more information about Laguna’s whereabouts. I wish you all luck. SeeD cadets, I will now tell you whose team you are on. Make sure you follow your team leader’s commands. This is a very serious mission, and a failure in following orders could lead to your death.”

Kyle was shocked to learn about what happened and what his mission really was. The mission could affect the whole world, and his team would be relying on him. He thought, “If I can’t even defeat one T-Rexaur, how am I supposed to succeed in a mission of such great importance?”

Squall then started to read off the names of the cadets and what teams they would be on. “John Tamyan, Storm’s team… Kyle Bane, Arc’s team.”

“Damn, why do I have to be on his team?" Kyle thought to himself right after Squall said what team he was on. "He’s injured and shouldn’t even be taking part in this mission. How are we going to succeed if we have such a reckless leader?”

Kyle thought that he may as well greet and try to be friendly with his new commander. He walked over towards Arc and said, “Hello, my name’s Kyle Bane. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to being on your team.”

[Magi of Worlds]

"Hello, my name's Kyle Bane. Its a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to being on your team."

Arc greeted Kyle and the other two SeeD Cadets who had managed to be put on his team and introduced himself as a SeeD Instructor. As soon as he knew everyone's name he led them to the Garden Car and drove them all to Balamb where they were to board train B2 to Dollet for their switchover. As they entered the train Arc opened up the doorway that led to SeeD's special cabin. Being the only official SeeD aboard the train he was the only one who could enter. He got ready to tell everyone the exact mission and entered the train's hallway where he left the three Cadet's.

"I'm sure you three are wondering what our assignment is for you to become full SeeD's. Well... It isn't going to be easy let me tell you that. As of two days ago it has been assumed that President Laguna Loire of Galbadia has been assaulted and maybe even killed by his own troops. No one knows who set up this betrayal but we are to find a man who may know something. General Caraway retired twelve years ago but still lives in Deling City. We have heard he also served as an aide to President Loire. We are hoping he might know something. As soon as we get to Dollet we're taking another train to Timber where we are embarking upon the final train to Deling City. The G-Army doesn't know we are coming but prepare yourselves for combat anyway. That is all!"

Arc headed back into the SeeD cabin and layed down for a nap.

One hour later--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A deep rumble and the jolting of the train woke Arc up from his short nap and he wasn't happy about it. He got up from his position on the floor that the rumble had knocked him to and brushed off his shirt. Another huge explosion behind him sent him to his knees.

"What the hell is going on???" he asked the empty air.

Arc quickly escaped the cabin without further harm and entered the train's main compartment. There was destruction everywhere. Many bodies lay all over the place and Arc noticed one of the SeeD Cadet's dead bodies near a hole in the side of the train. Arc noticed Kyle and the other Cadet, whose name happened to be Jay Eklan, rushing over to him with small injuries. Arc looked out the whole in the wall and noticed a battalian of a couple hundred Galbadian soldiers racing after them on motorcycles. Some were still shooting Fira spells at the train.

[Heartless Angel]

Dante walked outside, into the small group of cadets, and two of his superiors. "Squall... send me too. I've read up on these specs, this could be a bit much for such small squads. Especially trainees. I've got plenty of field experience, and you know my infiltration skills to be trustworthy.", he said, standing at ease in front of Squall.

"I thought I gave you the week off to recuperate.", Squall answered bluntly.

He was silent for a moment. "Too much time to one's self just means more time to think about what happened. I'd rather just get back to my job.", he said.

Squall paused breiefly, and looked into his eyes. He sighed. "Dante Valentine, Storm's team.", he said reluctantly. He knew from experience, you'd have better luck arguing with a T-rexaur than Dante Valentine.

He nodded, and took his place accordingly. "Thank you, sir.", he said quietly. After the teams were formed, he saw Arc leave the area almost immediately.

[Treize]

After being briefed once again about the mission in the SeeD cabin, Kyle exited with the other SeeD cadets. He decided that he might as well look at the scenery since he couldn’t go in any of the cabins, and the lobby was pretty empty. He wasn’t really that interested in making friends with the other cadets, but he did manage to strike up a conversation with another cadet named Jay Eklan, who also decided to stay in the hall of the train and look at the scenery.

Jay Eklan happened to be the squad’s medic. Jay stood at 5’11” with blond hair and blue eyes. Jay and Kyle managed to hit it off quite well because they were the same age, 17, and were both interested in learning magic. They continued to converse for about an hour until Kyle noticed something strange while he was looking out the window.

“Jay, do you see all those motorcycles following the train? Something’s not right here.”

“Those aren’t just any motorcycles, Kyle. Those are Galbadian soldiers! Hurry, let’s go tell Arc what’s going on.”

Unfortunately, before either had time to act, the train was bombarded with fira magic. The train then came to a sudden halt after suffering significant damage. Fortunately Kyle and Jay were barely hurt and only surprised to find all of these soldiers attacking the train. They then rushed to the lobby to see how the passengers there were. It seemed that one of the fira spells directly hit the lobby and all of the passengers were either heavily wounded or dead.

“Jay, you try and save as many people as you can. I’ll go inform Arc. We’ll need to make some sort of plan if we want to get out of this alive,” Kyle said in a panic as he rushed towards the SeeD cabin.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can for those that are still alive!” Jay responded.

Just as Kyle was approaching the SeeD cabin, Arc came out yelling, “What the hell is going on?!”

“Sir, we’re under attack! There must be about 200 Galbadian soldiers on motorcycles attacking the train right now.”

It looked as if Arc had just awoken and was in shock about the current predicament he found himself in. He looked out of a hole that was made by one of the fira spells, and, sure enough, there were hundreds of Galbadian soldiers surrounding the train.

“Damn! How did they know we were on this train?!” Arc yelled when he realized how serious the situation was.

“I don’t know sir, but we’ve got to think of a plan. We don’t have much time before it will be too late. We’ve got to retreat somehow,” Kyle said after he gained some composure.

“Retreat? How can we retreat when the enemy is right in front of us? I say that we’ll have to fight our way out!” Arc responded in a tone that almost seemed repulsed by Kyle’s cowardice.

“Is he out of his mind? We’re surrounded by hundreds of Galbadian soldiers. There’s no way we’ll be able to defeat that many with the three of us. I knew it was a bad idea to be placed on this guy’s team!” Kyle thought after hearing Arc’s response.

“Sir, there is no way that we can defeat this many Galbadian soldiers! There are only three of us left, Jay, you, and me,” Kyle said trying to convince Arc to retreat.

“Kyle, there are hundreds of soldiers on motorcycles. There is no way that we’ll be able to outrun them and retreat. Our only option is to fight! I’m the leader here, and you will follow my commands!” Arc yelled in a commanding voice.

“I guess you’re right, sir. It looks like we won’t stand much of a chance, but we’ll have to do what we can,” Kyle responded in a more timid voice.

Finally the Galbadian soldiers came onto the train looking to find any survivors. Arc, Jay, and Kyle fought their way out to the best of their abilities and took out numerous soldiers, but they were inevitably captured.

“We’ve finally caught you, eh?” said one of the Galbadian soldiers who appeared to be the leader. “We know all about your plans to help that lowlife Laguna. There’s no way you petty SeeDs can succeed.”

“How’d you know we’d be on this train?” replied Arc in a defiant tone.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

[Magi of Worlds]

In a last act of defiance Arc slammed his foot into the Galbadian leader's genitals and was satisfied to see him let out a loud bark and topple over. Unfortunately after that he and the two Cadet's were knocked unconscious by the other surviving Galbadian soldiers. Arc's last thought was that he'd atleast killed thirty of them himself.

An unknown amount of time later Arc hovered back into consciousness. He noticed he was tied up and laying in what appeared to be a Galbadian armored truck. He also noticed that their weapons were near them if they could just get their hands loose.

Unfortunately the guard in the passenger seat noticed he was awake he smacked him back into unconsciousness again...

Days later they arrived in Esthar. Arc was shaken awake by one of the G-Soldiers and marched into a building. He was pushed through several rooms and down a flight of stairs. Upon reaching the bottom he was thrust into another room and the door was slammed shut behind him.

[DragonHeart]

Storm adjusted her belt and surveyed the teams, appraising each member with her shadowed eyes. Many were young, untested. They would all have something to prove here. A dangerous combination, but also an unavoidable one. The price of peace, when war stirred once more in the hearts of men.

Though she stood in the back of the crowd, she caught Squall's eye. His expression was grim. Too few SeeDs to assign these difficult missions. How many would fail to return? She turned away, unable to meet his gaze any longer.

Her own team had gathered around, anxious and eager and perhaps a little scared. With a deep breath to steady herself, she saluted her new squad.

“I'm Storm Zephyre, your commander for this mission. Before we begin, let's introduce ourselves.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Squall striding towards her, an injured SeeD in tow. She frowned, recognizing Dante Valentine, the SeeD who'd recently failed and lost his entire team. Everyone'd heard about that mission. The only thing worse than having a team of cadets was having a failed SeeD on the squad. She opened her mouth to protest.

Squall held up his hand, forestalling her infamously scathing commentary. She fell silent, casting a cold gaze on the younger SeeD for a moment before turning her attention back to her commander.

“I know it's last minute but I'm assigning Dante here to your team.”

“He's injured, sir. That will slow us down.”

He arched an eyebrow and glanced rather pointedly at her right arm.

She sighed inwardly and saluted the Headmaster. “Sir.”

Squall nodded once then looked at the rest of her squad. “Unfortunately, that makes this squad unbalanced. John Tamyan, you've been reassigned for the next field exam.”

A Garden staff member hailed him and Squall turned away. Storm watched him leave with an odd feeling of dread prickling at the back of her neck. She had a bad feeling about this whole damned thing but there was nothing to do except go for it, now.

“Well,” she said into the rather uncomfortable silence that had followed the Headmaster's announcement and sudden departure, “that certainly changes things. Dante, do you need to be briefed before we begin our mission?”

[Heartless Angel]

"I've glanced at the specs, but a refresher can't hurt. If we got time to kill, definitely, if we're on a tight scedule, I can manage without.", he said, as he began undoing the bandages around his arm.

"And don't let my injuries trouble you. I'm sure I'll be able to keep up with a group of rookies. Think they've pretty much healed up anyways.", he said, stretching out after freeing himself of the bandaging. "Hmm... little achy yet, but I've no right to complain..." he said with a sigh.

He continued stretching for a few more minutes silently. As he stood, he looked back at the group, and in a serious tone said, "Oh, and anybody who enjoys having four limbs, let's not talk about my last mission, all right?"

[Magi of Worlds]

(OOC: I'm not sure what to do about Treize seeing as how he is going into the army and won't be on that often... Oh well. We shall cross that bridge when we get there.)

Arc had dozed off again but the sharp sound of a baton banging on the bars of his cell jerked him awake. After he'd been thrown into the storage closet he had waited for a while for more guards to drive him to the actual prison. He had been stripped of all weapons and thrown in this cell in the back. Another whack brought Arc back away from his thoughts.

The door slowly opened and a man about Arc's own age with shaggy blonde hair and creepy brown eyes walked in. His smirk at Arc just made him seem even more of a jerk. He also happened to be wearing an Esthar soldier outfit which tied in the Galbadians and Estharians together. This surprised Arc a little.

"Get up good SeeD! The Guard Captain would like a word with you in the torture chamber!"

At the last words the man burst into a long, evil laugh that made Arc's skin crawl. He knew exactly what the Captain's "talk" would be. Why else would he be in the torture chamber?

The Esthar soldier pulled Arc to his feet and escorted him down several flights of stone stairs to a dungeon they had appropriately named their torture chamber. It was full of all of the kind's of devices that would make a man talk. The worst part about it was that most were covered in dry blood. Something to freak out the prisoner's brought in weekly.

Sure enough, the Captain was in the room waiting for Arc. Unfortunately, he had a five- foot long cat-o-nine whip in one hand. The soldier that had escorted Arc there ripped off his shirt and led Arc to a rack on the wall. It was made of steel and had rope on it to bind someone's hands above their head. The soldier made Arc face the wall and tied up his hands. Arc heard the whip strike the ground and then a sudden, unbearable pain in his back. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he screamed.

"So tell me your name you miserable SeeD!" the Captain screamed at him in between another stroke of the whip.

[DragonHeart]

"You probably know everything we do, then. Not a lot to go on for this one," Storm said, watching Dante unwrap his bandages. It was true that the rookie would probably slow them down more than he would but even so.

"Name and field ranking, cadet," she said, abruptly turning to the last member of their team.

"Ryan Arkell, medic and strategist," he said. He was tall in the lanky way of a young man who'd not yet grown into his height, with scraggly long hair and a neatly pressed uniform.

"And which part of that involves firearms, cadet?" she asked, noting the rifle slung quite casually over his shoulder.

"Both, ma'am," he said with a cheery smile.

Well, this might not turn out so badly after all, she thought. Well, unless Arkell turned out to be another Seifer.

"How many field exams have you taken?" she asked.

"None aside from the qualifier, ma'am."

"At ease, Ryan. This is a mission. Formalities will not be required."

He shrugged.

"Well in any case, we should get moving soon. We're scheduled on the second train out of Balamb this morning and Arc's squad has already left. If you need to do any last minute preparations now's the time. We leave in thirty minutes, with or without anyone who's not ready," Storm said.

Ryan stretched, crossing his arms as he leaned against the Garden wall. "Ready when you are," he said.

[Heartless Angel]

He sighed. "I'm ready too. May as well get going early, have some time to stop and eat before we head out. My treat.", he said. He crossed his arms and looked to the sky. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply "I'd usually treat my last squad to a meal before every mission. Just before we were ready to head out, we'd drink to our success and safe return. Didn't have time for the drinks that day...", he said.

[DragonHeart]

"Alcohol is not permitted while SeeDs are working in an official capacity," Storm said, paraphrasing the relevant part of the regulations. "Besides, we can't afford to waste time. You should have eaten already."

She glanced around. The other squad was departing, leaving the foyer all but empty. The Garden was still quiet this early in the day. Peaceful, with the gentle murmur of the fountains, the wind breezing through the open front entry. The only place she'd ever felt at home.

Her gaze fell back on her teammates. One more mission, as promised. Time to get to work.

"Well, let's get going then. We've got a car parked out front," she said, waving them forward with her. She didn't look back.

One of the Garden staff members waited at the car, keys in hand. He tossed them to her as she passed; Storm nodded her thanks as she caught them and went around to the driver's side. She smiled; at least since she was driving she wouldn't have to listen to her squadmates until they arrived at the station.

The car rumbled to life, the doors slamming as the others climbed in. And as simple as that, yet another mission had begun.