"Yeah, whatever, rules are for cowards." she threw back at him.
"Have it your way, Miss Hark, and I'll try not to hurt you too much."
Quistis threw back her head and laughed before coming to her en guard stance. The lights turned green and their dance began. The two warriors rushed forward, meeting in the middle of the deck. Quistis' staff shuddered with the first powerful strike from the Lieutenant. Her eyes met his briefly before she pushed back and spun the staff in a low sweep at his knees. He easily dodged, landing and lunging for her in a move that caught her shirt, putting a hole in it. I've got to disarm him, or I'm never going to beat him in a weapon to weapon fight. I have to fight dirty, but how?
She aimed her attacks at his weapon arm while blocking his attacks. Then she saw the opportunity. His body turned just the right way so Quistis could hook him behind the knees, felling him to the deck, and then she reversed the staff into his weapon to send it clattering several feet away. She then brought butt end of her staff to hover centimeters from his throat as the buzzer sounded. The kick behind her knees brought her legs out from under her.
Quistis landed on her back with a loud "Oomph!"
She shook off the daze, sitting up angrily. "Hey, what happened to 'stop at the buzzer?', you--"
Jaxon sat up, resting his arms across his knees. He wiggled a finger at her. "Uh, uh uh, Miss Hark. I do believe you said ‘Rules are for cowards' and I'm not a coward. Are you?"
Her eyes narrowed, How is he always able to do that? "Ugh!" she growled as she climbed to her feet and limped away from him. A deep, hearty chuckle met her ears as she walked away. She also felt the unmistakable sensation of a cure spell washing over her. Quistis turned sharply, trying to discern where it had come from, but no one was looking at her. Jaxon had picked up his weapon and was busily cleaning it.
"Iselle, what's...?" Zone asked walking beside her.
Quistis looked over her other shoulder. "Someone cast a cure spell on me, and I can't figure out who."
"The bastard." he quipped with a smile.
"I don't like having magic used on me when I don't even know who the caster is. And you know as well as I that junctioning GFs has been made essentially illegal." Quistis looked behind her one more time as they reached the entry. She caught Jaxon's eye and could have sworn he winked at her.
*
The silence pervading the quad gave Quistis a feeling of peace. She had several books stacked next to her in the grass along with a small bag of carrots she chewed on. The sound of footsteps walking through the grass made her drop her book to her chest and bring her eyes up. Before her stood one of the boys she had seen in the detention hall the day she had managed to get assigned there. To his left was Zone.
"I hear you're pretty good with a computer."
She shrugged. "Maybe, it depends on who wants to know and what's in it for me."
"My name's Trebuchet, and depending on what you can do, there could be a lot in it for you."
Quistis watched him for a few moments before laying back in the grass again. "I don't talk to flunkies."
Trebuchet knelt down beside her and tossed her book away. Quistis returned his gaze with a smirk. "You have issues with authority, don't you."
"No, I have issues with people who think they have authority." She picked up another book and began reading it. A growl emanated from the young man next to her.
"Fine, I'll take you to Roman, he's the one who requested you. But I think you're trouble."
Quistis climbed lazily to her feet. "You don't know the half of it, cowboy. I think I might want to talk to this ‘Roman' character. Let's go."
The three walked side by side toward Deling City, a mile away. As they walked Quistis threw a glance at Zone . He hadn't said anything since they left the Garden, actually, he hadn't said anything that day. He only returned her glance with a shrug and continued to follow the Deling Garden cadet in front of them.
They approached a small grey building on the outskirts of the city. Trebuchet waved a hand at Quistis' quarterstaff. "Weapons get left out here."
Quistis glared at the cadet. "No way, I don't want this stolen."
"Then Zone can stay out here and watch it, right Zone?" Trebuchet shifted his eyes from Quistis to Zone.
"Whatever," he muttered. Quistis handed her staff over reluctantly.
She stepped closer until she was nose to nose with Zone. "Don't let anything happen to it." Screw the staff, Zone. You be careful out here.
When Quistis stepped within, the interior was dim and smoky, reminiscent of a bar. Windows were covered with a tinted film, disguising the computers set up inside. Quistis wrinkled her nose against the cigarette odor while trying to take in everything she could and commit it to memory.
Her escort stopped in front of a desk with a large man behind it. The man was tall and imposing. A solidly built goon of approximately 30 years of age. His uniform of black made him look all the more dangerous.
"Roman, I presume?" Quistis said with a smirk. A memory tugged at her mind. Quistis had seen this man before, or at least his picture.
"Yeah, you must be Hark. I need a hacker with some skill and flexible morals, you interested?"
Something in the way he spoke jogged her memory. He worked for the Deling Garden Commander, the third in command. "I have skill and my morals are as flexible as a malboro tentacle. My interest depends on what's in it for me."
"If you're good, and you prove yourself to be loyal and trustworthy, there is huge potential. We're like a.... philanthropic organization."
"Philanthropic, eh? Whatever, it still depends on what's in it for me."
The imposing man in front of her threw back his head and laughed. "You're my kind of troublemaker, Hark. Do you want in?"
Quistis narrowed her eyes. He simply wouldn't answer her question. "Will it cause trouble for the Garden system?"
"Maybe."
She returned his wolfish grin "I'm in. When do I start?"
*
Another Saturday came and saw Quistis out of bed and in the training center early. She always looked forward to her training with Jaxon. His fighting skills were superb, as she expected of a SeeD trained swordsman. He was as good as Squall with the blade, although his fighting style was a little more reminiscent of Seifer.
She sent Jaxon a good natured sneer as she entered the Deling Garden Training Center. He was already stretching and preparing for the morning. Quistis spied Zone in a corner to her right and headed toward him. He hadn't noticed her and was busily taping the handle of his spiked mace.
"Hi, Zone," she whispered near his ear. He jerked in surprise, standing to look at her.
"Morning, Iselle. You back to punish that Lieutenant again?" he asked with a grin.
Quistis fought back the desire to give him a very well-deserved good morning kiss. "I think I'll toy with him for a little bit before going in for the kill. I need to work on my stamina."
Zone's dark eyes twinkled. "Have fun."
Quistis nodded before turning to the sparring area. "Wanna see how fast I can bring you down today, Lieutenant?"
Jaxon moved toward her, leaning closer until he was mere inches from her face. "Sure, sure, cadet, all bark and no bite."
They moved around the deck with catlike grace trading blows. She was still baffled as to how to fight the weapon he wielded. A quarterstaff expert, she was not. I know exactly how to get him with my whip. She brought her attention back to the task at hand, getting past that weapon and into his defenses.
Her stamina ebbing after a particularly long round, Quistis didn't get her guard up in time to block Jaxon's powerful blade. Things went into slow motion for her. She watched as he easily spun the huge weapon into position, building up momentum for a crippling strike. He couldn't stop the swing, but was able to turn the blade so it hit her with the flat side. Quistis dropped to the ground cradling her arm to her chest, biting down hard on her lip to keep the cry of pain an
d surprise inside.
"Iselle? Shit, I'm sorry. I couldn't... Let me see the arm." Jaxon was on his knees in front of her, trying to get her to meet his eyes.
"Ow, damn it. It's broken," she bit out through tightly clenched teeth and tear threatened eyes. The coolness of a cure spell washed over her and she cringed at the pain of the bone knitting itself back together. "What the hell, Lieutenant? Are you junctioned right now?" she hissed.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" he asked, his gaze guarded.
"You know it's against regs to be junctioned except during exams and pre-approved missions."
His eyes narrowed. "I do, on occasion enjoy the feeling, and the forgetting that it causes. Few people here care about 'the regs'."
Quistis looked into his face, surprised. She hadn't heard of anyone using the GFs that way. It was clever, but still against the rules. She caught the look of bitter loss flit across his face again as he looked away. "The GFs won't make the pain go away." she finally whispered.
He heaved a sigh. "Tell me about it." he mumbled. He sat on the floor, resting an elbow on his knee as the other hand roughly scrubbed his scalp.
"We probably shouldn't be sitting here acting civil toward each other." Quistis commented as she looked around.
Jaxon waved a dismissive hand at her. "Don't worry, there isn't anyone else here... except your friend Zone. He's a section over beating a grat to shreds."
"I bet I don't even want to know how you know that."
"A simple scan spell, modified a little."
Quistis shook her head, holding her hands up. "Like I said. I don't want to know." she glanced at him thoughtfully. "I had a student who OD'd on potions once. He said it made him feel like he was flying and all his troubles would float away."
Jaxon grunted. "I just want to get out of my head sometimes. I don't really have anything to occupy my mind if I'm not working or training. I don't sleep much. There are few around here who want to hang out with a SeeD officer."
"I understand, in a way. But it's dangerous, Jaxon. After the Sorceress War the research coming out of Esthar suggested many more ill effects than just memory loss. For long term users those risks quadruple."
An ironic chuckle escaped Jaxon, "This conversation sounds like you're giving me a 'don't do drugs' speech."
Quistis settled her eyes on his. "Essentially, I am. You're using the GFs like drugs. It's dangerous, I can't stress it enough. Long term use of GF junctioning can lead to a variety of bad ends. I doubt you want your SeeD record marred by something like that."
He turned to her with a lopsided grin. "You think I should start drinking instead?"
Quistis surprised herself by giggling. "No, get a hobby. Take up knitting." She paused, thinking of the best way to help him. "Talk to someone. The Network has doctors on staff for this sort of thing."
He sent another hand through his hair. This one more shaky and nervous. "Quistis, do you have any idea how hard it is to stop?"
"No, I can't say that I do. That's why you need to get help." she said quietly, leaning down to get a better look at his face. "The doc is required to keep it confidential, unless he thinks you're about to go on a killing spree."
"I can see it in the papers now, 'SeeD Lieutenant Murders Thousands, Stabs Self in Foot.'"
"Thousands, Jaxon? You're awfully sure of yourself, aren't you."
Jaxon reached over and shoved her hard enough to topple her onto her side. "Dincht knows." he said after a few moments of silence. "He made me promise to come to his wedding clean. I was doing pretty well for a while, how long ago was it...? Dincht told me to quit four weeks ago. Dropped the GF the same day. But I got back from a rehearsal on Thursday night, woke up Friday morning, and just couldn't listen to the memories anymore. All of this wedding preparation makes me think of the preparations I had been making two years ago.... I will do as I promised and have no GF with me on the day of his wedding."
Quistis swallowed the lump in her throat. "If you start talking to someone now, you might be able to give them up sooner. You could make Zell proud and have no GF for the whole week.... And I'm serious about the hobby."
Jaxon studied her for a moment. "Maybe I should put that weapon forging seminar to good use..."
The look of confusion on Quistis' face made Jaxon laugh. His eyes trailed off of her toward the back of the Training Center. Zone appeared, splattered with the green ooze of a grat.
"I guess you beat the...ooze... out of that grat, huh?" Jaxon asked, the humor evident in his voice. Zone's expression was just as confused as Quistis' had been.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
Jaxon shook his head, "The poor little guy is all over you. The defenseless grat against that mace of yours..."
"Defenseless, my ass." Zone muttered, kneeling down next to Quistis. The three chuckled lightly for a moment.
Jaxon's expression changed to one of business. "So, how are you guys doing. Do you need anything?"
Quistis sat forward. "Yeah, get a message to Balamb. There's something seriously big going on here. I'm pretty sure it's bigger than they thought it was when they sent me out. There's something about a 'seat of power.' I'd look it up in the library but the hoodlums here have destroyed it..." Quistis' voice trailed off as she thought, There's something I'm forgetting.... She snapped her fingers as the memory became clear. "Seifer mentioned something about ‘Asura's throne'. ‘The seat of power' must be the same thing. I also found out they're sending out attack groups. I don't know what else yet. It's going to take me at least another two weeks to worm my way into the inner circle, maybe four weeks. I may not be able to talk to you anymore. I suspect they're going to start watching both Zone and myself pretty closely. And, I'm sure Seifer already figured this, but the leader, at least of this section, is the Deling Commander's third in command. Sub-Lt. Cmdr. Roman Schalk."
Jaxon's expression fell to a dangerous frown. "SLC Schalk. I should have known. He's dirtier than a pig sty. All right, I'll get the message out, today."
"Thanks Jaxon. That's not all you're going to do today, is it?" Quistis asked giving him a meaningful look.
He sighed. "No. I'll call the psych office today and put my friend back where she came from."
Quistis smiled. "Good man." she stood, and patted him on the shoulder before walking toward the exit with Zone. She paused one last time to look back and felt the pang of sympathy hit her in the gut at the sight of Jaxon sitting alone in the sparring area, his head in his hands.
*
As it turned out, it took Quistis another two weeks to get taken into the confidence of the Deling Radicals. Every day was spent in front of a computer terminal in that smoky hole of an office the radicals kept in Deling City. Her job was to monitor the income from sales, another person monitored purchases, another monitored the stockpiles. The system meant that no one person knew very much about what was going on.
"Hark, come here a minute."
She lifted her head to regard the man behind the desk before standing and stepping across the room. "What?"
"I need you to take an exploratory mission this afternoon."
Quistis raised one eyebrow. "What exactly do I have to explore?"
Roman folded his hands on the desk. "There is an excavation going on below us, I just want you to go down and make sure it’s on track."
"Why me? Isn't that something you'd rather send one of the people you trust to do?"
The man before her laughed again. "I trust you Hark, you've got brains in that pretty little head of yours. Most of my guys, they're just lackeys. You could be my second if you wanted."
Quistis' eyes sparkled with the sense of satisfaction that rolled through her. "More power? That sounds like my kind of gig."
"I thought it would. Take your friend Zone with you. The two of you should be able to have a little fun down in those caverns."
She hoped the surprise didn't show on her face. "I'm sure we will."
*
> Zone followed Quistis down through the entry to the cavern. The air was cool and slightly musty, making Quistis wrinkle her nose at the smell.
"What does he want us to do?" Zone asked quietly.
"Make out, as far as I can tell." Quistis answered back in a similar whisper. She laughed as she heard Zone's footsteps stop behind her.
"What?"
"We're checking out an excavation, then he told me that I should take you and have a little fun."
Zone was still rooted to his spot a few feet away from her. Quistis closed the gap between them until she was nose to nose with him. "You got a problem with that?"
The look on Zone's face continued to have a shocked quality to it. It only took him a moment to relax, his face morphing into an easy grin. "Not a single problem whatsoever, Iselle. Where's the excavation?"
"I hope it's down this path."
Within a few minutes, they emerged from the tight pathway into a large cavern. The roof extended several stories above their heads, just barely lit with the torches surrounding the perimeter of the cavern.
After many years of learning and then teaching junctioning to students at Garden, Quistis knew the feeling of a Guardian Force settling into her mind. She flinched at the touch of consciousness on hers, gently pushing back against the invasion. She stopped walking, having to concentrate on keeping the GF from settling in.
"Iselle, are you okay? What's wrong?"
As suddenly as it had appeared, the presence disappeared, causing Quistis to blink and take a deep breath. "I'm okay. I've never had that happen before."
Zone just watched her with concern etched on his face.
"There is an awesome power down here. A Guardian just tried to junction herself to me. I haven't seen one like that since Eden. And even Eden didn't try to junction of her own free will."
They continued deeper into the cavern until they came up to a group of people working with various rock picks. She stepped over to the one guy who seemed to be in charge.
"Schalk sent me down to check your progress," she said, putting every bit of authority into her voice as she could find.
The foreman turned and gave her a slow up and down appraisal. She scoffed before reaching up and cuffing him on the side of the head.
"I said Schalk sent me down. You got a problem with that?"