Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Protecting the Lion ❯ Sub Zero ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter Eighteen

Sub Zero

 

“It took you ladies long enough,” called a gruff voice.

 

Squall and Seifer had rushed down the creaky stairs and moved into the large room that served as a bar. The room was dark, but their eyes were already well adjusted. With chairs propped up on top of the tables and no customers in sight, it looked completely different.

 

Near the end of the bar, closest to the door, Mike was leaning back with his arms folded. He was dressed and waiting as though he'd been there the whole time, only now with a heavy jacket, ready to go outside.

 

“I'm driving,” Seifer said as he strode forth, closely followed by Squall.

 

Scoffing, the barman stood straight. “Like hell you are.” Stalking to the door, he opened it to the rush of cold air.

 

Not missing a stride the two fighters followed. Questions could be answered while they moved, but time was precious, especially when the explosion had already occurred.

 

Skipping down the steps of the stoop, Seifer answered Squall's unasked question. “Lieutenant Garrant is a former Galbadian soldier and there is no arguing with him about going with us.”

 

Squall didn't reply but jogged to catch up with the barman. While he couldn't say he liked the guy, since he generally didn't like anyone, he was finding the former soldier to be rather interesting. In the hopes that Mike had seen more than they had, he inquired, “What did you see?”

 

“Just the flash, but I'd say it's an X-34 LRC missile.”

 

Mildly impressed, Squall didn't have time to contemplate the barman's knowledge. Concluding that it had come from the east, he tried to consider the possibilities of origin. If it really were a long range cruise missile then it would have come from Trabia, Galbadia, or Esthar. If he had time for useless thoughts, he would have prayed to Hyne that Esthar had absolutely nothing to do with it. “Can you estimate the distance?” he asked, hoping the barman wasn't just making guesses. While he was savvy with most forms of artillery, at least those used by Balamb, he was not ready to take any exams on the exploding variations of long ranged missiles.

 

Three car doors slammed shut in a hurry.

 

As the engine revved to life, Mike answered while deftly shifting gears, “Twenty miles give or take a few.”

 

“What the hell is a missile doing seaward of Dollet?” Seifer remarked incredulously.

 

“Missed target,” Squall muttered from the front passenger seat. His mind was working fast. While part of him wanted to consider the cause of it all, he was more concerned with the immediate aftermath. Pointlessly patting his jacket pockets, he remembered he didn't have his phone on him. “Seifer, give me your phone.”

 

Though the blond fished it out of his pocket right away, he commented in protest, “Didn't your parents ever teach you the magic words?”

 

Snatching the small item from the knight's outstretched hand, Squall mumbled, “Your humor eludes me.” Flipping it open, he waited a moment while it powered on. He hesitated briefly before dialing a long stream of numbers. Waiting, he held the phone to his ear.

 

“What's the princess doing?” Mike asked, directing his question to the ex-knight.

 

“Probably calling Trepe….” Seifer trailed off when he realized that the barman didn't know who that was. “He's calling Balamb Garden.”

 

Taking a sharp turn, Mike directed his words to the pretty boy next to him. “It exploded beneath the surface of the water. It's impossible to tell how much damage the shockwave will do.”

 

“Quistis,” Squall's voice had taken on the serious and commanding tone it always would when giving orders. “Wake Selphie up, have her access the Nero Satellite's mainframe using my personal override code, she knows it. Have the satellite zoom in at 42 degrees north, 50 degrees west… yes, Dollet. Now, get Xu and have her call President Loire… don't ask… I don't have time. I need you to contact Governor Fenrir… Mike,” he clarified whom he was speaking to. “What's the worst case scenario?”

 

“Hn, worse case, eh?” Speeding through the empty streets Mike considered the possibilities of what could happen. “If the missile detonated at just the right depth, we could expect one hell of a wet city this early morning.” His dark blue eyes shift briefly to study the boy's reaction. The boy was a walking contradiction. Appearing delicate and fragile, but proving steady and commanding. The kid's face remained impassive, which was something Mike wasn't sure how to take.

 

“Quistis,” the commander resumed authoritatively, “Contact Fenrir and have him exact an emergency evacuation. I want Dollet empty within the hour… I don't have time…” Quistis kept asking him what was going on, but he didn't have the time to explain anything. The horizon was filled with the dark glittering depths of the sea in the moonlight. They had nearly reached the shore. Gritting his teeth, he felt compelled to remind the head instructor that while he may have lapsed into the use of her first name, he was the commander and not her student at the moment. “Trepe, I gave you your instructions, now take care of it!” His voice was a bit harsher than he would have liked, but it was easy to forget being polite to friends when the horizon line seemed to shift.

 

Catching the flicker of worried emotion cross Squall's face as the brunet stared out the windshield, Seifer leaned forward. Following the pale man's line of sight, it took him a moment to understand. “Say, Mike, any chance that it's just a really strong gravitational force of the moon?”

 

Mike didn't bother responding.

 

Never being stationed in any marine corps, Squall relied heavily on the Lieutenant's judgment. “How far out is that?”

 

“A few miles, five at most.” It was difficult to tell, considering the horizon line was deceiving and the night sky backdrop made the distinction even less clear.

 

“Shit!” Squall swore, almost feeling panicky at the sudden situation he was faced with. “How much time?”

 

The barman had lived a long life for a soldier and was hardly deterred from the condemning road they were driving down. However, it was slightly overbearing. Gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary, he answered, “Fifteen minutes at the most.”

 

Forcing himself to calm down and think rationally, Squall stared straight ahead and tried not to let his instinctive fear get the best of him. In such situations, it was always his job to find a solution. Currently, he just had to come up with some way to stop a tidal wave from reaching the city within the time limit of fifteen minutes.

 

“So, why are we going to the beach again?” Seifer asked. Was he the only one who thought it a little strange? A tidal wave heading in their direction and they were practically driving right into it?

 

Reaching the end of the dead end road, Mike slowed down and stopped a bit suddenly. Cutting the engine, he swiftly got out.

 

As if the ominous view of approaching danger wasn't enough to set their nerves on edge, a loud siren began to wail. The noise seemed to resound throughout the entire city. Squall couldn't help but wonder why some buoy or detecting system hadn't triggered it earlier. Governor Fenrir had probably called for the alert.

 

Squall's lips pressed together as he realized that the evacuation couldn't possibly be made in time. Showing no outward sign of distress, his mind continued to think frantically. A very small part of him believed he was going to die, but it was useless to dwell on it. “Fucking Hyne,” he cursed in a rare vulgar manner. Unable to come up with a single plan, he stalked forward to the sandy pathway that opened right into the road.

 

While the rising horizon of black water was sublimely mesmerizing, it was also quite unsettling to watch. Seifer opted for staring at a paler than usual commander with thoughtful grey-blue eyes. His heart leapt in his throat when the brunet suddenly moved forward. “What are you doing?” he asked quickly.

 

“I'm getting closer,” Squall answered, picking the pace up and running down the sloping path.

 

“Leonhart! Get back here!” Seifer shouted as he moved to follow. While he desperately wanted Squall to heed him, he knew very well that the brunet would keep going. For all his years of training he was suddenly faced with some catastrophic situation like this where death was eminent. How the hell could they even begin to go about finding a way out of this one? The extremely short time span didn't help any either.

 

With wide strides, Seifer jogged to the bottom of the slope. Tall beach grass blocked his view of Squall for a moment. The brunet was a damn fast runner and was already a fair distance ahead. Seeing that slim figure running towards the source of both their soon to be untimely ends, he was jolted with fear. “Squall!” he yelled, wanting the unreasonable commander to return to his side quickly. His usual acceptance of the brunet's stubborn ways had left. It would have been futile to stand anywhere within a mile radius of the wave when it hit, but he couldn't help but feel great alarm with each step the commander took closer to it.

 

Adrenaline pumping, Seifer sprinted after the dashing figure.

 

It was a longer distance to the low tide's edge than normal. Squall didn't know which end of the beach they were at, but it didn't really matter. There was nothing in their ship that could help other than a means of escape perhaps, but he hadn't even considered that an option.

 

Perhaps he had been playing the hero for so long that he had come to believe it was his mandatory role, or maybe a subconscious part of him knew he was capable of doing something. Whatever the reason, he ran towards the water on instinct.

 

Seifer caught up with Squall only when the brunet had stopped. Once beside the smaller man, he ridiculously comforted despite not being out of danger. “Squall?” he questioned, wondering what the commander was thinking.

 

Squall's skin felt a little clammy, a mixture of the two hundred meter dash and the approaching danger. “I don't know what to do,” he admitted. He had acted instinctively, but his instincts weren't being very specific. He hadn't the slightest idea what came next. Did he die beside his rival as soon as the water hit, or had he not thought of something yet?

 

Staring out into the wide expanse of the water, Squall felt mesmerized by the sight. The city lights from behind accompanied the bright moon above, giving glinting light to the darkness. The siren continued to wail in the distance and the disturbing din of panic was growing louder. He hoped everyone could evacuate just as fruitlessly as he hoped he could perform some miracle to help.

 

Squall's hand flexed, just begging to hold Lionheart. This was one instance where his trusty weapon couldn't help. The tide's edge suddenly receded. The peculiar behavior of the sea made Squall think that Leviathan was nearby, but he knew better.

 

“It'll be cresting soon,” the barman said, jogging up to the pair. The extreme undertow was pulling the water back, almost to the shelf. “At least that means it probably won't reach the other side of the city.” If it crested before it hit land, then it would do less damage.

 

“Yeah, that's fucking fantastic, if we were on the other side of the city!” Seifer shouted. He was angry that his two companions acted as though they weren't about to die. “Dammit, we can at least try and find shelter, we have time,” he urged sensibly.

 

“No,” Mike shot that idea down. “If that were the case, we would already be doing it. This thing is gonna hit every inch of the beachfront and knock anything in its path down like a house of cards.”

 

“Well, fuck then, didn't we go in the wrong direction,” Seifer spat sarcastically. “Let's get back to the car and haul-ass away from here.”

 

“Hah,” Mike laughed at the ex-knight. “Yeah, cause the panicked streets won't stop us. Besides, I'm not running from anything.”

 

“So what the hell are we supposed to do? Just stand here and wait?” Seifer cut the air with his hand and gestured out to the sea. If he were going to die off the battlefield, he would rather be back in bed fucking the commander senseless.

 

“I think your princess has an idea.” Mike stared knowingly at Squall. The commander wouldn't have acted with such determination without some idea of what to do. Judging the way those brows were furrowed and that bottom lip was being chewed on, he'd say the brunet was forming a solution.

 

Setting a hand on the commander's shoulder, Seifer questioned, “What are you thinking?”

 

“I'm thinking we're pretty screwed,” Squall answered in frustration, still unable to find any way out of their predicament.

 

“If that's your plan then I'd say we have one hell of a frigid death coming,” the barman scoffed, a little disappointed that the boy hero seemed resigned to their watery fate.

 

Squall's head snapped around and his grey-blue eyes widened as he stared at the barman. “Frigid,” he whispered to himself. Facing the water again, he closed his eyes and placed a hand to his forehead in concentration. He didn't need to summon Shiva completely in order to speak with her.

 

Mind calling out to his guardian force, Squall sought the ice queen's help.

 

“I'm here. Why don't you summon me?” Shiva's voice answered inside her lion's head. A half summoning was not gratifying in the least. If there was a battle, she wanted to surge forth and fight.

 

“Can you see?” Squall asked aloud, wondering if he needed to call her forth completely before she could see into the world around him.

 

“Aye little one, the waters are strange. Is this why you call me?” Shiva replied.

 

Squall ignored the ex-knight who squeezed his shoulder with concern. He must have seemed weird to be talking to no one. “Yes. There is a wave, a large one. Is it possible to stop it?”

 

Laughter sounded. “You ask the impossible my lion.” Shiva continued to laugh.

 

Shiva had been Squall's only hope, and at the thought that she could not help, he felt his fear return. “Truly? There is nothing you can do?”

 

The ice queen's laughter died out. “Ah, my lion, you forget that you often ask the impossible and always make it through. I will do what I can, but this is no ordinary foe.”

 

Squall's breath hitched as he realized that there was still hope. “I'll summon then?” he asked, not sure whether she would fight in the same manner as always or if she was able to do more.

 

“Please do,” she answered.

 

Seifer had been calling the commander repeatedly, receiving to acknowledgment. Abruptly, the brunet finished summoning, fading from sight as Shiva materialized. The guardian force was smiling. Much to his distain, he realized that even if Squall died, the ice queen would remain unharmed.

 

Happy chuckling filled the air, as Shiva stepped forward, walking to the water. “There is never a dull moment,” she mused. With each step taken, the ground froze beneath her feet.

 

Seifer didn't think it was possible for sand to freeze, but considering that it was damp it must have been the water. He wondered what the hell his rival had in mind.

 

Step by freezing step, Shiva walked closer to the water. The ice that formed beneath her feet seemed to spread out as if growing in strength. Her movements were inhumanly smooth and elegant as she made her way forth.

 

Watching Shiva was perhaps the only sight more mesmerizing than the approaching wave. Neither the former soldier nor the ex-knight could take their eyes off her. It hadn't taken long for Seifer to realize what Squall had been thinking of or what Shiva was now doing here.

 

Green eyes sharpened as they studied every subtle movement of the guardian force. The ritualistic attack that he'd seen her perform before caused him to watch for the same movements now.

 

Breathing out, Seifer saw his breath form puffs of air. He could actually feel the temperature dropping drastically. Stepping closer to Mike, he grit his teeth. At least Squall was safe from the repercussions of Shiva's actions, but that was of little consolation given the current predicament he faced. Growling in anger, he closed his eyes in concentration. He was junctioned, but only because Trepe had made that a requirement. The rule-abiding instructor had balked about taking certain precautions while being Squall's bodyguard. He cast Protect on Mike and then himself. The spell wouldn't do much, but it would at least dull the effects of the cold. Normally magic wouldn't work in such a case, but it was an unnatural cold caused by Shiva. Other than Protect, he had no sort of spell that could help, maybe a Cura if they both started to freeze to death.

 

“Is that what your princess really looks like?” the barman asked in confusion.

 

“What?” Seifer intoned incredulously. “That's a guardian force you dumb ass. How long ago did they make you retire anyway?”

 

“That's Lieutenant Garrant to you boy, and no one made me retire. When I was a soldier we didn't have the luxury of those things. We managed with our own skill,” Mike grumbled defensively. The blond knight had a knack for pushing all the right buttons to piss a person off.

 

Scoffing, Seifer replied, “You're looking at Shiva. You'll want to watch this closely, `cause I doubt you'll ever see something like this again.”

 

The long tendrils of blue hair fluttered as a misted wind kicked up. The guardian dropped her hands to her sides. With her palms facing down, energy gathered at her call. Only the guardians could gather such forces of nature and bide them to listen to their command. The wind gained strength and the misty spray of water began to form cold pellets of ice. The light gathered in her palms, just as it did before she released it and froze the enemy with its touch.

 

Shiva didn't release the energy however, but continued to gather it beyond what Seifer thought was reasonable for a normal attack. It was true that SeeD hadn't been using Guardian Forces for very long, and within the last decade there hadn't been much information gathered on their existence. Of the guardian forces discovered, most had been found during the recent war. Shiva, Ifrit, and Quezcotl had been the first few, but just about everything they knew of the creatures was still theory and speculation.

 

The golden, yellow streaks of Shiva's hair changed color. Streaks growing white, similar changes occurred elsewhere. Pale blue skin became snow white, perfectly unblemished as though made of marble.

 

Nervously, Seifer looked at his watch. Several textbook theories were running through his head at the moment. What worried him was the extended amount of time the Shiva was being summoned. Guardian forces were theorized to take both memories and strength from their host. No one had ever seen the effects of prolonged summoning, but many speculated that it could only be negative. Shiva had already been summoned longer than usual, and she had yet to attack once. Clenching his jaw, he set the timer on his watch, and did the only thing he could, which was to wait. He was torn between his trust in Squall and his knowledge that the brunet would probably jump in front of a speeding car to save a kitten.

 

The air swirled with small ice droplets and snowflakes. The spray was nearly blinding as the wind blew directly from the ocean. With his eyes squinted against the chaotic winds, Seifer had the distinct impression that the ice queen was drawing all heat from the water.

 

Given the amount of energy Shiva kept gathering, it was a wonder that her form wasn't blinded from view by the growing light. Slowly and ever so smoothly, her arms rose above her head. The drawing of energy continued. Seifer could feel the air humming and was concerned when the protective shield he had cast began to react.

 

The haze of the blizzard grew so great that Seifer could hardly make the guardian's form out, though that might have been in part from the blinding light that grew in a condensed form above her head. Her hands had come together and joined each ball of drawn energy. The air was too cold to breath, Seifer had to cover his mouth with the material of his coat.

 

The sudden howling of wind and blast of light told Seifer that Shiva had released all that energy. The destructive force of her power froze all it touched instantly. The hollow echo of freezing waters pierced the sound of shrill wind.

 

Relying heavily on his hearing, Seifer listened to the disturbing sounds that carried swiftly to his ears. The noises seemed to be echoing from every direction. The blond knight could only see the bright light as it moved farther out to the ocean, but the blizzard soon swallowed the sight and he could do nothing but listen to the disturbing sounds.

 

The deep waters gave off low toned snapping sounds as they froze in place. The chaos continued for some time. Eventually, joining the piercing scream of Shiva's powerful attack and the distinctive sound of freezing water, the disturbing mash of ice bellowed loudly. It almost sounded like thunder, but felt more like an earthquake.

 

Seifer figured that it was the forceful water pushing its way through and keeping its momentum even when turned into ice. He really didn't want to be so close if that were the case. He had every doubt that Shiva's actions were futile. Freezing a small portion of water wouldn't do much, especially with the force of the waves that followed, which would plow right through it.

 

Beyond cold, Seifer's body was shivering convulsively. A glance to the side showed him a very pale and blue-lipped bartender. Realizing that he had been so consumed with trying to watch Shiva that he'd neglected the state his body was in, he shifted closer to Mike. Crouching low, he yanked the older ma down with him. Huddling closely, they curled up into themselves in an effort to preserve body heat. While he was concerned about his own state of being, he prayed Leonhart was in safer conditions.

 

The atmosphere grew darker as the light from Shiva's attacked died abruptly. Through the mixture of noises, Seifer thought he could hear the high-pitched gathering and shattering noises from repeated Blizzaga spells. Another light grew. It would seem Shiva was preparing once again.

 

“Fuck,” he cursed. He couldn't do anything except watch and wait. He was junctioned with Ifrit and had more Firagas than he could ever need, but not even a single low-level Blizzard.

 

Shiva didn't seem to take as long to gather energy this time, but the sporadic castings of Blizzaga continued on simultaneously. Seifer grew suspicious at how the ice queen managed to cast two spells at once. .

 

At last, the windy blizzard began to die down as it lost its driving force. White flakes still littered, but the sound of magic no longer rang loudly. When the air finally cleared a bit, green eyes surveyed the ocean in disbelief.

 

The wave of dark water that had been moving steadily closer was now an arcing wall of jagged ice. The time of freezing had not been synced, so the ice was uneven. It seemed the water had pushed through several times, making chunks of broken ice that were scattered in broken shards like bodies on a battlefield.

 

Hearing the low toned crack of unsettled water beneath the ice, Seifer knew the ocean was already returning to its natural order. The ice wouldn't last, but it appeared to have stopped the tidal wave. The rest of the salty liquid was pushing against the barricade, trying to sweep to the sandy shore the way it was meant to.

 

Though his footing was slippery Seifer ran forth towards the pale form of Shiva. It wasn't easy to run on the glossy surface while dodging chunks of ice and forcing his numb limbs to move accordingly, but the alarmed knight managed As the last of the snowflakes settled down, he saw the guardian force more clearly. White streaks of hair had returned to their yellow hue and fair skin was a pale blue again. The ice queen was crouching low, which couldn't have been a good sign.

 

Seifer suspected that Shiva was worn out, unable to stand. Moving closer, he was filled with dread at the dark for of the commander's lame body. Dashing recklessly, he rushed to Squall's side. Forgetting the terrain, he nearly slid past his mark when attempting to stop.

 

Falling to his knees, Seifer reflected Shiva's position on the other side of an unconscious brunet. His heart beat madly and his chest constricted tightly as he feared the worst. Tentatively, he reached a hand out to the deathly pale face of his rival.

 

Squall's eyes were shut with snowflakes caught in thick lashes. There was snow in choppy brown hair as well, and Seifer was afraid to find out why the flakes didn't melt. Once roseate lips were now pale blue.

 

“Hyne,” Seifer breathed out. With a lump in his throat he felt his eyes burn with moisture. Raising his head, he looked to Shiva. His green eyes searched her crystal blue ones. The sorrow and sadness he found within them did nothing to calm his fears. His eyes narrowed, as if her expression was some sort of confirmation.

 

Shakily, the ex-knight moved his hand to the commander's slender neck. He almost pulled back in shock. The brunet's body was so cold, as if he had been dead for hours and left in the mountains on the northern continent.

 

Seifer's heart leapt as he felt a faint pulse. The younger man was alive. He had never felt such overwhelming relief. Hastily, he stepped back and cast Curaga. The spell didn't react to the motionless body.

 

“He needs heat. I'm afraid that he's been exposed to Diamond Dust,” Shiva informed regretfully. Standing smoothly, she turned to the blond knight. “I haven't very long, will you care for him?”

 

Glaring at the guardian, Seifer spat, “Better than you could.” His resentment for what the brunet had done was being directed at the stubborn man's partner in crime.

 

Seifer clenched his teeth when Shiva simply smiled and faded from sight. His guess was that spells weren't going to work. Shiva's words weren't exactly cryptic. Squall needed heat before his lithe body froze to death.

 

Swiftly, Seifer dropped down and gathered the commander's form into his arms. If Quistis were as relentless as always about knowing what was going on then the head instructor would be taking few extra measures. There was sure to be a ship coming, most likely airborne. Unable to be absolutely certain that reinforcements were on the way, he reached into Squall's bomber jacket and retrieved his phone. He paused thoughtfully before hitting redial.

 

While the line rang, he propped the phone to his ear with a shoulder. With one arm cradling the unconscious commander, he reached his other hand up the brunet's shirt and rubbed furiously against the cold chest. The friction caused the skin to heat up. He was determined to keep the boy's heart warm.

 

“Squall?” the familiar voice of the head instructor answered on the third ring.

 

“Guess again Trepe,” Seifer responded.

 

“Seifer,” Quistis sounded surprised. “When did you….” her voice trailed off. “Oh, I see you now.”

 

The odd statement wasn't enough to derail the knight's focus. “Where the hell is our transportation?”

 

“Ragnarok should be there any minute now. How is Squall? Is he okay? What did Shiva just say to you?”

 

“Trepe, calm down. I'll talk when we get back.” While leaving the worried woman in the dark was cruel, he had other matters to be concerned with. He hung the phone up and resumed his focus to the unconscious brunet.

 

With the slim body lying across his lap, he draped his long trench coat around the small man and held him close. He balanced Squall's head against his neck. Seifer was rather cold himself and not best suited to give a half frozen man any body heat, but he hardly cared.

 

Still rubbing the brunet's chest, he listened for the sound of Ragnarok.

 

Squall wouldn't die. Seifer had been too panicked to realize before, but he slowly let the knowledge seep in.

 

 

TBC… Unexpected action!