Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Sanctuary ❯ Witnessing ( Chapter 9 )

After eluding the Fanatics in the Devil's Lab, I ran at top speed, carefully avoiding collisions with the Imperial Guards on alert. The exits of the entire facility had been closed for sure until they could clear away the yellow alert. It was standard operating procedures. Very little things could trigger the alarm. Because of its sophistication, the Devil's Lab ran this type of routine almost every week. Most of the time, they were just false alarms. Nevertheless, each was taken very seriously. With Guardian's help, they would see this as another of those incidents. After all, I will be summoned to investigate this later, and it would be easy for me to conclude a false alarm. The convenience of how things would work out eventually was staggering considering the fact that I was forced to break one rule after another. It was as if everything was meant to happen. As if a bridge were being built beneath me as I crossed a chasm.

But time was running short. Though, Guardian had provided me an alternate exit--through an unsealed delivery chute--thereby bypassing the guarded exits, I calculated that it would all be too late. I only had five minutes left before the package reached Cid's laboratory--Magitek Lab Alpha--and I was running on foot. I prayed to the powers that be that he would not open the package immediately. I hoped, in a selfish way, that somebody else would open it for him. Then he would not be in any danger.

As I ran, I thought about this more. Why wouldn't it matter if another opened the package for him? Surely, the person who would open it for him would be just as innocent about the whole thing. I ran to the Devil's Lab thinking that the reactor was really going to blow up, killing dozens of innocent people. I ran to save those lives. Why, now, was I willing to embrace any hypothetical situation as the favored outcome over Cid's death?

The thought appalled me. All my life, I had been fair and objective. Quite easily, I could choose between good and evil. Good would win each time. But now, in the moment of desperation, Guardian was making me choose between the lesser of two evils. I would, at any given time, sacrifice myself to prevent the death of a friend. I would, at any given chance, sacrifice myself to prevent the death of an innocent stranger. But when neither time nor chance permitted it, there I was pleading in my mind to the unknown gods and goddesses, "Please! Don't let my friend die. Let the innocent stranger die instead!"

Who am I to make such demand? Who am I to make such sacrifice? It's not my life to offer. It's unfair. It goes against everything I believed in. And so, as I ran, I made a decision that would eventually change the way I viewed the world and its people. A new discipline. A new philosophy. A new rationale--I mustn't let my personal emotions get in the way of judgment.

"I'm not gonna make it! I swear, Guardian. If he or anybody dies, I will personally--"

"Nobody is going to die tonight, Celes," Guardian said, "Don't you get it yet? I lied to you about the reactor overload because it was the only way for me to convince you to break into the Devil's Lab to see the truth for yourself."

"You mean..."

"The professor will live to see tomorrow. I lied to you about the bomb because I want you to be there when he opens up that package. I want you to see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears of what is to transpire. And then, Celes… then you will gain a new insight of everything that you believe."

A great wave of relief defeated my desperation. And yet the urgency to run was still there. Guardian had a reason to lie to me about the reactor. Surely, she would have another reason to lie to me about the package.

"But if the package is not dangerous, then… why--"

"Don't slow your pace. Keep running! I know that you do not tire easily. Enter the professor's lab with your own keycard and head straight to his office. Find a place to stand where you can witness everything while staying out of their way. Be very silent. No matter what transpires in that room tonight, it is critical that you do not intervene! I cannot stress this enough. Do not intervene!"

**********

I peered through the glass door of the entrance and saw an unfamiliar guard on duty. Jasom was on vacation. I was the one who signed the papers to grant his girlfriend's family safe passage through Vector's borders. I was the one who approved the vacation request. The two lovebirds were now in Maranda for a month. I was very happy for them both. The way they hugged and kissed each other that day told me that true love was very much abloom. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jasom a married man upon his return.

The man who filled in for his guard duty was a slouch. The guard was clearly slumped over his desk, snoring. I had a mind to reprimand the guard, but there simply wasn't enough time. I entered the glass door. A bell chimed softly to indicate entry. The chime woke the guard up with a start. Too late for him--I was already inside, and the door had already closed behind me. He scanned the room for visitors and saw none. Puzzled, he scratched the back of his head, looking stupid. More to his stupefaction, the door that required security access beeped and slid open. He jumped up from his chair with his sword drawn. The guards inside, did the same. They exchanged strange glances. The guard outside expected somebody to exit while the others inside expected somebody to enter.

I continued stealthily without trouble. The door closed again, leaving the bemused guards. I rolled up my eyes. Prior to all these trouble I was puzzling over how the infiltrator--Terra or Tina--got through the security without trouble. Guardian, it seemed, showed me how in this perpetuated twist of fate. I was the infiltrator. Guardian was my accomplice.

On the wall, beside the guard's desk inside was a clipboard. I read the schedule quickly. The last line answered the question that I had been dreading. A package had arrived. It didn't say where it came from, but it did say that Cid was expecting it because beside it was--

His signature!

He had the package. Though Guardian had assured me that the package was no longer a threat to him, I was still anxious about it being in his possession. And I was about to find out why.

I followed the corridor to his office. It was locked. I knocked softly on the door to see if he was inside. When nobody responded, I took out my key card and slid it across the slot. The door hissed as it swung open.

I walked in and then closed it behind me. The room hadn't changed since the last time I was there except for the presence of a package on his desk. It was a small one, about a foot in length and width, and half a foot in height. It sat there, unopened and wrapped in inconspicuous brown paper. I got there just in time, it seemed. I did not count on it. Cid must've placed it on his desk and went about his business again. Apparently, he planned to open it later. I debated whether I should open it myself. The air of excitement left me restless.

Remembering what Guardian told me, I searched for a suitable spot where I could supposedly see what was to transpire. I didn't want to be at a corner because it would be too far. And yet, standing too close to the desk would be a risk. Instead, I chose a middle ground. All I really needed to do was be cautious not to make a sound or bump into Cid.

Cid del Norte Marguez entered his office with a tired and worried look on his face. He looked as if he had been missing a few nights of sleep. Cid walked around his desk and sat down on his chair. He let out a shuddering sigh as he buried his face in his hands. I observed his weariness with silent inquiry. It was the first time that I had seen him so troubled. After finding the courage to lift his head up again, he eyed the package with trepidation.

Sitting up, he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a big and crude metal wrench. He held it with his trembling hand clumsily. Gripping it tightly, he warded off the tremors of tension. It looked like he intended to use the heavy wrench as a weapon. Against who?

The door to his office hissed open, startling the two of us. Cid placed the wrench back inside the drawer of his desk, on top of some filed documents quickly. Clearly, the wrench was going to be used for something other than what it was designed to do. I inhaled and braced myself, my hand, feeling for the hilt of my sword. A stranger in black, hooded cloak entered the room quietly. His face was hidden in a mask of shadow. The stranger stood in front of Cid's desk and made no threatening move. I shifted my position slightly in my attempt to identify the man under the hood. He was about four feet away from me.

Cid stared at the man. He was livid.

"It took you long enough," the mysterious man said, finally. There was no mistaking it from the sound of his voice. It was Kefka. "Is that it?" he asked, eyeing the package on the table.

"Y-yes," Cid began. "As I promised."

Cid began unraveling the brown paper that covered the package, until it revealed a black hard casing. My eyes didn't dare blink. I even stopped breathing. This was it. Whatever it was that Guardian wanted to show me was in that box. Perhaps it would be the answer to all the questions I've in my mind. Since it involved Cid, my most trusted friend, and Kefka, the alleged schemer, what I would learn from this meeting should be the piece of the puzzle.

Cid opened the hard casing. Because of the dim light in the room, I was not able to make out what the object was until he lifted it off the casing. My eyes widened after recognizing the object. My right hand covered my mouth instinctively before I could gasp. I shuddered at the sight of the thin, gold circlet. A slave crown! I thought. The second of two functional slave crowns that Guardian said!

What was Cid doing with such an atrocious, mind-controlling weapon? What was he doing here with Kefka? I asked those questions knowing the answer. I was in denial. I wished that I could freeze the moment, walk out of the room, and get some air before seeing what was to unravel next.

"Magnificent!" Kefka said gleefully, eyeing the slave crown covetously. His fingers eagerly moved towards the object. "Now give it to me carefully."

Cid pulled back. He quickly placed the band back to its casing, out of Kefka's reach. "Not until you promise not to use it on her," he bargained.

Her? You mean me? Who is it for, Cid? I thought, wanting to ask the questions out loud. Clearly, I was still in denial. I knew exactly who it was for.

Kefka's face twisted into an ugly frown. His furrowed brows seemed to intensify the redness of the marks on his white face. "You are in no position to negotiate this, Cid" he hissed. "I have been more than patient with you."

"P-promise me, or else I will report this to the emperor!"

"Hah! You're bluffing, Cid. You are as guilty as I am when it comes to hiding certain information from him. Do you really think he'll favor your side should he find out?"

Cid opened his desk drawer once more and took hold of the heavy wrench with his right hand. He held it menacingly above the open casing, poised to strike the delicate band. Such a crude weapon would be enough to destroy it.

I was glad to know that Cid was somewhat opposed to the utilization of the slave crown. But I was afraid for him. There he was, facing the most feared man in Vector, with nothing more than a wrench in his hand. Kefka was a magic-user. All he needed was a word of command.

"Promise me or I'll destroy this… this… abomination and give the emperor negative findings about your research!" Cid barked his demand with a jolt of courage provided by his welling anger.

Kefka trembled with rage. He was going to strike. I could feel it. My hand went to the hilt of my sword to defend Cid. Guardian whispered in my ear again. "Do not interfere."

A fork of electrical energy shot out from Kefka's fingertips towards Cid. It struck Cid with a force that threw him back, slamming him against the wall. The wrench he was holding, flew out of his hand and crashed through the glass of the breakfront, breaking the beakers inside and spilling out its contents to the floor. I drew my sword quickly, the sound hidden by the breaking of the glass.

I advanced to strike Kefka from behind. Nothing stood between me and him. It would've been so easy to simply just impale him with my sword. But something held me back. It wasn't Guardian's urgent warnings, nor was it the fear of killing a human being. It wasn't even for fear of my self being branded as a traitor in the end for murdering the Emperor's most trusted adviser. My action would've been justifiable since it was Kefka who attacked an innocent man. What stopped me was the sight of my hands and sword materializing before my eyes. A magical barrier protected Kefka! My invisibility was reacting to it the closer I got to him.

I shrank back into the shadows before Kefka could turn around and see my partially visible self. The invisibility field wavered for a few seconds and righted itself again. Helplessly, I watched Cid groan in pain. To my relief, he was still alive. Kefka's back was still towards me. He could not have noticed my attempt to subdue him--not that it would've worked.

"I can make your death look like an accident, Cid," Kefka said angrily in disgust. "I can even make it look like you were assassinated by a rebel. It's not very difficult at all. And don't you forget that I have eyes watching your moves! What makes you think you'll survive your trip to tell the emperor?"

Kefka took hold of the open casing and closed it. He held it protectively within the folds of his black cloak and uttered a word of command that filled the room with intense light. After that flash of light, Kefka was gone.

The Warp magic was too powerful and intense. Even with the distance between us, the invisibility field shattered like glass before me and dispersed. The reactive magical energies cascaded in all directions and burned out the lights, too, except for one. I was whole again--visible to the naked eye.

I ran to where Cid lay. He was covered with broken glass and splinters. Gently, I brushed them off his face and felt his pulse. It was strong and regular.

He'll live, I thought with joy.

Cid's eyes blinked in the dark. He tried to say something, but he was too weak to do so.

"Get out of the office, Celes!" Guardian said.

"But--" I started to argue.

"Now!" she said urgently.

"I can't just--"

"The professor will live," she promised.

Logic took over once again. I left him lying and groaning on the floor before he could fully recover from the shock. The door hissed open, and I was down in the long hallway within seconds. No siren blared. I suspected that Guardian turned it off to cover my escape. I must not be seen within the building. Questions would be raised. With Guardian's help, I made it outside safely and undetected.