Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ Not another mission!! ( Chapter 7 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier or any Final Fantasy reference. Squaresoft does!

 

“I've gotta admit, the ride back is a bit duller than I thought,” Rouge said, flipping lazily through the television channels, “I mean, we're so far out of range that we don't even get basic cable!” And it was true. Blue looked up from the book he was reading and saw that as Rouge flipped through, they only had three channels available. The first was simply for the Moogle stockbrokers. The second was educational television featuring the classic act, “I want to be Your Canary” imported straight from the Linblum theatre just south of Shrike. The third featured a video from Garland Studios called “Geistbusters.” And unfortunately, Rouge didn't want to watch any of them as he turned off the television and threw the remote on the floor. Blue rolled his eyes.

 

“There's more to life than TV,” Blue said bluntly, resuming his reading, “You could read a book or question the meaning of life.”

 

“Yeah, but that stuff is for boring, old men,” Rouge said absentmindedly. Blue clenched his fists, closed his book, and glared at Rouge.

 

“I do that stuff!” Blue yelled defensively, hitting Rouge lightly over the head. Rouge ducked, laughing.

 

“Geez! It's just a joke! You don't have to get so mad!” Rouge cried, and Blue stopped, stepping back and taking a deep breath. An aura of blue surrounded him for a second, and then broke to pieces like a window when a baseball flies through it. He opened his eyes and felt all the more calmer.

 

“It's okay,” Blue said, sitting back down in his seat and picking his book up, “Look, it's not that long until we get back to IRPO, so just try and find something to occupy you.” With that, Blue resumed reading yet again and ignored any noise Rouge made. Rouge looked around shiftily, and grinned. Everything looked so peaceful, so clean, so... ready for Rouge to just mess everything up! But he didn't know what to do first. The snack cart was right in the middle of the aisle, just waiting to be pushed around and used as a human trolley! And then there was Nomad, trapped in a cage so she didn't hijack the plane. Fuse obviously thought Blue was too tired to keep watch and that Rouge wasn't as trustworthy with the task. But then, right near the back of the car, just left of the door to the pilot's room was a huge stereo system. It was shiny, with tons of speakers throughout the entire room. Surely, this would occupy Rouge for at least a few minutes.

 

“Hey, Blue? Is it okay if I listen to some music?” Rouge asked innocently. Blue didn't look up as he answered.

 

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Blue said absentmindedly, ignoring the obvious grin growing on Rouge's face. With that, Rouge tiptoed over to the stereo and held back a giggle as he turned the volume all the way up. Then he pressed a button and the CD tray popped out. Looking left, Rouge found a few CDs he could listen to, though the selection wasn't nearly as grand as he'd hoped.

 

“Let's see... Imperial Beatz... Chocobop... Mog's Music for the Millennium,” Rouge read, throwing the rejected music aside, “Man, there's nothing he... HEY! Now THIS looks cool!” Rouge just happened to pull out a CD called “Roufas R. and the Funky Imps” by the local pop artist, who apparently won over 7 Dobbies in the Trinity Music Awards. His grin widened and he popped the CD in, turning the stereo on. All was silent until the next minute, where music blared out of the stereo so loudly that everything either shook violently or fell over. The snack cart was thrown back as though a strong gust of wind just threw it aside, and Nomad was pinned to the wall, heart thumping from the strong bass of the music. Even Blue was thrown into the window, caught off guard from the blaring music. Fuse, thankfully was oblivious to the noise as the door to the pilot room was closed. And Rouge seemed to be the only one enjoying the music, as he bopped around, performing ridiculous dance moves.

 

“Oh yeah! Feel that funky beat!” Rouge yelled, but the sheer volume of the music rendered the outburst almost non-existent. Blue had to fight the bass from blasting him back against a wall as he struggled to get over to the stereo system. But rather than simply turn it off, Blue readied an Energy Chain as he hid behind a chair to use as a shield against the music. Then, very quickly, Blue poked out from behind the chair and slammed the spell into the stereo, blowing it up and stopping the music.

 

“Oh MAN! This song rocks!” Rouge yelled, obviously not realizing that the stereo was destroyed. Blue stood up, and silently stalked over to Rouge, an annoyed expression plastered on his face. Then he grabbed Rouge, making the other magician jump.

 

“You're just waiting for me to Implode you, aren't you?” Blue asked grimly. Rouge looked back, a nervous smile on his face and a drop of sweat running down his head.

 

“Uh... Hi, Blue!” Rouge replied, trying to be cheerful. Unfortunately, seeing his twin's angry face diminished that cheeriness as he said, “Aw, come on! You said I could listen to music!” Blue simply crossed his arms.

 

“And I didn't expect to go deaf from it either,” Blue mumbled, and sighed, “Rouge, you might like the music to kill you, but there are other people on the plane. And I don't know about you, but I think my hearing is important, especially if I'm going to be casting spells.” Rouge narrowed his eyes as Blue sat down, and his immaturity compared to his own twin showed.

 

“Yeah, well, if you're such a great magician and brother, you would've known I was going to blare the music,” Rouge countered childishly, and stuck his tongue out at his brother. Blue rolled his eyes, picked up his book yet again, and was determined to do some reading and enjoy his time off. He only glanced up for a minute when Rouge made a raspberry sound.

 

“See, this is why the council trusted me more than they did you, Rouge,” Blue stated, going back to reading, “You're not as mature as I am just yet, obviously.” Rouge stopped spitting and glared at Blue, putting his hands on his hips. Blue, however, didn't look up or even appear to notice.

 

“What!?” Rouge screamed, hoping to get Blue's attention again, “So now you're calling me immature!? I'm not the one slinging insults, little brother!” That definitely got Blue's attention, as he looked up once again from his book, wishing for the patience he needed to prevent him from killing his own brother.

 

“Rouge, we're twins,” Blue said, annoyed, “There's no age difference between us, especially since technically we're the same person, remember?” Rouge blinked, realizing that Blue had won the argument. But he was just so unwilling to admit he'd lost.

 

“Oh, who cares about technicalities and legal mumbo-jumbo anyway!? There must be SOME age difference between us!” Rouge cried, hoping that maybe Blue would agree with him. Unfortunately, he just didn't meet Rouge's hopes.

 

“...There isn't,” Blue stated, once again returning to his book, “Now stop whining or I'll lock you in a Psychic Prison.” Rouge twitched.

 

“SO NOW I'M WHINING!?” Rouge yelled at the top of his lungs, “COME HERE AND SAY THAT TO ME!” If the music wasn't enough to get Fuse's attention, Blue wondered how Rouge's screaming was as the pilot's room door flew open and Fuse stormed out, shotgun in hand.

 

“What's going on!? Are there any enemies on board, soldier!?” Fuse asked frantically, aiming the gun everywhere. Although he aimed it at Nomad, he knew it wasn't her, since the blast of blaring bass knocked her out like hundreds of wasps wearing out a bug zapper. Blue finally gave up trying to read and threw his book at the wall in pure frustration.

 

“It was Rouge, sir,” Blue said through clenched teeth, “It's ALWAYS Rouge. Now excuse me, for I'm going to go somewhere QUIET!” With that, Blue stormed out of the plane and onto the deck, slamming the door. Fuse looked at the door, and then at Rouge.

 

“What's wrong with him?” Fuse asked, raising an eyebrow. Rouge shook his head and shrugged, sitting in a seat and kicking his feet up.

 

“I'm not sure, boss. I guess he's just tired. Can't say I blame him, though,” Rouge replied. Picking up the book Blue had tossed, Rouge decided to give it a shot, and opened it up to the first page. Seeing that his “soldiers” were adequately safe, Fuse lounged in a chair and flipped on a TV, watching a special on how mako energy can mutate rabbits into flying bat-like creatures. Rouge glanced up from his new book and looked at Fuse suspiciously.

 

“Shouldn't you be flying the plane, boss?” Rouge inquired, wondering if maybe Fuse expected Blue to take his place. Fuse simply grinned.

 

“Nah, I'm tired. Besides, we have the auto-pilot, so why waste my time flying a plane?” Fuse replied cheerfully, sitting back and placing his arms behind his neck so his head could relax a bit. Rouge shrugged and went back to reading as Blue sat outside, huffing and fuming.

 

The rest of the way back to IRPO was much more peaceful with the stereo turned off, or rather, destroyed. As soon as the plane automatically landed in the quad, Fuse was the first to hop out and run towards the elevator, though his gait was stiff due to having sat in a plane for a few hours. Rouge closed his book, which he'd only managed to actually read a few pages of, and walked off normally. Blue had fallen off the deck from the landing, and was sporting a bump on his head where he'd landed.

 

“Whoa, are you okay, bro?” Rouge asked, lending a hand to help Blue up. Blue took it and pulled himself up, a deep scowl set on his face.

 

“I'm fine,” Blue replied, taking a deep breath to control his anger, “I just wish Captain Idiot in there had warned me, though.” As they walked towards the elevator into the main building, the two magicians decided it was best not to talk about the ride home, as it obviously held bad memories for Blue. Rouge thought of something to talk about as he pressed a button to the elevator.

 

“So... what kind of work do you think they'll have us do now?” Rouge asked, as they stepped into the small elevator. Blue took out his ponytail and attempted to fix it before they reached their stop.

 

“Probably more paperwork confirming the capture of Nomad,” Blue replied casually, tying his hair back up, “Either that or we might need to prepare to go to court.” Rouge looked at Blue with wide eyes, and he genuinely looked freaked out.

 

“What!? Court!? Why?” Rouge asked frantically, “How the hell did she sue us so quickly!? Oh, are we even going to win the case!?” Blue tried to cover up a laugh and it came out as a snort, and he shook his head.

 

“No, it's nothing like that, Rouge,” Blue assured, “Since we're the arresting officers, we need to be at the court to make a statement and to confirm that she did all of the crimes we've accounted her for.” Rouge nodded slowly as the information processed through him. Then he turned back to the little monitor above the door. Right now they were heading past the third floor and onto the fourth. The door opened up and the two brothers stepped out of the elevator and into the quiet hall. Although there were other people in their offices, the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of footsteps as Blue and Rouge walked towards their own office, and the chattering of keyboards as they were being typed upon. They finally reached the door, and Blue pushed it open. The office was just as they left it. Relatively clean, though Rouge's part of the room was a pig sty compared to Blue's. The only difference was that there were notes on both Blue and Rouge's desks. Curious, the two went to their respective desks and opened the notes. Both were from Fuse, congratulating them on their impressive victory. Rouge grinned and sat on his desk, preparing to gloat to any intern or assistant that came by. Blue, however, put the note in his desk and turned on his computer. He looked over at Rouge.

 

“Shouldn't you start working too?” Blue asked, turning the monitor on. Rouge simply kicked his feet up, and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

 

“Work? Are you kidding? We just got BACK from work!” Rouge exclaimed, “As far as I'm concerned, our bosses can kiss our ass.” Blue rolled his eyes and looked at the screen. He'd gotten an email, and when he opened it up, he was surprised it was from their bosses.

 

“Rouge, you might want to get to your mail,” Blue stated, “Our bosses sent us something.” Rouge nearly fell out of his seat as he tried to get up. He walked over behind Blue and looked at Blue's email.

 

“Really!? What do they want?” Rouge asked as Blue skimmed through it. It was a simple, formal note with a few dates on it, but at the bottom were the words “Come here ASAP,” which seemed to make Rouge just as concerned as Blue had been. He asked Blue what they wanted again, and this time Blue did answer.

 

“I think they're giving us the time of Nomad's hearing,” Blue said, closing out of his email, “But they also want us to bring Nomad up to them as soon as we can. Where is she, anyway?” Rouge's eyes widened, and a worried expression crossed him again.

 

“I... thought YOU took her up here,” Rouge answered. A large teardrop appeared over Blue's head and he narrowed his eyes, and crossed his arms.

 

“How could I have taken her here? You've been with me the whole time! Did you see me take her out of the plane!?” Blue asked, and when Rouge shook his head, Blue asked, “Rouge, where is she?”

 

“How the hell do I know!?” Rouge replied, “The last time I saw her was in the plane...” Suddenly, it hit the two magicians as to where Nomad was. They looked at each other, and then at the door into the hallway.

 

“THE PLANE!” they both yelled, and dashed out the door and towards the elevator. Rouge bashed on the elevator's buttons and nearly threw himself in when it finally opened its doors. Blue waltzed in and pressed the button labeled “Q” as the doors closed, and the elevator quickly rumbled towards the lower floor. As soon as it stopped, the two burst out of the elevator and dashed towards the plane, hoping that Nomad was still in there. As they opened the door to the plane, they were thankful that she was. Likewise, she seemed glad to see them, or at least see someone.

 

“What took you boys so long?” she asked, as Rouge unlocked the cage and pulled her out, “I've been freezing in here, you know.” Blue handed her his jacket and then turned her around to face him.

 

“We're sorry. Listen, Nomad. We're to take you up to our bosses,” Blue explained seriously, so Nomad understood just how serious this was, “There you will receive the date for your trial, and after that, you'll take temporary residence in a jail cell here.” Rouge took out his gun, thinking for sure that Nomad would put up a fight, but instead she just nodded.

 

“Okay, sure... just get me out of here,” Nomad said, as Blue slipped a pair of handcuffs on her, just to be safe. Rouge glanced at Blue, and Blue nodded to signify that she was unable to attack, so Rouge ran to the elevator and pressed the button, holding the door open when it finally came. Blue led Nomad in, and Rouge got on and hit the thirteenth floor button. Then he looked at Nomad, frowning.

 

“I bet you're feeling pretty sorry for what you did now, aren't you?” Rouge asked, and Nomad simply laughed.

 

“No, actually, the only thing I feel sorry for is you when you have to arrest me again,” Nomad replied coldly, “I've never been kept in a jail for more than a week. I'm an expert at breaking out.” Blue tapped Nomad with his sword, and managed to paralyze her. She fell back against the wall, and tried to give Blue a nasty look, but not even her face would move.

 

“Well, this time WE'RE your officers,” Blue said sternly, crossing his arms, “And we're magicians. I'm going to lock your cell with so many spells that you'll be lucky if you come out alive from just one of them.” Rouge grinned evilly, and put his gun away.

 

“Yeah, and I'll add even more charms after that,” he added, “I hate to say it, Nomad, but you've met your maker.” Nomad simply mumbled, and the rest of the trip to the thirteenth floor was silent save for that. As the door opened, Blue stepped out and let Rouge lead Nomad to their bosses as he enjoyed the scene. The hallway looked a lot like one of the rooftop gardens in the Magic Kingdom, which made Blue feel very happy. The walls were made of glass, and the sun was shining brightly through them. The floor was made of marvelous polished blue marble, and the white furniture in each office made the entire floor look heavenly. Blue found it breathtaking, but Rouge wasn't surprised one bit. If their bosses were anything as egotistical as Fuse, then it was no wonder they'd make their office look like heaven. The three walked down the hall briskly, and Blue pushed open the giant lattice doors into a large room, where a circular table sat, and IRPO executives were sitting all around it, either typing or simply waiting. Fuse, who was waiting in a corner, waved when he saw Blue and Rouge. Rouge nodded, but Blue's attention was on the woman at the head of the table. She nodded at him and beckoned for him to sit down. Blue did so, and nudged for Rouge to follow suit. The woman stood up as Fuse held Nomad in place.

 

“Good evening, boys. I am the chief here at IRPO. My name is Miss Ryans,” the woman said, “I would like to congratulate both of you for the arrest of this wanted criminal. Because of your bravery, we will finally be able to punish her with the highest extent of the law.” Fuse smiled proudly, and Rouge smiled simply because he had no idea what was going on. Blue, however, didn't have the same enthusiasm.

 

“Will we need to appear in court?” Blue asked, tilting his head. Miss Ryans chuckled, and shook her head.

 

“My, you're one to get right to the point. Very commendable!” Miss Ryans replied brightly, “But no. You're needed elsewhere at the moment. Those dates I sent you came from another criminal preparing to make an attack on the C.T.C. building in Manhattan. The dates were meant to be sent to an organization she was working for, but were intercepted by an ally of ours.” Miss Ryans tapped the large screen behind her, and it showed the same note Blue received. Blue seemed deep in thought, but Rouge was still pretty confused.

 

“Wait, what? We're going on another mission already?” Rouge asked, “Why can't you send someone else?” Blue and Fuse both glared at Rouge, worried he might have insulted Miss Ryans, but she smiled.

 

“Because we're worried this is over the others' heads,” Miss Ryans explained, “From what this ally told us, he's worried that someone is impersonating the founder of C.T.C, Lady Campbell, and using her incredible wealth and power to intimidate the people of Manhattan.”

 

“But why would anyone want to do that?” Blue asked, “What is this organization?” Miss Ryans looked down, and hesitated.

 

“We're... not sure yet. Our allies have already staked out the C.T.C building, but their chances for success are slim. That's why I'm sending you two magicians to help them,” Miss Ryans explained, “The speed at which you caught Nomad was rather incredible, to say the least. And I'm sure you can stop this impersonator as well.” Blue nodded, and Rouge smirked, resting his arms behind his back.

 

“Cool! We're getting into the big missions already!” Rouge exclaimed, “So, you just tell us how to get there, and we'll fry that impersonator's sorry ass faster than you can say “Baccarat's Finest.” Blue rolled his eyes, unable to believe how immature Rouge was compared to him, but Miss Ryans laughed heartily, and tapped her screen again. This time, it showed a picture of a large ship in the shape of a giant goose.

 

“Your enthusiasm is invigorating. But I won't send you off alone,” Miss Ryans replied, “This ship, the Cygnus, will escort you to the C.T.C courtyard, where our allies are waiting.” Both Blue and Rouge's eyes widened, if not for the sight of the ship, then for the memory.

 

“Hey, Blue,” Rouge whispered, nudging Blue in the ribs, “Doesn't Red work on the Cygnus?” Blue glanced at Rouge and nodded.

 

“Yeah, he does,” Blue replied indifferently, “I wonder if he knows about this.” Miss Ryans answered, which surprised Blue.

 

“He does know. He's the one who sent us the information,” Miss Ryans said, “If you know him, that'll make this job easier. I've asked him to fill you in as you sail to Manhattan. Now then, are there any more questions before you leave?” Blue had nothing else to ask, but Rouge had a question. And although Blue didn't stop his brother, he had a feeling he should have. Rouge raised his hand, and Miss Ryans impatiently told him to ask.

 

“Can I get a cup of coffee before we leave?” Rouge asked. Miss Ryans gave a sigh of dismissal, and Blue dragged Rouge out of the office, feeling that they overstayed their welcome. Rouge struggled until they reached the elevator and were going down into the lobby. As the doors to the lobby opened, Blue dragged Rouge outside towards the front gates before Rouge had a chance to say anything. It was only when they were outside and alone that Blue allowed Rouge to speak.

 

“Hey! Why did you do that!?” Rouge whined, “And what about Nomad?” Blue, who was looking to see if the Cygnus had shown up, turned to face his brother.

 

“Miss Ryans will take care of Nomad. She didn't seem to want us to appear at court, nor did she seem to let us think we had to be there,” Blue replied, annoyed, “And I dragged you out because you were annoying everyone in that room. We might be heroes, but we're still rookies here. We could still be fired any second, and I can't have you screwing up already.” Rouge scowled, and placed a hand on his hip.

 

“Blue, we've been through this,” Rouge stated, “I won't mess this up, I promise.” Blue raised an eyebrow and gave an amused smile. Then he patted Rouge on the back.

 

“Good. I'll try my best to trust you,” Blue said, and then pointed to the front gate, where the large ship had landed to pick the two up, “Anyway, it looks like the Cygnus is here, so let's board and see if we can help at C.T.C.” With that, the two brothers walked to the ship's side, where the door opened up and a short stairway folded down to let the magicians on. As they went up, the two took another look at the IRPO building, hoping that all went well with Nomad's trial.

 

“Are you ready, Blue?” Rouge asked, looking down at his twin. Blue looked up and nodded vigorously.

 

“I have to be. We have a mission now, Rouge,” Blue replied, “So let's get going.”

 

------------------------------(Another mission!)

 

Well, it looks like Blue and Rouge have another tough mission! And just after they've completed their first one, too. Looks like there really IS no rest for the police! Anyway, will they meet Red inside the Cygnus, along with a few other friends who hopped the plane for a free ride? And how will Fuse fare with dealing with Nomad? Will she be punished with the full extent of the law? Or is that just a bluff cops make up to scare people? Find out on the next chapter, so click that Review button!