Chapter 15: The Other Side
“Ughhh,” Jay moaned as the digging rig, Titan, came to an expected, but still frustrating, lurching stop.
This new machine, derived from ideas Zell and Jaimen came up with during their childhood play dates like the Mertinan, was a time saver. It contained one large drill, two shoveling cranes, a wreck ball, and it also shot explosives. Titan was efficient and fast, compared to doing a job like this manually. Unfortunately, it was a mere “sketch” or test machine, which meant it still had some kinks to be worked out. Now, it was nothing more than junk. Jay had pushed his invention to the limit, racing against time. Titan couldn’t take the pressure and its motor broke down. There was nothing Jaimen could do.
“Why has the machine stopped?” Squall’s commanding voice came from over Jaimen’s shoulder.
Jay shook his head as he turned to face the man, “Technical difficulties….”
“Whatever,” Squall shrugged, cutting off any explanation Jay was about to give. “Fix it now. I want to hear those machines working again within the next fifteen minutes.”
Jay stared befuddled at the back of Squall’s head as he walked away as abruptly as he had come. Finally, Jay tore his gaze from Squall and back to the Titan. Examining the hole, how much rock was left, and where the pillars that were holding up the little cavern’s roof were located, left Jaimen with one conclusion: Pick up a shove and dig.
Taking out a saw from his toolbox, Jay went towards the Titan and sighed. “Sorry, but I have to do this to you, man.”
With out another word, the saw was brought down upon the crane. Jay grimaced as shreds of the metal were sliced off and flew to the ground like ribbons of silver. Finally, he had cut half way through the pole and, bracing himself, Jay snapped off the shovel extension.
“What are you doing?” Zell came up from behind, pure astonishment in his voice. “Did I just see you break off a piece of your machine or have I gone crazy?”
“I’m the one who’s gone crazy,” Jaimen forced a weak smile, but the anguish was clearly shown on his face. He had put his time, his sweat, and his blood into the making of all his machines. They were each unique, and to destroy one….
Zell frowned as Jay pushed the shovel into his hand. “What’s this for?”
Jay ran a hand through his hair, “Digging.”
Zell remained standing there as his friend went over to the Mertinan and started the loud machine up again. With one last look at the data, Jaimen shut down the device and walked back over to Zell. “Will you do me a favor?”
“Sure,” Zell responded immediately.
“The Titan is as good as garbage…motor trouble…so I need someone to crawl into the drill hole and continue to dig,” Jay told his friend with a ting of weariness in his voice, “I would have to communicate with that person through ear transmition where it was safe to dig so the ceiling wouldn’t collapse. I need someone who will listen, and that’s you.”
Zell gasped the shovel a little more firmly, “I’d be happy to help.”
“Good,” Jay smiled genuinely at the good news. “Let’s get you geared up.”
“So Rinoa, can I get you anything?” Quistis asked as she smoothed out her dress and stood up.
“I’m fine, Quisty!” Rinoa laughed. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”
Selphie smiled, “We’re your friends, we know when there is something going on….”
Quistis nodded, “You have been getting sick lately, especially in the morning.”
“That’s true,” Rinoa flashed them a wide smile, placing her hand unknowingly on her stomach. “But until Squall and I have talked about it, I’m not telling you anything.”
“I think it would be wonderful,” Selphie jumped up giddily, “Can you imaging a little Squall…”
“Whoa!” Irvine exclaimed as he walked into the room, interrupting Selphie’s last sentence. “I can just about take one Squall. Rinoa, I’m praying for a girl, Darlin’. An angel like yourself, so to speak.”
“Aww,” Selphie squinched up her nose, “Your so cute.”
Irvine took off his hat and blushed slightly, “That’s what I’ve been saying about you, Lil’ Lovely.”
“Alright you two,” Quistis laughed, “we know that you love each other. So what’s up Irvine? Weren’t you supposed to be distracting Zell from thinking about Elle and Seifer?”
“Yes ma’am, that is correct,” Irvine nodded, “But since the Titan broke down, Jay-the-Man has enlisted our lil’ buddy as the sole digger in operation: Save Ellone, Kill Seifer. He’s down there shovelin’ away as we speak, so’s I came up to this here hill top in order to take in the view with you ladies.”
Rinoa sighed as she turned her head towards the ocean. “It is beautiful.”
“Yessiree,” Irvine nodded, “What a view…”
The wind whistled as it swept around the trees, rustling the leaves in all directions. He stood alone on the edge of the ridge, motionless except for his brown hair that was carelessly blowing in the northern wind. He was looking down at where his friends resided while they laughed and talked happily. Sighing heavily, he stepped back, slowly retreating to the tree-lined path that led to the cave.
“Squall?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to confront the person who had just spoken his name but no one was in sight. Shaking his head, Squall turned again and began to follow the path.
It was just the wind. Squall rationalized to himself as he continued along back to the cave where he wanted to check on Jay’s progress and see if the machines were working again.
“Squall?”
This time Squall spun sharply on his heals to face the owner of the voice that seemed to be coming from right behind him. Still, no one was there.
“Rinoa?” Squall called out into the surrounding trees uncertainly. He shook his head as only the far off howl of the wind returned his call. “I really need to get some sleep..”
With a sigh, Squall turned back to the path for the third time that led to the cave, but instead he faced a girl. In the split second their eyes met, Squall could see that this girl had pale skin, hollow eyes, and tattered clothing with blotches of dark red splattered all over her. Before Squall could even react, he was falling. To Squall, it seemed as if the whirling darkness would go on forever. The black consumed him, pushing and pulling in all directions at the same time, until every thing stopped.
Squall opened his eyes and saw that the bright sun was high in the sky. Moving his vision down more, he realized that he was standing in the middle of a field. The high yellow grass shone like a river as the wind blew it all at once and the smell of wild flowers crept to Squall from the ground. No trees could be found as Squall spun around only to face the same sight of a never-ending field, stretching out beyond the horizon.
Where am I? Squall asked himself as he looked around in disbelief. He rubbed his temples as he suddenly became aware of a shockingly painful headache that seemed to have come from out of the blue.
“Squall!”
A bit adhesively, Squall twisted around at his name to find himself about an arm’s length away from the girl except her clothes were no longer ripped and her face was alive with shining eyes and a warm smile.
“Ellone?” Squall whispered softly.
“Come on, silly. You’re going to be too late!” the figure answered back just before turning and starting to run off into the golden yellow field.
“Wait!” Squall yelled but she kept on going without even hesitating at his call. He began to run after Ellone as fast as his feet would carry him. “Stop, Sis!”
Squall was breathing heavily, moving his feet faster and faster beneath him but not gaining any ground. Ellone continued to get farther away from him until she was no longer visible. With a heart-wrenching breath, Squall stopped.
“Ellone! Come back!” Squall yelled out, his voice echoing in the emptiness surrounding him. No response came and Squall crumpled down, shutting his eyes and this time embracing the darkness that came.
“Sweetie?”
Not another voice. Squall blinked back the darkness, but his vision still a bit fuzzy. As he finally regained most of his sight, Rinoa was there to greet him.
“Oh, thank god!” Rinoa smiled warmly as she leaned over and hugged Squall, who was flattened out on the path where he had first seen the girl. “You scared me!”
Squall rubbed his neck with his hand as he pushed himself up into a sitting position on the ground. Rinoa along with Selphie, Quistis, and Irvine were crouching around him.
“Hey everyone,” Squall smiled weakly. “Nice of you all to come out here and join me.”
Selphie, sitting on the ground to Squall’s left, placed her hands on his shoulder and pushed him gently but also firmly back down so he lay on the dirt path once again. “You should rest, Squall. No more work for you!”
Squall, who was just about to protest, suddenly gasped out in pain.
“Sorry,” Quistis apologized meekly from Squall’s feet. “I think you may have torn something in your bad leg… it doesn’t look too good at all.”
“It’s…,” Squall winced as Quistis poked his leg his she examined it more closely, “…..nothing…..”
“Squall,” Rinoa sighed, “You and I both know that Selphie’s right. You’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and been pushing yourself to the limit. I think you’ve reached your breaking point and that’s what this is about. You fainted from lack of sleep and nourishment. Your leg has been strained and isn’t healing properly. Please, Squall, talk to me. I’m just so worried about you.”
Squall reached up and stroked Rinoa’s cheek affectionately. “I can’t help it… everything is happening all at once and I feel as though I have no power to do anything about it.”
“Squall, we all feel the same,” Irvine stepped in. “You just gotta go with it and trust in the people around you, leanin’ on them for support and peace of mind. Hell, if it wasn’t for every one of you I’d be deemed a pathetic, depressed looney.”
“Who told you that you weren’t?” Quistis and Selphie questioned at the same time and then bursted out in laughter.
Rinoa smiled at Irvine in gratitude and then turned to Squall. “He’s right. Stop trying to do and be everything. It’s going to all work out. Give it time.”
Squall nodded and smiled, but underneath he was not so sure. What if they did not have the time they need? What if his vision of Ellone telling him he was going to be late had real meaning? Squall closed his eyes and remembered the girl in the fields as the few words she had said to him repeated over and over again in his head…..
Zell’s breathing quickened and his heart raced as sweat slowly streaked down his forehead. He stopped his hammering only to wipe the perspiration from his eyes, but then continued with the grueling work. The rhythm of the chipping away of rock pulsed through Zell’s body. His palms stuck to the wood handle of the tool with cement formed for blisters and blood. At first, the pain had seemed unbearable, but after a while, he was numb to any feeling involved with his hands at all. With this numbness, Zell’s mind began to wander aimlessly and his hands worked endlessly. As he drifted in a daze from one thought to another, a vision of Squall’s look of disappointment and anger in him popped into his head. Zell remember all the times his best friend had come through for him no matter what the circumstances. Even if he lost his hand, Zell vowed as he glanced at his slightly purple and torn fingers, that he would not stop until Ellone was safe and his friendship with his best friend was mended.
This new motivation pushed Zell to work harder and faster. Little by little he was able to crawl deeper into the tunnel, previously being dug by the Titan before its untimely breakdown. The three-hour batteries that had fueled Zell’s flashlight located on the top of his helmet had already died out, leaving him in total darkness to work. Although Zell could have turned back and recharge or even radioed Jay, he just didn’t have it in him to face Squall again without Elle by his side. As he lay on his stomach, chiseling the wall, Zell smiled faintly as he wished that the dim yellow glow of artificial light was once again available to him when at first all it did was hurt his eyes.
Just a little longer…It’ll all be over soon…Zell thought to himself listlessly but even then he was not sure he could hear.
After all, the machine Jaimen was running, Mertinan, was so loud that its vibrations and echoes shook the entire tunnel in which Zell was crouched. The constant banging and clinking made Zell’s ears ring so badly, a bit of blood was slowly oozing out of the left one.
Bruised and broken, Zell mindlessly ripped one hand from the handle and braced it against the wall in front of him, taking a big swing. He slipped. It all happened so fast that it seemed as if nothing happened at all. The cold steel tip of the tool was embedded in his hand and Zell could not feel a thing. He stared as the darkest red, the purest red, he had ever seen spurted out of his body and stained the ground it fell upon.
Zell pulled the tool out of his hand and looked at the wound as if it were someone else’s. A wave of sorrow and anger swept over him all at once and it made him feel as if he were trapped and needed to break free. Why couldn’t he feel? Why did this have to happen to Ellone? What would Squall say if he failed? How could he ever face his friends again? So many questions raced through his mind he felt as if he was going to explode.
In that split second, Zell picked up the tool and slammed it against the hard rock wall. He repeated this a few more times, each getting a bit more aggressive and forceful as he released all of his hostility, sadness, and worry.
Smash it, smash it, smash it, smash it…..
Then, it happened. Zell struck out and fell forward with the tool as if nothing was there to stop him because there wasn’t. Not anymore. Zell laid a strewn on the ground with an array of dirt, pebbles, and rocks underneath and around him. He had broken through to the other side. A fire blazed in the middle of the small cavern, naturally formed during the collapsing of the ceiling. Against the opposite wall, both Seifer and Ellone sat huddled together. Zell almost choked at the sight before him. He grabbed at his waist blindly, too stunned to look away, until he found the remote Jay had given him. He stumbled to press the button, but after he did, all the noise stopped. The Mertinan was halted in its tracks and the ringing in Zell’s ears stopped.
“Oh god,” Zell exclaimed, kneeling on the floor. His voice was harsh and strained but loud.
Seifer and Ellone both turned abruptly and stared open-mouthed at their unexpected visitor.
“You two, you, you and him,” Zell stuttered as he pushed himself up off the ground, “…kissing? Oh god almighty….”