Absolution II: Redemption

Disclaimer: Jane, Aidan, and the ill-fated laboratory are mine, but nobody and nothing else is.

A/N: Holy shit, this is the last chapter. I promise something quite different from the way my other long works have ended. *Evil giggle* The very ending of this has been in my mind since the arc was conceived in October of 2004 and the rest has come to me in bits and pieces over the course of writing both parts. In case the lack of sex was getting on your nerves, there is brief smuttiness here.

And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself
~ Dashboard Confessional – Vindicated
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I am so fucking nervous right now that I want to puke. My stomach tied itself in a knot as soon as the field exam announcement came on. But I’ve managed to get in uniform and wait patiently so far; it can’t be too much longer before I learn who else is on my team and we get going.

A petite strawberry blonde, her hair in countless small braids, who doesn’t even look old enough to be taking this exam almost trips over her bootlace before she sits on the bench next to me and reties it hastily.

“Hey, I know who you are. You part of Squad C?” she rattles, daggers emerging from somewhere so she can examine the blades.

I nod and inwardly groan at her energy level. Hyne, I hope that’s nerves and not how she usually is. “The infamous Seifer Almasy. Who are you?”

“Jane Prescott. I’m really not supposed to be taking the exam this year because I won’t be fifteen for another three weeks, but Instructor Trepe, Commander Leonhart, and Headmaster Cid approved my request to do it early.” Her daggers go back wherever it is that she’s keeping them and Jane pulls all of her hair back, tying them out of the way with a black ribbon. I’ve heard a lot about both her fighting abilities and her eccentricities. Guess I’ll get to see if the rumors have any truth to them.

I’m about to find someone and ask where our third squad member is, but then I see Quistis walking down the hall with someone at her side. That’s probably him.

She looks us over and nods once. “Seifer, Jane, this is Aidan Avery. He’s the final member of Squad C. Your leader will be Seifer, contrary to rumors that we’d never let him take command of anything. And since we have time before the trucks take you to Balamb, I’ll issue orders now.

“A renegade Galbadian scientist has established a lab in the Timber forest where he’s experimenting with ways to make monsters deadlier. The request for SeeD aid came from Mayor Heartilly twelve hours ago upon discovering that his assistants were kidnapping people for use in various projects. Seifer and Jane are to provide backup for Aidan as he plants explosives, then you all will get to a safe area and detonate once the others have rescued the civilians.

“Of course, the order to withdraw takes priority.”

Boring. But seeing a building blow up should be fun. I motion for Jane and Aidan to follow me, then start walking to the garage.

“Aidan? Aren’t you the reason all science labs were canceled last week?” she asks.

He laughs. “It was an accident. The sodium just happened to fall in the sink, I swear. If I wanted to cause a fire or an explosion, I wouldn’t have used anything that unstable. And aren’t you the girl they suspended last year for vandalism?”

Jane, who’s now ahead of me, nods sheepishly. “My girlfriend dumped me, so when she was visiting her family, I broke into her room and destroyed everything I’d ever given her.” Just great, a petty criminal.

“You’re both amateurs in the chaos department compared to the shit I used to do. Still ain’t sure why I was never expelled,” I say as we climb into one of the trucks. My eyes rest on Aidan’s hands for a moment and my eyes widen. “What the hell did you do to lose fingers?”

He smoothes down the top of his nearly black hair and first points to where the left index finger should be. “When I was eight, I was exploring a construction site near my house in Dollet. I found something and started poking and scratching at it with this finger. It turned out to be a dynamite cap, which exploded and took my finger with it.”

Then, he gestures at his right hand, where his ring and pinkie fingers are about half as long as they should be. “Few years later, my dad told me to fill up the gas tank in the lawnmower. I kept some of the gas for my own use and poured it over some wood that night without realizing that I’d managed to soak those two fingers of the glove I was wearing in it. When I lit the lighter, the glove on fire before the wood did. It’s luck I didn’t lose more.”

Jane snickers and looks at a dagger again. “All that and you still like blowing things up. That’s crazy.”

We get out of the truck in Balamb, load up the boats, and begin the ride to the Timber area. Every second makes me more nervous than I was before until I get up and pace, remembering that I teased Zell for the exact same impatience last year. The memory hits me hard, makes me sit down and rub the back of my neck until it fades away.

“You okay, Almasy? Someone like you ain’t supposed to get nervous.” I can tell Jane’s joking, so I force a laugh as I lift my head.

“Just got a lot goin’ through my head. You wouldn’t get it.” I hope she gets the point and leaves me alone. I’ve been thinking nearly as much as Squall lately about everything that’s happened. Most of it still don’t make that much sense, but my only choice is to deal with it. Wanna be able to kill the cunt better known as my mother, so I have to remember that whatever happens today can’t be blamed on anyone else. It’s just me and my last chance for redemption. Last chance to prove that I can follow orders and be a good team member.

Aidan taps me on the shoulder once the boat lands. I follow him and Jane out, look at the map dropped on my lap during that thinking moment, and motion for them to come with me down a trail that should lead us to the building.

“I’m not armed with anything other than the C-4 I was given to use, so you two will have to take care of monsters.”

I’m about to ask why he didn’t mention that important fact earlier when several mutated Bite Bugs try to pounce me. I draw Hyperion quickly, kill the first one with two quick slashes, and stab at the second while a dagger flies, hitting the insect in one creepy eye. A similar thing happens to Bug #3.

Jane retrieves her blades and smirks at me. “Well, that was a nice way to warm up my throwing arm.” I think I like her attitude. It reminds me a lot of how I used to be.

I nod at her and we make our way as quietly as possible. I can hear the other candidates fighting nearby, which means we’re going in the right direction. Finally, the trees clear and the three of us see the laboratory. It’s not as large as I’d imagined and doesn’t look heavily guarded.

But one of the few guards is about to look right at us. We dive behind a log and I whisper to Jane, “If I draw him over here, can you kill him quickly?”

“Slit throat is about as quick and silent as you can kill a person,” she says back.

I use Hyperion to break several branches near her to make it sound like there’s a person approaching. When the idiot comes to investigate, she pulls his head back and draws one dagger across his throat. Her eyes are closed when she does it and I know why. Killing monsters is one thing, but making the move to killing an enemy human is another. Some people can’t do it.

We creep up to the building, one of us on either side of Aidan while he places the first brick of explosives and sets the device linking it to his remote detonator. I impale the next guard we meet and toss him aside.

“This is almost too easy,” he whispers after we get on the move again. “I’m expecting some kind of trap soon.” Jane and I nod our agreement in unison.

And it springs as we’re planting the final outdoor bomb.

The Ochu seems to come out of nowhere. It whips a tentacle at Jane’s head and sends her sprawling across the dirt. I slice off the limb, charge at it, and manage a couple of good hits before it sends up a cloud of dust that gets in my eyes and makes me blind.

“Dammit! Either of you have Eye Drops or some Esuna magic?” I call to them. My answer comes in the form of the recovery spell clearing my vision.

Jane gets hit after she stands up, only to fade away an instant later. I’m not sure what her GF is, so I keep slicing at the Ochu and manage to cast a Fira or two.

Aidan keeps himself out of the way until a hard blow from a tentacle stump makes Hyperion clatter to the ground. My arm’s numb from poison when I pick it up again and the feeling of a needle injecting an Antidote into it is quite a surprise. I’d thank him, but I’m too busy watching Ifrit attack, Jane down on one knee next to me.

I smirk at her and do a Fire Cross attack on the damn thing to finish it off. Once it’s motionless, I look through my pockets for a Hi-Potion, hand it to her, and make sure she drinks the whole thing.

“I had my own,” she mutters while standing.

“Why do I have the feeling you were just going to drink a couple Potions and keep fighting weak? Oh, because it’s the kind of thing I would have done when I was your age,” I snap back. Her having Ifrit isn’t really a surprise, given what I’ve seen of her temperament. I’ve only got Carbuncle junctioned so I can use magic. Not the kind of thing I’ll ever actually summon.

She shrugs and wipes green Ochu blood onto her uniform skirt as we look for a door so that we can get it, plant one more C-4 brick anywhere feasible, and join up with the other candidates. Aidan points it out to me as I’m drinking the first of three Potions in rapid succession.

As soon as we make sure it’s safe, we enter the unlocked door and survey the area. I find an unattended storage room, but the door’s locked.

“I can pick it if you give me a couple of minutes,” Jane tells me. I’m not going to ask how she learned to do that. Instead, I nod at her and step away, only to hear Aidan cursing under his breath.

“Motherfucking piece of shit bag always gets a hole in it when I’m carrying important shit. Now I can’t blow this one up with the remote.” He glowers at the hole, sticks a couple of fingers through it, and looks up at me. “Seifer, I need permission to stay behind and detonate manually.” The look on his face tells me that he’s serious about it and, for some reason, this kid isn’t afraid to die just to carry out orders precisely.

I nearly slap him, but look right into his dark eyes. “Avery, you will not stay and kill yourself for this mission. There is enough firepower already planted to blow this building sky-high and the fire will set this one off anyway. I dunno if your pyromania is a pathetic excuse to ‘accidentally’ kill yourself or if you’re just crazy enough to want to die just so that your orders were done perfectly, but I know from experience that it’s a lot easier to find something to die for than it is to find something or someone to live for. As your squad leader, I order you to leave it in the room and stay with me and Jane.”

Got no idea where that little speech came from, but it’s true. From all I’ve seen, the people willing to die for something are typically the ones too chicken-shit to look for a reason to live. And I used to be one of those people. Makes me glad for Squall.

He sighs loudly, but gives a mock salute. “Yes, sir. I’ll stay with the squad.”

We both hear the click of the door unlocking. Jane opens it for Aidan and we watch him toss the innocent looking brick inside. Once it’s shut again, all three of us run to the main entryway, where the small batch of others is waiting.

“That makes all of us,” a skinny girl with glasses and a white streak in her black pigtails remarks. “Since the civilians are out getting medical help, we’re supposed to head back to the boats now.” She doesn’t even look like a Garden student, aside from the uniform. Certainly doesn’t look old enough to be taking the exam. But I won’t ask.

I stay between Jane, who’s gone white as a sheet for some reason, and Aidan as we all make our way back through the forest. He presses the button on his remote as soon as we’re safely away. About a dozen teenage heads turn to witness the flames rising, the sound hitting our ears seconds later. Damn, that’s one nice explosion.

“What’s up, Jane? You got pale after that girl told us we had to head back.”

She bites her lip and looks up at me, sky-blue eyes full of tears. “She told me she’d be here when I made SeeD and I almost forgot because I didn’t believe in ghosts until five minutes ago.” Ghosts?

“Umm, you’re gonna have to explain more.”

“That was my best friend, Ryan. She died a week after having to leave because she couldn’t deal with being picked on all the time. Everyone thinks her mom was on something and killed her. Before she left, she told me she’d never miss me becoming a SeeD.” Jane starts crying once we sit down on the boat. Without thinking about it, I rub her back lightly.

The ride back is silent except for Jane’s sniffling. I dunno what to say to her, so I don’t even try. Aidan’s obviously thinking, probably about what I told him, so I don’t interrupt him.

As soon as we dock in Balamb, Jane runs out and goes to talk to Quistis, who hugs her lightly. And now the worst part of the field exam begins – the waiting. Can’t see Squall to brag about how well I think I did because he’s gonna help decide my fate, I don’t wanna stay around the dumbass who wanted to die, and I don’t think my other squad member wants anyone around right now. Guess I’ll just go back to Garden and wander around until we get called to the hallway.

I’m about to step out of town when I hear honking behind me. Irvine’s in a rented convertible and he points at the seat next to him. “Get your uniformed ass in here. Squall told me to keep ya busy until they decided who was gonna be a SeeD.” I smile when he mentions Squall and get in after tossing a very bloody Hyperion into the back seat.

“Your idea of ‘keeping me busy’ better not involve nudity, cowboy, or I’ll cut off your ponytail,” I tell him as he speeds off. Irvine chuckles, takes a drag off the cigarette he was holding between his fingers, and leers at me.

“Wouldn’t even think about it until I got your lover boy’s permission to jump you. Or hell, we could always make it a threesome.”

“Yeah, but what would your girlfriend say to you sleeping with two men?” I know Selphie doesn’t really care who he does on the side, but it’s fun to tease him anyway.

He speeds along the curved road, shrugging. “She’d probably ask me to videotape it for her. Guess some girls like picturing guys together as much as most guys like thinking about lesbians. But let’s change the subject. How do ya think ya did?”

I shudder at the thought of Selphie Tilmitt watching footage of me having sex with anyone. “You not wanting to talk about sex, Kinneas? That’s a first. Think I did good, though. That Aidan kid is an idiot.”

We park in Garden’s garage and I get out, sheathe Hyperion at my hip, and stay with Irvine. “Aidan’s just plain weird. I don’t think I’ve seen the guy express interest in anyone, male or female. He even resists my charms.”

“Which makes him smart, not weird. Maybe he’s got someone waitin’ back in Dollet and don’t wanna cheat on him or her.” His personal life isn’t my business and I don’t wanna hear Irvine’s ramblings about it. Got more important things on my mind.

He shrugs as we near the Quad, pushes me into the hallway, and gropes me with a smirk. “Squall also told me to try and make you relax, get your mind off whether or not you’re gonna be SeeD. And the best way for me to do that is to get you off. I’ll even be nice enough to let you choose how I do it.”

I wanna just push him away, but it seems like Squall doesn’t want me to stress out while waiting. He even got the school slut to distract me. So it would be kinda wrong to mess up the plans of the man I love. “Just jack me off, Irvine. And make it fast, I don’t need anyone accidentally walking in.”

Irvine doesn’t say anything as he undoes my pants, tugs the glove off his right hand, and starts tugging my cock firmly. I groan softly, let my eyes close a little, and relax as he touches me. It’s weird having someone other than Squall do this to me. He’s good at it, though, so I ain’t gonna complain. His other hand covers my mouth lightly to muffle a louder sound and I bite at the leather of his glove before moaning again.

I’d told him to be fast with it, and I got what I wanted, coming into a handkerchief he pulled from a pocket when I wasn’t aware of it. I smile weakly at him, fix my pants, and yank at his hair after he turns around. “Not too bad. Might ask Squally if the threesome idea sounds good to him some day soon.” Seconds later, Cid announces over the intercom that everyone who took the field exam needs to wait in the second floor hallway. I run there.

Aidan and Jane are both there, along with everyone else I recognize from the entryway. Well, other than the ghost. All of us stand there, just a few people making small talk, until they call the first couple of names. The tension then goes from high to extremely high.

Three people are called before I hear, “Jane. Jane from Squad C.” I smile at her as she goes to the elevator. And then there’s a long silence. My heart drops. They aren’t going to say my name, I just know it. Something I did pissed someone off – maybe Aidan was supposed to die – and I’m not going to make SeeD. Hyne dammit all.

But then the intercom turns on again. “Seifer. Seifer Almasy. That is all.”
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A/N: I wrote a happy ending, can you all believe it? And I’m crying for some reason right now. I need to note that Seifer’s speech to Aidan is loosely based off of one said by Security Chief Michael Garibaldi from Babylon 5 in the episode titled “Infection”.