Author's Note: I was challenged to write a sequel that would make the TSW universe more like a "classic" Final Fantasy universe. This is what I came up with. Bear with me. And make certain you don't confuse OOTA's General Ryder with Salvation's General Emerson. They may hold the same position, but they are vastly different people from very different universes. Oh, and this story contains some language.
OUT OF THE ASHES
Distress Call
Chapter One
"Are you going to be all right while I'm gone, Aki?" Dr. Sid asked. Aki Ross was sitting at the battered lunch table, her gaze unfocused as she stared into nothingness. "Aki?" Dr. Sid said worriedly. He placed his hand on the younger woman's shoulder, and she jumped in surprise. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"What did you say?" Aki asked blankly. She finally turned to meet his eyes, blinking away the tears in her own.
"I asked if you were going to be all right while I help the military in Denver for the next week." Dr. Sid was reluctant to leave, especially with Aki in such a depressed mood. He didn't blame her; Gray had only been dead for three days and already the Council was demanding that she and Dr. Sid return to their duties. Aki wasn't taking it well. She hadn't eaten much in the past few days, and had had little sleep. She looked gaunt and pale, and Dr. Sid had ordered her to stay behind to get some rest. He felt bad about doing it because he knew she wanted to stay busy to keep her mind off Gray, but he couldn't afford to let her work like this. She needed the time alone.
"I'll be fine," she answered wearily. "There's plenty that I can be doing, and-"
"No, Aki, I want you to get some rest," Dr. Sid scolded. "You've already saved the world. You've done your part for now. You more than deserve the break."
"Right," she muttered. She folded her hands across the tabletop and stared at its surface. "I've done my part. Just as Gray did his." She heaved a tremulous sigh and rested her face on her hands.
"Look, if you'd like, I'll see if I can delay this and stay here with you," Dr. Sid began
"No, don't let me stop you. You're right; I just need some time to think. I still feel so bad about all of this. Maybe I can get used to it..." she trailed off, her face crumpling. "I don't think I can ever get over it. It just hurts so much! I keep trying to tell myself that it was how Gray wanted to go, that he saved us all by giving his life, but I can't help but think there must have been a better way!"
"If you feel like you need someone, you know how to reach me," Dr. Sid said, wrapping an arm around his protégé. "I may be busy, but I will always have time to speak with you. Now, promise you won't overwork yourself, okay? That won't solve anything."
"All right, I promise," Aki whispered. "I'll just try to get on with my life. After I arrange Gray's funeral," she added stubbornly, daring Dr. Sid to defy her.
He gave her a sad smile. "Good bye, Aki. I'll see you in about a week." He gave her shoulder one final, comforting squeeze before leaving the nearly deserted cafeteria to grab his things.
* * *
Aki couldn't get used the feel of being without her chest plate. The "iron bra" had been part of her for so long that it felt so strange. But she rather liked it, she mused. She now could wear a wider variety of clothing without worrying about it getting caught in the cloth or showing through tight outfits. She had decided to wear a tight grey tank top and a worn black denim jacket she'd loved in college. It was a change; and change was good. Right?
And the dark colors suited her mood. She was, after all, on her way to set up the funeral of her beloved.
She meandered slowly down the corridors, not anxious to reach the morgue. She didn't like to think of Gray as being there, his body stiff and cold and empty.
When Aki arrived, she went to the nearest attendant to ask who she had to speak to. The woman had a harried look, and Aki wondered what had stressed her out so much. Some of the other attendants she could see looked equally distressed.
"What's going on?" Aki asked her.
"There was a fire in the morgue two days ago, and we're still trying to clean things up," the woman said wearily. "Many of the bodies were incinerated before we could get in and get the fire under control."
There was a cold feeling in the pit of Aki's stomach. A fire? With bodies lost? "What about Captain Gray Edwards?" Aki asked urgently. "What about his body?"
The woman frowned. "We have a list of all the bodies we haven't located yet, the ones we believe were burnt." She led Aki over to the main desk and brought up a list on the desk's holo-computer. "Ye-es," she mused. "His body is listed as lost. I'm sorry," the woman said as tears filled Aki's eyes. "He was the one who saved us, wasn't he?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Aki whispered. "He deserved a hero's burial." She turned away, ignoring the sympathetic looks the morgue attendant was giving her. Why didn't they tell me? she wondered angrily. Then: That's not fair...They're busy. They would have told me when they had the time. Now it seemed Gray wouldn't even get the funeral he deserved. It wasn't fair!
She wandered aimlessly down the hall, not seeing anything or anyone until she crashed headfirst into a solid form. She stumbled and nearly fell, but someone reached out and grabbed her.
"Dr. Ross? Are you all right?" a concerned voice asked. Aki lifted her face to meet the eyes of General Marcus Ryder, Houston's general in charge. He was middle-aged, with graying hair and brown eyes. His face was friendly, but his smile didn't quite meet his eyes. Like her, Aki thought, General Ryder had seen too much to be truly happy.
"I'm fine," she said glumly.
"You don't sound `fine,'" Ryder observed. "What's wrong? Besides the obvious, I mean."
Aki told him about the morgue fire, and he nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry. Captain Edwards will get the funeral he deserves even if we don't have the body. The military honors its dead, especially those who sacrifice themselves for the greater good."
Aki smiled weakly and excused herself. Even though she liked General Ryder, she didn't trust high-ranked military officers, no matter how friendly they may be. But she couldn't help but wonder: Why hadn't Ryder been put in charge of New York instead?
She had no idea how she was going to spend the rest of the day. Dr. Sid had left strict orders that she was to stay away from the labs, and his new assistants strictly enforced that rule. But she wanted to work! She had to do something!
The Black Boa. The thought occurred to her as she passed the military hangar that she could check the status of her ship. It had been damaged during the defeat of the Phantoms, but Dr. Sid had managed to get it out of the way in time. It had been brought in for minor repairs, and Aki wondered if it was finished. The ship was like a second home to her, and she hoped it was all right.
The ship was sitting off to the side, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise flyable. Aki opened the hatch with the side computer and went up the lift to the ship's interior. She slowly passed through the laboratory, stopped briefly in her sleeping chamber to check her dream-recording machine, then made her way to the cockpit.
The events of a few days ago were fresh in her mind as she settled into the pilot's seat. She could almost imagine Gray crouched between the two seats, protesting what had indeed turned out to be a suicide mission for one of them. He should never have died... Damn you, General Hein... They would have been completely successful without the general's stubborn intervention.
Aki pushed the thoughts aside and began to run a systems check on the ship. It seemed, as all systems came up green, that the ship was in perfect working order. So the repairs had been finished after all. She wondered if they'd let her take it anywhere.
Something on the console caught her attention: a flashing light that meant the Black Boa had received and recorded a message. Odd; who would be trying to contact her ship? It could just be a leftover from the repairs, or maybe the ship had picked up a message from the military since she'd last been onboard. Curious, Aki played the message.
"-er Ross... you hear me?" The voice was garbled, and the static made the message difficult to hear. "I repeat... Captain Edwards, Dr. Si... Ross, if you can hear... help...New York is...Please hurry!"
What the hell? It sounded like a distress call. Aki checked the date and saw it had been received two days ago. But who needed help? Who knew her by name, and knew who had been on the ship with her? And what did it have to do with New York? Was the message from when New York fell? But if so, why was she receiving it now?
Aki replayed the message, listening more carefully. Her face grew puzzled as, with that final plea, the messenger's voice was for a moment quite clear... and very familiar. Aki replayed the last line.
"Please hurry!" It sounded like Neil Fleming. Her heart jumped at the realization. It was Neil! Had he survived somehow? She'd thought he'd died, but what if he'd only been touched by a Phantom? She hadn't really seen him die; she'd been in the Black Boa. What if, when she had eliminated the Phantoms, it had cured him of an infestation as well, and now he was alive and well and in need of help?
Aki began to feel excited. If one of Deep Eyes was alive, then she owed it to Gray to rescue one of his men! And she needed to hurry, because Neil had sounded frantic. Aki contacted the control tower, asking permission to leave the hangar. If Neil was alive, then she was going to help him! If it wasn't already too late...
* * *
"What do you think we should do?"
"Let her go. It may just be nothing. But if there is something there, this will be a good way to find out without sending men to New York ourselves."
Permission was granted, and Aki departed for New York as soon as her ship was ready.
To be continued...