FF8 Presents The Thing

Chapter 3

Laguna was cooking something extra special up for the gang. Whole time he is still on his skates and simply adding ingredients according to what he thinks it needs next.

Kiros stops by the door, “ Don’t use too much red pepper this time!”

Laguna grins innocently, “ Me? Do that? Not after Squall threatened to leave me nude outside.”

Kiros sighs and hopes the food is edible. Has yet figured out who keeps letting Laguna cook. Kiros finds Fujin has nodded off at the radio from pure exhaustion. He gentle shakes her shoulder.

Fujin, “ TROUBLE?”

Kiros, “ Naw... I won’t tell Seifer but you get anything yet?”

Fujin, “ NEGATIVE.”

Kiros, “ Go and get some coffee. I’ll stay here till you’re back.”

The base is otherwise still. No one notices the Chocobo with the bandaged leg is walking around free still. The chocobo sees someone is alone in a room. Bob looks around and sees no one is in the hall. Then it enters the room. Glass breaks and muffled noise, followed by the door is slammed shut.

Dr. Kadowaki is finishing up her daily journal. Thinks it is time for her to stretch her legs so she takes a walk along the interior passage to the chocobo kennel. She passes Selphie who is taking a bag of food to their chocobos. The two exchange warm smiles. Selphie is greeted by squawks of several happy Chocobo who eagerly want to eat. She seems to get along with them great!

Zell was on his way to another room. His door locked with six different locks. Humming he goes about unlocking them all. Inside is stacks of Girl Next Door magazines. Some of them still very new condition. Plus his fighting magazines for the advanced fighters. Has yet got trough them all as he was secretly trying to master one of the earlier issues still. Then Zell sees the chocobo coming into his room. The bird noses his magazines, knocking over a pile into disarray. He fails to notice the fact it no longer has a bandage on.

Zell, “ Get out! Shoooo!” The chocobo hurries out of his room leaving Zell to reorganize his magazines.

Raijin is moving some supplies around. That was one of his jobs due to he is very strong. Notices a mangled bandage on the floor. Picks it up and ponders where it came from. Thinking it might be important he pockets it.

Zell walks out looking for Ward. Then hears some choppers finally return to the base. His attention though is distracted from that by a chocobo rummaging through his tools.

Zell, “ Hey, get out of that!”

Squall has everyone come in for a meeting to review their findings. The video recordings are all in gray scale with no sound. Like a badly made home movie. But no one takes light of this. It shows the Galbadian men at work. Some shots of Rinoa and her dog Angelo playing in the snow. As the others watch the films, Ward organizes the notes the best he can.

Quistis, “ They seem rather happy in the films.” She pauses the video for now as it was not yet useful to them, “ They also left audio recordings. Just listen.. “

Voice drones on about some samples when suddenly there is a blasting noise. Pounding feet and chaos quickly follows on the tape. Frantic voices at first. Then strange gurgling noise. Few more blasts with cries seem to come across followed by some inhuman screeching. Very noise sends shivers through all listening.

Quistis, “ That goes on for a while.”

Squall, “ That could be anything... “

Kiros, “ Maybe Laguna sent them his cooking and they went mad?”

Laguna, “ Hey!, “ Not finding that funny.

Dr. Kadowaki, “ I want to some you all to see what Quistis has brought me.”

She takes them to the infirmary. There is the charred body of a woman. Her lower torso looks burst open. Her upper body is too indecipherable, as if it turned mush. Her head was not even on her shoulders proper but growing from her chest where her breasts should be.

Dr. Kadowaki, “ This was once Rinoa. I never seen a fire cause a body to warp like this. No normal or magic fire we can use.”

Zell pokes the body in a sick fascination but the surface is like melted tar, “ Ewww, man this is gross!”

Seifer smacks Zell’s hand, “ Stop messing around, Chicken wuss.”

Dr. Kadowaki, “ I want Kiros and Quistis to help me with the autopsies on this one and Biggs.”

Squall, “ Very well, rest of you can go back to your duties.”

Laguna, “ Good because I just remembered I left something in the oven!” skates off in a hurry.

Selphie, “ OH! I better go check on Bob!”

Squall, “ That reminds me.. Put Bob with the other chocobo. He is not a dog that can run free.”

Selphie, “ Aww.... Do I have to?”

Squall just gives her a look.

Selphie, “ Okay okay... “