Jackson and Amy stared at the post Luna was previously occupying, their mouths agape and bodies reeled back in shock. Though their leader was the primary focus of Luna's rage, bits and pieces of the aftershock still got to them. Surprise would be a severe understatement. Her outburst came completely out of left field.

"Wow…" Amy didn't know what else to say.

"Gotta give her credit though…no one's ever talked to Amber like that before. Except Krystal Jung. Come to think of it…no one has ever really talked to us like that either." Jackson held a newfound respect for the young woman, despite the verbal tongue lashing she gave them. "Then again, chief over here…"

"Grrr, yeah Amber you big jerk! You started it!" Amy smacked Amber on the shoulder. Much to her dismay, the tomboy didn't even flinch. "We're supposed to be professionals! Or have you forgotten that already?!"

Amber was opening to respond, when the large outdoor TV started crackling to life, until a clear and smooth image finally came on the screen. "Huh? They actually managed to get that old thing to work?"

"Oh my gosh! What do you think they're going to announce?!" Amy momentarily forgot her anger, instead focusing on the monitor.

"Don't know," Jackson stated. "But this is Vinzer Deling we're talking about here, so…"

"It can't be anything good," Amber finished.

The screen in front of them showed a podium with several mikes. To the right and left of said podium were two Galbadian flags. A short, portly man with blond hair and a tacky striped suit on appeared on screen several seconds later.

"Testing, testing…1…2…testing." He tapped the microphones a few times before looking back at the camera. "Goodness! People of the world, can you see this right now?! This absolutely incredible ladies and gentlemen! We have not had a live broadcast like this in over 17 years! How amazing is that?!"

Jackson snickered. "Heh, look at that dude…he looks like he's about to cry."

"Shush!" Amy was concentrating on the broadcast.

"Ah, my apologies everyone. I seemed to have lost my composure for a moment there. Ahem, now…we would like to present to you all a message from the greatest man to ever live, President Vinzer Deling!"

"Son of a . When did he ever become the greatest man to ever live? I must have missed something these past few years. that…"

"It's Galbadia Jackson. The only way you can make a decent living is by kissing Deling's and the scum off the underside of his shoes…" Despite her saying that, Amber's eyes narrowed at the screen, as if on reflex.
 

A man of average height and build took over the podium. His hair was graying at the sides, and his face wrinkled and tired. His harmless appearance belied a man obsessed with power and world domination.

"Greetings, one and all! I am Vinzer Deling, the lifelong president of Galbadia!"

"Booooooo!!"

Amber shook her head at her companions. "Be quiet you two…don't forget we're still in enemy territory right now."

"Today, I stand before you all to make a proposition. If the people joined together, then we have the power to end all wars."

All three SeeDs raised a brow at the surprising statement.

"Okay…guys, I know I was joking about the whole 'love and peace' thing before…but this is starting to sound like one." Amy was definitely perplexed.

"From Deling? Fat chance!" Jackson refused to believe that warmonger would ever propose such a thing.

"Well…we'll just see." Amber's opinion was more in line with Jackson's, but stranger things have happened.

"Unfortunately, Galbadia is still in disagreement with several other nations. Those must be resolved first." The sound of something shattering caused the president to pause mid-speech. But seeing as the soldiers and camera crew didn't seem too alarmed, he continued. "Allow me to properly introduce the ambassador who will act as my representative. Sorceress -"

Gunfire and screaming could be heard off-screen. The soldiers closest to Deling were scrambling into formation. The attacker was powerful, as a soldier was hurled across the room, knocking the other soldiers down. Next thing everyone knew, a furious Krystal Jung was on camera. She grabbed the panicking Deling and held Hyperion to his throat, forcing the remaining to soldiers to lower their weapons. They couldn't risk firing as the president was being held hostage.

"JUNG?!!" The trio cried in unison.

Jackson raised his fist at the screen. "What the does she think she's doing now?!"
 

"Doing us a favor?" Amy had to admit that seeing the dictator squirm was pretty satisfying.

"Stay back! I told you to stay back! You're only going to provoke her!" Victoria had appeared as well. She was trying to keep the intense standoff under control as Krystal was looking even more agitated than ever before. As the rest of Deling's guard attempted to rush her all at once, she fired a level 2 fire spell, incinerating the soldiers before they could even get close.

"JUNG!!! What the hell are you THINKING?!!" Victoria lost whatever composure she had left.

"Holy ! The instructor is there too. Amber?!"

"Yeah, squad leader!" Amy looked at Amber pleadingly, as did Jackson.

As if on cue, Victoria looked at the camera, panic and stress seeping into her voice. "Timber team, if you're watching this, come to the station immediately! I need back up!"

"That's all I needed," Amber said. "Jackson, Amy, come on!"

__________

"We need to restrain her!" Victoria said as the trio came running inside the TV station.

Amber looked around her. Several bodies lay scattered on the ground. Maybe rushing in was actually a decent plan after all, considering Krystal came storming in and just absolutely wrecked the guards. The young soldier sometimes had a habit of underestimating herself…as well as the strengths of each individual person in Garden. Then again…she was only trying to think logically.

Besides….something more covert would have minimized casualties. At the very least, most of the soldiers were given some quick and clean deaths, strangely unlike Krystal's usual style.

"You must have been in a hurry Jung…"

"Ah, Liu! Late to the party as always." Krystal's grip on the president tightened, causing him to let out a strangled gasp of pain. "Shut up old man. You should've seen this coming decades ago…"

Honestly, the worst part about all this was that Amber just couldn't bring herself to feel motivated about the situation. Krystal had a point. The tyrant had this coming for a long time.

Victoria quickly informed the three SeeDs of what happened. "She had broken out of the disciplinary room and injured several of the Garden guards in the process. I was assigned to bring her back. Finding Krystal was easy enough, but…."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Krystal pressed the Hyperion closer to Deling's throat. A small trickle of blood poured out of a newly made cut. "Just what are you morons planning on doing with this guy huh? You're just gonna let a dictator get away? Luna wants this guy taken in. I'm not about to let you three screw this up for her!"

Amber stiffened at the mention of the resistance fighter. It looks like they really did know each other after all…

"Wait a sec, you're doing all this for her?" Jackson looked as though he had figured something out. "Oh…I get it now Jung…you and Luna are-"

"Shut up chicken wuss! What we are doesn't concern you!"

"Grrr…! Instructor! You're bringing this douche back to Garden right?!"

"JACKSON!!!" Amber was close to drawing her sword at the blond.

Jackson, realizing what he'd just said, clamped his mouth shut with a hand.

"…ugh…I see…" Deling tried to speak, despite the painful grip Krystal had on him. Not to mention the sword in front of his throat. "You're all…from Garden then….if anything happens to me, the Galbadian army will crush Garden. This is the end for you!"

Krystal made another small cut on his neck as a warning. "You talk too much old man." She then glared hard at Jackson. "Something you've got in common with chicken wuss…."

Jackson's body slackened, his head hanging down low in shame. He didn't know what to do. Opening his mouth like that may have just put their Garden in danger.

"Jung," Amber warned. "Just let the old guy go. It wasn't supposed to go down like this…" But a part of Amber really couldn’t care about what the temperamental rebel wanted to do with Deling. So many suffered because of that man…he instilled a fear in the people's hearts that couldn't so easily be erased or forgotten.

"Don't act so superior Liu!" Krystal sneered. "You know as well as I do that he deserves it! Why don't you guys just take care of the mess in here? I'll deal with Deling."

Krystal slowly walked backwards, the president still in her grasps. Victoria quickly followed after them as they disappeared backstage.

"Come on you three! This isn't over!"

A shocked Amy was the first to snap out of it and follow after Victoria. Amber had briefly glanced back at Jackson. She was angry at him, but any type of scolding would have to wait until later. She gave the devastated young man a push from behind, getting him to move ahead of her.

__________

When they got backstage, Amber noticed that something strange was going on. The room had a weird energy to it, dangerous and unknown. It was when she looked at the ground did she realize that Victoria and Amy were down on one knee, sweating bullets and struggling to move.

"What the-" A bright purple flash engulfed the room, and Amber soon found that she no longer had control of her body. Try as she might to struggle against it, Amber's muscles had seized up. She was stuck.

"W-what…the , argh…is this?" Even speaking was difficult.

"D-dammit! C-can't move! Jung!" The same thing was happening to Jackson. This was clearly the work of someone who held an enormous amount of power...

But Krystal was still standing, along with a frightened Vinzer Deling. The rogue cadet was looking around the room furiously.

"Show yourself!!! What is it that you want?!" Krystal knew that someone else was in the room with them. The air was THICK with magic…

"Poor, poor girl…"

"Huh?"

A woman materialized before the confused rebel. She wore a skin-tight dark purple dress with a plunging neckline. Feathers circled her collar, and she wore a headpiece filled with jewels. There was a metallic frame on her back in which two long strips of fabric hung from. But there was a red, beak-like mask on her face to conceal her identity.

"Stay back!" Krystal growled out. "I know what you are! ing sorceress! I'm warning you!"

"Does it matter what I am? I believe you are the one who needs guidance. Such a confused little girl. Such a shame." Her voice was ice cold and even, not surprising for a sorceress. They had a history of absolute ruthlessness hidden under a calm exterior.

Krystal felt her mind fogging, but she wouldn't give in. "I told you dammit! Back off!"

"It's hard to make up your mind isn't it child? You don't know the right answers…" She approached Krystal slowly. "You want help don't you? That's what your heart yearns for…poor, poor little girl…"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" It was a losing battle…the sorceress was doing something to her. Krystal could feel herself slipping.

"Oh?...you don't want to be a little girl anymore?"

"I'm not a little girl!!"

"Then come with me. Bid your childhood a fond farewell, and I shall mold you into a warrior far greater than they could ever be…" The mask was staring straight at the four helpless SeeDs.

President Deling ran away as soon as Krystal's grip on him loosened and she lowered her Hyperion.

"Jung, w-what the hell is the matter with you….?" Amber saw everything. It was difficult to believe, but all of this was actually happened. And she could do nothing to stop it.

Krystal had a blank look in her eyes. They were dull and lackluster as she waved to them. Her face was devoid of any kind of emotion, and it frustrated Amber even more. The sorceress had done something to her. Nothing could be done as the two of them vanished into thin air.

With the sorceress gone, the spell inside the room had relinquished its hold on everyone, and they were free to move once again.

"Just like that….gone." Victoria was in disbelief.

Amy was horribly shaken up by the entire ordeal. Her whole body shivered. "We could've been killed…I've never come across a sorceress before…that was so intense." She put a hand on Amber's shoulder to steady herself. The leader didn't seem to mind. She had a contemplative look on her face. "Amber? W-what's going to happen to Krystal?"

The squad leader was silent for a moment, still thinking. But no matter how much she tried to make sense of the events that just occurred….NONE of the scenarios she could think of created a proper conclusion.

"I don't know Amy…I really don't…"

__________

"Krystal!! Krystal are you there?!" Luna had come running to the TV station once she saw the young woman onscreen. She knew why she did all that, and it brought a small smile to Luna's face. It was nice to know how much she still cared after all this time. Still, it was dangerous, especially since she was by herself. The other woman shown onscreen didn't look like she was there to help Krystal at all.

But when she had arrived, the only ones that she saw there were Amy, Jackson, and the lady who had appeared on the broadcast with Krystal. Luna also saw HER, but didn't bother to count her. The short woman huffed, opting to outright ignore the tomboy instead.

"Luna," Amy started. She made her way to the younger woman, placing her hands on the other's shoulders. "Glad you're alright for starters." Amy smiled, causing Luna to smile back. "But, uh…Krystal kind of…sort of…disappeared." That piece of information wiped off the smile on Luna's face instantaneously. "The sorceress came and…and…I don't know!" Amy felt that Luna needed to know everything. Besides, she knew that Amber sure as hell wasn't planning to…

"S-she'll be alright won't she? D-do you know where she went at all?" Luna was obviously distressed, her eyes the size of saucers.

"No, Luna…sorry."

"Don't mean to interrupt," Victoria walked up to the girls, a grave expression on her face. "I know this is terrible news, but we need to continue this conversation elsewhere. After what happened here, on live TV I might add…this station might turn into a battlefield very soon. Come. Amber and Jackson have already left."

"O-okay…" Luna replied weakly.

__________

The three women had run as far and as fast as their legs could take them, and soon enough, they had arrived back in the alleyway. Amber and Jackson were there waiting for them.

"…you guys alright?" Amber asked quietly.

Luna turned away from her, leaving Victoria to raise a questioning eyebrow and for Amy to answer the question.

"Erm, we're fine Amber. Don't worry about!" She tried to sound as cheerful as possible. "How's…" Amy cast a worried glance at Jackson, who hadn't spoken a word for a while.

"Not sure….he's been like this since we left the station. Just give him some space." Amber was still angry with the blond, but she did worry for him. They would have to figure out what to do about that slip up eventually…

"Hey, Amber…forgot to tell you something." Amy spoke in a hushed tone.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well…on our way over here…Luna mentioned that her base was completely destroyed-"

"WHAT?!"

"Shhhhhh!"

"Are the others alright?"

"Zone and Watts are okay…they're good at escaping…" Luna approached the two, a frown on her face. But…her eyes seemed a bit softer as she looked at Amber. "Sorry, I overheard…"

"…it's fine, I guess." Amber scratched her head, feeling awkward. Luna was looking at her funny again. Just a few minutes ago she wanted to pretend like she never existed…..weird girl.

Amy slowly backed away. They seemed civil enough towards each other, but she could never tell if the two of them were going to get into another argument. She didn't want to be within earshot if they did.

"So…" Luna said quietly. She kept her head down, occasionally tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It kept falling back in front, but she didn't really want to look at the mercenary right now. "We…need to stay away from Timber for a while."

"……"

Luna took Amber's silence as a sign that she was listening. She continued.

"Is there a safe place you can take me to?"

"……."

The shorter woman was getting impatient. It eventually got the best of her, and she finally looked up, only to feel herself blush under the soldier's scrutinizing gaze. Luna wanted to look down again. Amber's eyes were really intense. Especially up close.

But, she needed to save face, so she pressed on, looking at her directly.

"Amber….this is an order. From your client remember? It's your DUTY?" Luna didn't want to start another fight with the soldier, but she was still feeling emotionally bruised from last time. It was like she couldn't stop herself from trying to press the other woman's buttons….

A sigh escaped the mercenary.

"Yeah…alright."

Luna twirled around and smiled to herself.

The victory was small…but she was willing to take it.

___________

Notes: Apologies for the later update, as well as the fact that this chapter is slightly shorter than the other ones. Just...tell me what you think of it.

To put it bluntly, I'm still suffering from political heartbreak, so I've been in a bit of a funk....and if wasn't obvious already, I was lashing out in my own way in this chapter. Krystal represents what half the population wants to do right now lol....

The story is more or less planned out already, but if you can throw some add-on ideas my way, that would be pretty cool. Maybe as a sort of filler....