In Theory

  Zone shook his head as he followed Zack through the newsroom. "She doesn't want anything to do with me, Zack. She thinks I. . . ."

  "Yeah, well, we'll just make her not think that."

  "But it's my fault."

  "Sure it is. And you make the birds shit on my car." Zack sent Zone a flash of a smile. "It's your computer they're using. Not your fingers or your brain or anything else. It's not your fault, but we'll find out who's it is." Zack tapped the folder. "When did you get this?"

  "Today."

  "From girlie? Or SeeD Security?"

  "Quistis."

  Zack lifted an eyebrow and halted just inside the entrance of the main lobby. "Head Goon hasn't--Interesting." Zack absently smacked the folder against his palm.

  "You think Seifer knows it's a security breach?"

  "And is using it to draw them out? Hell yes. Twisted bastard, though, using you guys this way."

  Zone reluctantly smiled and slugged Zack on the arm. "Too bad he beat you to it."

  Zack laughed. "Too right. Now, you think girlie might still be in town?"

  "Maybe, but. . . ." Zone cleared his throat and then motioned to Zack. "But could you quit with the 'girlie'. She's not inflatable."

  Zack roared and clapped Zone on the back. "Sure, sure. Come on, then. Let's go." They stepped out of the station. "Anyone else use your computer?"

  "Besides Watts and Rinoa?"

  Zack absently nodded. "Password protected?"

  "Just on boot-up, and nothing fancy. There's nothing top-secret on it. Just games and internet, and some research when the Owls were more active."

  "I'll need a list of people who've been over."

  "Sure." Zone watched Zack's serious profile as they headed toward Zone's studio apartment. "You think it's someone I know?"

  Zack sent Zone a reassuring smile and a grip on the shoulder. "Just asking questions, Zone. It's what I do. Too early to tell anything yet, but a video hack into Network surveillance? That's big shit."

  Zone absently nodded as he focused ahead. He fisted his hands. I'm ready to flush it.

  *

  Quistis released a deep breath.

  "Want another one?"

  She shook her head, and the bartender stepped away. Quistis was buzzed. Another and she'd likely track Zone down and either make him hurt as bad as she did or prove she looked better in person. Her fingers already itched for one of the two.

  "Hey, Zack," the bartender greeted. "What brings your sorry ass in here?"

  Quistis lifted a disinterested gaze--Her temper spiked, and she gripped her beer bottle as her expression hardened. Zone. He sent her a quick glance while the tall man beside him--Zack, Quistis supposed--returned the bartender's greeting. Zone motioned to Quistis' position with a hand as he whispered something to Zack. Zack focused on him a moment before moving his gaze to Quistis' location. Then he stepped forward, Zone looking less assured than his 'friend'.

  Quistis' hands momentarily tightened around the beer bottle as the creak of the floorboards sounded under their feet. Then she pushed back from the table and the bottle, her facial expression going blank as she crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. Zone's steps hesitated. Zack's didn't. Quistis' eyes narrowed.

  Zack pulled out a chair and sat. "I have some information you'll be very interested in, Instructor." He produced a hand as Zone slowly and hesitantly lowered himself into the chair beside him.

  Quistis didn't look away from Zack's blue gaze, and the expression on her face didn't soften.

  After a moment, Zack lowered his hand. "My name is Zack Regal. I'm the manager of the T.V. station here in Timber."

  Quistis remained quiet, eyes still narrowed. He regarded her a moment before tossing a thick folder onto the table. Multitudes of photos slid from the folder to dance across the table in a mockery of Quistis' privacy. Quistis twitched, but she didn't look down. Zone, on the other hand, leaned forward to shove the photos back into hiding while sending Zack a glare.

  Zack firmly pressed a finger upon the folder. "You want to find the people responsible? Then you listen to what we have to say. If not. . . ." Zack retrieved the folder. "I do the expose and smear Garden's half-assed security measures."

  Quistis' eyes flashed, and her hand only just kept itself from her whip.

  "Zack!" Zone hissed. "Geez!" He focused on Quistis. She didn't meet his gaze. "Quis, just hear us out."

  Quistis very slowly shifted her focus to Zone. "Hear what?" she asked flatly. "An excuse your macho asshole here helped you figure out to explain those pictures? A nice tidy story that insinuates truths are lies and lies are truths that attack my career? Hear what, Zone?"

  "Forget it, Zone," Zack said as he stood, folder in hand. "We'll do it ourselves. Screw Garden."

  He turned to walk away. Quistis freed her whip from her side to make a collection of movements with her hand and arm. The whip cracked and hissed, snacking around Zack's wrist and yanking him to a stop and turn. Quistis hadn't moved from her chair.

  "Do you know what I have the freedom to do with the utterance of that statement, Mr. Regal?" Zack lifted a somewhat surprised expression from the bite of the whip around his wrist. "I could shut down your T.V. station on suspicion of conspiracy. I could send your arrogant ass to the brig."

  "Quis. . . ." Zone said under his breath.

  "Fine," Zack said. "Then who's going to help you find the traitor who's trying to smear SeeDs one by one? Who's going to catch the Purist bastard trying to bring Garden down?"

  Quistis regarded Zack's intense expression with a slightly tilted head as a single finger tapped the table.

  Zone moved to sit in the chair to her left. "They're using my computer to get at you," he said quietly.

  Quistis looked sharply over at him. "What?"

  Zone nodded. "Because they know the Owls worked with Garden before, they want us enemies now. How else are they going to screw us all over?"

  Zack unwrapped the whip from his wrist. It dropped to the ground, but Quistis didn't notice as she held Zone's gaze.

  "That's why they used my computer to hold the pictures from their video tap."

  "You didn't...?" Quistis slightly shook her head. "The pictures... Not...?"

  Zone shook his head as he softly said "Hell no, Qi-Qi."

  Quistis dropped her whip and wrapped her arms tightly around him, her voice choked by a sob of relief.

  Two

  The Plan

  The tension in the conference room at Balamb Garden was thick. Quistis rubbed at her temples, trying to calm the headache that would soon rage behind her eyes. Seifer, Fujin/Ahndra, Marshal Beita, Zack Regal, Zone and herself were seated around the table waiting for Squall to arrive from a meeting that had run over by fifteen minutes. The door opened, they all held their breath.

  Squall appeared, slammed the door, and dropped a cake pan on the table. "Rinoa made brownies last night. They're good. Eat them." Quistis shook her head when Zone pushed the pan toward her. Her stomach had started tightening; she only hoped she could make it through the meeting.

  Squall flipped through a stack of papers, "So, we've got a problem?"

  At first, no one spoke. Zack Regal was the first to break the silence. "Actually, I would say the Network has a problem. I'm just in it for the story."

  Squall pinched the bridge of his nose "Thank you, Mr. Regal. Anyone else have any gems of wisdom to communicate?"

  Quistis looked over when she felt the chair beside her move. Zone stood, preparing to speak. "Commander Leonheart, we have reason to believe there is a group of radicals attempting to interrupt the relations between the Garden Network and certain resistance factions such as the Forest Owls."

  "Evidence?"

  "Attack via email initially blamed on me because of an email I allegedly sent to Quistis Trepe. The following theft of sensitive missile location information. Pictures found on my computer by your security teams, and the video tap discovered in Instructor Trepe's room. I have been found 'Not G
uilty' of either attack on her privacy."

  Squall nodded his head in approval. "Well stated, Zone. Anything else?"

  Zone shook his head as he lowered himself into his seat. Quistis looked over and sent him a reassuring smile just as she noticed his hand move to his stomach. Her smile softened and she moved her hand to rest on his knee and offer a gentle pressure. He met her gaze and gave a slight lift of lip before again focusing on Squall.

  Seifer, seated next to Quistis, opened a folder and began pulling out information on the initial email incident involving the theft of the missiles. A picture from a separate folder slid out of his grasp and over between Zone and Quistis. Seifer reached for it, but not before Zone slapped a hand down on it.

  "What's this?" Zone asked.

  "Something you shouldn't be looking at." Seifer tried to wrest it from Zone's grasp.

  "I've seen this logo, on a shirt," Zone said as he stared at the picture. It was a close up of the red fist from the uniforms of the people who had attacked Fujin/Ahndra and Marshal in Winhill.

  Seifer's head snapped up. "Where have you seen that, you mean like on a t-shirt?"

  Zone shook his head. "No, the shirt was long sleeved. It looked more like a uniform shirt, but I couldn't figure out why my roommate would have. . . ." Zone trailed off as he realized every security officer in the room stared at him. "What?"

  "That weasel of a roommate of yours has a uniform shirt with this logo?" Seifer asked harshly, pointing to the picture. "Did he just show the damn thing to you?"

  Zone flinched, sending a sidelong glance to Quistis. "No, I had to go into his room and get the handset for the phone. The shirt was on the back of his desk chair."

  Seifer sifted through a few pictures in the other folder before sliding another photo in front of Zone. "Did it look like this one?"

  Zone scrutinized the photo. "Yes, but without the stripe. It would be the same thing without the stripe."

  Seifer slammed a fist down onto the table. "We need to search that apartment again, damn it. We were looking in the wrong room for the wrong thing!" He swore. "Commander, if we find a connection, we could blow this thing wide open."

  Squall lowered the hand massaging the back of his neck. "So now we think the people who tried to steal the missiles and have been hacking our computer system are also involved in the Deling Garden black market arms deals?"

  Seifer gave a curt nod.

  Squall scrutinized the table-top and a few quickly scratched notes, absently tapping his finger on the table-top. "How does Trabia fit into all this?" he asked absently.

  Seifer motioned to Marshal with a tip of his chin. Marshal nodded and leaned forward, silver eyes focusing on Squall. "After the last full Garden inventory at Trabia, there were over fifty missing pieces of equipment listed. It was mostly older stuff; none of the new items coming out of the Esthar research facility. That inventory was a month ago. Since then, a piece here and a piece there disappears once in a while. They expect a certain amount of unaccounted for loss."

  Squall looked up from his notes. "That stops." Marshal nodded and sat back. Squall made a motion with his hand. "Refresh my memory as to why we think Deling Garden is involved?"

  "Because they're a Garden of degenerates," Quistis muttered under her breath, rewarded with a snort of approval from Seifer, much to her surprise.

  Seifer flipped over a few sheets of paper in his folder "The report of the communication activity between Trabia and Deling was made by SSO Regal. Two of the people killed in Winhill by Ahndra's GF were Deling Garden cadets. One of them was a Trabia Garden cadet."

  Marshal shifted in his chair. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen any reports of missing equipment from Trabia since his demise."

  Squall's pen tapped a steady rhythm. "So Trabia's part in this looks to be essentially over?"

  "We'll monitor the situation," Seifer informed crisply, "but yes it seems so. It looks as if we had a group of radicals camping out in Winhill being funded by the illegal arms sales from Deling Garden. Now Deling Garden is the only part left. We need to put someone's ass on the inside."

  Squall pressed his lips together. "Didn't they almost kill two of our officers last time we went undercover?"

  Seifer's eyes hardened. "It's a risk, sir."

  "Okay, do what you've got to do. Inform me later. Now I've got another meeting. The financial committee for the board is still squabbling over next year's budget." Squall flipped his folder closed and slid back from the table, walking out through the same door he entered.

  The six people still seated at the table remained silent for a moment. Zack Regal reached out and took another brownie. "We've come up with some ideas," he said before taking a bite.

  Seifer's green eyes settled on Sally Regal's brother. "Don't waste my time, Regal."

  Zack sat back as he wiped his fingers with a napkin, "You know, you Garden types are all alike. You know everything and no one else can teach you a damn thing."

  Quistis shot a hand out to Seifer's shoulder, firmly holding him down in his seat while shooting a death glare at Zack. "As much as I enjoy watching all this male posturing, Seifer," she realized she still touched him and jerked her hand back, unconsciously rubbing the touch away on her uniform. "Listen for a minute. I'll even give you the report, so you don't have to listen to it from an outsider. I have yet to decide if I would even agree to it, but it's workable."

  Seifer watched her a moment before responding. "Okay, Trepe. I allow myself a few minutes every day for entertainment. Make it good."

  Quistis rolled her eyes. Great, now he has to think about his insults. He's slowing down in his old age. "Zone and I go in, infiltrate the organization, and bring them down."

  Seifer folded his arms across his chest, as if waiting for more. "That's it?" He watched Quistis with a look of dismay. "You want me to approve sending two people in on a dangerous mission, one of them not even a SeeD, and the other an instructor who hasn't been on a field mission in a year?"

  "That's not--"

  Seifer shook his head, cutting her off, "No chance in hell, Trepe, I've got field officers for this sort of thing."

  "Almasy!" Quistis' voice rose as she came up out of her chair.

  Seifer's voice rose to match. "What? Tell me why it should be you."

  "Because they violated me!" she shouted, vaguely hearing Zone's hushed "Qi-Qi," as a warning to control her temper. When she saw Seifer's left eyebrow raise, she knew he'd been surprised into listening. "They used me," she continued, more controlled. "They violated my privacy, and you have a folder full of pictures to prove it. They tried to smear my good name, and they did it with Zone's computer, nearly destroying him in the process."

  Seifer stared at her "Details?"

  Quistis slowly returned to her seat. "I'll go to assist at the TV station. Zack and I will make a relationship public. When everything is set up, we'll elope and I can disappear on a honeymoon cruise. Zone will be receiving his punishment for hacking the Network the second time, as he was found 'Not Guilty' by Sally for the first infraction, being reformed at Deling Garden. Our time frame inside Deling Garden will be four to six weeks. I can have a replacement hired for myself within a week of posting the notice. We can set everything in motion tomorrow. Starting the relationship is the first thing. Sally doesn't even know I've met her brother. We'll need you to tell Zell to have him and Sally disappear from Timber the morning after their arrival. I'll handle the invitation."

  Seifer once again glanced to Marshal and Ahndra. "Do it. We'll hash out the details over the next week. If this gets cancelled, you get to have a very public break-up. Now, as for Mr. McCormick. . . ."

  Quistis cut him off. "Zone will need to be found guilty of hacking the Network computers. Then we have to get him assigned to Deling Garden for his rehabilitation. I don't want him in there for longer than one month prior to my arrival."

  Seifer nodded, writing notes. "Agreed. I'll speak with Zell. About a week until
the instructor posting comes up?"

  "Ten days."

  Seifer gathered his notes as he spoke. "Great. Hire someone without a huge chip on their shoulder, would ya, Trepe?"

  The growing headache stopped Quistis from any type of worthy retort, as she could only assume he referred to her. So, she merely gave him a glare as he left the room with Ahndra and Marshal following.

  Zack turned to Quistis. "So, we set up our meeting for tomorrow?"

  Quistis dropped her angry glare to the table. "Yes, Sally and Zell usually work out early. I'll make sure to wander the halls for a while in the morning."

  Zack nodded in understanding. "Okay, I'll be there." he stood, stretching, "So, is there a back door to this place?"

  "Not really. Just go out the same way you came in. Sally's at work and Zell is in class."

  Zack's departure left Quistis and Zone alone in the room. She dropped her head to her hands and immediately felt his hand resting gently on her shoulder.

  "Qi-Qi? You okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm just tired; stressed." She lifted her head to give him a thin smile. "The usual."

  Zone met her gaze. "I wish there was something I could do."

  Quistis waved a hand in his direction. "Don't worry about it. I'll be okay. I always am."

  "I know." Zone dropped his hand from her shoulder and stood to head toward the door. He abruptly stopped and turned to her. "Hey, Quis, I'm here for you if you ever need to talk or whatever. Okay?"

  Quistis held his gaze for a moment, remembering their fun and their laughter. Remembering how much she liked him. She stood and moved to stand in front of him, an unusual wave of uncertainty making her unable to lift her gaze from his chest. Then she lifted confused eyes to his. "I don't ... I don't know what to do with someone who cares about me."

  Zone's jaw dropped slightly in surprise before he pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Quis," he whispered.

  Quistis wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, a tear escaping as he placed a gentle kiss on her hair. "Don't let go, Zone," she said in a hushed voice.

  Three

  Mission Status

  The odor of coffee lingered in the office even after Janine Larabie exited, heading for the security office. Seifer told me to get someone without a chip on their shoulder. Well, here ya go, big guy. After having read the numerous applications, Quistis knew Janine was the best candidate for the post. The fact that Janine was so passionate about it only cemented Quistis' decision.