Chapter 7: Conspiracy Theory

  They arrived back at Garden around dusk, just as the sun had started to set. Squall locked his jeep up and followed Irvine and Zell into the building. Irvine threw his arms back over his head in a long stretch.
"Man, I'm gonna have to get going," he said, stifeling a yawn. "I got a test to study for."
Squall's eyebrows jumped silently. "You mean you're actually going to study for once?"
"Man, it's not like I wanna," Irvine replied, rolling his eyes. "Selphie blackmailed me into it."
"Like how?", Zell said, double checking his pocket to make sure his "secret" was secure. Irvine flipped his ponytail over his shoulder.
"She's like, telling me that 'If I don't pass this test' I can't 'take her out this weekend'," he explained, switching back anf fourth from his normal tone to a high-pitched, off-key, squeal that mimicked Selphie's. Breathing heavily, he bid farewell to the others and strode off towards the dorms. Squall and Zell conversed as they headed towards Irvine's direction, discussing the possibilities of weapon modifications.
"Ya see, Squall, you need to use more Energy Crystals and less Adamantine if you want a stronger firing power," Zell confidently explained.
"But I don't want stronger fire power. That's what the ammo does," Squall retorted. "I just want a quicker trigger reaction that won't interfere with the fire power I already have."
"I still don't get what you're trying to do," replied Zell as he clawed at an itch on the top of his head. Suddenly, a distant figure quickly made its way towards them, causing them to put their conversation on hold for the moment. Squall squinted ahead.
"Rinoa...?"
"SQUALL!", she shouted as she waved her arms at him. She was panting as she finally ran up to them. It was difficult to speak inbetween her gasping breaths.
"Squall...help..."
"What's wrong, Rinoa?", Squall asked, obviously concerned and a bit confused as to what she was so distressed about. Rinoa bent forward, placing her hands on top of her knees. Her hair fell forward over her face and her shoulders heaved from deep breathing. Zell stood quietly in the background as a wave of goosebumps washed over his body. He shuddered involuntarily as his mind filled in the missing peices of the puzzle; did something happen to Dominique?
"It's...Dominique...", Rinoa panted. "I...I...can't...find her...anywhere..."
With that, she threw herself onto Squall, wrapping her arms tightly around his mid-section. Squall looked down at her from over the tip of his nose. Sighing, he rubbed her back gently.
"It's alright. She probably snuck out to go do more reading in the Library."
Rinoa threw herself back from Squall and stared piercingly into the space that was infront of his chest.
"Ooooh, if she did," she hissed. "I'm gonna be SO mad at her!! I TOLD her to get plenty of rest!! Ugh, I can't BELIEVE it! I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind when she gets back!!"
With that final rave, Rinoa stalked back to her dorm room. Squall rubbed his face, not to smother his frustration, but to hide his ever-growing grin that threatened to explode into laughter.
"Uh, Rinoa?", Zell called from over Squall's shoulder. "Uh, want us to look for her?"
"Yeah sure. Thank, Zell!", she called back before she disappeared around the corner and vanished from sight. Squall turned to Zell after his grin had faded into a small smirk.
"You want to go?"
Zell shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, if you don't want to. I don't care. Doesn't matter to me," he said in a bored air. Truthfully, he was attempting to cover up his shock as yet another fantasy moment with Dominique flashed in his head. Two words: string bikini. Squall shrugged back.
"Suit yourself. I'm going to see if I can get Rinoa to cool down. I don't think Dominique needs one of her verbal assaults."
"Yeah, see ya later then, man!", Zell replied, perhaps a litte too enthusiastically because Squall cocked an eyebrow at his exhuberance. Coughing nervously as the heat rose in his face, Zell turned quickly and trotted off towards the Library, his right hand protectively over his pocket.

  In a quiet corner of the Library, Dominique sat hunched over a stack of books, her small reading spot illuminated only by a small desk lamp. Rubbing her eyes wearily, she breathed in deeply, held it, and exhaled slowly. After the second's rest, she headed straight back into the book. Her eyes were droopy and her vision kept blurring, perhaps from fatigue. Whatever the cause, she was not ready for it to cut into her research time. Dominique scanned the section until she came across a familiar name.
"Battleship Island...", she breathed in wonder. The title was intrancing, for she found herself gazing at it for what seemed like hours. Shaking herself from its hypnotic hold, she dug through her satchel and retrieved a peice of paper and a pen for some quick note taking. Dominique's eyes found the patch embroidered on her bag. She brushed it softly with the tips of her fingers, a pensive gaze appearing on her face. Maybe this article would hold some anwsers to this mysterious place of her origin. She scanned the article slowly, taking in every word like it was the anwser to her questions. She discovered that the Deep Sea Research Center, formerally Battleship Island, is a mobile research facility that was originally created to search for powerful, and perhaps mythological, draw points on the ocean floor. The facts on the island facinated her, and she scribbled down as much as she could without using her entire sheet of paper. As she continued reading, she found further information that was even more intriguing.
"'The facility was soon utilized for further uses, such as Guardian Force research'...GF research?", she read aloud to herself. "What did they do to the GFs?"
Dominique scribbled that factoid down as she continued reading.
"'Many of the GF related projects failed and their documentation was destroyed, so the wherabouts of the data and specimens remains unknown. However, many of the scientists that backed the projects decades ago still pratice in the scientific field. The infamous Doctor Odine of Esthar was one of the chief coordinators of many top-secret government projects when Galbadia was still in possession of the Esthar region.'"
Dominique read and reread that same paragraph many times, searching for any useful information. Her eyes snagged on the word "Esthar" and she paused. Esthar...she had heard that name before. Maybe it was in class? She wanted to consult Tiamat, but after checking her conscience, she found that he was asleep or ignoring her, one. Sighing, she wrote the name down and rose to find a book on Esthar. Instead of finding one, she found dozens. Nearly an entire shelf was dedicated solely to the name. The clock in the library began to chime, signaling that it was closing time, and the clerk at the desk cleared her throat to get Dominique's attention (since she was the only student in the Library at that time).
"Excuse me, but we're closing up soon. You can check those out if you wish."
A signal of urgency flashed in Dominique's head and she scrambled back to her table to gather her things. "I-I'm so sorry. I'm almost done...I just gotta clean this up..."
"Don't worry about it. I'll clean up before I leave," the girl replied with a smile. Dominique threw her bag over her shoulder and gathered the books into her arms. Shuffling over to the desk, she plopped them down as the clerk began scanning. The clerk raised an eyebrow at the amount of books she had on the table that were concerning the same subject (Esthar). Dominique flushed, a bit embarassed at the critical glance the clerk gave her.
"Oh, you can't check out all of these," the girl replied as she checked her computer screen. Dominique shifted her weight nervously.
"Why not? I need these books."
"Well, you're almost at your limit for check-outs," she explained, "But...I think you may be able to get three more. You can't check out all of them, so just pick the ones you think you'll need the most."
Biting her lip, Dominique shuffled out three books from the stack and handed them to the clerk, who scanned them and handed them back to Dominique, who then turned and moved to exit the library. The clerk called after her to return some of the older books soon because the rental would expire soon. Flustered that she didn't have more time to work and that she didn't get as much done as she had hoped, Dominique walked quickly down the hallway, the books clutched at her chest. She was staring at the tiles that streaked past her as she walked, pondering her vague findings of the evening. This Esthar place...now she remembered. Quistis had stated in a lecture one day that Esthar was famous for producing top of the line scientists and geneticists. Logically, these people would have anwsers to what and why she was. She decided to turn her focus to researching Esthar instead of Battleship Island, since everything she uncovered about that place didn't tell her much. Dominique was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to look up in time to avoid crashing into another body. Her books spilled to the floor, some of the little slips of paper she'd been taking notes on falling from between the pages. Startled, she looked up bewildered; she was scared she had caused yet another unwanted confrontation. Instead she saw the beaming, blushing face of an all-too familiar blonde.
"Hey there, where's the fire?", Zell chuckled, rubbing the sore spot she'd created on her chest. Dominique's cheeks pinked as she nervously laughed. She apologized and bent to pick up the books, but Zell stopped her.
"Here, let me get that for ya," he stated, stooping to gather the books.
"T-Thanks," Dominique mumbled through a smile as he handed them back to her. She held them protectively to her chest as he bent again to pick up the slips of paper.
"Man, you must have really been in another world," Zell stated from the floor, "'Cause I said your name a few times and you didn't even act like you heard me."
"I guess I was," Dominique replied bashfully. "I was just thinking about my books. Sorry I wasn't paying attention."
Zell was the one currently not paying attention as he glanced over a slip of paper that has several call numbers on it.
"Hmm, yeah. Guess you had a good day then, huh? Hey, you mind if I...uh, take this? I mean...well," he said as he rose, " Well, I just figure that as much time as you've been spending in the library, you're probably close to your max book limit, and I never check out anything, so maybe...I could pick these up for ya and just put 'em on my account. Is that cool?"
Dominique was at a loss for words at his act of generosity. "Uh...um, yes...yeah sure. That's be great. Thanks a lot, Zell.", she finished with a smile; she was feeling a bit more relaxed now. Being around Zell always put her in a tranquil state. How ironic, considering what a bundle of energy he usually was. Zell flashed her a grin as he stuffed the paper into his pocket and handed her the rest.
"No prob, glad to do it. And yeah, don't worry about running into me. I'm kinda glad it happened."
Uh oh, face flushing again. Dominique felt her face pink up once more and she suddenly became facinated with Zell's belt buckle. He was happy to see her? What was this elated, euphoric feeling that jolted through her all of a sudden? Her heartpace had quickened again, exactly like it did that time in her room while she was looking at Rinoa's pictures. Zell's laugh snapped her from her fantasies.
"Yeah, 'cause Rinoa was wondering where you were and me and Squall ran into her and I said I'd go look for you. So see, it's a good thing you ran into me because I was looking for you anyway."
Ouch...forgot all about Rinoa.
"Um, is she mad at me, Zell?", Dominique winced slightly at the thought. Zell threw an arm around her shoulder and laughed. Dominique felt her face pink up a third time as his breathy chuckle tickled her ear.
"Uh, to put it mildly...yes. She said she told you to rest up. Obviously you didn't listen."
"Well, this is important to me!", Dominique retorted stubbornly. "Squall and Selphie are the only other ones who've given me any information so I'm having to do the rest by myself."
Zell raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself, indicating that he desired the proper credit for helping her out as well. Dominique giggled and playfully pushed his arm from her shoulder. She took a few steps forward before wheeling around to face Zell. She grinned at him and tucked a clump of hair behind her ear.
"Okay okay, you too. And I really do appreciate it. Really.", she said as sincerely as she could. Zell nodded with satisfaction and they proceeded to walk towards the dormitories. As Zell stuffed his hands in his pockets, his fingers brushed against the suprise package he'd bought for Dominique. Damn, he'd almost forgot all about that. He decided that he'd give it to her as soon as the "right moment" came up, whenever that would be. Glancing sideways from the corner of his eye, he saw Dominique striding along next to him, attempting to keep up with his quick pace. Purposely, he slowed down a bit for her and still kept stealing innocent glances at her from the side. He noticed before that her eyes had hints of dark circles underneath them, indicating lack of sleep.
"Those dreams she has must be hella bad," he concluded to himself. He had hoped that his gift would lift her spirits and ease some of her discomfort. A feeling of excitement fluttered within his stomach as they finally reached Dominique's door. Yeah, this would be it; he'd give it to her now.
"Man, she's gonna LOVE me for this!, Zell thought with excitement as she slid the door open and stepped inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the room was vacant.
"Rinoa must be with Squall," he mused as Dominique set her things down on her desk. As she bent over and proceeded to unlace her shoes, she didn't stop to consider the fact that she was wearing a skirt and that a male was standing right behind her. Zell tilted his head to the side slightly as he pleasurably examined the unnoticed display of skin. When Dominique rose and turned to place her shoes in her closet, she couldn't understand why Zell had this huge grin plastered to his face.
"What's the matter?", she asked suspiciously. Zell shrugged and shook his head while his grin continued to shine.
"It's nothing.", he replied, his grin growing slightly larger. Dominique frowned doubtfully but didn't say a thing as she went to sift through her new books. Zell tapped the toe of his shoe nervously against the heel of his other foot. Should he give it to her now? It seemed like a good enough moment. Suddenly, Dominique threw her hands up over her head and sighed agitatingly.
"Okay! Will you just leave me alone already?! You're such a pain!!"
Zell's eyes grew wide and he instinctively backed away from her. Had he done something wrong? Maybe this wasn't the perfect time to give her the present. Dominique, who hadn't noticed Zell's reaction, continued her tirade.
"Yes, I know he's here and no, you can't talk to Bahamut," she said forcefully, slapping her palm on the surface of the desk. "I have to deal with your voice in my head enough as it is. I don't need a two-way conversation going on too."
Then Zell understood; it must have been Tiamat talking to her again. He could understand why others thought of her as unusual; it was strange seeing Dominique talking into thin air. He timidly cleared his throat.
"Uh, should I leave?"
Dominique shook her head, as if coming out of a daydream. "Oh no, no, Zell. You don't have to do that. I'm sorry, Tiamat woke up when he sensed you and he's just being a big baby right now."
She focused again on the air infront of her eyes and continued talking to an unseen being. Her tone was softer and apologetic now.
"I'm sorry, Tiamat. I didn't mean to shout. Don't be mad, okay?"
Silence...and then Dominique smiled slightly and nodded her head in thanks. She let out a deep breath and picked up a book off of her desk.
"I'm so sorry about that," she apologized to Zell. "It's a little difficult living with, uh...'yourself' sometimes."
"Uh, don't worry about it," he replied with a shrug. "It's no big deal. But hey, listen, I got something---"
"I mean, sometimes he just wants to talk to other people besides me. And I can understand that, because well... I guess I'd get tired of talking to me all the time too...", Dominique interjected before Zell could finish.
"Yeah, I uh...yeah, but see, I got you somethin', Dom---"
"But I don't want other voices in my head, too. People would think I'd be even more of a freak than they already think I am. And eventhough Tiamat can communicate with other GFs, his ability to do so would be limited because he's half me, and I can't talk to GFs...", she continued babbling, guestureing wildly with her hands.
"Dominique? Dom---"
"What do you think? I mean, do you think it's possible for me to communicate with junctioned GFs because I've got Tiamat? I have the feeling I might but---"
"DOMINIQUE," Zell said forcefully as he grabbed her hands and held them still, finally succeeding in getting her attention. She stared back at him with wide, golden eyes and two rosy spots appeared on her cheeks. She silently made a quick glance at their intertwined fingers and swallowed. If Zell wasn't mistaken...was she blushing?
"I think," Zell started slowly. "That you should be quiet for a second and let me finish."
Dominique nodded slightly as Zell gradually, and a bit reluctantly, released her hands. She watched in curiosity as he reached inside his hip pocket and removed a small, badly wrapped package. The brown paper was tearing a bit along the edges, but she couldn't make out what was underneath. Zell cleared his throat and handed the package to her without a word.
"Is this...for me?", she asked hesitantly as she took the parcel. Zell nodded and quickly stuck his hands back in his pockets. He began to rock back and fourth on his heels as he watched Dominique curiously examine the item.
"Yeah, it's for you," he started, removing a hand to bashfully rub the back of his neck. "I uh, saw it at the book store and I just thought that, well...maybe you could use it. Like, maybe it could help you out or somethin'."
Dominique tore away the wrapper with delicate fingers until what was revealed was a small, leather-bound book. The leather was cool and smooth to the touch, and almost looked scaly. It had a deep blue color, and when the light hit it just right, it glittered like lapis lazuli. Dominique sucked in a breath of awe as her fingertips flitted over the surface of the book. She turned it in all directions, over and over again in her hands.
"What is it?", she asked so softly that it was just over a whisper.
"It's a journal," Zell explained confidently, pleased that she seemed to enjoy the gift so much. "All of the pages are blank inside..."
With that, Dominique flipped open the cover. Dozens of crisp, vacant pages turned over by their own will, their gold-leaf edges sparkling as they caught the lamp light.
"...so you can write about anything you want in it," Zell finished his sentence as Dominique carefully turned each blank page. "I just figured you could use it to write down your dreams you've been having. I mean, maybe there's something important about them... something that could help you out. So I thought, maybe if you wrote them down and had them all together, you could remember them easier and maybe look back at them and see if you find any clues or anything."
Dominique looked up at him with a suprised expression. It was neither delighted nor disappointed, which caused a wave of doubt and uncertainty to pass over Zell. Maybe she really didn't like the book? Maybe he got his hopes up in thinking that she was excited about getting it. Zell's hopeful smile dissolved from his face as Dominique continued her unreadable stare. He swallowed nervously and suddenly felt ashamed. He should have never bought the stupid thing. It was a dumb idea giving a girl you're not really serious about a gift anyway...not that he didn't want to be serious about Dominique. Over the weeks spent with her and the time spent away from her, Zell came to realize that he was attracted to her. She was mysterious, beautiful, smart, headstrong, and a bit shy at times, but who was counting? The light from the table lamp flickered on her golden eyes as they searched Zell's face. She seemed much closer now, at least closer than she was before. She was so close, he could see the reflection of the light in her eyes. He felt like time had stopped and he wasn't staring at a living, breathing being. He was staring at a statue, a perfectly carved statue of an inchanting woman with a delicately sloping forehead, deep and absorbing eyes, a petite nose, and precisely shaped lips. He swallowed hard to help ease his tension. How much longer would this frozen silence last?
"Um...you don't like it?", he asked hesitantly, his voice low and almost inaudible. Dominique blinked a few times and then stepped closer to him. She was literally inches from his body, for he could feel her nervous warmth eminating from her form. A small smile flickered at the ends of her mouth as she turned her face up to his. Her eyes looked glassy, as if she were about to cry. Zell hoped he hadn't done anything to upset her. Dominique's breathing was louder, too. Or was it that she was breathing normally, but because of her proximity, her breaths seemed louder? It didn't matter to him, either way. He was just excited that, voluntarily, she was this close to him. She slowly and unsurely placed one hand on his shoulder, swallowing as she did so. Her brow furrowed in concentration, as if determining whether she was approaching this situation correctly or not. Zell could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he felt the soft pressure of her other hand light on his remaining shoulder. A vision of what was to come flashed within his mind; he prayed that he was right about it. Zell tilted his face forward slowly, readying himself for the impact with her mouth. Instead, she quickly scooted her arms the rest of the way around his shoulders and softly squeezed his neck. Startled, Zell hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist as her hair buried his face.
"Wasn't exactly what I had in mind...but this ain't so bad," he pondered as he felt her small body shift against his.
"I love it," Dominique whispered with a choked voice into his collar. So she HAD liked it! She was just overcome with emotion at the thought of getting something from someone as great as himself.
"Yeah, that's it. Booya! Zell scores again!"
A dopey grin emerged once more on Zell's face.

~*~*~*~

  Over the course of the next few nights, Dominique wrote down her dreams in the little journal every morning as she woke up. Zell had been right; it was helpful to have everything written down. She would read back over the little excerpts and ponder their meaning. Each passage was very similar to the next, with the exception of a few changed details. In contrasting the first entry with the most recent, the latest entry had gained several new details that the first lacked. However, while her dreams became clearer, a forboding feeling also grew within her mind. Tiamat sensed it as well and became finicky whenever Dominique would re-read her journal.
"I DO NOT SEE THE LOGIC IN ALL OF THIS," he would state gruffly. "THEY ARE JUST DREAMS AFTERALL."
"I know...but they're too real to be just dreams," Dominique pensively replied. She bit her lower lip as she flipped over the pages. Her eyes fell on a passage that had a vivid description of the recorded dream. She ran her index finger down the length of the page as she stared at it.
"This one here...I was in a chamber, in captivity...I couldn't move, but I didn't care. I felt as if...that was where I belonged. In that chamber, surrounded by water..."
Tiamat stirred anxiously in her thoughts.
"I HAVE SIMILAR DREAMS TO YOURS...BUT I FEEL THREATENED AND DO NOT LIKE MY CAPTIVITY. I KNOW I DON'T BELONG WHERE I HAVE BEEN PLACED."
Dominique rubbed her face wearily; all the thoughts and emotions she was feeling were piling up on her. Sometimes, she felt she couldn't control what she was feeling. All she ever seemed to feel was happiness or fear, but she couldn't understand why. When she did research in the library, there were times when she was afraid of what she might find, but when she was with Zell...when she was with him, words couldn't describe her elation. She felt her face blush as she closed the book and studied the smooth surface of the cover. He had given her a gift, and he didn't have any reason to. No one had ever done that for her. Even through all the rumors and her "threatening" prescence, he (and the others) had stayed. The others gave her support, but it was Zell who made her feel she could trust him the most. That trust was very important to Dominique, although she wasn't entirely sure what trust actually was. Either way, whatever it turned out to be, she didn't want to do anything to endanger losing it.
"Tiamat...", she asked hesitatly, worried that he may be too agitated to converse with her. "What if I don't want to know my memories?"
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND," he replied. "I THOUGHT YOU DESIRED TO FIND YOUR PAST."
"Yeah, but not if it means...endangering everyone else or...losing who I am now...", she stated slowly. Tiamat rumbled in understanding.
"Don't you want to know, too? I thought you had no more memories that I did."
"THAT MAY BE SO, BUT I DO NOT CARE. FOR ME, THERE IS NO PAST...ONLY PRESENT."
"What about the future?"
"I HAVE A FUTURE ONLY IF YOU HAVE A FUTURE. WE ARE ONE IN THE SAME, DOMINIQUE. IF YOU PERISH, I'LL PROBABLY CEASE TO EXIST. THAT IS WHY THERE IS ONLY THE PRESENT."
Dominique chewed the thought in her mind. "So...that means there's only the present for me, too. It could work both ways; you could die, and I'd die too, since we're connected."
She had to do this now. She had to bring back her memories before she lost the chance. When weighing the situations, an opportunity to discover what was lost was terribly more valuable than losing what was already present. Besides, she didn't know for sure what she would find; perhaps it would be something good. With determination and renewed faith, Dominique threw aside the journal and dove into the stack of library books to search through their withering pages.

  Ross Grant, a SeeD in Squall's Leonhart's squad, tossed some magazines in a box. All the GF articles Squall had requested had created a back-up on, in, and around Ross's desk area; he had to clear the unwanted articles away. He found it strange that Squall's interest in this side project had nearly died out and then suddenly, it flared up again with aggression. It seemed like every day, Squall or Quistis was knocking on his door for any new articles. Ross brushed his black bangs from his eyes and hefted the heavy box up from the floor. He glanced at the clock on his computer monitor.
"3:15. Perfect," he smiled as he adjusted the weight of the box between his hands. "I'll definately get these to Quistis since Squall wasn't around today."
As he stepped towards the door, a dull tearing sound caused the sides of the box to vibrate softly. Ross held his breath in anticipation as the bottom of the box fell out and all the papers spilled to the floor.
"Awww DAMN IT!!!", he shouted as the last of the papers fluttered innocently to the ground. The stack of articles had spread itself out over the area of his dormitory floor and he had even more of a mess than he did previously. Disgusted, Ross kicked the tattered box to the far corner of his room where it hit the targeted wall with a "thump". He stooped down and muttered curse words under his breath as he began stacking the papers in his arms. There was no way he'd get to see Quistis today. Sighing, he continued stacking up the papers until a quiet knock at his door interrupted him.
"Just a second!" he shouted and he carefully placed the stack next to his computer monitor. Wiping sweat from his hands on his pants, Ross reached for the door sensor and opened it; Irvine was standing on the other side.
"Hey Ross," he said, clearing his throat. He was carrying something in a brown paper bag. "Mind if I come in?"
Ross shook the momentary shock away and nodded politely; Irvine Kinneas hardly EVER spoke to him, not that they didn't get along. They just never saw eachother.
"What's in the bag?", Ross asked, nodding his head towards Irvine's arms. Irvine's cheeks pinked in embarassment. Ross rolled his eyes and returned to picking up the papers.
"Look, if you're trying to get me to hide your old naughty magazines, I won't do it," Ross sighed. "I've got enough to keep up with as it is."
"It ain't that," Irvine mumbled sheepishly. "Look...if I give you these, you have to SWEAR they didn't come from me...alright?"
Irvine quickly handed Ross the sack and jammed his fists into his pockets. Ross opened the crinkled bag and peeked inside. He looked back up at Irvine with a bewildered expression on his face; Irvine avoided his gaze with a hint of fluster on his face.
"You...read...this??", Ross questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're into Occult Fan?? Oh man....heh heh...", he chuckled. Irvine's eyes flashed angrily at him.
"You better not tell a damn soul, Grant!! I mean it."
Ross laughed openly at Irvine's frustration. "What? Are you afraid of being labeled a "sci-fi geek" like I am?" Ross indicated his point by nodding his chin at the Occult Fan posters he had plastered around his wall. Irvine's eyes looked pleadingly at Ross.
"Please??? I have a reputation to watch out for. I just thought maybe Squall would want these for Dominique."
Ross's laughs subsided to soft chuckles and he nodded.
"Okay okay, I won't tell."
Irvine's anxiety melted away and he cooly adjusted his hat before bidding a farewell and exiting the room. Ross chuckled again at the cowboy's urgency to keep his secret. Who would have ever though that the smooth-talking Irvine Kinneas read about alien abductions and political conspiracies involving clones? Ross casually shuffled through the issues; some of them were very old. The faded, worn cover of one issue caught his attention. The pages were yellowed and crinkled with age, but most of the text was still legible. He set aside the rest of the sack and scanned through the magazine. An article towards the back of the book caught his attention with a large, black and white photo of what appeared to be an angel-like being. Curious, he began reading.
"Sighting, September 30 .... somewhere near Dollet .... a local was hunting in the outskirts of Grandidi Forest when he was attacked by a 'winged creature'. He claimed he saw it flying overhead in the direction towards Dollet, when it spotted him and swooped down. 'I had my gun, so I fired,' he stated. 'It was either him...or me.' The civilian claims that two shots were fired. One shot penetrated the left wing, and the other appeared to have penetrated the right eye. When the creature was finally down, the local stated that he took pictures of the beast. He was shocked to discover it was human in appearance but had serpentine features - scales on the face and neck, dragon-like wings, and claws. Startled, he reported his findings to the Galbadian authorities who inturn confiscated his camera, gun, and closed off the site in the forest to all who were not military personel. The man reports that he returned to the area in secret later that night, but he found no trace of the skirmish he reported to have happened. Smells like consipracy to me, ladies and gents."
Ross slowly put down the article as he let it soak into his mind. He'd been informed all about Dominique and her situation. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that this article was strangely similar to what Dominique underwent during her transformation. Ross snapped the cover closed and scanned for a print date. He found it in small, worn print at the bottom right hand of the cover page. If his math was right, this particular magazine was printed about twenty years ago...right around the time the Sorceress Wars were coming to a close.
"I better show this to Squall," Ross mumbled as a cold sweat broke out on his face and neck. He felt the upmost urgency to get this to Squall as quickly as possible. In the pit of his stomach lurked a forboding feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

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