Final Fantasy: Solid 2, The Plant Episode
by d_Galloway




(2 years after the tanker...)

Steiner: Cloud, do you remember the sinking of that tanker two years ago?
"Cloud": Yes, I remember, Colonel.
Steiner: Terrorists blew up a tanker of crude oil off the shore of Galbadia, severely damaging the local wildlife and cotaminating the water supply. Fortunately, the government set up an off-shore cleaning facility called "The Big Shell", and has been cleaning up the mess ever since.
"Cloud": I hear it hasn't done much in terms of cleaning up the environment.
Steiner: It takes time. But the facility has become a worldwide symbol of Galbadia's commitment to cleaning up the environment. That's why this mission is so crucial.
"Cloud": What's going on?
Steiner: A group of terrorists have seized control of the Big Shell and are threatening to destroy the entire place.
"Cloud": An explosion from there would lite the oil spill on the surface.
Steiner: And that's not even the worse-case scenario. The clean-up has resulted in massive amounts of toxins being stored inside the base. If those toxins are released into the water, the entire river will become a toxic sludge, unable to support life for centuries.
"Cloud": What are the demands?
Steiner: $30 billion dollars. In cash.
"Cloud": How the hell do they expect to get that much money?
Steiner: They have several hostages inside, including the head of an environmental protection agency, and the most important hostage of all: James Deling.
"Cloud": The President?!
Steiner: You will have two mission objectives. Your first objective is to secure the President, and escort him to safety. Your second objective is to stop the terrorists from destroying the Big Shell.
"Cloud": Got it.

***

A lone figure, dressed in a skin-tight stealth suit and a black oxygen mask, descended into the water. As he reached the oil fence, he pulled out his wire cutters.

He then saw the gaping hole. Someone else had already cut a way through. Shrugging, he went inside.

Eventually, he reached a small loading dock. Getting out of the water, he contacted Steiner on his codec.

(begin codec conversasion)
"Cloud": Colonel, I'm inside the Shell.
Steiner: Any problems?
"Cloud": The oil fence was already cut. Apparantly someone else wanted to get inside before me.
Steiner: I don't understand. MOG-CHOCO always works alone.
"Cloud": Well, whoever it is, there's no sign of them here.
Steiner: Listen, there's another team infiltrating the base. They're Squads A and B from the SEALs.
"Cloud": Maybe they did that.
Steiner: No, they're landing on the roof. Try to avoid contact with both groups.
"Cloud": What?
Steiner: We work in the dark; we can't let your presence be known.
"Cloud": Fine.
Steiner: Also, we're changing your codename for all following transmissions.
"Cloud": What's wrong with Cloud?
Steiner: Nothing. It's just a precaution. From now on, your codename is "Squall".
Squall: What? That name SUCKS!!!
Steiner: Just get inside.
(end codec conversasion)

Squall grabbed a M-9 Tranquilizer Gun from nearby and opened the door. He saw an enemy guard crawl in the hallway before collapsing. Continuing onward, he saw two guards get tossed from an elevator. He was unable to see who was riding it.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Colonel, there IS someone else in here! And whoever he is, he took down three soldiers single-handedly!
Steiner: Never mind him. Just continue with your mission.
Squall: By the way, how do I save my process?
Steiner: Well...
Rinoa: Hi, Squall.
Squall: Rinoa? Colonel, what's a civilian doing here?
Steiner: Your MOG-CHOCO technician had to cancel on the last second. Rinoa was brought in as a replacement.
Squall: What?
Rinoa: Squall, like it or not, I'm a part of this mission. And like it or not, I'll be saving your data.
Squall: Fine.
Steiner: This conversasion is OVER!
(end codec conversasion)

Squall got on the recently-returned elevator and headed for the upper floor.

(begin codec conversasion)
Steiner: The terrorists call themselves "Sons of Bitches"- wait, that's the name around here.
Squall: Then what is their REAL name?
Steiner: "Sons of Liberty".
Squall: All right then. Do continue.
Steiner: Their leader goes by the name "Cloud".
Squall: What? THE Cloud?
Steiner: That's what I thought as well, but it's not a possibility. Cloud's body was correctly identified two years ago when that tanker sank.
Squall: Then who's this new guy?
Steiner: Whoever he is, he's a clever imposter. Anyway, listen. The Big Shell is comprised of two shells: 1 and 2. Each shell consists of six outer struts and a core strut. You are currently on Strut A, located in Shell 1. The SEALs landed on Strut C. Reports indicate that the president is located on Strut B. Hurry there as quickly as possible!
(end codec conversasion)

The elevator stopped at the top of the Strut. The entire place was filled with crates, nets, and various other stuff. Fortunately, it wasn't guarded, so Squall easily snuck inside. When he just got there, Steiner called again.

(begin codec conversasion)
Steiner: Squall, we just intercepted a message from the SEALs.
SEALs: We have just retrieved the President. Preparing to pull ou- *gunfire is heard* What the hell? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Steiner: Hurry to Strut B NOW!
(end codec conversasion)

Squall reached the inside, where an office of sorts was placed. After knocking out a guard, he made his way to the bridge connecting Struts A and B. Unfortunately, it was under heavy surveillance, so he had to grab onto a railing and climb hand-over-hand to the other side.

When he reached Strut B, he was shocked at the site that layed before him. The walls and floor were covered in blood, guts, and dead bodies. The sound of gunfire continued further inside.

When Squall made it there, he found three SEALs searching the area. Fortunately, they didn't see him come in. Finally, after a while, one of the SEALs collapsed, his throat slit. Another then fell, cut straight through the abdomen. The third looked desperately, but couldn't find the mysterious attacker.

That's when the attacker, a black-haired man with a mostly hidden face and a hunting knife, appeared right in front of him. Desperately, the SEAL fired, but the man seemingly danced between the bullets. Finally, he jumped over the SEAL and cut the poor man's throat open, creating a fountain of blood.

The attacker looked joyous at the site.

Squall carefully snuck behind the man, where he saw the sickest site yet. The attaker had taken a body and was actually SUCKING THE BLOOD OUT OF IT!!! Suddenly, he turned towards Squall, took out his knife, and made a mark on his arm.

"Five today," he said. "Or perhaps six?"

Squall fired, but once again, the attacker dodged. Suddenly, a side door opened, revealing yet another SEAL. The new character shouted, "GET DOWN!", and fired at the attacker. Unfortunately, the bullets missed their mark. The attacker stabbed the SEAL in the arm, then pinned him against the wall.

"Hmmm," said the attacker, "strange smell." Suddenly, he backed away, saying, "No, it can't be!" He then turned and ran.

***

Squall pointed his gun at the SEAL, but stopped when the man said, "I'm not an enemy. Calm down." He then sat down on the steps and pulled off his mask, revealing a grizzled, yellow-haired face.

The man looked at Squall's suit. "Are you MOG-CHOCO?" Squall was shocked that he knew what he was, and answered, "Yes." The man sighed. "MOG-CHOCO was disbanded four years ago. Where were you before MOG-CHOCO, Delta Force?"

"I was part of the military's Force 10 training," replied Squall. "No field experience, huh?" said the man. Squall responed quickly. "But I was trained in the best there was, stuff better than field experience, like Sneaking Mission 60 and Weapons 80."

"VR? You kids call that training?" said the man. "Nothing can compare to the field, kid."

Squall had finally had enough. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name's C-" he started, then stopped for a few seconds, then finally continued, "Pliskin. Iriquis Pliskin. Leuitenant Junior Grade."

Squall laughed inside at the man's ridiculous name, but suddenly got a call from Steiner. Just as he began to answer it, Pliskin whispered, "Kid's wired with nanomachines."

(begin codec conversasion)
Steiner: Squall, is everything all right?
Squall: Colonel, SEAL Team 10 is out- no, a single survivor.
Steiner: What about the President?
Squall: Looks like they moved him to another location. He's not here.
Steiner: I see...you said there's one survivor.
Squall: Yes, Colonel. Leuitenant J.G. Pliskin.
Steiner: Has he seen your face?
Squall: Huh?
Steiner: This is a covert operation. You must not let your presence be known.
Squall: It's a little too late for that.
(end codec conversasion)

Pliskin was transfixed on a corner. He stood up and walked over. When Squall followed, he saw a dead navy officer, completely drained of all blood, with half a handcuff on his right arm.

Pliskin suddenly fell back, dazed. "Guess I just lost a few more pints than I thought," he mumbled before seating himself again.

"Tell me what you know about the terrorists," said Squall.

(WARNING! LOTS OF PLOT AHEAD!)
Pliskin began. "That bloodsucking freak we just saw was Vincent. He and the other terrorist leaders once belonged to a Navy anti-terrorist organization, Dead Cell. They would fake hostage and terrorist situations in order to train other groups in how to handle real-life situations.

"When their original leader was falsely imprissioned and killed, the unit began to unravel. They were always at the edge, always causing trouble wherever they went. Eventually, they went to attacking civilians instead of embassies.

"Soon, the military had had enough. A conflict broke out between the military and Dead Cell, and Dead Cell lost. All of their members were killed except for three. They then recruited a new leader, and took this plant. And that's about it."
(THERE. THAT WASN'T TOO BAD!)

Pliskin handed Squall a SOCOM, telling him to be careful with it. He then gave him a codec frequency, and fell asleep. Squall wanted to curse him for sleeping on the job, but he had to find the president.

***

When Squall reached the BC connecting bridge, an armed conflict was breaking out between the last of the SEALs (minus Pliskin, of course), and a young woman in a purple dress sporting a huge railgun. It wasn't neccessarly the gun that was surprising.

It was the fact that the bullets seemed to "curve" around her.

A gernade launched at her, but it simply fizzled out. The bullets continued to fly, until she finally got annoyed.

"So," she said. "None of you can give me death." With that, she raised and charged the rail gun. The SEALs had only a few seconds to register a look of surprise before the weapon fired, completely destroying the small side-bridge where they were fighting. Several of the SEALs were tossed, lifelessly, into the water several yards away. One desperately grabbed onto a piece of mesh platform, but it broke off, sending him down nearly seven stories to the cold waters below.

That's when Squall saw the man lying by the side. It was the president!

Vincent appeared and picked up the unconcious man, as well as a briefcase lying nearby. "Come, Queen," he said. "The Boss wants to speak with you."

She simply looked back at the ruined walkway. "Another unlucky day, Vincent." With that, she went inside.

Squall, completely shocked, called Steiner in desperation.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Colonel, some woman just blasted all that's left of the SEALs!
Steiner: It must have been Quistis, or as the group calls her, Fortune.
Squall: Colonel, those bullets swerved around her! She's invincible!
Steiner: Calm down!
Squall: What the hell's going on here? Why won't anybody tell me anything?!
Rinoa: Calm down, Squall! This is just First Mission Anxiety. Remain calm, and everything will be all right. Oh, and save right now!
SAVING......Saved.
Rinoa: Squall, do you remember what tommorrow is?
Squall: April 30th. Why?
Rinoa: I thought you remembered. Oh well, I hope it can wait.
Steiner: It had better. We have to move the President to secondary objective right now. We have to disarm any attempts to blow up the shell!
Squall: And who can do that?
Steiner: The SEALs brought in a Bomb Disposal expert. They wouldn't bring him into the front lines; try to find him.
(end codec conversasion)

Squall made his way up the bridge to Strut C. He went into a cafeteria, and rose his gun while shouting, "Freeze!"

The man was tall and yellow-haired, with green clothing and armor. His face showed signs of aging. He held up his arms and said, "Don't shoot!" He then reached for his cane.

"You'd better hold your fire, kid," said Pliskin as he came around the corner. "You're looking at our ticket to saving the Big Shell."

"Are you two with SEAL Team 10?" said the man.

"SEAL Team 10 is dead," said Squall, a sense of sorrow in his voice.

"WHAT?" shouted the man. "I can't disarm those bombs by myself!"

"Don't worry," said Pliskin. "We'll help you."

Squall gasped. "I...I have no training in bomb disposal! I don't have a clue what to do! Is this guy that good of a disposal guy?"

"Kid," said Pliskin, "this is THE bomb disposal guy. If you open any Indian Head textbook, you'll see his picture. This here's Leo, the king of disposals."

"That is, I was," added Leo, "until that incident. I wasn't able to disarm a bomb, and a famous church, as well as a playground full of kids, was blown to pieces because of it. All I lost was this leg." He pointed to his right leg, which was obviously crippled.

"Then why are you here?" asked Squall.

"Because of the demolition expert Dead Cell brought in is one of my students. The king of explosives: Palmer. He built a mako bomb when he was only ten. I created him, in a sense."

Leo then took out a small, yellowish-brown, box-like object with a small light attached. "This is a C4 bomb." He then pushed a button to the side, and the light flashed green. "When the light is flashing green, the bomb is active. Now, due to the lack of manpower here, we have to go with a temporary disposal." He then took out a small object resembling a can of deoderant and sprayed the bomb. The device was then encased in ice, its light stuck on red. "This is a Coolant solution. It will render the bombs harmless for at least 48 hours." He handed both Pliskin and Squall a can of Coolant.

"Also," he said, "take this." He tossed them a strange, rod-like device. "Palmer attaches a cologne to his bombs; kind of like his signature. This will pick up that cologne." He then retreated to a small pantry. "I'll be in here. If you need me, contact me by codec." He then shut the door.

"I'll handle Shell 2," said Pliskin. "You handle Shell 1." Squall quickly agreed, and they set off.

***

Squall's sensor picked up a cologne smell in the women's bathroom. He found a bomb wedged above the mirrors. After freezing it, he called Leo.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: I've disarmed the bomb in Strut C. It was above the mirrors in the women's bathroom.
Leo: Something's not right...
Squall: What?
Leo: That isn't the place to put a bomb!
Squall: Is this a trap?
Leo: I don't know, but keep your eyes open.
(end codec conversasion)

***

Squall made his way back to Strut B, where he found a bomb in the generator room, behind a door. He froze it, then returned to Strut A. There, he found a bomb in the pump room. After crawling through a jungle of pipes, machinery, and various other crap, he was able to freeze it and call Leo.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: I've deactivated the bomb on Strut A. It was located in the pump room.
Leo: Something is definately not right here. The locations of the bombs are all wrong.
Squall: Is this a trap?
Leo: Maybe. Just keep your eyes open.
(end codec conversasion)

Squall then went to Strut F. After silencing a guard, he jumped down behind some crates and deactivated the bomb. He then made his way back up and went for Strut E.

There, he knocked out another guard and went to the helipad. When he reached the stairs, he saw a young, green-haired woman wearing a military uniform and talking on a radio about a ninja and someone else on the base. Squall stopped their little conversasion by whipping out his SOCOM, but she simply flipped over the side railing and dissapeared. Confused, he called Pliskin.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Pliskin, I just saw a woman.
Pliskin: Kid, have you just hit the pubes or something?
Squall: Stop joking around!
Pliskin: That must be Terra. She's been leading the empirical private army ever since her old man, Gestahl, died.
Squall: So she's one of them?
Pliskin: Yeah. Keep your eyes open for her.
(end codec conversasion)

Squall found the bomb at the bottom of a Harrier-2 Airship. After freezing it, he called Leo.

(begin codec conversasion) Squall: I've just diffused the bomb on Strut E. It was located beneath a Harrier-2 Airship.
Leo: What? This is not like Palmer at all!
Squall: What?!
Leo: These locations would still be very damaging, but it wouldn't be enough to bring down the Big Shell.
Pliskin: Leo, I've checked out the bottom of Strut G, like you said.
Squall: What?
Leo: I had to satisfy my curiosity. There is indeed something wrong here.
Pliskin: I'll say. I found enough C-4 down here to blow the entire Strut out of existance.
Leo: So that's it.
Pliskin: The funny thing is, it isn't activated. Should I freeze it?
Leo: No. I'll come take a look.
Squall: On that leg? You'll never make it!
Leo: I-I can walk! I can even run, too!
Pliskin: Huh?
Leo: That church explosion...it wasn't because of an accident on the field. It was because I just got plain scared! I ran out of there, leaving the rest of the bomb disposal team to die! Not only that, but all those kids, too...I had to deal with the grief, so I made up that story about losing my leg.
Squall: So that's it.
Leo: I'm just scum to you, but I have to redeem myself. Pliskin, you go ahead and finish your rounds. I'll go take a look. Just don't ask for Peg-Legged Leo, though. He's dead now.
(end codec conversasion)

Squall went to Strut D. After silencing a guard, he found the bomb hidden under a grate. One deep-freezing later, he called Leo.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Okay, the last bomb's disposed of.
Leo: Good. Now about this bomb...
Pliskin: I've found the last one, Leo. Here goes...
Leo: NO, PLISKIN!!! DON'T!
*sounds of coolant spray are heard, followed by beeping*
Leo: God Damn!
Squall: What happened?
Leo: Those bombs WERE decoys! When they were all disposed of, the big ones would be activated! Squall, get to Strut A on the double!
Squall: Why that one?
Leo: The Big Shell consists of a very precise balance. You can take a Strut down from Shell 2 without any trouble, but if you destroy two struts from both Shells, it'll create a massive domino effect, taking the entire place down.
Squall: Damn it!
Pliskin: Squall, get your ass over there now!
(end codec conversasion)

Squall rushed through the struts, knocking out any guards that happened to stand in his way. Finally, he reached Strut A. Boarding the elevator, he got a call from Leo, a call that sent shivers down his spine...

(begin codec conversasion)
Leo: It's over.
Squall: What?
Leo: Palmer has my number.
Squall: What do you mean?
Leo: These big bombs are rigged with a distance sensor. If you get too close, it'll shorten the countdown time. These tricks...I didn't teach him these...
Pliskin: Leo! Get the hell out of there!
Leo: I've only got thirty seconds. It's too late. Squall, whatever you do, don't get too damn close to that bomb!
Squall: I...understand...
Leo: Good luck. And please, stop Palmer. I created that madman; I must die for my sins. Don't allow him to take several more innocent lives, as well.
Pliskin: Don't worry. We won't let you down.
*a few eerie seconds of silence begin, followed by an enormously loud explosion*
Leo: AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh....
*silence*
Pliskin: Rest in peace...
(end codec conversasion)

Squall raced down the hall into the same room he entered the Big Shell in. He found the bomb and quickly disarmed it. Just after that, he called Steiner.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: The last bomb has been disarmed, but at a great cost.
Steiner: It was a tragic loss for everyone. Still, you have to find the President!
Squall: Got that.
(end codec conversasion)

But just as Squall was leaving, Steiner called.

(begin codec conversasion)
Steiner: The terrorists have retaliated for us disarming the bombs. They've killed one of the hostages.
Squall: What?
Steiner: They even did it on top of one of the Struts, so we could see it. They've threatened to kill a hostage every hour until their demands are met.
Squall: I've got to get over there!
(end codec conversasion)

Just as Squall returned to the elevator, he saw her. The same woman that wasted the SEALs. She walked forward, the nearby swarm of roaches parting away from her. When she caught a glimpse of Squall, she raised the gun and shouted, "At last! I'll kill the one who caused my pain!"

Squall just got out the words, "Oh, shit!" He jumped away from the blast at the last possible second. It completely annihalated the boxes he was hiding behind.

"What?" she said. "You're...not him...This could be interesting..."

Squall raised his SOCOM and prepared for the battle.

(Gallo-note: Since the next boss is incrediably boring, I've decided to skip it. I'll go straight to the codec scene that ends it)

(begin codec conversasion)
Steiner: Palmer just contacted us.
Squall: He contacted us?
Steiner: He wants to meet you on top of Strut E.
Squall: I don't like the looks of this. But what about the hostages?
Steiner: Save the President. You don't have time for the other hostages.
Squall: Not if I work alone, that is...
Steiner: Do you really expect that Pliskin to pull through? We can't even contact him.
Squall: What?
Steiner: Deal with Palmer first.
(end codec conversasion)

Just then, Vincent came down. "Quistis," he said, "Palmer has lost it. He's little more than a stereotypical mad bomber now."

Quistis lowered her gun. "I see...This one couldn't give me death."

Just then, Squall jumped out of hiding and fired. The bullets swerved away from Quistis, but one hit Vincent straight in the forehead.

Quistis bent over Vincent, crying in a combination of grief and anger. "You couldn't give me death," she said, "so you killed the one who gave me life." Confused, Squall left.

Just as he went, Vincent came to and said, "I died once. I cannot die again."

***

Squall arrived at the strut and froze a small bomb. Palmer wasn't here, obviously; maybe it was all a bunch of lies.

Suddenly, a man skated straight past on roller blades. "Tick tock," he said, "do you know what that sound is? It's the passing of time. I grew up listening to clocks on department store counters."

Just then, a fat, disoriented man wearing roller blades stopped in front of Squall. His face was partly covered by a large neckpiece, but it was fairly obvious that it wasn't doing a good job is disguising the fact that the guy was bald. This had to be Palmer.

"Life is short!" Palmer suddenly shouted out. "Bombs tell the time with every moment of their existance, and nothing else announces it's death with such a fanfare." He then took out a glass of wine. "A toast," he said, holding the glass out, "to good old Leo!" The tone in his last words was quite sarcastic.

"If you blow the Big Shell down, you'll never collect your ransom!" said Squall, his gun drawn. But to his suprise, Palmer asked, confused, "Ransom? What are you talking about?!"

"THIRTY BILLION FREAKING DOLLARS IN CASH!!!" shouted Squall, a bit annoyed at his opponent's acting. But this time, Palmer let out a huge laugh, leaving Squall confused.

"Let the others do what they want to," he said, "but I have other plans in mind. I'm going to be the greatest bomber of them all. I'll go down in history as the man who beat the great Leo himself!"

"Shut up!" shouted Squall. "You have none of Leo's courage or-" But Palmer interrupted him with another one of his damn laughs. "That bastard died a dishonorable death six months ago!"

"...The end of Dead Cell," said Squall, now realizing what was going on.

"Call it what you want," said Palmer, slightly annoyed, "only the best of us survived that hell! But I'll go down in history."

"You're just a mad crook," said Squall, "and that's all they'll remember you for!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted Palmer, smashing his wine glass into the ground. "I'M AN ARTIST!!!" He then laughed slightly. "It's time to start the party! Here's what I'm going to do. I'll throw a bomb, and it will explode shortly thereafter. If you want to survive, you'll have to disarm all my bombs. Let's go!"

(Boss: Palmer)

Squall quickly froze two bombs, then chased after Palmer, who was rollerblading around the rooftop. When his caught site, he fired his SOCOM several times into his enemy's back, but the attacks did little.

Suddenly, Palmer slipped on some seagull crap and fell flat on his back. Squall quickly shot him several times while he was getting up. Then the chase resumed.

(continue this for a half-hour)

Palmer fell against a crate. Blood began to soak it's way into his suit.

"My suit," said Palmer. "I'll have nothing to wear to the party."

"The party's over for you, pal!" said Squall. He ripped off the neckpiece, revealing Palmer's entire face. Suddenly, Palmer pressed a button on a small hand-held device. A loud beeping noise filled the area.

Squall recognized it quickly. It was the sound of a bomb! Quickly, he knocked the device out of Palmer's hand and aimed at it, but Palmer laughed heavily. "It's too late. Once the countdown starts, it can't be stopped. That connects to the biggest bomb in the place. If I die, I'll take all of Galbadia down with me! Too bad they won't be around to see the movies." He then died.

In desperation, Squall searched for the explosive. Suddenly, he realized where it was. A quick search revealed the bomb attached to Palmer. He quickly froze it, then called Steiner.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Palmer's been neutralized, and the threat of the Shell exploding is over.
Steiner: Thank God.
Squall: But Palmer didn't know about the ransom demands.
Steiner: Intentionally kept in the dark, I'd say. But still, we must now find the President.
Squall: Right.

***

As Squall was walking away from Palmer's fat corpse, something jumped straight in front of him. It was some sort of cross between a cyborg and a ninja...

He then realized that this could only mean that the thing in front of him was a cyborg ninja!

The ninja simply stood there, even as Squall pointed his SOCOM straight at it's head. "We have much to talk about," it said. "Come." It then ran into a dark corner of the Strut. With no other possible option, Squall followed.

"Switch over to nanocommunication," said the ninja. "There are spies everywhere." With that, Squall activated his codec.

(begin codec conversasion)
Ninja: There. That's much better.
Squall: Who are you?
Ninja: Call me Sorethroat.
Squall: Sorethroat? From the Frozen Continent incident?
Ninja: Fine then. Call me Mr. Z.
Squall: God, that's even worse!
Ninja: Have movies taught you not to piss off a cyborg ninja?
Squall: Fine, fine. Now, what is this about?
Ninja: I was sent in by the La-le-lu-le-lo to help you with the mission. I know of someone who can help you find the president.
Squall: Who is it?!
Ninja: His name is Tseng. He works as a Secret Service Agent for the president. He's being held in the second level of the Shell 1 Core.
Squall: Sounds like a good lead.
Ninja: However, there's a slight problem. The core is incrediably heavily guarded. There's no way for you to sneak in unnoticed conventially, but I have been able to come up with an alternative.
Squall: Well, what's the alternative.

The ninja handed Squall a military uniform. "This is the uniform worn by the core guards," he said. "But you will also need an AK. All core guards are equipped with AKs. There is a camera in front of the elevator leading to the lower levels. If you do not have this exact uniform on with an AK, an alarm will sound, and you'll be trapped inside."

Ninja: There is one other catch. The hostages in that level are held in a single room, behind a laser eye scanner. Even if you get past the retinel test, you'll have to find Tseng. And unfortunately, I have no idea what he looks like.
Squall: Then how do I tell them apart?
Ninja: Tseng has a pacemaker; he's the only one in there who does. Using a Directional Microphone, you can easily pick up the noise emmitted. There should be one on the third level in the core.
Squall: How do I know I can trust you?
Ninja: Because you have no other choice.
(end codec conversasion)

The ninja handed Squall a cell phone, saying, "Check your e-mail messages on this from time to time." After that, it just flipped away. Confused, Squall called Steiner.

(begin codec conversasion)
Squall: Colonel, that ninja...
Steiner: I heard everything.
Squall: He called himself "Sorethroat"...
Steiner: I know what you're thinking, but that's not a possibility. That ninja was Shadow, and he died during the Frozen Continent incident.
Squall: Should I trust him?
Steiner: We have no choice but to trust him. We don't have any other possible leads on the president's location.
Rinoa: The colonel's right. Besides, I have to have an excuse to save your game.
SAVING...Saved.
Squall: Thanks.
(end codec conversasion)

Part 3