A/N: I deleted the original chapter I posted and replaced it with this version. After reading it again, I felt as if it didn't fit with the story at all, and was slightly unrealistic as well. I feel as if this version fits more with the flow and characterization of the story, and will make future chapters fit better as well. For those of you who read the last chapter, I apologize for the confusion, but please ignore it.
After finishing the last chapter, I realized that it was the first time in the story that I described Natasha's appearance in such detail. I felt that it added to the story at this point, even though I'm not a fan of such detailed character descriptions in the first person. (I mean, do we go around describing ourselves in our thoughts?) However, at this point in the story, Natasha needed to look in the mirror for quite a long time in order to appreciate being back in her body and whatnot.
Another note: I'm trying to finish a chapter at least every two weeks now in order to move on with the story. I've been planning this for so long, and even have some chapters written out that come near the end of the story, so I do plan on finishing it!
Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and commenting on this, as well as everyone who has been messaging me regarding this story. Your continued support makes everything so much better!
Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!
Blurry shadows moved about the dim room as I willed my eyes to focus. Wings and horns. The sorceress stumbled around as if weakened greatly by the shift in worlds. My vision began to clear as the sorceress began to flicker dangerously.
She whispered something and I inched closer to listen.
A cough escaped her lips before she spoke again, "E-Edea!"
Edea? So they do know each other?
Once again, the sorceress called out Edea's name before she disappeared completely with a pop.
A few painful moments kept me prone on the cold floor as my ankle clamoured with heated throbs. The world circled as my head spun despite my stillness. Clarity returned slowly and I took a few deep breaths of the stale blood stench that wafted around the dense air. A few dry coughs escaped my parched throat and I willed myself to sit up.
Quick movements nearly caused me to fall down again. I slowly scanned the room as my eyes adjusted to the new environment. Is this still the prison? Drab gray walls and cold metal floors enveloped the room in which I had appeared. Directly in front of me was a lever connected to… what? I followed the wire connected to the lever across the room. It led over towards the wall straight to...shit! A person was suspended by his wrists on the wall, his head bowed and face hidden under thick strands of dirt and blood-caked brown hair. Is that… "Squall!" I attempted to scream, but it came out as a hoarse whisper instead. I pushed myself off the floor slowly and attempted to stand. Agonizing pain shot through my ankle all the way up my leg, but I bit my lip and fully stood up.
I took a few deep breaths to steady myself and stumbled over to where Squall's limp form hung from the wall. In my haste to reach him, I barely noticed where I stepped, and went sprawling onto something lumpy.
Shivers wracked my body as I realized what I had tripped over. I untangled myself from the cold, prone body and pulled away. Realization hit me like a potent spell and for a few seconds I could only gape open-mouthed at the seemingly dead body. Long blond hair, yellow cardigan and jeans. My breath hitched as I turned Izzy around on her back. Tears burned at my eyes upon finding her stiff.
"Izzy!" I madly shook her limp shoulders but she made no movement. I lay a hand over her nose to check for breath, and finding none, began to panic. Please don't be dead! Had Izzy been killed because of me? "Izzy!" I shook her again. "Please wake up!"
"Natasha!"
It's all my fault, Siren! Izzy isn't even part of this! How many more people would the sorceress kill because of me?
"She's not dead."
I paused. What? I bent down over Izzy's chest. A heartbeat, faint and scarce, was heard and soon I felt her stomach rise and fall slowly as Izzy took stunted breaths.
I gulped the lump in my throat and sat up quickly. "Wake up, Izzy!"
"Don't shake her! She's harmed."
What can I do? I don't have any spells to cure her!
Memory returned to me quickly. I looked around the room. There! Izzy's bag was strewn across the room, next to a charred body. I immediately limped over and grabbed the bag. I know I bought a Phoenix Down! I silently prayed that Izzy hadn't used the reviving potion, and reached inside the bag.
Yes! The clear bottle was like a beacon of hope, which I hastily uncorked and poured into Izzy's mouth. I watched Izzy with bated breath and waited.
Finally, red-rimmed eyes slowly opened to the world as Izzy took a gasping breath. She abruptly sat up and stared at me disbelievingly.
I reached inside her bag again, pulled out a blue Potion bottle, and handed it to Izzy.
She chugged the entire contents of the bottle and took several deep breaths before she turned to me. "Natasha?" She rasped.
I nodded. "Where are we, Izzy?"
Izzy continued to stare. She reached a hand out towards my face and I instinctively pulled back.
"Is this real? How are you here?" she asked in a dreamy voice.
What is she on?
I gently grabbed her shoulders. "I'll explain later. Where are we?"
She blinked several times as if snapping out of a daze. Blond eyebrows narrowed and for a few seconds I was overtaken by dread. Was I still stuck in Izzy's body and gazing into a mirror? Had everything been a dream?
Snap out of it!
I removed my hands from Izzy's shoulders and moved away from her.
"Right!" Izzy exclaimed, her voice now clear. "We're still in d-district prison." She stood up abruptly and nearly fell down again. A groan escaped her lips and she reached for her bag. Izzy pulled out another Potion and drank the gel as if her life depended on it.
She walked over to Squall and lay a hand on his face. A few seconds later, some orbs of magic flew from Squall to Izzy.
"Life!" Izzy yelled as she cast the spell on Squall.
"Is he alive?" How? I saw him fall off the float!
Izzy turned to nod at me before she began to undo the restraints at Squall's wrists.
Squall let out a soft groan as his legs hit the floor. "N-Natasha. We have to find the others."
"Can you stand?" Izzy asked as she let him go. Pale blue sparkles surrounded Squall as Izzy conjured a Cure spell. "Are you okay?"
Squall groaned as he straightened himself up. "It was hell."
Izzy walked over and crouched next to me. "Are you hurt, Natasha?" she asked kindly.
I looked down at my bloated ankle then back at Izzy. "I sprained my ankle."
Izzy nodded. "Hold on." She turned to Squall, who was watching me with narrowed eyes and a frown. Izzy continued, "Squall, do you have any Scans?"
Squall nodded. "Who-"
A sudden thud interrupted Squall as three people burst inside the room, followed by several bright orange creatures that looked like humanoid lions. The creatures surrounded Squall in an instant and began to squeak.
Laguna? Is that what they're saying?
"Squall! Catch!" Zell tossed Squall's gunblade. It whipped through the room and Squall caught it expertly with one hand.
Squall sheathed his gunblade and straightened up.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Zell exclaimed.
Izzy squatted by my side again and began to inspect my ankle. "Can't you see she's injured, Dincht?" she hissed.
Woah there. I gazed at Izzy wide-eyed. Why so angry?
"Natasha? Who's this?" asked Quistis as she stepped closer to us. She watched me with a hand on her chin and her head tilted.
Izzy stood up and faced Quistis. "Instructor, I think she broke her ankle. Can you heal it?"
Quistis nodded and crouched down next to me. She lay a gentle hand on my ankle before sending a Scan spell. "It's fractured," she murmured before she met my gaze. "What's your name?" She asked kindly.
I stared at her for a few seconds before I realized that she had no idea what I really looked like. Before I could re-introduce myself, Izzy answered for me.
"This is Natasha."
Four pairs of eyes immediately turned to me. Surprise, bitches. I'm real, I yearned to say, but kept my mouth shut.
"So you're Izzy again?" Selphie asked. She walked up to Izzy and embraced her in what looked like a very awkward hug. Izzy patted Selphie's back a few times before letting her go.
"Natasha? How are you-"
"Real?" I cut Zell off abruptly.
"Uh," he scratched the back of his head, "I was gonna say how are you here?"
I looked away from him. "Long story," I muttered.
Squall spoke up, "We can talk about it later. Let's head out."
Izzy turned on Squall. "Her ankle is broken, genius! So how about we take care of that first?! Or do you want to leave her here to die?!"
Squall opened his mouth to speak, but Quistis raised her voice.
"Let me take a look!" She said quickly. She reached into her bag and pulled out a first aid kit.
Izzy continued yelling, "...because of you people! You were going to leave her here! In my body! Good thing the sorceress found her before you incompetent a-"
"Izzy!" I interrupted.
She turned to me in surprise.
"Look, the important thing is that we're switched back, right?"
"But, Natasha, they-"
I shook my head. "Let's just get out of here first. We can argue about this later." The truth was that I wanted to scream and shout just as much as Izzy, maybe more so. Let's save the freaking out for later, when we're not in a damn prison. I also had a sneaking suspicion that if I started screaming, the others might decide "screw her," and leave me here.
Zell and Selphie began talking to Izzy, but I tuned them out.
I lay a hand on Quistis' shoulder. "Can't I just take a Potion or something?"
Quistis turned back to me and sent me a fleeting look. There was an expression on her face that I couldn't read before she looked away abruptly.
Is she avoiding looking at me?
"Quistis?"
She looked at me in surprise then and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Is this how everyone's gonna react when I say their names?
"Potions and Cure spells cannot mend broken or fractured bones. I don't have the medicine for it. We have to take you to Dr. Kadowaki once we get back to Garden." She pulled out an ice pack and cast blizzard on it. "This will help with the swelling," Quistis explained as she wrapped the pack around my ankle. I took it from her as she proceeded to pull stuff out of the first aid kit.
In a few silent minutes, Quistis had made a splint out of several little plastic sheets. She applied a thick green balm that smelled like castor oil to my ankle before tying the splint securely around it.
One of the lion creatures hopped over to me and rubbed its muzzle on my arm.
Aww "Hello!" I reached for the creature's neck, and when it lowered its head, I scratched it behind its ears.
"That will help with the pain," Quistis explained before tucking the first aid kit back into her bag. "Oh, this is a moomba," she said with a smile.
She stood up and offered her hand. "Can you walk?"
I accepted her hand and allowed her to pull me up. I put some weight on my broken ankle, and was surprised to find that it didn't hurt as much as before. I tested it out a little and took a few wobbly steps. "Thanks, Quistis." I said sincerely.
Quistis sent me a small smile before she walked over to the door. "Let's go."
I took a few shaky steps before Izzy rushed to my side and grabbed my arm. We followed the others out of the room and into the dark hallway.
"Aren't you angry?" Izzy whispered.
Izzy's face was at once too familiar and I had the abject feeling of looking into a mirror once again. I blinked a few times and answered. "I am, but I don't think talking about it now is gonna accomplish anything. We need to get out of here, so let's just focus on that." I bit my lip. What was I going to do once we got out? It wasn't as if I had anywhere to go…
Izzy sighed from next to me. "Okay. But, Natasha, what happened?"
"I was home…" I shook my head, because thinking about what had happened was not something I could focus on. "Let's talk about it later."
"Okay…"
We reached the dark, eerily quiet hallway and everyone stopped to look around.
"Yo, Squall," said Zell. "Did you come here as Laguna in the dream world?"
Squall shook his head.
"So Squall doesn't know the way out either," said Quistis with a hand on her chin.
"Well, we kept goin' up and up," said Zell, "I think we better head back down."
"It'd be a pain to go down every single floor," said Quistis, "and the alarm alerted monsters and security guards everywhere."
Izzy let me go and stepped closer to the others. "Guys, look." She pointed to the set of stairs that led up on the other side of the hallway. "I think there might be an exit there."
Everyone turned to look at the flight of stairs from which sunlight beamed down.
Squall turned to Izzy. "Are you sure that's the way out?"
"I didn't have a chance to go up, but it looks promising."
Squall nodded. "Let's go take a look." He turned and stepped towards the stairs.
"Wait Squall," Quistis lay a hand on Squall's shoulder to stop him. "We don't all need to go check."
"I'm going." Izzy said as she stepped next to Squall.
Selphie bounced over to the stairs as well. "I'll come too!"
Squall sighed, seemingly exasperated. "Whatever. Let's go."
Footsteps thumped on metal as the three SeeDs disappeared into the sunlight.
The rest of us stood around awkwardly. Two pairs of eyes sent fleeting glances my way but I ignored them. If they weren't going to say anything, then I wouldn't either. I crossed my arms and leaned on the railing.
What was I going to do once we got out of the prison? Would I be able to enroll in Garden? Might as well. At least I'll have a place to live and work. Would I have to run from the sorceress my entire life? I certainly couldn't have her follow me to my world again.
Memory returned in a sharp pang. 'You're my doorway." That was what she had said, right? What did that mean? The world spun and I clasped my eyes shut. A sharp pain ran through my temples and I grit my teeth. Great, a migraine is just what I need right now.
"Wonder what's takin' them so long." Zell muttered as he paced the hallway impatiently.
Quistis uncrossed her arms and stretched. "I hope they didn't get attacked."
Zell stopped pacing and leaned on the railing next to me.
For a few seconds, I pretended to be unaware of his probing glance.
"Is Squall okay?" I asked him before he had a chance to speak.
Zell blinked a few times. "Huh? Yeah, why?"
"He was stabbed in the chest by Edea's ice shard. He fell off the float…" I narrowed my eyes. "I thought he died." I ended with a whisper.
Quistis walked closer to where we stood. "Edea wanted to question him, Natasha, she wouldn't kill him."
"Yeah, just have him tortured…" I shook my head. "She won't stop until she gets what she wants. Neither will the winged sorceress."
Quistis' eyes went wide.
"What?!" Zell yelled.
I sighed, momentarily debating whether I should give this information to the two SeeDs. Could I trust them?
Natasha, they're not your enemy.
I guess I don't have a choice but to trust them.
"What do you mean, Natasha?" Quistis asked quietly.
"The sorceress who followed me to my world was not Edea." I took another deep breath, and began to explain what had happened after I awoke in the prison. "I thought since I was back home, everything was going to be okay…" Shaking my head, I continued. "Anyway, she followed me back, and attacked us."
"Us?" Zell asked.
I nodded. "My friend, Trevor. She must have been following me the entire time, waiting for a moment to strike. I couldn't let her kill him too." Tears prickled at my eyes and I blinked several times and looked at the floor. "I had no choice but to bring her back here. I just didn't know I would actually come back like myself, and not Izzy again."
Quistis lay her hand on my shoulder and I looked up to face her.
"Natasha," she whispered, "I'm sorry you've had to go through this. And I'm sorry we tried to stop you, but we had no choice."
I nodded. "I understand. You guys had a really important mission."
"What are you going to do now?" Zell asked.
I shrugged. "I was thinking-"
Several thudding footsteps cut me off. The three of us looked up to see Izzy, Squall, and Selphie descending the stairs.
"Is the exit there?" Quistis immediately asked.
"No, the bridge connects to another building like this one." Squall answered.
I turned to Izzy. "What took you guys so long?"
"We were attacked." She walked over to my side and leaned on the railing next to me.
Selphie slumped on the railing next to Zell. "I guess we have no choice. We have to go all the way down."
"Damn it." Zell turned to Squall and asked, "how the hell did they carry you all the way up here, Squall?"
Squall pointed to a cage type contraption that hung in the center of the prison. Now that I took a good look, the hallway had an opening in the center to the bottom I assumed.
"What's that?!" Zell hollered.
Squall walked over to the railing as well. "It's like a crane that can carry a detachable cell from downstairs." he explained.
"So we can use it to go all the way down," Izzy reasoned, "what are we waiting for?" She began to walk towards the pod.
"Do we even know how to operate this thing?" I asked.
Zell nodded excitedly. "I remember now! We can move it by using the panel above and the control room. I remember Ward doing this."
Who the hell is that?
"Just one thing," Zell continued, "We need to operate them at the same time." He looked around the group. "Someone needs to stay upstairs to control the panel…" He gulped and trailed off.
For a while, we all stood around staring at each other.
Selphie smacked Zell on the shoulder. "Thanks for volunteering, Zell!"
Zell seemed to deflate slightly at Selphie's words. He looked at Squall helplessly before admitting defeat. "Tch! Fine. I'll give you instructions from upstairs."
The five of us climbed inside the pod while Zell went upstairs to the control room.
"How will he come all the way downstairs?" I asked, looking out of the pod into the hallway.
Izzy pulled me completely inside the pod and closed the door. "He'll use the stairs."
It felt wrong to leave him alone, but I had to remind myself that these people were fully trained mercenaries.
Soon, Zell's voice was heard over the speaker. He gave Squall a few instructions and the machine came to life. We rode the pod quietly until it thudded to a stop at the bottom floor. We piled out into the cramped basement.
"Hey!" Selphie exclaimed as she looked around, "What are we going to do now?"
The room had wires and machinery strewn about with a metal platform in the middle that led to a little dark hallway.
Squall pointed to the hallway. "There's a door over there. Let's check it out."
We followed Squall to the hallway, at the end of which was a large door. Squall walked over to the door and pushed a button next to it.
Rumbles rattled the door and Quistis rushed to pull Squall away. The door bursts open with force and mounds of sand rushed inside as we all ran for cover. Dust flew around the hallway as we all recovered. The strong earthy scent of sand was overwhelming and I covered my nose.
Coughing, Quistis asked, "is everyone okay?"
Nods went through the group as Squall approached the the door cautiously. He turned to face us, his face scrunched in thought. "Looks like we're buried." he sighed.
"We're underground?" Quistis mused.
"Looks like it. Great. How do we get out of here?" Izzy piped in.
"Guys," I said. Everyone turned to me. "Is there even a way out of this place?"
Selphie walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "There has to be!"
Squall lay a hand on his forehead. "It must be on the top then. Maybe that other building has the exit."
Quistis nodded. "In any case, we can't get out from here."
Sudden pops tore through the air and I jumped.
"What was that?!" Selphie exclaimed, putting her hands on her ears.
"Gunfire?" Quistis whispered as the sound became louder and closer.
The gunfire subsided for a few seconds, replaced by the sound of yelling.
"Sounds pretty bad." Squall deadpanned.
For a few seconds, we all stood around staring at each other.
"Zell!" Quistis and Selphie screamed at the same time.
Quistis quickly ran out of the hallway and back to the basement. "Let's get back! Quick!"
We ran blindly up the stairs and around several circular hallways.
I knew we shouldn't have left him alone…
Angry gunshots became much louder as we reached the eighth floor. We quickly climbed up the stairs to see Zell crouching with a guard standing over him with a gun.
"Die!" screamed the guard.
Before the guard could pull the trigger, however, Squall jumped into action. With a swipe of his gunblade, Squall had the guard to the floor, dead.
"Didn't think he'd go down that easy." Squall mused as he watched blood pool around the unmoving guard.
Zell got up shakily as we all joined the scene. He grabbed Squall's jacket with madness. "Thanks man!" Zell began to shake Squall as he attempted to hug him.
Squall awkwardly tried to hold Zell away. "Get off!"
When Zell didn't listen, Squall tapped him on the head with the hilt of his gunblade. Zell finally came to his senses and let Squall go.
Laughter threatened to burst forth as we watched the scene unfold.
"I didn't realize Zell was that important to you Squall." Quistis said with a smirk.
Selphie giggled and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as well.
Our amusement was short lived as the air was once again sliced by several bullets. We all dove for cover by the railing as bullets rained down from the floor above.
"How are we going to get out?!" Izzy screamed.
Then, suddenly, there was silence. Slow footsteps were heard, followed by a woman's voice.
"Come on!" exclaimed the woman.
The voice was familiar and we all stood up to see a girl in shades of blue and a man in a beige trench coat descend the stairs to our floor. The girl kicked the man and he went tumbling down the staircase to the metal floor.
Rinoa continued to rant as we ran to the her and Irvine. Are they here to break us out?
Upon seeing us, Rinoa broke out into a wide smile and sunk to the floor in relief. "Squall" She stood up, and for a few seconds I thought she would run up to him and embrace him, but she stayed put.
Irvine got up off the floor and greeted us with a wave. His eyes fell on me and narrowed. I looked away. Please don't ask me anything until we're out of here!
"Rinoa!" Quistis said as she walked up to her. "You're alright!"
Before Rinoa could answer, Irvine picked himself up off the ground with a grunt. "Of course. Courtesy of my escort."
Quistis raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell while flexing a fist.
Irvine stuttered as Rinoa cut him off.
"My father pulled some strings with the military and ordered them to get me, and only me out." She crossed her arms and glared at Irvine. "So this idiot," she ground out, "came and got only me! Knowing you were all captured! Isn't that horrible?"
Irvine raised his hands in the air. "Alright! Alright! I said I was sorry! That's why I'm here to help!"
Rinoa rolled her eyes and turned to Irvine with her hands on her hips. "Only 'cus I scratched you to death!"
Irvine sighed. "Anyway, now's our chance."
"The basement door is buried in sand." Squall replied.
"Of course it is. This place is buried underground. Yeah, the prison is-"
Several thunderous voices cut Irvine off, followed by the deafening pops of gunshots.
"Get down!" Irvine shouted as he began to shoot at the guards. He turned to Squall momentarily. "You all head on up. I'll hold them here! The exit is there, trust me!"
Quistis crawled over next to Squall. "Squall, I'll stay with Irvine. He can't hold them all on his own."
"I'll stay too!" Selphie exclaimed before both girls drew their weapons.
The rest of us followed Squall and Rinoa up the staircase and to the next floor.
As we reached the ninth floor, Rinoa turned around and smiled at us. "I know the way out. Follow me, everyone!"
We followed Rinoa through the circular floors of the prison and climbed endless sets of stairs before finally emerging at the top. The lack of guards or soldiers was disconcerting, but I didn't dare question a good thing.
Bright sunlight greeted us as we reached the top of the building. The metal bridge lay in front of us like a beacon of hope.
"Oh yeah baby! We're out!" Zell's sudden yell pierced the air and he ran towards the bridge. However, before he could so much as take a step on the platform, an alarm went off.
"Prisoners may not go beyond this point. You will be terminated!" shouted a deep male voice over an intercom.
Footsteps thudded on the metal platform of the bridge as two soldiers in robotic armour zoomed towards us, followed by another soldier carrying a rifle.
The three SeeDs and Rinoa immediately drew their weapons. I attempted to enter the battle, but Izzy pulled my arm and dragged me away.
"I can help! I have Siren!" I explained.
Izzy shook her blond head vigorously. "Please, Natasha, Go back to the door."
I attempted to shake her hand off.
"I'm serious!"
I nodded, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Okay, but I'm staying here in case you guys need-"
"Just let us handle it!" She gave me a small smile before jumping into the battle.
I bit my lip and watched as Zell pummeled the guard with his fists. Is he...glowing? Zell seemed to be consumed by angry shades of red as he pulled complicated martial arts moves on the dumbfounded guard. The guard attempted to raise his rifle but Zell was too quick. He swept his leg in the air and kicked the rifle away from the guard. The weapon rattled to the ground close to where I stood and I immediately ran over and picked it up.
At least now I had a weapon. One that shouldn't be too hard to use. I had been to a shooting range once or twice.
In seconds, Zell had the guard on his back, knocked out cold. He rushed over to assist Rinoa, who struggled to fight the robotic armour of another soldier. The soldier held Rinoa in an arm lock, and as Rinoa struggled to free herself, Zell sunk his knee into the soldier's backside. This, the soldier noticed, as he screamed out in pain and loosened his hold on Rinoa. Rinoa took the chance to free herself and jump away. She used her left hand to push a button on an armband on her right wrist. A swift blade detached itself from the contraption and swung through the air straight at the soldier. The blade screeched as it missed the opening in the soldier's armour and flew back towards its place on Rinoa's arm.
"Damn it!" Rinoa spat out before she once again aimed at the soldier.
The soldier was now turned on Zell, who seemed to be getting weaker by the attack.
I looked around frantically to see Squall and Izzy fighting the second soldier in robotic armour.
They're too busy… I couldn't just stand around forever. Lifting the rifle over my shoulder, I pulled the trigger and sent a barrage of bullets at the soldier who stood over Zell. The bullets hit, but the impact of the shots sent me tumbling to the ground in a small cloud of gun powder.
As I picked myself up and raised the rifle again, Rinoa once again fired her bladed weapon at the soldier. The tiny blade flew in a graceful arc through the air, and this time slashed the soldier's exposed face. The soldier let out an enraged cry and Zell took the moment to send two blizzard spells at him, which sent him falling. I ran over and pelted the soldiers with more bullets. When the gun emptied, I used the gun to beat the fallen soldier on the head until he stopped moving completely.
Taking deep breaths, I threw the now useless weapon to the ground. My neck prickled with the feeling of being watched and I turned to see Izzy watching me with her mouth wide open.
"What?" I asked as I self-consciously looked around the group.
"N-nothing. I just didn't know you could fight." Izzy stuttered.
I rolled my eyes at the insinuation. Sure I wasn't a trained SeeD mercenary, but I wasn't completely useless either.
"I knew Natasha had it in her!" Zell thumped by back in a friendly way.
"Thanks, Zell," I smiled. "I had a pretty good teacher, remember?"
Zell scratched the back of his head and looked away. "Uh yeah!" He sent Izzy a confused look, as if he couldn't believe that Izzy was back to being herself. He gazed at her for a few moments before turning back to me.
Before he had a chance to speak, however, a male voice boomed over the intercom.
Irvine called Squall's name and instructed us to get back inside the control room. The four of us followed Squall through the door and into the dull gray room.
Quistis' scolding voice was heard, followed by Irvine's exasperated one before Squall walked over to the control panel. He pushed a button on the intercom system and said, "I can hear you."
'See!? I knew we'd be alright!' Irvine said excitedly. "Squall, go ahead and operate the arm."
"How?" Squall asked as he looked around the vast control panel.
"Yo!" Zell stepped up next to Squall and gently pushed him away from the panel. "Leave that one up to me." He stepped over to a panel of levers and pushed one. Something clicked into place.
"Alrighty!" Irvine's voice shouted over the intercom, "We'll be there in, like, a second. Wait right there! Over and out."
The intercom shut off and we all loosened up.
Rinoa curled up on the floor and took a deep breath. "Looks like they'll be just fine." she sighed as she stood up and stretched.
Thank God. Now we can finally get out of here!
We waited for the others in silence, which was short lived.
Izzy called my name and I turned to her.
"I was thinking that when we get back to Garden, you should see the headmaster and explain what happened."
I shook my head. "I tried that when I first got here, and Siren warned me against it."
"Wait a second," Squall interrupted as he walked up to us, "how do you have Siren junctioned?"
I shrugged, not really wanting to delve into this right now. "She stayed with me when I was in my world. I guess guardian forces can do that or something."
"That's weird. I've never heard of that." Rinoa said.
I turned to her. "That's weird? How about sorceresses shifting through different world? Hell, this whole situation is entirely crazy!"
Rinoa turned away from me, seemingly caught off guard by my rant. "I was just surprised…" she trailed off and walked away.
A sliver of guilt rumbled in my stomach and I opened my mouth to apologize, but the sound of footsteps stopped me.
Quistis was the first to climb up, followed by a tired-looking Irvine and a smiling Selphie.
"Told ya'll it'd only be a second!" Irvine exclaimed. He sauntered over to us with a proud smile lighting up his face. He stopped as he walked by me and turned around. His eyes trailed over to me and he tipped his hat. "Hello, who might you be?"
"For God's sake, Irvine! Let's just get out of here first!" Quistis grabbed Irvine's arm and pulled him away from me.
The rest of us followed the two out of the room and towards the bridge. We were surrounded by a vast desert, which seemed vacant except for the prison in which we were trapped.
"The exit is in the other structure!" Irvine pointed to the end of the bridge and ran across to the other side. He waved us over as the rest of us ran across.
Suddenly, a grinding sound overtook my hearing as the bridge rattled dangerously.
"Hurry!" Squall exclaimed as he let everyone pass him. A few of us made it safely to the other side and I turned to see Rinoa, Zell, and Squall running towards us.
A metallic hum filled the air as the bridge rattled more shakily.
"Watch out!" Quistis exclaimed as the floor of the bridge began to fold away from our side.
Rinoa jumped over to us, followed by Zell as the floor folded more and more.
We called Squall's name, but he was too late. Squall was forced to run away from us as the bridge floor kept folding towards him. He jumped and grabbed onto the railing just as the floor beneath his feet disappeared.
The building on which we stood rumbled into movement as the feeling of falling overtook me. I looked around to see that the building was sinking by each moment. Squall hung on to the railing for dear life we I helplessly watched.
"Squall!" Irvine shouted over the noise. "Climb over to us! Quickly!"
"Come on, Squall!" Rinoa shouted as Squall began to inch towards us.
The building continued to sink as Squall made his way slowly across the railing.
Beads of sweat ran down my neck as I watched Squall struggle his way towards where we all stood. Finally, miraculously, Squall reached the end of the railing. Rinoa and Zell rushed over to help him climb up to the platform as the building continued to sink into the sand. We all rushed inside the door before the sand could claim us.
With heavy breaths, Irvine asked, "Is everyone okay?"
Tired nods went through the group as we all took the moment to rest up.
"Where now?" asked Izzy.
Irvine put a hand in the air as he caught his breath. He stood up and shook his head. "There's a garage on this floor. They usually keep some military vehicles in there." He walked through the hallway towards a garage door on the other side. "Let's go." He nodded and jogged away.
We followed Irvine quietly through the hallway, the only sound our thumping footsteps on metal.
What a day… I had never in my life imagined that I would be breaking out of prison. Was I prepared to live the rest of my life in this world? A shudder passed through me, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Mom, dad, I hope you don't think I ran away from home… What would Trevor tell them? My heart sank. I had promised Trevor that I would find a way back, but that seemed highly unlikely. I didn't even get to say goodbye properly…
Natasha… Siren's whisper of my name was filled with sadness.
I know… but I guess for now I don't have a choice. I would have to make a life here, at least for now. And if that meant enrolling in Garden and becoming a SeeD, then I was ready. I have to be.
A/N: Review! :D