Chapter 13
Yannie awoke on a cold floor.
[I]Strange,[/I] she thought to herself. [I]The springs must have gone in my mattress. Ugh, I had the most horrible dream. There was a small boy and a cage, except… it wasn't a dream, was it? She slowly opened her eyes, and half expected to see her room in Garden, with the view over the plains, and the cupboard with the squeaky hinge. She would really have to get someone to see to it…[/I]
Half asleep she sat up and felt the coldness of the marble floor beneath her. She reached around, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. When they did, she was startled by the sheer blueness around her. She was alone in a cell. But it had no bars. Just blue walls, and one door. What she couldn't see was the observation screen above her, as it was concealed. She stood up and brushed herself down.
[I]Ugh, my head hurts. What happened?[/I] she tried her best to remember. [I]I remember being in the town hall. I remember Gered running toward me. I remember a cage dropping. Then I was in a ship. It looked like the Ragnarok, except more…sterile. Then…[/I] she felt the side of her neck. It hurt from where someone had injected her with a sleep inducer. She was stirred from her thought when a door slid open in the wall. Out walked a little man, no taller than five foot. He had on a big round collar. He spoke.
"Ah! So zis iz the prodigal daughter. Behind him were two Estharian soldiers, dressed in the blue and grey of their national colours. She had seen pictures of them in textbooks back at Garden, and had studied their weaknesses. Yannie summoned up all her strength and tried to cast Thundaga on the short man and his friends. But she was somehow unable to. The short man chuckled.
"He he! Ah, zis is very humorous. You cannot cast your magik here." He pointed up. "Anti-magik devize. My own perzonal invention. And very proud ov it I am."
"Who are you?" she asked. The short man held out his hand.
"It haz been a very long time Yannie. I am Doctor Odine." She didn't shake his hand.
"Am I supposed to know you?" again he laughed.
"Ha ha. I zuppose not. You vere a very young girl when you disappeared." He wiped his brow. "Indeed, I vas very sorry vhen you vent."
"What are you talking about? Let me go!"
"Ah, it seems to me, zat you are not ready for ze truth yet. Ve shall vait."
"No let me know now!" but she was grabbed by one of the Estharian soldiers, and fell asleep almost before she felt the shot in her neck.
************************
No one knew what to say. They were stunned. They knew that she wasn't the same as everyone else, but they thought she was at least human. Still, in their minds at least, nothing had changed. She was still a girl in need, and they would save her. They would no longer be able to call themselves SeeDs if they didn't.
At least now they knew where to find her. And someone needed to make a call to President Laguna of Esthar.
There was a knock at Squall's dorm. It was Quistis.
"Squall, you in there?" the door opened and Squall walked back inside. Quistis followed behind. "We know where she is being held Squall."
"Where?" he grunted. Quistis was silent. Squall could sense her apprehension. "What are you not telling me?" he stood up and walked towards her.
"Squall…" she sighed. "It's Esthar. Odine to be precise…"
"Odine!" he shouted. "That Hyne-damm nuisance!"
"Squall, you know what this means don't you?"
"What?"
"Someone has to make a call with the President." Squall was silent. "You are the commander."
"Don't tell me I'm the commander! I know I'm the bloody commander!"
"Squall…"
"I'll make the stupid call. I'll call the old jerk and tell him where to get off!"
"Remember not to make it personal. Be reasonable."
"Personal…" he whispered the word under his breath. "He is my father, and I've met him four time in my entire life. How the hell can I make it personal?"
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I'll make the call right away."
"Wait." Quistis got Selphie's computer printout from her pocket. "I think you should look at this first." Squall took the printout and read it. He fell to the bed.
"The O.C.A.S.P.E. project? She, she is not human?"
"From what we can tell, she is human. Biologically at least."
"Human's are born. She was made. I'm not going to risk people's lives in order to save one lab rat!"
"How can you be like this?" Quistis was quickly getting fed up with the new Squall. She wanted the old Rinoa-Squall back instead. Hyne, even the pre Rinoa Squall would be better than the complete heartless shell he had become.
"Like I said. No way."
"Now listen here. I have known you for most of your life. Most of my life. I don't like this new person you have become. Rinoa is gone, but don't take it out on the rest of us. Get over it. Now there is a girl in trouble here. Like it or not, she is one of us. So what if she is different to the rest of us? It is our duty to rescue her. If you can't accept that, you are not fit to be commander!"
"But she isn't…"
"…human? She is more human than you will ever be! I can't believe I once thought I was in love with you. You make me sick!"
"Quisty…"
"Don't give me that Quisty shit! I'm going to go now. I leave the decision in your conscience." With that she walked through the door slamming it behind her.
Was it true? Was he that heartless? How had it happened? He stood up and looked in the mirror. His eyes were deeper set than they had once been. He had more lines on his forehead. He didn't like the person he had become.
How had he been so blind? How had he let himself become this monster? The Squall that looked back at him in the mirror was a stranger. He turned on the taps and filled the sink. While the taps were running he removed his shirt. Once the sink was full he dipped his head under the cold cleansing water. Its coldness felt good against his hot skin. He looked back into the mirror, hair dripping. The same blank face looked back. He made a fist and smashed the mirror. Shards of glass penetrated his knuckles and he winced with the pain. But it was a good pain. It was the pain of rebirth. He grabbed a towel, and as he wrapped his knuckles in it, he picked up the phone.
"Esthar Presidential Residence please."
Yannie awoke on a cold floor.
[I]Strange,[/I] she thought to herself. [I]The springs must have gone in my mattress. Ugh, I had the most horrible dream. There was a small boy and a cage, except… it wasn't a dream, was it? She slowly opened her eyes, and half expected to see her room in Garden, with the view over the plains, and the cupboard with the squeaky hinge. She would really have to get someone to see to it…[/I]
Half asleep she sat up and felt the coldness of the marble floor beneath her. She reached around, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. When they did, she was startled by the sheer blueness around her. She was alone in a cell. But it had no bars. Just blue walls, and one door. What she couldn't see was the observation screen above her, as it was concealed. She stood up and brushed herself down.
[I]Ugh, my head hurts. What happened?[/I] she tried her best to remember. [I]I remember being in the town hall. I remember Gered running toward me. I remember a cage dropping. Then I was in a ship. It looked like the Ragnarok, except more…sterile. Then…[/I] she felt the side of her neck. It hurt from where someone had injected her with a sleep inducer. She was stirred from her thought when a door slid open in the wall. Out walked a little man, no taller than five foot. He had on a big round collar. He spoke.
"Ah! So zis iz the prodigal daughter. Behind him were two Estharian soldiers, dressed in the blue and grey of their national colours. She had seen pictures of them in textbooks back at Garden, and had studied their weaknesses. Yannie summoned up all her strength and tried to cast Thundaga on the short man and his friends. But she was somehow unable to. The short man chuckled.
"He he! Ah, zis is very humorous. You cannot cast your magik here." He pointed up. "Anti-magik devize. My own perzonal invention. And very proud ov it I am."
"Who are you?" she asked. The short man held out his hand.
"It haz been a very long time Yannie. I am Doctor Odine." She didn't shake his hand.
"Am I supposed to know you?" again he laughed.
"Ha ha. I zuppose not. You vere a very young girl when you disappeared." He wiped his brow. "Indeed, I vas very sorry vhen you vent."
"What are you talking about? Let me go!"
"Ah, it seems to me, zat you are not ready for ze truth yet. Ve shall vait."
"No let me know now!" but she was grabbed by one of the Estharian soldiers, and fell asleep almost before she felt the shot in her neck.
************************
No one knew what to say. They were stunned. They knew that she wasn't the same as everyone else, but they thought she was at least human. Still, in their minds at least, nothing had changed. She was still a girl in need, and they would save her. They would no longer be able to call themselves SeeDs if they didn't.
At least now they knew where to find her. And someone needed to make a call to President Laguna of Esthar.
There was a knock at Squall's dorm. It was Quistis.
"Squall, you in there?" the door opened and Squall walked back inside. Quistis followed behind. "We know where she is being held Squall."
"Where?" he grunted. Quistis was silent. Squall could sense her apprehension. "What are you not telling me?" he stood up and walked towards her.
"Squall…" she sighed. "It's Esthar. Odine to be precise…"
"Odine!" he shouted. "That Hyne-damm nuisance!"
"Squall, you know what this means don't you?"
"What?"
"Someone has to make a call with the President." Squall was silent. "You are the commander."
"Don't tell me I'm the commander! I know I'm the bloody commander!"
"Squall…"
"I'll make the stupid call. I'll call the old jerk and tell him where to get off!"
"Remember not to make it personal. Be reasonable."
"Personal…" he whispered the word under his breath. "He is my father, and I've met him four time in my entire life. How the hell can I make it personal?"
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I'll make the call right away."
"Wait." Quistis got Selphie's computer printout from her pocket. "I think you should look at this first." Squall took the printout and read it. He fell to the bed.
"The O.C.A.S.P.E. project? She, she is not human?"
"From what we can tell, she is human. Biologically at least."
"Human's are born. She was made. I'm not going to risk people's lives in order to save one lab rat!"
"How can you be like this?" Quistis was quickly getting fed up with the new Squall. She wanted the old Rinoa-Squall back instead. Hyne, even the pre Rinoa Squall would be better than the complete heartless shell he had become.
"Like I said. No way."
"Now listen here. I have known you for most of your life. Most of my life. I don't like this new person you have become. Rinoa is gone, but don't take it out on the rest of us. Get over it. Now there is a girl in trouble here. Like it or not, she is one of us. So what if she is different to the rest of us? It is our duty to rescue her. If you can't accept that, you are not fit to be commander!"
"But she isn't…"
"…human? She is more human than you will ever be! I can't believe I once thought I was in love with you. You make me sick!"
"Quisty…"
"Don't give me that Quisty shit! I'm going to go now. I leave the decision in your conscience." With that she walked through the door slamming it behind her.
Was it true? Was he that heartless? How had it happened? He stood up and looked in the mirror. His eyes were deeper set than they had once been. He had more lines on his forehead. He didn't like the person he had become.
How had he been so blind? How had he let himself become this monster? The Squall that looked back at him in the mirror was a stranger. He turned on the taps and filled the sink. While the taps were running he removed his shirt. Once the sink was full he dipped his head under the cold cleansing water. Its coldness felt good against his hot skin. He looked back into the mirror, hair dripping. The same blank face looked back. He made a fist and smashed the mirror. Shards of glass penetrated his knuckles and he winced with the pain. But it was a good pain. It was the pain of rebirth. He grabbed a towel, and as he wrapped his knuckles in it, he picked up the phone.
"Esthar Presidential Residence please."