VIII
"I've never wanted to be able to meet my enemies face to face. I keep seeming to."
--Vinzer Deling

"Take us down."

Squall listened to his own voice, wishing he wasn't so helpless. He couldn't as much as blink on his own. It was as if he was only a spectator in his own body. He had been moving around since earlier, issuing orders he didn't want obeyed, overseeing work he didn't want completed. He had full faculty of all his senses, but not his actions. He hadn't been the one taking those actions--it had been the jacket.

"There's someone outside the ship, Sire," one of the jacketed men said. "Which means there's a way in."

"Excellent," Dyne aid from his throne behind Squall. "Open the lower hatch doors. We'll be getting some new prisoners soon." By the sound of his voice, Squall could tell that the sorcerer had turned to face him. "Though what they'll say when they find their commander in this state, I don't know."

As if it was agreeing with him, the wound on Squall's shoulder throbbed a few times. The jacket ignored it. "They'll be wanting to invade," the jacket said. "Send a few troops down there. Make it look good."

"Yes, Sire."

Dyne chuckled. "When you capture them, bring them to us. No--even better, let them find their way here by accident. Close off all the halls leading to irrelevant portions of the ship."

"Yes, Sire."

Squall stepped forward to look at the console. "Ragnarok was fitted with eleven suits. If eleven people arrive, then send a squadron to take the ship."

"Yes, Sire."

Yes, Sire, yes, Sire, yes, Sire, Squall thought. Is this their entire life? Is that really what the jacket does to you? He tried to sigh, surprising himself when he didn't. Maybe I can see why Naja wanted to die. After years of this, will I want to too?
No. Don't think like that. There will not be years of this. There can't be... or is that just wishful thinking? It's perfectly possible that I'll never get out of this--

If he could have sighed, he would have. This was an example of why Rinoa called him a pessimist. He didn't think he was being pessimistic--just realistic. No point in raising your hopes just to have them dashed.

"In the mean time, evacuate this room and the antechamber. We will meet these invaders alone."

"Yes, Sire." The jacketed man stood up and moved about his buisiness.

Dyne laughed. "Now, my reluctant knight, we shall wait."

I am not your knight, Squall thought. I plan to be as little like Seifer as possible here.

Waiting was Squall's least favorite part of anything. When a problem presented itself, he could deal with it. If there were decisions to be made, he could handle it. But the moment there was nothing to do he started thinking. And thinking was rarely enjoyable.

It's a good bet Laguna will feel some sort of misplaced parental obligation to come after me, he thought. And Seifer--whether he wants to redeem himself or just strike out at the world in general and sorcery in partcular, he'll probably show up. And Quistis--she gets depressed easily, I've noticed. How will she be holding up? Will she be along, too?
In command, I'm guessing. Of course, who else? She's the one I would trust most. And in that entire group, is there one other person I would trust to lead?

The jacket prevented him from pacing, and Squall wondered if he could possibly go insane. He had never imagined that it would be quite so annoying to not be able to do anything.

"Someone approaches," Dyne said. "Leonhart, you will face them."

The jacket nodded. There was the sound of someone opening the antechamber door, then a pause.

"I think they're here," said a very familiar voice.

"Duh, Seifer," said another. "Come on out, you sorcerer scum! 'less you're afraid?"

"Heh. Afraid? Of you? My dear Zell, I could crush you like an ant beneath my heel. Why should I be afraid?" Dyne called. The door to the throne room burst open, and Zell stormed in. He was wearing an odd, silvery body suit. Squall could see through the doorway that Seifer was too--his missing a helmet, however.

"Give us back Squall, you silver-haired geek!" Zell yelled. There was a flash of anger in Dyne's eyes, but it subsided so quickly Seifer decided he hadn't seen it.

"Really? You think I should? Heh... and what if Squall doesn't want to go with you?"

Seifer watched as Squall raised his gunblade, cocking it. "You'll never get us to beleive that," he said. "Of all the stupid decisions he may have made, going with you isn't one."

"Show them, Leonhart," Dyne said. "Prove that their arrival here was a mistake."

Seifer drew his gunblade. "Ordinary luck," he said. "Zell, bring the gang."

"An' leave you here?" Zell asked. "Not bloody likely!"

"Eheh." Seifer put on a look of extreme sufference. "Zell," he said, more slowly. "Get everyone. And come. Back. Here."

There was a moment's pause, and Zell shrugged and left. Seifer did a few experimental swings with the blade, smiling.

"Just like that day in the mountains," he said, running a hand over his scar. "Let's see who wins this time."

Not giving him a chance to respond, Seifer charged. The blades met with a crash, showering sparks. Squall spun out of the way, bringing the tip of the gunblade towards Seifer's leg. Seifer jumped back and brought the gunblade down as Squall raised his, the clash ringing like a bell through the room.

Sliding his gunblade along the length of Seifer's, Squall grazed Seifer's neck. Parrying, Seifer jumped backwards to get in a good swing. Ducking it with a skill that looked effortless, Squall lunged forward and caught Seifer's chin with the hilt of the sword. The Greiver medallion whipped forward, scraping his neck and drawing more blood. Seifer dropped like a stone, dazed.

Not this time, Squall, he thought, shaking his head to clear it. Rolling out of the way of a stab, he pointed the gunblade and took three potshots at Dyne. As he had expected, Squall immediately repositioned himself to be between him and the sorcerer. It's just a bit too obvious that you're under his wing.

Pulling himself to his feet, he jumped at Squall and landed a punch on his jaw. Squall tried to bash him with the hilt again, but Seifer managed to grab the cartedge and pull the gunblade out of Squall's grasp. It went clattering to the floor by the doorway.

Squall paused, the jacket trying to decide whether to get the blade or protect Dyne. It was all the opening Seifer needed.

Raising his gunblade, he slashed at the jacket with all his strength. It should have been enough force to chop Squall in two, but it only sliced through the cloth of the jacket like a hot knife through butter. Sparks flew as the blade pulled across the wires, and Squall staggered backwards into the wall. But the wiring, if not all the actual jacket, stayed on.

"What?" Dyne snarled, looking at Squall.

Free...? Squall wondered. Concentrating, he tried to move his hand. It moved, but barely. Partial freedom--is it enough? Can I--

"No!" Dyne yelled. Standing up, he thrust a hand towards Squall and cast Stop. Drawing his masamune, he cast a Silence on Seifer. "You'll pay for this insult!" he raged.

"Give up!" Seifer yelled at him. "You can't win!"

"I'm not just in this to win," Dyne replied cryptically, with the tiniest hint of desperation. Lunging, he swung the blade.

Seifer found himself fighting for his life, and losing ground. Dyne was a much better swordfighter than he was. Some sort of superhuman talent and incredible finesse merged in the swordplay to drive him back, until his back was at the antechamber wall with Dyne's sword hovering between his eyes.

"It seems I have yet another servant," Dyne said silkily. "Guar--ggh!"

The long katana he had held dropped to the ground, and Dyne raised both hands to his neck. Quistis tugged her chain whip free as he cast what looked like Curaga on himself, and stepped back. Seifer almost reached for the sword when it disappeared, to reappear in Dyne's hand.

"Impeccable timing, madame," Dyne said darkly. Stepping back, he held out a hand, palm facing her. "But now I think it's time for you to leave."

A black bubble formed around her, and she tried to step back. Seifer cursed and tried to grab at her, but couldn't reach her.

"Ooooh, noooo...!" someone else yelled from the hallway outside. "Not this time, bubbo!"

A Reflect sheild appeared around Quistis just as Demi reached its max, sending it back at Dyne. Dyne banished it with a wave of his hand, balling it into a fist.

Selphie, Rinoa and Nida came rushing into the room, Nida with a breif admiring look at the masamune-katana.

Bubbo...? That has to smart. "Give it up, Dyne," Seifer said again. "It's over."

Stepping back, Dyne looked at the five. Then he raised both hands. "I... surrender." Seifer stared at him for a moment; he hadn't expected it would be that easy.

"What?" Nida whispered. Dyne smiled silkily, and began to chuckle.

"Is that what you want me to say?" the sorcerer continued. "Too bad. I don't surrender. Others surrender to me. Like you."

/Warning. Air purification systems failing. Evacuate ship, repeat, evacuate ship./

"What?" Selphie asked.

"Did you not expect?" Dyne said. "I always triumph."

/Warning. Fuel leak. Air toxin levels at 0.03 percent and rising. Evacuate ship, repeat, evacuate ship./

Dyne stepped back into the throne room, and a siver energy field warped across the entance. Seifer rushed forward, but was thrown into the air as he tried to approach.

/Warning. Hull breech imminent in the following locations--/
/Warning. Air toxin levels at 2.08 percent and rising--/
/Warning. Air purifiers have failed--/
/Warning. Reserve oxygen pressure exceeding tank parameters. Explosion imminent--/

"Damn it!" Seifer yelled at the barrier, struggling to his feet. "Don't you think this is overdoing it a bit?"

"We have to get out of here!" Selphie yelled. "He broke the ship!"

Seifer paused, used an Echo Screen, and tryed to cast Dispel on the barrier over the door. It didn't work. "Squall's in there with Dyne," he said. We can't get to him. He should be safe for now, though--"

/Warning. Air toxin levels at 3.79 percent and rising. Immediate evacuation advised./

"Who cares?" Selphie yelled, panic showing through the helmet. "We'll come back, right! But now we gotta go!"

"Run," Quistis agreed.

/Estimated time to O-tank explosion; three minutes and fifty-three seconds. Estimated time to fatal air toxin levels, two minutes and fifteen seconds. Estimated time to--/

"We have three minutes to get out of here," Rinoa moaned. Looking out the door, Seifer saw the corridor was empty.

"All clear. Let's run!" Grabbing his helmet from the floor and dashing down the hall, Seifer called "What happens when the oxygen tanks explode?"

"I don't--"

/Chain reaction causing firestorm and subsequent partial or total destruction of ships interior/ the computer answered.

"I did not need to know that," Seifer yelled back at it, strugglinh to reactivate the seal on his helmet. "Which way do we bloody frickin' go?"

Quistis pulled to a stop at the intersection. "Uhm... right!"

/Warning. O-tank explosion imminent in three minutes. Immediate evacuation advised./

"I'm going, I'm going!" Nida glanced back over his shoulder. "No one's following us, at leas--"

Something very hard slammed into his chest as he rounded a corner, and he found himself on the ground. Seifer drew his gunblade, looking at the thing Nida had run into. Quistis's whip snapped above his head.

"Hsss..." something said. Nida stared up into the glaring, angry eyes of a very, very large black cobra.

"Uh, oh..." Rinoa whispered.

We really do not need this right now, Seifer thought. "Back!" he snapped at the thing waving his gunblade in fromt of its face.. To his surprise, it actually backed up a few paces.

"You failed," it hissed. "Dyne is sssssstill alive."

"Yeah, well, next time he won't be," Seifer said, cocking the blade. The cobra blinked.

"Make sure he isssssn't," the thing said, turned, and slithered away.

"Wh--what just happened there?" Nida asked.

/Warning. Air toxin levels at 6.54 percent and rising. O-tank explosion in two minutes and fifteen seconds./

"Haste!" Seifer yelled, remembering the journey across the Horizon Bridge. "Cast haste!"

And, of course, from that point on he had no idea what happened. The world faded into slow motion around him, and he barely managed to direct his hectic flight down the corridors. He vaguely remembered seeing someone get stuck in the hatch in front of him, ramming into them--the sudden cold of the water, air bubbles escaping from two suits--a mechanized voice droning about something--hands grabbing him, dragging him aboard the Ragnarok--then absolutely nothing as someone cast Sleep on him and he drifted off.

Dully, Squall wondered how they were going to get him back into the jacket. He didn't doubt that they would, but he wondered what measures they would take to stop him from trying to escape. In the end, they just forced a mask over his face and drugged him to the teeth.

Then, just to make sure, they took a bludgeon and knocked him out anyway.