How long have I been in here?
Why does it matter?
Rinoa wrapped her arms around her legs and shivered. It was cold in the prison; the air conditioners and ventilation system worked extremely well, especially with the help of the prison's all-metal construction. She had heard that the place was a miracle in engineering.
All she knew was that it was cold. And dark. And probably where she would be spending the rest of her life.
The door slid open, admitting two soldiers and a guard. The soldiers watched her warily, weapons at the ready, as the guard stepped forward. You're being transferred to solitary confinement, the guard said. Come with us.
Rinoa nodded glumly, and allowed them to escort her out of the cell. Both soldiers fell in behind her, and another guard watched their movements from the opposite side of the circular walk, machine gun at the ready. She realized that they were afraid of her.
They know I'm a Sorceress, she remembered. Of course; because I used my powers in Timber to...
To kill somebody.
She had never been able to quite get over the idea that she had killed people, or how Squall and all the others could do so with such ease. It bothered her every time.
Except in Timber. Then, it had been almost surreal, like her mind had been detached from her body through the whole event. She tried to tell herself it was because of Timber being burned, but a part of her knew that was not true. Before I became a Sorceress, I wouldn't have killed him.
She remembered something her father had said once, about how impersonal war had become after guns were introduced. He said that something was lost when you could not face your enemy close-up; it allowed the shooter to distance himself from the whole thing.
With magic, it was even worse. He said that it was better that way, because the soldiers would be more willing to fight. But what is this power going to do to me?
The lights dimmed, and Rinoa could feel the floor begin to vibrate. The prison was submerging again. Or was it rising? She had lost track. What difference did it make?
Could I use my Sorceress powers to escape? she wondered. But then, the Shell field might dampen her magical abilities some, and this was a heavily guarded military prison.
Squall will come for me, she thought. I know he wouldn't just leave me here. He'll come back for me, I'm sure of it!
But...he saw me use my powers, too. What's going to happen once we escape? What if he's afraid of me?
Maybe he should be. I am.
Their feet rang dully on the metal floor, and the mechanically regulated chill seemed dank and oppressive. She followed the guards down the stairs in silence, head bowed. The guard walked at a carefully regulated pace, as if his anxiousness to be done with this business and away from the Sorceress were conflicting with his equally strong desire not to make any slip-ups in the transfer. They walked down a mindless pattern of stairs followed by more stairs, progressing down what seemed to be the endless vertical expanse of the prison.
Maybe I deserve to be in here. I'm a killer. I always told myself I was fighting for Timber's future, but now my actions have destroyed that future. All I brought them was pain and suffering.
They were halfway down some unidentified set of stairs, when a rang out from somewhere up above. The guard stopped dead in his tracks and looked up, alarmed.
An instant later, an alarm began to ring. Intruder alert, a calm, synthesized voice stated. Monsters will be set loose on every level. Use of deadly force is authourized. The anti-magic field will be lifted.
Just as these words were spoken, Rinoa felt a pricking sensation in the small of her back. One of the Galbadian soldiers now had his saber held bare millimeters behind her.
Come on! the guard ordered, and broke into a run.
They didn't get far. Before they had taken three steps, the guard's body had been engulfed in fire. He screamed as his chest became the flash point for a magical Flare, and carrened forward to the bottom of the stairs, landing hard.
The two soldiers shouted in unison, and Rinoa heard a clanging on the stairs behind her. By the time she had turned around, one of the soldiers had been thrown off the stairs, and the other was falling past her, both with nasty cuts across their torsos below the armor plate.
In their place stood a very familiar form. One of the last she had expected to see.
she exclaimed. What are you doing here?
A gunshot sounded from up above. In response, Seifer pointed his gunblade in the direction of the shooter and fired off a shot. What's it look like? he snapped. I'm breaking you out!
Rinoa's mind was spinning. Seifer? Here? Why is he helping me? Can I trust him? The last time I saw him in the Lunatic Pandora, he —
Another shot rang out, and a bullet struck the edge of the stairs only a few inches from Rinoa.
You coming or not? Seifer asked.
What do I have to lose? Cautiously, she nodded.
Seifer tossed her a weapon that looked like an exact copy of her old Pinwheel, motioning back up the stairs with his gunblade. Let's go!
- - = = = = - -
Feeling just as lost as she had her first time in the Lunatic Pandora, Rinoa dutifully followed Seifer up the flights of stairs leading to the top of the prison tower. Even though the Pinwheel seemed in perfect working condition, she merely hid behind the older boy whenever they ran into trouble, and let him fight them off. There were too many thoughts running through her head for her to concentrate on any one thing. Helping him fight never occurred to her.
Before she knew it, he was vaulting over the barrier that separated them from the stairs to the top level. There was gunfire from across the gaping pit that ran the height of the prison, and Seifer occasionally fired blind shots from his gunblade, but neither could ever manage to strike anything.
Why is Seifer trying to help me? she wondered. A week ago, he junctioned me to Sorceress Adel. She shuddered at the memory. Does he expect me to forgive him now, or is he trying to make up for all the wrong he's done?
He jarred to a halt on top of the stairs, so quickly that Rinoa could not stop in time to avoid colliding with him.
What do you think you're doing? demanded a voice ahead of them. Rinoa glanced around Seifer to see a man in a Galbadian officer's uniform standing by a panel about halfway across the room.
We're just passing through, Seifer said casually.
The hell you are! Get the Mobile Six in here! He punched a command onto the panel an instant before being engulfed in a pillar of lightning. If Seifer's Thundaga had not killed him, he made a good show of faking it.
Even before they could move, there was a heavy thumping somewhere above them. Like footsteps, except far too loud. A dark shadow was moving around at the top of the next flight of stairs.
They're not giving up without a fight, Seifer muttered. Then, cocking his gunblade, he ran forward, towards the stairs. Hey! RoboJerk! Down here! Let's see what you've got!
Rinoa exclaimed, rushing after him.
In a flurry of motion, a silvery-grey form sprung down the stairs. Rinoa spun as it landed behind them, producing a hum that was as frightening as any animal growl. The thing stood at least twice as tall as her, and was permanently in a hunchbacked position. A pair of winglike fins sprouted from its back, and Rinoa could make out missile tubes lining the edges. Far out of reach was the shallow, barrel-shaped form of its power generator. A single red sensor eye stared at her from its angular head.
A spindly hand lashed out at Rinoa, who ducked it with a slight yelp as the cannon mounted on its wrist barely missed removing her head. She instinctively loosed the Pinwheel at the machine, but it bounced harmlessly off its armored chest. Reeling in the device, she rolled away to try and collect herself. Obviously not impressed, it brought up its cannon-arm for another try. But a Thundaga pillar speared through the machine, seeming to give it pause. Seifer charged an instant later, leaping as high as he could and raking his gunblade across the thing's neck,' probably hoping to damage its sensor eye. Sparks flew, but its other arm lashed out, throwing him across the room. He landed hard, and it advanced on him, a menacing whine erupting from one of its cannons.
Rinoa did not even realize what she was doing until the bolt of lightning actually erupted from her hands. The electrical energy washed over the machine's form, freezing it long enough for Seifer to regain his feet. The Mobile 6 sluggishly tried to track him with the cannon, but he wasn't about to give it the chance. He charged the device, whirling in a hellish, magic-assisted fury. Again and again, his blade collided with the joint where its legs connected to the torso, and the Mobile 6 was shaking wildly. Then, with a flash of energy, Seifer propelled the entire machine backwards, and it stumbled, nearly falling over. Focusing all the energy she could, Rinoa drove two spears of lightning into its back. The Thundara caused a bright flash in the generator, and the machine went limp. Its sensor eye died out, and the humming it produced ceased completely.
Hmph...easier than I thought it would be, Seifer said. Let's go.
That was when she noticed the floor was shaking.
The prison's rising! she exclaimed.
Seifer nonetheless made a break for the stairs going up.
Confused, Rinoa followed him up to one of the prison's parking areas. The door was still open for some reason, and a cloud of dust was billowing in. Side-by-side were a pair of Galbadian troop transports.
And a motorcycle, which Seifer made straight for. Get on! he commanded as he slid into the seat.
A wave of understanding hit her. No way! she exclaimed. You're not planning to —
You wanna stay here? Come on; the longer you wait, the higher we get!
Reluctantly, Rinoa gritted her teeth and climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his midsection. Seifer immediately gunned the engines, and she pressed her eyes and mouth tightly shut as they shot out into the cloud of dust, resisting the urge to scream. The floor disappeared under them, and suddenly they were in freefall. She could feel the dust flying past, scratching her arms and legs as she buried her face in the back of Seifer's trenchcoat.
And then they were on the ground. She could feel the jolt, and then the motorcycle skewed to the left as the rear wheel failed to find solid purchase. Seifer wrestled with the vehicle, and in a few seconds, they were moving once more.
They emerged from the cloud of dust a moment later, and Rinoa dared to open her eyes. They were racing along what could generously be called a road leading away from the prison at a rapid clip; she thought she could still feel the ground shaking as the prison drove its way up. Or maybe it was just the motorcycle. Or her. This was all happening so fast....
Seifer brought the bike to a stop at a crossroads where an old Galbadian vehicle lay half-buried in sand. Rinoa could see two figures on the vehicle, a big dark-skinned boy sitting on the cabin and a shorter girl with silvery hair standing beside him. Raijin and Fujin, she remembered. Seifer's posse.
Fujin asked. Even though she didn't speak any louder than an average person, it always sounded like she was shouting.
Like I told you guys, no problem. Seifer swung easily off the motorcycle, then offered Rinoa a hand. You remember Rinoa?
Hey, great to see you, ya know? Raijin propelled himself forward, thrusting out his hand. Rinoa took it, smiling politely. Seifer was worried sick when he heard about you, ya know? Couldn't wait to get out here, ya —
Stepping forward, Fujin gave him a swift kick in the shin.
Rinoa raised her eyebrows. She had forgotten how...interesting the two were.
Seifer ignored the incident. We'll camp here for the night. Keep a watch out for Galbadian patrols. Any objections?
Sounds good to me, ya know! So where are we gonna go now?
They were silent for a moment; Rinoa realized that Seifer was looking at her.
she said quietly. I want to go back to Timber.