Ragnarok, this is Galbadia Garden. We read you. Over.

Galbadia Garden, Ragnarok is approximately two minutes distant, transporting Esthar president with three SeeDs. Requesting permission to land.

Stand by. Over.


Repeat, get as far away from the Lunatic Pandora as you can! Palmer was commanding over a pocket radio. Galbadia Garden's response was, primarily, a burst of static.

Is that even tuned properly? Nida asked.

I don't know! Palmer admitted, adjusting the knob on the side of the radio. I haven't had to use one in 17 years! Galbadia Garden, do you read?

...acknowledging...read you...some static.

Get away from the Lunatic Pandora, NOW! Palmer ordered.

Quistis made her way back up the stairs to level floor. As she gave Nida a hand up, she noted for the first time that the Crystal Pillar had undergone a frightful change. The fibers within were now glowing a brilliant white, and it was pulsing with such an intensity that it seemed at times like the crystal itself was glowing.

There's no way out of here, is there? Keri asked.

Quistis thought fiercely, searching her mind for something, anything that might permit their escape. There was something that sent us out of the Lunatic Pandora the first time we boarded it — when it was headed for Tears Point — but I don't know what it was, or how to make it happen again.

What about those helicopter suits you guys use? Nida asked.

Keri shook her head. No way anyone could get suited up and over here in time.

Ve are all doomed! Odine proclaimed. This iz end of Odine! Iz all over!

Doctor, you are being utterly unproductive, Vaider said. We must keep our wits about us if we are to have any chance of survival.

You see any way out of this, Doc? Irvine asked.

Vaider shook his head. I'm afraid not.

Keri sighed. Well, at least we saved the world.

Irvine looked at her. Hey, Keri. Just so you know....

Quistis toned out their words. She had been faced with impossible situations before, and she had always found a way through. She tried to tell herself this was just one of those times, that all she had to do was look hard enough and she would find it. But she kept asking herself, what if this was the time there wasn't any escaping it? She'd already been luckier than most; maybe she'd gotten herself into one impossible situation too many.

She became aware of Nida's presence, standing beside her. You know, he said, I really would have liked to do more than just fly the Garden around.

Quistis put a hand on his shoulder, offering a weak smile. You helped save the world, Nida. We couldn't have done this without you.

She could tell the other SeeD didn't quite believe her. Nonetheless, he smiled back. Thanks, Quistis.

The Ragnarok? Why are they coming back?

Quistis blinked at Palmer's question.

The Ragnarok is coming? Nida asked.

They say they're transporting three SeeDs and the Esthar president, ma'am.

The Ragnarok's coming HERE? Irvine asked.

THAT'S IT! Quistis and Nida exclaimed, at the same time.

You guys blew a hole in the side of the Lunatic Pandora when you were boarding it to get to Adel, right? Nida asked.

Quistis nodded vigorously. If we direct the Ragnarok to land there and pick us up —

The floor lurched, nearly throwing Palmer down the stairs and out the hatch. Quistis' attention was caught by a surge of light from the Crystal Pillar. When she looked at it, it was glowing so brightly that the strands were barely distinguishable from the rest of the Pillar, and she almost had to look away. The floor was now shaking visibly, and cracks were beginning to appear in the supports.

We're above Odin's Gate! Keri screamed.

Let's go! Quistis ordered. We might only have seconds!

They broke into a faltering run towards the elevator, as Palmer shouted into the radio. Mertens, contact the Ragnarok and tell them....


Squall could tell instantly that something was wrong. Not only was the Lunatic Pandora seeming to glow from the inside, but there seemed to be a steady current of energy passing from the Centra ruins to the base of the device. What is going on over there? he wondered.

The radio crackled. Ragnarok, this is G-Garden. We need you to proceed to Lunatic Pandora for emergency pickup of personnel. Over.

There are people on that thing? Laguna asked.

Orders, Mr. President? the pilot asked.

Get over to the Lunatic Pandora, of course!

Yes, sir. Understood, G-Garden. Diverting course.


The tunnel that led to the broken wall that would permit the Ragnarok's landing gave the impression of being far from stable. The glass walls were cracking even as the group ran along the tunnel. Quistis did her best not to think about how long the fall would be.

The Garden students were running in pairs, with Irvine and Keri supporting each other, and Quistis and Nida in the rear. Vaider, Odine, and Palmer were on ahead — the Esthar scientist in particular could move surprisingly fast when he had to, Quistis had noted.

Off behind them, the Crystal Pillar was now glowing so brightly that it was impossible to look directly at it. Quistis imagined that the light was penetrating even her skin and uniform, and skeleton was beginning to show through in her shadow.

Everyone but herself and Nida had made their way to the opposite end of the tunnel, when it suddenly sagged sharply, dropping the center a good ten meters. The glass shattered, and Quistis lost her footing, falling off the now-open catwalk and into thin air. She found herself in freefall for a heart-stopping instant, before being wrenched to a stop as something caught her hand. It all happened so fast, and it took her a couple seconds of hanging, some hundreds of meters above the floor, to realize that Nida had caught her hand. He himself was hanging in a very precarious position, with a hand and a foot his only holds on the rail.

Let me go! Quistis ordered. There's no time! We'll both die!

Nida shook his head. Yeah, right. Climb over me!

Nida —

Hey, if we're that short on time, we really shouldn't waste any arguing! Come ON!

Shaking her head, Quistis did her best to pull herself up. This is no time for heroics, Nida! The Pillar could go any second!

Hey, if I was the one hanging down there, would you for a second think about letting me fall? He shook his head. Besides, you're not getting out that easy!

Getting out! You think I WANT to die?

I think you don't know what you want, and you're getting a little tired of trying to find out!

I have NO idea what you're talking about! Quistis had a hand around Nida's waist, and was reaching for the catwalk.

You got to be Garden's youngest SeeD and then the youngest instructor, but you never really cared about that, did you? You just needed some way to separate yourself from everyone else, so you wouldn't have to get close to anyone. Just like how Squall never talks to anyone, and Irvine has to act cool all the time!

She had an arm up on the catwalk now.

But at the same time, you hate being alone! You can't figure out whether to open up or keep to yourself, and your solution is to open up only to people you know will reject you, or try things you know you'll fail at! But then, you're just creating a whole new set of problems, espescially when you turn out to be better at succeeding than you give yourself credit for!

Quistis was about to protest, but it struck her that there was a good chance he was right. I'd...never thought about that. How do you know all this?

You pick up on a lot of things when no one sees you in the room. Are you going up or not?

Irvine was on the catwalk, reaching down to help her up. Are you all right?

I think so. She gratefully allowed him to pull her up onto the catwalk.

Yeah, I'm fine too, Nida called. Thanks for asking!

Quistis turned around and took his hand in hers. Irvine, get his other hand! she shouted. We have to hurry; this whole thing might come crashing down!

Sure enough, just as Nida got his legs back on the catwalk, the center dropped again, and there was a hideous metallic tearing sound. Let's go! she called, but the others needed no encouragement. Keri, who was waiting at the doorway, helped them off the catwalk, and they set off at a run.

The floor was shaking mightily now, and large chunks were falling from the walls and ceiling. All of them stumbled several times in their mad dash for safety. A three-meter drop out of the tunnel doorway because no one bothered to use the stairs, then across the large empty square that was ever more clustered with falling debris — Keri was hit with one chunk of concrete once, and Irvine had to stop to use a Hi-potion on her wound. They sprinted through the broken partition and into the room whose wall the Ragnarok had blown in to force entry. The airship was there, waiting for them.

The floor rocked violently. There wasn't much time. The four dashed across the open floor, practically fell up the few steps up to the Ragnarok's open hangar door.

Quistis exclaimed, seeing the other SeeD waiting for them. Squall! Selphie!

Come on! Zell urged. We've gotta go!

Just as Irvine and Keri made it into the hangar, there was a tremendous crash from within the Lunatic Pandora, and the whole opposite wall fell away. Beyond was the Crystal Pillar, glowing brighter than the sun.

Kiros, who was standing towards the opposite side of the room, slapped a control on the wall, and the bay door began to grind shut. They're on board! he shouted into the ship's intercom.

The ship lurched, this time to signal its disengagement from the Lunatic Pandora. Through the still-closing bay door, Quistis could see that the ship was backing away from its own forced entrance.

Selphie ran out of the room, and the others followed. She made straight for the lift to the bridge level, and Quistis and Zell actually managed to catch her before the lift began rising. The three arrived on the bridge just as the Ragnarok was turning — at an agonizingly slow rate — away from the Lunatic Pandora.

Come on! Selphie cried, immediately running up to the pilot. Hurry! Faster!

Everyone, hang on! Laguna shouted. That thing's gonna blow!

The Ragnarok was just about to activate her main engines when the Crystal Pillar exploded. White-hot shards of crystal shot outward in every direction, demolishing the ruined Lunatic Pandora and engulfing the airship attempting to flee. Then, the Ragnarok's engines flared to life, and this combined with the force of the blast was enough to drive the ship free like a twig caught in a hurricane, even as the crystal shards tore through the hull. Quistis was thrown backwards as the ship's nose arced wildly as testimony to the pilot's vain attempts to get their movement under control.

I can't hold it! The engines are overheating!

Behind them, a massive fireball reached up towards the sky as it expanded across the Centra countryside. Quistis could see the ripples of superheated air all around them.

We're going down!

The Ragnarok angled uncontrollably towards the ground. The pilot did his best to stabilize the ship's descent, but the Float system seemed to have been damaged, and the ship was dropping like a brick.

Aw, man, you can't be serious!



Quistis grabbed a tight hold of a nearby chair, and closed her eyes as the ground rushed up to meet them.

The crash was deafening.