Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, its characters, or the plot. They are property of Squaresoft. I also do not own Dark Angel, its characters, or its plot. Dark Angel is copyright to James Cameron and Eglee.

Author's Notes: I have rewritten this fanfic many times. Now, I feel I finally have the final version. Please be patient and enjoy it!

This first chapter is from Squall's POV. It is not how the entire fic will be, but I believe it is best for this chapter. Please Review!

The True Lion

Chapter 1: Who I am

Who am I, really? The lone knight, the wolf? These are simply the masks I wear to hide my true face. Let's face it, I'm no ordinary guy, I never have been. Ordinary guys don't have government officials on their asses trying to throw them in a cage. Ordinary guys aren't government guinea pigs turned on their owners.

From the start, I really am pissed at whatever quackjob started this whole idea. Government officials assume it would be good to make some genetically enhanced freaks to do their work.

Okay, I'm not explaining this well here. Let's start from the beginning.

About twenty years ago, some loony in the government managed to grab funding (we're talking billions) towards a new idea for military function. Human DNA was mixed with the DNA of all kinds of animals. The goal was to produce a superior human. This human could be used as the ultimate weapon and give any army ultimate power. The first prototypes went terribly wrong. Most were removed right away, but some were held in cages and forced to live muzzled and restrained. Some hideous looking things were made back then. They were powerful, yes. Some were made for the cold, and could take hours of below-zero temperatures and driving snow. Others could hike for hours in a desert, under extreme heat and the blinding sun. But they still weren't what was wanted.

But the government finally got what they wanted, a true success. These kids looked small, but they could take out a person three times their size without breaking a sweat. As powerful as they were, they looked like ordinary humans, with only a barcode on the back of their neck to show their identity. An unremovable barcode at that.

Unfortunately for me, I was one of those kids.

We were called X5's. Our 'moms' were simply women paid to carry around our growing fetuses until we were well grown. Greedy little whores. But our mom was different. Yes, I said our. I'm no single child. I was unexpectedly twinned. My sister's name back there was Max.

But anyway, my mom tried to run away from those people. She wanted us free. She didn't stand a chance at escaping. Her name? Raine. Yes, after Laguna left, she needed money for Ellone's care. She volunteered to be a host mother. But when she found out the truth about who we were, she tried to get away. After our conception, she was locked up in some mental hospital and hasn't been seen since. Laguna thinks she's dead. He's a complete idiot.

After myself in the others were born, the government took over the operation. It was named Manticore. I was thrown into a military training place. There, all of us were constantly trained and tortured. I don't even want to remember what they did to us. I even had to watch as they killed Eva, my sister. No, she wasn't biologically my sister. We all just acted like siblings as a comfort. I was close to everyone there. We even made names for one another. See, Manticore wouldn't name us. I don't even know my true birth date. We used the names instead of our 'designations' or our numbers. Each one of us was given a number and we were called by that number. My designation was X5-451. Max's was 452.

When I was nine, the big escape happened. We were tired of that place. My older 'brother', Zack, was the semi-leader of our little bizarre excuse for a family. He was the major person involved in our escape from that living Hell.

I'll never forget that night.

We managed to get out of one of the side windows of our barracks. We were instantly off and running in the woods. A bunch of barefoot kids in little robes running through the snow in ten-degree weather. Zack made us split into groups of two. I protested, wanting to stay together, but he made me shut up and go.

I was paired with Max. I thought for sure we were home free after awhile. But, when we got to the creek, disaster struck. I'll never forget the sound of the ice breaking and Max screaming. I tried to pull her out, but I had to leave her. I will never forgive myself for that.

I was on my own from then on, chased by helicopters, attack dogs, and man on snowmobiles. The order to kill (1006 it was called-or ten-zero-six) was issued.

Only a dozen of us made it out, I'm not sure exactly who. Three were wounded, two were killed.

I lived on the streets for a long time after the escape, trying to keep hidden because Manticore was on red-alert searching for us. Then, the pulse hit.

What is the pulse? Come on, what box do you live under?

Centra used to be huge in population and economy. Manticore was stationed there, in the mountains. But six months after the escape, some terrorist group launched an electromagnetic pulse across the continent that wiped all of the computers. Centra became deserted almost overnight.

I was happy for it, though, because I could finally disappear. My name in Manticore was Sage, but I changed it quickly. Some orphanage picked me up. I had to stay there. For the first time, I encountered humans my age. I didn't like them. Annoying little brats, never would leave me alone. Ellone especially. Everyone thought I had a 'bond' with her. Honestly, I couldn't stand the girl. She never left me alone.

I also had to deal with a little prick named Seifer. Oh, I came so close to killing him. Just a little twist and I could've snapped his scrawny neck. But I never could do it because I didn't want the attention.

So I was sent to Garden, blah blah blah, you know the rest.

Now I sit at the commander's desk in Garden. Cid really has no clue. None of them do.

But now I have a really serious problem.

I'm in love. With Rinoa Heartilly. I'm only going to get her killed, I know. If Manticore discovers me, she's dead meat. I can't be with her.

But I can't live without her.