Torrin woke up in complete darkness. Was she in her room? She sat up. The sound of chains moving echoed in the room. Thick manacles enclosed her wrists and her neck strained under the wait of a metal collar. Slowly events came back to her. The fight at the ball, her dad being hurt, and someone casting a sleep spell. She moved her hands to her dress, she had lock picks sewn into all her clothes. However the dress had been taken from her. All that covered her now was a thin robe of what felt like satin. Torrin swore. This was so not good.

















Torrin tried to stand, but as soon as she did the room spun around her. She fell with a large clank. Laying there for a moment she tried to fight nausea. She ran over every SeeD protocol, searching for something that would help her. In the end though, it seemed useless. She had no tracers, no weapons, and no back up. She would just have to come up with something different.

A door in the wall opened. The light was blinding so Tor had look away. The door shut and soft dim lights came on. Blinking a couple times her eyes adjusted to the new light. A man stood looking over her. From the looks of him he matched the description Demetra had given her. A girl stood just behind him. Blonde hair, Red top with black pants, she could have stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Yet all one had to was look at her to tell that she was a sorceress, not because of her earring but because she floated an inch off the ground.

"So you've awakened? I put enough sedative in you to keep a grown man asleep for hours. How is it that you are able to be awake?" He said taking a step forward. Torrin looked up at him with defiant eyes. He knelt down next to her and raised her chin with a gloved had. "Is she helping you fight it? What beautiful green eyes. Tell me where did you get them from? Your mother, your father, or are they a result of Demetra?"

Torrin's eyes went wide with shock. "How did you know her name?"

A cruel smile twisted the man's lips. "I know much about her, but little about you. A mysterious girl at a party, with a GF of legend. Shall we play a game? I'll ask a question then you. "

"No, I ask then you. If you refuse to answer the game is over."

The man's voice deepened. "You know I could just torture the information out of you?" Torrin didn't move. "Very well then."

Torrin racked her brain. "Who are you?"

"An easy question. I'm Archist, a sorcerer from birth. Now you , Who are you?"

Torrin thought quickly about lying then decided against it. The more information she could get out of him the better. "Torrin Almasy."

The man gave her a quizzical look. Then turned to the girl. "Cassandra!"

The girl took a step forward. "Torrin Almasy, Sir, is the daughter of Quistis Trepe and Siefer Almasy."

"My turn," Torrin said quickly. "What was your objective at the ball."

"The initial objective was for a guerrilla attack, in the hopes of killing the president of Esthar. Sorcerers have been mistreated and abused since the sorceress wars. I plan to turn the tables. It's only fitting that the powerful rule. Where did you acquire this GF of yours?"

Torrin thought back. "She's always been with me. Why take me and pull back before you had achieved your objective?"

The man stood up. "This game is over, I know all I need to know. I was right to take you."

"What do you mean?" Torrin demanded.

Archist turned and left through the door. Cassandra followed but turned back before leaving. She fixed Torrin with a stare and flipped her hair. A bobby pin fell from it. She then turned and left. Torrin wasn't sure if the girl had meant to help her, but she didn't think twice about going after the bobby pin. She picked it up and started to work on the locks.





"Will you hurry!" Dex said impatiently to Skylla.

"Sorry, I'm not Torrin. She's the hacker in the group." Skylla was at a computer watching the lines of programming flash as she searched for files.

Dex started pacing. "Then why don't we find her so she can do this."

Damon was leaning against the door to the room, keeping a look out. "Because we might have to fight to help her and this information is to valuable to leave behind. I want to find her just as much as you do, but we need to keep calm and wait for the right opportunity."

Dex threw his hands up. "You sound like Squall."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Say that again and I'll have to hurt you."

Dex slumped against the wall. "This is going to kill me."

Skylla turned to him. "If you don't shut up I'll kill you. I'm trying to concentrate. Just give me another twenty minutes Dex."

Dex sighed and buried his head in his hands. Who knew if they had twenty minutes to spare.



Torrin heard the first click in the lock as the door opened again. It had taken her to a long time to figure out how to move the pin. Now it might be to late. She hid the pin in her robe and stood. The effects of the drug almost gone now.

Archist and five other men came in. Torrin was immediately on her guard. The five fanned out around her, creating a semi-circle. Then Archist nodded. They all tried to jump her at once. Torrin was able to send the first two to the floor with a quick kick, but it left her a bit off balance. The three left where able to pin her down. She kicked and punched all she could. The collar cut into her throat painfully and the men held her hard enough to cause bruises. A needle appeared and stabbed her arm.

Slowly her senses became jumbled. She felt extremely weak, she couldn't even turn her head to look at the men. Not that it would have done much good since her vision became doubled. Slowly the men let go and stood up. She was defenseless, it didn't scare her, it made her mad. Her father would have been ashamed of her. One of the men gave her a hard kick to her ribs. She could do nothing more then grunt in pain.

"Halt." Ordered Archist. His voice sounded far off. "Bring her."

One of the men picked her up and carried her. They went down a hallway into a white room. A large crystal was suspended above a table. Machines lined the wall. A group of people in scrubs stepped into their positions. Torrin was placed on the table and the black robe was removed. Her couldn't do anything to object but she swore the people would get theirs in time. She was strapped down to the table by restraints, which made no sense since she couldn't fight anyway.

"Begin Draw." Archist ordered.



The crystal above her charged up with power. Then formed a light that surged down. Torrin screamed as it hit her, ripped at her mind. She screamed until it felt as if her throat was burning. The restraints cut into her wrists as she thrashed on the table. The worst part about it is Demetra's scream echoed hers. It seemed to last forever.

Finally it was over. The pain resided slowly. Torrin gasped for air on the table. Archist leered down at her sweat soaked body. She didn't give a damn anymore. Tears fell down her cheeks at the sense of loss. She whimpered and tried to hold back sobs. For the first time in her life she was alone in her mind. Completely alone, it was painful. Demetra had been drawn.

Archist bent over her and smoothed back her wet hair. He kissed her forehead. "Well done my dear."



An unearthly scream echoed down the ship's hallway. Damon turned towards the noise automatically, his heart caught in his throat, Tor. Dex tried to run past him, but Damon tackled him to the floor. Dex slammed a fist into Damon's chest but Damon ignored the pain. Dex fought against him but gave up eventually when he realized that Damon wasn't going to let him go. Skylla met Damon's eyes. Her face had gone white.

Dex's shoulders shook in silent sobs. "We have to help her."

Damon hated calls like this. "This information is more important."

"More important then Tor's life!?!"

Damon closed his eyes not wanting to have to say what needed saying. "Yes…"

Dex pulled away from him. Skylla turned back to the computer and began working as fast as she could. Damon feared the silence more then the screams cause that meant one of two things. The ones who were doing this either had the information they needed or Torrin was dead. The screams continued to echo.




Alone she was alone. The silence was killing her. She was back in the dark room once again. In the black robe, the bobby pin was long ago lost. She was nothing more then a caged animal, no purpose for them to keep her anymore, none at all. Alone, she was all alone.

She rocked herself in the darkness, singing with her raspy voice, her throat hurting more with every note, but at least pain let her know she was still alive. She must look a fright. Her eyes were probably puffy from crying, she could feel dried sweat on her skin, and her hair was in knots. Not that any of that mattered to her anymore. Why should she care about how she looked, when she was alone.

Archist came into the room, followed by Cassandra. He was crooning to her. Was he gloating about his success? He paced back and forth talking to her. The words never reached her ears though, her eyes never left him for a moment. She watched him.

He seemed to get annoyed with her. He took a step forward and the another, and then…there. Torrin sprang up, and darted around him. The thick chain wrapped around his neck, cutting him, crushing his air pipe, killing him, kill him. He underestimated her, she would have been a great SeeD, a great SeeD if only she would have had the chance. Holy hit her in the back, burning her, sending new pain. The body couldn't take it and Torrin lost herself in the white light…but at least in the white light she wouldn't be alone.