Chapter 5 – The Truth

"This sucks!" Zell yelled as once again he tried to free himself from the chains.

"That's just going to get you all tired out." Irvine said as he just rested there. "You've been doing that every day for the past week. Relax, the guards are going to give us another walk around in the pathetic little thing which they call a park. Then you can jump all the much you want."

Zell saw the flaws of his efforts and stopped. "Man, what the hell! I don't believe it. I just can't be chained up here. We've been held prisoner for freakin' five weeks – I've kept track – for all we know, the Earth is gone."

"Sherlock………" Selphie began, "………remember, Dragoon wanted us to witness the destruction of the Earth, so relax. As hopeless as it seems, we've still have some kind of chance. Sure, there's probably like a million monsters we gotta get through to get to the power core, but hey, there's always a way."

Quistis smiled. "Right, we can never give up hope. Remember, Squall's out there." She was counting on him. He was their last hope. 'He was the closest to the airship's door, so I had to push him out.' she rethought in her mind.

"I know that!" Zell said arrogantly. He paused, "But shit, I still can't believe Rinoa is here – and what's worse, she's that Dragoon's to-be queen. I mean, what the hell happened to her and Squall? She had to have lost her mind." Everyone else wondered the same question.

Rinoa seemed too kindhearted to just have switched sides all of a sudden. "Something must have happened to her when she went away all those months ago." Quistis said. "She could have been brainwashed. All I know is that Rinoa is our friend. She definitely would not have done something like this, no matter how much Squall was a jerk to her, if he was at all." the instructor added with a little chuckle, just to lighten things up.


Just then, the doors of the prison cell opened up, and Dragoon, followed by Sapphire walked in. Dragoon paced back and forth in front of the four SeeD members. "You guys are so pathetic! Is this the best your world has to offer? Are you supposed to be Earth's last hope – their ray of sunshine? Well, if you are, that ray has been put out, permanently." The evil king gave his signature devil's laugh before he continued. "Anyway, as you probably know, there is only about a week and a half before my units are fully powered. In other words, you world is dead, gone, going to be blown apart – whatever you want to think." Sapphire just stood there, not showing any emotions whatsoever, but just smiling as devilishly as Dragoon had done a few minutes ago. "My to-be queen………" Dragoon lied. "………What do you think we should do with them? Torture them or kill them right now?"

She looked at the hostages. One by one, she eyed them, staring at each one longer than the previous. "My lord. Wouldn't it be fun to see them squirm, knowing that they can't do anything to save their planet? I think it would be pretty funny, don't you?" she replied.

"Excellent idea! My love." Dragoon responded. He looked at her for a few more minutes. 'In one week, I'll have her powers. Then, ah yes, she'll have to be disposed of and then, I would be able to blow up planets with the snap of my fingers.' he smiled as that thought ran through his head and left the cell.

Sapphire, however, stayed there, and watched the four SeeD's try to break free. "It's no use…" she began. "Those chains are made of the toughest alloy this side of the universe. You'll never become free."

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something. "WHATTHE HELL ARE YOU DOING RINOA!" Zell screamed, trying to get some sense into her. Sapphire looked at him oddly, and gave an expression that she did not know where he was getting at.

"Rinoa, don't you remember us?" Irvine started, as he attempted to get a hold of their once true friend. "Remember, back a few months, the battle with Ultimecia? We were at your side. C'mon, you must remember something? If not us, then at least him………Squall Leonhart?"

Her eyes widened and her mouth was left open. "That………that name………it sounds familiar" the raven-haired girl managed to say. Just then, random pictures of her past came into her mind. Dances, parties, late up nights…all the small things that friends help make fun: Zell helping her get Squall's ring; Quistis showing her how to fight; Selphie chatting with her about crushes; Irvine giving her advice to get Squall's attention. Then everything went black and the image of space appeared in front of her eyes. She remembered, being stranded in space – with almost no oxygen left. She'd had given up hope of ever seeing anybody ever again. And then, he came to her rescue; rescued her from isolated space. He came and grabbed her and she knew she was not alone anymore. She had somebody she could count upon; someone she could rest upon, and have no more worries; someone who would risk their life, just as he did then, to come to her rescue………someone like him………her knight in shining armor.

To Zell, Rinoa looked as if she had been hypnotized or something. As he was about to say something, Rinoa started to scream, loudly. She clutched her head and fell to the floor instantly. The ruby tiara on her head was glowing brighter than ever, as it tried to control her mind or something. Irvine and Zell tried to unchain themselves, but it was a no go. All four of the prisoners had to cover up their ears, or they would have gone deaf. Rinoa's scream was, indeed, a deafening sound. As she struggled to regain control, the tiara on her head suddenly stopped glowing and shattered to pieces, cutting Rinoa's skin in several different places on her face, arms and legs. She fell to the floor unconscious.

Moments later, Dragoon came walking in, smiling, followed by Raven. "OH well. It was fun while it lasted. But to bad I didn't get to enjoy myself" he said as he looked up from Rinoa to the prisoners. "Well, it was about time for her to die anyway. All I need now is her powers extracted from her and I'll have no more business. Take her away!" he commanded as two guards carried her out of the cell. Dragoon then looked up to Zell and the others, simply smiled, and left.

Raven, on the other hand, stayed a little longer. "You know, I love to see you guys suffer." He walked up to Zell and punched him right in the gut. He did the same to Irvine. Raven then presented himself in front of Selphie and Quistis. "If it wasn't for Dragoon, I'm positive I could show both of you a thing or to." With that, he left, laughing away at this, so-called joke.

He couldn't take it anymore. It all made sense now. It wasn't Rinoa's fault at all. "You FUCKING piece of SHIT! You just wait till I get out of here!!!" Zell yelled after him as he desperately tried to free himself, but all ending in vain.

"So that's why Rinoa was here. I knew there had to be an alternative motive." Quistis thought out loud. "I guess the sorceress's magic would give him power beyond imaginat…"

"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY! After all that!" Zell yelled, not letting Quistis finish her sentence. "SHE'S GOING TO…"

"Will you shut up Zell! I know that. Why do you think I've been quiet all this time? I'm trying to think of a way out of…"

Zell was about to add something else, but Selphie cut him off. "You two, stop fighting. Right now is not the time. We have to stay calm and think. That's all!" she said in tears, in fear that this time, they have no hope at all.

Irvine looked at the others. Things were getting out of hand, and couldn't think of anything to do. 'Squall, if your alive, right now is the time to be the hero again.'

-----*****-----

As he surveyed the area, one thing was for certain. He would not be able to walk into the colony without attracting some attention. From what he had seen, there was not one single human in the colony, just various different breeds of monsters. "Well, I don't have much time left. I guess it's now or never." Squall slid down the side of the mountain, fully refreshed after a day's rest. He reached the entrance to the colony and stopped. He looked and saw the castle at the far end – at least a couple of miles away, if not more. He took a deep breath, took his gunblade in his right hand and a readied a Firaga magic in the other. He bent his knees and ran…just ran straight, slicing anybody or anything in his way and burning down farther away monsters with his magic.