Rinoa was studying when the telephone call came. She decided not to follow through with her threat to quit the Garden, and felt she owed it to Squall to study, to show him that she really did want to be a SeeD. Leaning across her desk, she answered the phone.
"Hello?" She answered. She was somewhat surprised to hear Cid's subdued voice on the other end of the line.
"Rinoa," he started, obviously about to break some bad news, "could you please report to the infirmary. I have some bad news for you." She instantly knew what it meant. Squall… she silently thought, as she answered her headmaster.
"Y-yes," she said, fighting back the tears that had become part of her daily routine since Squall had left, "I-I'll be right there." She hung up, and immediately ran down to the infirmary, where she arrived just in time to see a young man being stretchered in. She immediately recognised him as Nida- the pilot assigned to Squall's mission. Locating Cid, she went up to him.
"Squall?" She asked, catching Cid by surprise. Cid put on his serious face, and answered her query.
"Rinoa, there'd no easy way to say this," he began. Rinoa gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. Surely he can't be-!
"He's been captured by Seifer," he continued. Rinoa let her expression soften- while it was still very, very bad, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Cid continued on. "Along with Selphie, Irvine and Quistis, they were captured and taken somewhere. I don't know where yet, I'll have to wait until Nida's conscious." Rinoa nodded, then slowly, but surely, the tears came. While he wasn't exactly the most sympathetic of people, Cid just couldn't ignore her, and gave her a brief, re-assuring hug.
"We'll find them," he said, reassuringly, "there's got to be a way." Suddenly, something clicked inside Rinoa's head- all her fuzzy thoughts slowly turned into one, lucid idea. Wiping away the tears, she looked up at Cid.
"There is a way," she said, full of the same confidence she'd begun to thought she was losing. "I need the Ragnarok."
"Where will you be taking it?" Cid asked. Although had been partly responsible for retrieving the spaceship, he wasn't too keen to turn it over to anyone without a good reason.
"Esthar," Rinoa answered. She'd had a brilliant plan, but she'd need some help...
Squall awoke to find himself feeling sick, and chained to a wall, staring at a very large mirror. I know this place, he thought, I definitely remember it from somewhere, but where? Just then, Seifer's grinning, bearded face came looming into view.
"Good," he said, almost neutrally, "you're awake. I admit, after four stun grenades and a shot of tranquilliser, I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up at all." Tranquillisers- that explains why I'm nauseous. But where am I?
"Do you remember this place, Squall?" Seifer asked, genuinely curious. Just then, Squall's memories of the last time he was there came flooding back- the torture, the thousands and thousands of volts Seifer sent cascading through his body until he eventually passed out from the pain. Squall remembered it well.
"This," Squall answered, his voice nearly breaking, "is the prison in Galbaldia desert, where you tortured me." Seifer smiled.
"You DO remember it, then," Seifer replied. "I'm glad. Us three are going to get re-acquainted." Seifer walked over to the control panel. "Hmm," he continued. I see your heartbeat's increased. What's the matter? Afraid I'll do something, perhaps? Like this?" As he uttered the word "this", Seifer pushed a button on his control panel. Squall yelled and writhed as approximately 7000 volts were sent shooting through his body for nearly ten seconds. When he had got his breath back, Squall spoke.
"W-what do you want fro me?" Squall asked, still gasping for air.
"Tch, tch, you're breaking easily, Squall," Seifer said, mockingly, pushing the same button again, this time for only 5 seconds. "What I want from you," he continued, "is to suffer. You made my life a misery, Squall. You had to take everything I ever had, ever wanted. Well now it's my turn, Squall. I will hurt you, I will humiliate you, and in the end, Squall, I will bury you." This time, he leaned back, concentrating, and unleashed a firaga spell on Squall, burning his skin. Squall, however, was defiant.
"Get bent," he said through gritted teeth, before spitting in Seifer's face. Seifer quivered with rage, before noticing that his chest was level with Squall's private area. Smiling, he looked Squall in the eye.
"Big mistake," he said, before winding up and punching Squall hard in the aforementioned area. Squall emitted a dull moan, his eyes watering, before he couldn't control himself any longer, and he threw up all over the floor. And all he could hear was Seifer laughing at him...
Irvine was the first of the others to come round. Taking stock of his surroundings, he quickly woke up Quistis and Selphie, who were sprawled on the floor next to him.
"Ugh," Selphie said, still a little groggy and nauseous, "what happened?" Irvine simply shook his head, also feeling under the weather. Quistis woke up, and immediately sussed out where she was.
"Oh, no," she whispered, quietly.
"What is it?" Irvine asked.
"This is the D-District prison in Galbaldia. It's where we were all held after we failed to assassinate Edea." Selphie, too, recognised her confines.
"Oh, NO!" She shouted. "I thought this place was destroyed?"
"No," Quistis replied, "only abandoned. Seifer must have made it his home." Irvine was the first to ask the question none of them wanted to hear.
"Uh, where's Squall?" The others looked around, but there was no sign of him.
"He's probably being tortured right now," Selphie said, glumly. She stood up, but immediately bent double, retching. "Ugh," she continued, "what did they do to us? Hey Irvy, you don't happen to have an Esuna spell on you, do you?"
"It won't work," said Quistis, still seated. "Seifer will have put the magic barrier back up." Irvine decided to try anyway, but nothing happened.
"Told you," Quistis said. Irvine decided to sit Selphie down while he worked out how to open the door. Before he got anywhere, however, the door opened by itself.
"Hey," Irvine started, thinking he'd opened the door and turning to face the girls, "am I good or am-" He didn't get the opportunity to finish showing off, however, as he was knocked to the ground by one of Seifer's cloaked followers, wielding a club. Two more entered and restrained Quistis and Selphie, while a semi-conscious Irvine was dragged away by the first cloak. Upon his exit, the other two knocked Selphie and Quistis down with karate chops to the back of the neck, before themselves departing. Selphie did not stay down long.
"Irvy!" She shouted, banging on the door. "You bring him back right now, you big bullies, or I'll- I'll-" She slumped down, realising she could do nothing to help her friend. All Quistis could offer her was a weak smile.
"Maybe they're going to free him," Quistis said, not entirely full of confidence. "After all, Seifer did say it was Squall alone that he wanted." Selphie wasn't convinced.
"They're gonna torture him..." she wailed.
"Hello?" She answered. She was somewhat surprised to hear Cid's subdued voice on the other end of the line.
"Rinoa," he started, obviously about to break some bad news, "could you please report to the infirmary. I have some bad news for you." She instantly knew what it meant. Squall… she silently thought, as she answered her headmaster.
"Y-yes," she said, fighting back the tears that had become part of her daily routine since Squall had left, "I-I'll be right there." She hung up, and immediately ran down to the infirmary, where she arrived just in time to see a young man being stretchered in. She immediately recognised him as Nida- the pilot assigned to Squall's mission. Locating Cid, she went up to him.
"Squall?" She asked, catching Cid by surprise. Cid put on his serious face, and answered her query.
"Rinoa, there'd no easy way to say this," he began. Rinoa gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. Surely he can't be-!
"He's been captured by Seifer," he continued. Rinoa let her expression soften- while it was still very, very bad, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Cid continued on. "Along with Selphie, Irvine and Quistis, they were captured and taken somewhere. I don't know where yet, I'll have to wait until Nida's conscious." Rinoa nodded, then slowly, but surely, the tears came. While he wasn't exactly the most sympathetic of people, Cid just couldn't ignore her, and gave her a brief, re-assuring hug.
"We'll find them," he said, reassuringly, "there's got to be a way." Suddenly, something clicked inside Rinoa's head- all her fuzzy thoughts slowly turned into one, lucid idea. Wiping away the tears, she looked up at Cid.
"There is a way," she said, full of the same confidence she'd begun to thought she was losing. "I need the Ragnarok."
"Where will you be taking it?" Cid asked. Although had been partly responsible for retrieving the spaceship, he wasn't too keen to turn it over to anyone without a good reason.
"Esthar," Rinoa answered. She'd had a brilliant plan, but she'd need some help...
Squall awoke to find himself feeling sick, and chained to a wall, staring at a very large mirror. I know this place, he thought, I definitely remember it from somewhere, but where? Just then, Seifer's grinning, bearded face came looming into view.
"Good," he said, almost neutrally, "you're awake. I admit, after four stun grenades and a shot of tranquilliser, I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up at all." Tranquillisers- that explains why I'm nauseous. But where am I?
"Do you remember this place, Squall?" Seifer asked, genuinely curious. Just then, Squall's memories of the last time he was there came flooding back- the torture, the thousands and thousands of volts Seifer sent cascading through his body until he eventually passed out from the pain. Squall remembered it well.
"This," Squall answered, his voice nearly breaking, "is the prison in Galbaldia desert, where you tortured me." Seifer smiled.
"You DO remember it, then," Seifer replied. "I'm glad. Us three are going to get re-acquainted." Seifer walked over to the control panel. "Hmm," he continued. I see your heartbeat's increased. What's the matter? Afraid I'll do something, perhaps? Like this?" As he uttered the word "this", Seifer pushed a button on his control panel. Squall yelled and writhed as approximately 7000 volts were sent shooting through his body for nearly ten seconds. When he had got his breath back, Squall spoke.
"W-what do you want fro me?" Squall asked, still gasping for air.
"Tch, tch, you're breaking easily, Squall," Seifer said, mockingly, pushing the same button again, this time for only 5 seconds. "What I want from you," he continued, "is to suffer. You made my life a misery, Squall. You had to take everything I ever had, ever wanted. Well now it's my turn, Squall. I will hurt you, I will humiliate you, and in the end, Squall, I will bury you." This time, he leaned back, concentrating, and unleashed a firaga spell on Squall, burning his skin. Squall, however, was defiant.
"Get bent," he said through gritted teeth, before spitting in Seifer's face. Seifer quivered with rage, before noticing that his chest was level with Squall's private area. Smiling, he looked Squall in the eye.
"Big mistake," he said, before winding up and punching Squall hard in the aforementioned area. Squall emitted a dull moan, his eyes watering, before he couldn't control himself any longer, and he threw up all over the floor. And all he could hear was Seifer laughing at him...
Irvine was the first of the others to come round. Taking stock of his surroundings, he quickly woke up Quistis and Selphie, who were sprawled on the floor next to him.
"Ugh," Selphie said, still a little groggy and nauseous, "what happened?" Irvine simply shook his head, also feeling under the weather. Quistis woke up, and immediately sussed out where she was.
"Oh, no," she whispered, quietly.
"What is it?" Irvine asked.
"This is the D-District prison in Galbaldia. It's where we were all held after we failed to assassinate Edea." Selphie, too, recognised her confines.
"Oh, NO!" She shouted. "I thought this place was destroyed?"
"No," Quistis replied, "only abandoned. Seifer must have made it his home." Irvine was the first to ask the question none of them wanted to hear.
"Uh, where's Squall?" The others looked around, but there was no sign of him.
"He's probably being tortured right now," Selphie said, glumly. She stood up, but immediately bent double, retching. "Ugh," she continued, "what did they do to us? Hey Irvy, you don't happen to have an Esuna spell on you, do you?"
"It won't work," said Quistis, still seated. "Seifer will have put the magic barrier back up." Irvine decided to try anyway, but nothing happened.
"Told you," Quistis said. Irvine decided to sit Selphie down while he worked out how to open the door. Before he got anywhere, however, the door opened by itself.
"Hey," Irvine started, thinking he'd opened the door and turning to face the girls, "am I good or am-" He didn't get the opportunity to finish showing off, however, as he was knocked to the ground by one of Seifer's cloaked followers, wielding a club. Two more entered and restrained Quistis and Selphie, while a semi-conscious Irvine was dragged away by the first cloak. Upon his exit, the other two knocked Selphie and Quistis down with karate chops to the back of the neck, before themselves departing. Selphie did not stay down long.
"Irvy!" She shouted, banging on the door. "You bring him back right now, you big bullies, or I'll- I'll-" She slumped down, realising she could do nothing to help her friend. All Quistis could offer her was a weak smile.
"Maybe they're going to free him," Quistis said, not entirely full of confidence. "After all, Seifer did say it was Squall alone that he wanted." Selphie wasn't convinced.
"They're gonna torture him..." she wailed.