Squall awoke after passing out from Seifer's torture to find himself strapped to a chair, in a different room. While he was still in pain, it wasn't as serious as it had been. He looked up, to see Seifer standing above him, still grinning that same grin he had done all throughout the torture session. Behind Seifer, through a window, was the torture rack Squall was previously attached to.
"Where am I now?" Squall asked, still pained.
"Oh," Seifer said, smugly, "I decided that you needed a break from all the torture, so I'm going to let you have a little sit down."
"Am I supposed to be grateful?" Squall shot back.
"You should be," Seifer retorted, angrily. "However, without you in my contraption, I'd get bored too easily." He clicked his fingers, and Squall was shocked to see Irvine get dragged into the room, and stripped of his hat and coat, before being attached to the mechanism Squall was just attached to.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted, out of reflex more than anything else.
"He can't hear you," Seifer informed Squall, "this is bullet-proof glass. And it's one way only, so you can see him, but all he sees is his own reflection." Squall had wondered why Seifer had installed a mirror in the torture chamber- now he knew.
"Let him go, Seifer," Squall demanded.
"And why would I want to do that?" Seifer asked as he oversaw Irvine being strapped to the machine, and the electrodes implanted in his neck.
"He's not the one you want," Squall answered.
"True," Seifer started, "but unfortunately, he is one of your friends. Would watching him suffer make you suffer?" Squall looked down- he'd made a habit of not caring before, why wouldn't Seifer believe him if he said he didn't care about Irvine?
"Not really," Squall answered, before jolting as a thousand volts seared through his body.
"Whoops," Seifer answered, "that was a mistake. Did I forget to mention you're attached to a lie detector? Lie, and you fry. I'll ask you again. Would watching the cowboy suffer make you suffer?" Squall was determined.
"No." Again, Squall writhed in pain as the electricity surged through him.
"Each time you lie," Seifer said, matter-of-factly, "the surge only gets longer." Squall, however, didn't care.
"No," he began, only to feel a longer surge pass through him, "No," –even longer- "NO!" The last surge lasted a full ten seconds. Squall was close to unconsciousness by the end of it all. Noticing this, Seifer cast a curaga spell on Squall, re-vitalising him.
"I thought you were meant to be torturing me," Squall said of the spell, mocking Seifer.
"Oh, don't worry," Seifer retorted, "I am. Only I don't want you knocking yourself out before the next event. And to make sure of it-" Seifer pushed a button on his remote- "The lie detector is now de-activated. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a guest to attend to." He left the room by a side door, then seconds later, entered the torture chamber, where he addressed Squall through the mirror.
"You're going to love this, Squall," he said, mockingly. He walked over to Irvine, and punched him hard in the gut, forcing him to wake up, and vomit. Irvine slowly regained consciousness, and immediately recognised the man who hit him.
"Oh," he said, trying to sound tough, "it's you."
"The traitor of Galbaldia Garden," Seifer began. "The cowboy. The one all the girls adore. My prisoner. Nice irony, eh?" Irvine was quick to retort.
"Get bent," he said, defiantly. Seifer just shook his head, then hit Irvine again, this time, in the face. Irvine felt and heard a loud CRACK as Seifer's fist connected with his nose, and blood started dripping from it. Damn, Irvine thought, that ain't gonna look pretty.
"Fun though this is," Seifer went on, "it isn't really the reason I called you here. Tell me, Irvine, what are Squall's weaknesses?"
Back behind the mirror, Squall was silently praying. Please, Irvine, he thought, just tell him what he wants to know and save yourself. He hung his head at Irvine's reply.
"Up yours." Irvine writhed in pain as he felt several thousand volts of pure electricity flow through his joints, his bones and his skin. He inwardly screamed, and outwardly grimaced. Seifer walked up, and yanked a patch of his hair clean out of his head, causing Irvine to grimace some more.
"Tell me what I need to know," Seifer threatened, before his eyes lit up with an idea. "If you don't, I'll just have to get it out of one of the girls. And believe me, I will. One way or another." Irvine was quick to respond.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Seifer warned. Irvine stayed button-lipped.
"OK, then," Seifer told Irvine, "have it your way." He motioned to push the button, then changed his mind, and summoned three cloaked guards to take Irvine down from the machine. Irvine was incredulous.
"No," he started, "Wait! Put me back! The girls don't know anything! Spare them!"
"How do I know for sure they don't know anything," Seifer retorted, "if I don't ask them myself?" He motioned to the guards to take Irvine back to the cell. Irvine struggled and shouted all the way, but his struggles were cut short when Seifer instructed the cloaked guards to beat him up, ending Irvine's resistance. He was dragged off, as Seifer left via the side door, and re-entered Squall's antechamber.
"See what you've done?" He asked Squall. "In under fifteen minutes, one of the girls will be strapped to that device, and you will be powerless to do anything. How does it feel, Squall?"
"They have nothing to do with it," Squall replied, "none of them. Let them go."
"They stand by you all the way," Seifer retorted, "if they choose not to stand by you, then I'll let them go, no questions asked. But do you honestly think they'll choose to abandon you?" Squall looked down, knowing the awful truth- they'd never abandon him, no matter how much he willed them to.
"Not going to answer?" Seifer asked. "That's alright, I think we both know what the answer is. Let's just leave it unsaid, shall we?" He said, as he exited the room.
"Where are you going?" Squall asked his departing nemesis.
"Well," Seifer answered through the magic mirror, "I have to know which of them to pick, don't I?"
"Where am I now?" Squall asked, still pained.
"Oh," Seifer said, smugly, "I decided that you needed a break from all the torture, so I'm going to let you have a little sit down."
"Am I supposed to be grateful?" Squall shot back.
"You should be," Seifer retorted, angrily. "However, without you in my contraption, I'd get bored too easily." He clicked his fingers, and Squall was shocked to see Irvine get dragged into the room, and stripped of his hat and coat, before being attached to the mechanism Squall was just attached to.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted, out of reflex more than anything else.
"He can't hear you," Seifer informed Squall, "this is bullet-proof glass. And it's one way only, so you can see him, but all he sees is his own reflection." Squall had wondered why Seifer had installed a mirror in the torture chamber- now he knew.
"Let him go, Seifer," Squall demanded.
"And why would I want to do that?" Seifer asked as he oversaw Irvine being strapped to the machine, and the electrodes implanted in his neck.
"He's not the one you want," Squall answered.
"True," Seifer started, "but unfortunately, he is one of your friends. Would watching him suffer make you suffer?" Squall looked down- he'd made a habit of not caring before, why wouldn't Seifer believe him if he said he didn't care about Irvine?
"Not really," Squall answered, before jolting as a thousand volts seared through his body.
"Whoops," Seifer answered, "that was a mistake. Did I forget to mention you're attached to a lie detector? Lie, and you fry. I'll ask you again. Would watching the cowboy suffer make you suffer?" Squall was determined.
"No." Again, Squall writhed in pain as the electricity surged through him.
"Each time you lie," Seifer said, matter-of-factly, "the surge only gets longer." Squall, however, didn't care.
"No," he began, only to feel a longer surge pass through him, "No," –even longer- "NO!" The last surge lasted a full ten seconds. Squall was close to unconsciousness by the end of it all. Noticing this, Seifer cast a curaga spell on Squall, re-vitalising him.
"I thought you were meant to be torturing me," Squall said of the spell, mocking Seifer.
"Oh, don't worry," Seifer retorted, "I am. Only I don't want you knocking yourself out before the next event. And to make sure of it-" Seifer pushed a button on his remote- "The lie detector is now de-activated. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a guest to attend to." He left the room by a side door, then seconds later, entered the torture chamber, where he addressed Squall through the mirror.
"You're going to love this, Squall," he said, mockingly. He walked over to Irvine, and punched him hard in the gut, forcing him to wake up, and vomit. Irvine slowly regained consciousness, and immediately recognised the man who hit him.
"Oh," he said, trying to sound tough, "it's you."
"The traitor of Galbaldia Garden," Seifer began. "The cowboy. The one all the girls adore. My prisoner. Nice irony, eh?" Irvine was quick to retort.
"Get bent," he said, defiantly. Seifer just shook his head, then hit Irvine again, this time, in the face. Irvine felt and heard a loud CRACK as Seifer's fist connected with his nose, and blood started dripping from it. Damn, Irvine thought, that ain't gonna look pretty.
"Fun though this is," Seifer went on, "it isn't really the reason I called you here. Tell me, Irvine, what are Squall's weaknesses?"
Back behind the mirror, Squall was silently praying. Please, Irvine, he thought, just tell him what he wants to know and save yourself. He hung his head at Irvine's reply.
"Up yours." Irvine writhed in pain as he felt several thousand volts of pure electricity flow through his joints, his bones and his skin. He inwardly screamed, and outwardly grimaced. Seifer walked up, and yanked a patch of his hair clean out of his head, causing Irvine to grimace some more.
"Tell me what I need to know," Seifer threatened, before his eyes lit up with an idea. "If you don't, I'll just have to get it out of one of the girls. And believe me, I will. One way or another." Irvine was quick to respond.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Seifer warned. Irvine stayed button-lipped.
"OK, then," Seifer told Irvine, "have it your way." He motioned to push the button, then changed his mind, and summoned three cloaked guards to take Irvine down from the machine. Irvine was incredulous.
"No," he started, "Wait! Put me back! The girls don't know anything! Spare them!"
"How do I know for sure they don't know anything," Seifer retorted, "if I don't ask them myself?" He motioned to the guards to take Irvine back to the cell. Irvine struggled and shouted all the way, but his struggles were cut short when Seifer instructed the cloaked guards to beat him up, ending Irvine's resistance. He was dragged off, as Seifer left via the side door, and re-entered Squall's antechamber.
"See what you've done?" He asked Squall. "In under fifteen minutes, one of the girls will be strapped to that device, and you will be powerless to do anything. How does it feel, Squall?"
"They have nothing to do with it," Squall replied, "none of them. Let them go."
"They stand by you all the way," Seifer retorted, "if they choose not to stand by you, then I'll let them go, no questions asked. But do you honestly think they'll choose to abandon you?" Squall looked down, knowing the awful truth- they'd never abandon him, no matter how much he willed them to.
"Not going to answer?" Seifer asked. "That's alright, I think we both know what the answer is. Let's just leave it unsaid, shall we?" He said, as he exited the room.
"Where are you going?" Squall asked his departing nemesis.
"Well," Seifer answered through the magic mirror, "I have to know which of them to pick, don't I?"