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Chapter 2: Through The Portal
Squall awoke the next morning with a knot of dread forming in his stomach. Today was the day when he would start his marvelous journey with Rinoa and her new boyfriend… who also happened to be a backstabbing little prick. Squall sat up, still in his clothes from yesterday, and realized he hadn't even taken a look at the care package Selphie had given him. He knew he would have to before he left to meet the others, so he could be on top of things. A good SeeD always was...
He picked up the padded manila folder, which he had carelessly flung on his night table the previous afternoon, and opened up the little clasp. The first thing he pulled out was a pink sheet of paper, with the heading, "To Squall Leonhart: Project Assistant Director-"
"What? What the hell did you make me, Selphie?" he thought to himself, a surge of nervousness taking hold of him. He knew nothing about this whole thing. He had even been falling asleep during the presentation. And now he was expected to be Selphie's assistant? He continued reading.
"- and Commander-In-Chief of SeeD."
"The hell?" Squall wondered. "Probably if they're hostile."
The rest of the paper outlined the project's objectives, and what Squall was expected to do in a hostile situation. He was also given his task to research: Military/Fighting tactics and the overall rating of how dangerous Dimension 12 was. He was calmed by the fact that it was laid out in an organized and precise fashion. It made him feel as though he could follow orders better.
Squall dressed before packing. The care package, on a separate sheet of paper, also had a list of items he should bring, and provided him with research materials such as a tape recorder, a camera, a journal (which he was supposed to write in every day), and a few pens/pencils. Squall wasn't shocked to see that his gun blade was one of the recommended items. He carefully stowed it in its sheath after packing a small backpack of his other stuff. He always traveled light. Before leaving his dorm room, he noticed a note had been put in his mailbox. "Meet for breakfast first in the cafeteria around 10 AM. Bring your travel bag(s) with you and any last questions you may have. If you have decided not to come, please join us in the cafeteria anyway. We leave at noon. Signed Selphie Tilmitt, Dimension 12 Project Director."
Squall noticed it was almost 10, so he made sure he had everything, took one last look at his room which he knew he most likely wouldn't be seeing for months, and left after locking it. He headed for the cafeteria, noticing that the halls were unusually quiet. Where was everyone? "They're probably in class," concluded Squall, approaching the cafeteria. It turned out he was right. The only people in the cafeteria were the same ones from yesterday's meeting, except some hadn't arrived yet. "Good morning, Squall," Quistis greeted him, motioning him to a chair besides Selphie, who beamed at him eagerly from her plate of pancakes.
"So are you all ready, Assistant Director?" she asked him, very happily. He gave her a small grin as not to disappoint her with what had been his shock earlier that day.
"Yes. All packed."
No one spoke for a moment. Quistis, Selphie, Cid, Xu, and Irvine all stared at Squall as if waiting for him to say something else. "What?" he asked, getting irritated once more at feeling like the idiot.
"We're just wondering if you're going to ask why you're the Assistant Director and not Rinoa," Xu replied.
Squall frowned slightly. SeeDs didn't ask questions. They just did as they were told. "I just assumed it was my unquestionable duty," he answered after a moment. At that, they all laughed. Squall felt his face grow hot but was determined to keep his cool.
"Lighten up, Squall," Irvine chuckled. "This isn't a regular mission. In case you haven't noticed, we're going to another dimension. It's gonna be a blast..."
"Irvine, I thought this wasn't just a time to have a 'blast', but that we were actually going to study Dimension 12," Squall said in a calm voice, though anger was surging up inside him. He hated being such a tightwad sometimes, but somebody had to be the responsible one. Before Irvine had the chance to shoot something back, Selphie rested her hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, both of you," she said, no longer smiling but looking rather fierce, in a way that Squall had never seen her before. The others looked as though this new expression was a surprise also. "Yes, Squall, this is a very important mission and we need to study Dimension 12, but Irvine is right too in that we will also do our best to enjoy it. Because you're so goal-oriented is the reason I chose you as my assistant. This project is extremely important to me and Dr. Odine, so I knew I could trust you to fill in for him. I wanted to explain to you also what being my assistant will mean."
"Okay," said Squall, paying full attention as Selphie took her hand off Irvine and turning to look Squall in the eyes. Her posture had become very business-like, unlike her usual easy-going stance. Squall knew this must have been the side of her that made her SeeD-worthy.
"As my assistant, it is first and foremost your duty to aid me in anyway you can, which includes making sure everyone stays on top of their tasks and stays safe. In the event I become incapacitated, you are to become the Project director, and therefore it will be your responsibility to decide when we can come home. Incapacitation will be the result of my serious injury or death."
Irvine shuddered when he heard her say that, but the others, who had been trained with this kind of thought, nodded slowly, watching Squall.
"Do you understand everything I've just told you?" Selphie asked, relaxing a little, her smile coming back.
"Yes," Squall answered. "I'll be honored to work as your assistant, Selphie."
She gave him a huge smile and hugged him. "Hey, hey," said Irvine, tapping her on the shoulder. She spun back around and faced him. Squall could tell that at first this was to get Selphie off another guy, but he saw the wheels in Irvine's head turning to come up with something to ask her to hide the truth. "Um... tell Squall what the rest of have as jobs."
"Oh, yeah! Well, Irvine's task is to learn about their types of weapons and defense mechanisms. I know its similar to yours, so you and him will also be working very closely. Quistis's job is to learn what type of school the people of Dimension 12 attend, and why they do so, how they are picked to go, etc. Zell..."
Selphie gave him another big smile as he arrived on his T-board, Cid giving him a disapproving look but saying nothing. "Hey, guys," he greeted, taking a seat on the other side of Quistis. "What's up?"
"Selphie's just telling Squall what all our jobs are. He's the assistant director, you know," Quistis replied. Selphie beamed before continuing.
"Zell's job is to learn about their games and sports. Zell's report should be interesting, especially because he will be the one to find out what that curious game they play on broomsticks is. Rinoa's task is to learn about their clothes and fashions. She especially wants to know why they all wear robes, it seems, and sometimes hats."
Rinoa and Seifer were the last to arrive, Rinoa lugging the biggest suitcase out of all of them. Xu gazed at her for a moment before saying, "Rinoa, are you sure you want to bring that thing?"
Rinoa nodded. "If I'm to study clothes and fashions, I want to be able to show them what ours are too, and maybe bring back samples of their's."
She grinned at Selphie as she and Seifer settled across the table from her, Seifer running his fingers through his hair and giving Squall a smug look. Squall turned back to Selphie. "What's Seifer's task?"
"Oh, Seifer... he'll be mapping out all the territory we cover. Someone has to," she answered after a moment. Squall caught the slight sneer he gave her. He knew Seifer would have much rather been doing something more exciting sounding. But Squall knew that mapping everything out was one of the more important tasks. "And, finally, I will be studying the psychology of the inhabitants. Their relationships with each other and such," Selphie finished, looking quite happy with herself.
"Well, since everyone's here, let's start the meeting," Cid said, a warm smile crossing his face. Squall could tell that he was expecting a lot of contributions to Balamb Garden from donors after word of this got out.
"Okay," said Selphie, getting back into her professional posture. "Everyone is clear on their task?"
The group nodded.
"You have all packed?"
Nods.
"Any questions?"
Nobody raised their hand.
"Okay then, looks like we're all set. Headmaster, we should probably take them down to the portal now and start the process."
Cid nodded with understanding and rose out of his chair. "Gather your belongings, everyone," he said. "Make sure you have your luggage, care packages, and, most importantly, weapons. We cannot assume the people of Dimension 12 are friendly. Selphie, if you'll please lead the way."
She nodded, walking very proudly towards the exit, Irvine close behind. Everyone gathered their things and followed her. It wasn't strange for any of the few people still walking around Garden to see a group like that with luggage, as they were used to SeeDs constantly taking up residence in Garden before leaving on a mission, so no one outside the group bothered to ask questions. Cid and Xu looked relieved at this, because it was obvious they wanted to keep this top secret until Selphie and her group returned. If they even did...
Selphie took them to the elevator and they all packed in, which was difficult for Rinoa with her big wheelie suitcase, but they managed anyway. "We're leaving from the Headmaster's office?" Zell asked.
"Nope, the basement," came Selphie's quick reply. "No students are usually allowed down there, so it was the safest place to set up the portal."
She pressed some buttons and down they went, a feeling of anxiousness in the air. "Now, we're not leaving 'til around noon because we needed time for Rinoa to gather up her strength to put all her concentration on opening the portal all the way."
"Wait, so you guys haven't even tested it yet?" Zell asked, seeming stunned, as now the others, including Squall, were.
"Not exactly..." Selphie winced. This was what she had feared would be their reactions. "We're actually the guinea pigs."
Zell gulped a little but nodded. Everyone knew they were already bound to go with Selphie so they decided to stay. They knew this was what Selphie had wanted for a long time.
They all stepped out of the elevator, the apprehension rising. Squall spotted an archway where NORG used to sit connected to some sort of machine, the same one that Rinoa had been hooked up to in the picture of her during the presentation. Everyone stared at the archway, which was open right to the other side. The darkness of the basement gave them an eerie feeling, but Selphie bounced right over to the machine and Rinoa followed. Rinoa put on what looked like headphones, and Selphie asked her, "Ready, Rin?"
Rinoa nodded. "Yes. All set."
"Okay, everyone, stand over there," Selphie pointed to a large circle someone had taped on the floor. All the others except for Cid and Xu obliged. They, instead, stood closer to the elevators, observing, Xu taking notes and every now and then and taking a picture here and there. "She must be recording what happens in our dimension while we're gone," Squall thought.
After everyone was in place, Selphie turned some knobs and pressed some buttons. Suddenly what looked like a silvery liquid poured down in a sheet from the archway, so that they couldn't see through the other side anymore. Squall felt the same knot in his stomach from earlier when he saw Rinoa give a small smile to Seifer, who waved back. Quistis moved a little closer to Squall. He could tell she was nervous by her body language. Almost out of spite, he put his hand on Quistis's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. "I knew you weren't a complete ass hole," she whispered, and laughed a little to calm herself. Squall smiled back. But it was all just friendly. He had no feelings for his former instructor romantically.
Rinoa closed her eyes as the machine began to hum quietly. She seemed to be muttering something, but Squall couldn't make it out over the humming. Suddenly the liquid, which was pouring constantly but not running all over the floor, began to have streams of purple flow along with the silver. As the humming of the machine became louder and Rinoa started talking louder and looking as though she were concentrating more, pink and blue and green streams began to appear along with the purple. And then the archway itself began to glow and the noise of the flowing liquid became audible for the first time. Selphie smiled, her excitement growing. Soon Rinoa was shouting her incantations, the water-noise becoming louder along with her, and the archway glowing so bright that Squall could no longer look at it. Rinoa shouted one final chant and took off the headphone-like object and replaced it on its holder. The archway was now a dazzling waterfall of all the colors mentioned, no longer a trace of silver visible, and glowing so brightly it was hard to stare directly at it. "Okay, everyone!" Selphie shouted above the waterfall. "It's time! Squall, you and I are going first!"
Squall came out of the circle and approached Selphie, who also flung on a back pack, holding her flail in her left hand and grasping Squall's left with her free right one. She smiled at him, gave him a quick nod, and said, "I know you'll protect all of us," before they took their steps up to the archway. With one final breath and a closing of the eyes, she and Squall both stepped into the flowing liquid, Squall half-expecting to come out on the other side of the archway still in the basement.
The liquid made them feel like they were stepping into a warm bath, although they were fully clothed. They were immersed for a second, and then stepped out into the other side. Squall opened his eyes and peered around. They seemed to be in some sort of dungeon. Selphie looked up at him, an expression of wonder on her face. She looked around in awe for a moment before saying, "We should move out of the way for the others."
Squall turned around to face what they had just come out of as they walked ahead a few steps. It was a very tall mirror, as high as the ceiling, framed by gold with an inscription on the top: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." It worried him to think what this might mean. Suddenly Selphie gasped, and tightened her grip on Squall's hand. He swung back around to see a short, haggard looking man favoring one of his legs with bulging eyes glaring at him. His scraggly, unkempt hair shadowed his face somewhat. A cat with lamp-like eyes rubbed up against his legs. "Ahh, so some Muggles have managed to sneak their way into Hogwarts. I knew Dumbledore was wrong after all those years about nobody being able to penetrate its defenses."
