Nothing as It Seems
IV
Summary: He knew his place in the world, or he thought he did. They were all there, then they were gone.
He doesn't know who to trust
Disclaimer: I Own Grace Mathers, and the doctors around the facility and I own the facility
Rating: R for language
"Then Seifer pinned you down and you went limp. We thought he killed you, and took him to the basement. I went to go see him once we realized you were stable to realize him and…" Quistis didn't want to repeat what they went threw. Too weird to watch it, then go threw it. "Yeah, and I think they took Seifer away for 'killing' me too. So now he's kind of..." Quistis stopped and watched Squall sigh.
"Not real?" he looked down, and noticed the crack under the door. "Why are we sitting in here?" Quistis looked at the door and shrugged her shoulders.
"I figured it would be locked by now, but..." She got stood up and went to the door, followed by Squall. Carefully putting her hand on the knob not wanting to set anything off, she turned it. It opened. Quistis jumped a bit not expecting it to open. "Squall, lets go, before they see us leave," Quistis speed walked down the never ending hall and turned a corner to wait for Squall who stayed behind to close the room door very quietly.
"Where too now?" Quistis shrugged.
"I'm thinking out of this building, uhh. Lets go this way," Squall and Quistis walked down another long, narrow white hallway.
"Hold up," Quistis stopped walking and read the advertisement for 'V.R. Life. You Too Could Become the Next George Sutherland.'
"What's that..." Squall Trailed off and read the Ad.
V.R. Life!
You Too Could Become the Next George Sutherland.
V.R. Life or Virtual Reality Life is the next generation in space travel. Our scientists here at Balamb Institute for Space Technology have discovered a way to travel for twenty years in stasis but never miss a moment of your life! Your mind is hooked up to one of our very own V.R.L. computers and away we go. You will be taught all the requirements of your assigned job, you will interact with your crew and your body grows with your mind. Parents wanting their child to help with space exploration can sign them up for the first launch in December 3284.
Book your child's seat now!
"Woah," Quistis and Squall looked at each other with a look of questioning. "Um... that was... Different"
"Uh huh… lets keep going," Squall suggested wondering what else we was going to find in... Balamb. Balamb was his home but he could never call this place his home. They continued walking the maze of Balamb, Institute of Space Travel and got no where useful.
"Ok, I'm getting tired," Quistis complained looking out a window. "We've been walking forever, haven't come across another human being since Grace left and I'm hungry," Squall stopped and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, all I'm saying is, if were here, why not look in some rooms. Find a map of this place. You take that door, I'm going in here," Quistis slowly turned the knob and opened the door. An office. With a computer! Yes! She thought as she sat at the screen. Looks the same as her other ones, keyboard the same, speakers etc. She turned it on.
'Password Please'
An electronic voice demanded. 'Great, password protected. Well, if it's someone who works here it might be a name, like….' Quistis tried 'Leonheart'
'Access Denied'
Shit. Ok, um, 'Trep'
'Access Denied'
Shit, shit! Uh... Dincht…?
'Access Granted'
Quistis sighed in relief, that voice was getting loud. Just then a door in the opposite end of the office opened. Quistis jumped up out of the seat, and starred at the figure before her.
"Hey! Look lady. What are you doing in here? Did you get lost from your tour grope or something'?" Zell Mathers questioned, leaning to one side with his muscular arms crossed.
Quistis's knees became weak and she trembled. "Zell…?"
"Yeah… do I know you?"
It was him. It was Zell, with his spiked bangs and odd fashion sense and...
"Hey!" He yelled. "Aren't you one of the V.L. test subjects? Wow! I thought I wasn't meeting you till tomorrow. This is so cool! So, what's your name?"
Quistis stood there in shock. What in the world was she going to day to him? Uh, Hi! I know you, but you don't know me. I don't know you as you here, I know a different you from a different life that I was recently pulled out of and…
"You can talk right?"
Quistis snapped out of her daze. "Um, my name is uh... Quistis… Trep and yes, I am lost. W...would you be able to direct me to the nearest exit?"
"Yeah, sorry, you looked like..." Zell looked at Quistis questioningly
"It's ok, I get that a lot, so, where would it be?"
"Down the hall, take a left and then another left and you can't miss it,"
"Thank you. It was nice seeing you again. Good bye Zell," Quistis turned and left repeating to herself, 'down hall, left and left'.
"Bye Quistis..." Zell lingered in the office wondering what that was all about. But, he had other things on his mind. Like how to get the gun slinging, selfish, thinks the world revolves around him, son of the owner of the world's oil fields, Irvine to meet the test subjects. That was going to be worth a Christmas bonus.
Squall was waiting in the hall for Quistis. "Find anything? I didn't,"
"Yeah actually, I did. Down this hall, turn left, then turn left again. That should get us out,"
"Alright then," Squall and Quistis continued down the hall. But it wasn't as easy as it seemed. The halls went on and on and on. They saw no sign of another human being for half n hour when they say the EXIT sign.
"That's a sight for soar eyes," Quistis sighed as they finished the hall. Only not only did they find the exit, they found the main entrance, full of scientists, people in white lab coats running back and forth, reporters trying to get a story on something that none wants to talk about and...
"It's Selphie!" Squall exclaimed quietly.
"Squall, we can't leave with all these reporters and people here," Squall ignored Quistis's remark and started to walk toward Selphie.
"Squall no! Would you rather stay another night in a replica dorm room or have the press swamping you wherever you can get a place to stay? Whatever you decide, I'm, staying here,"
"Fine, I'll wait," Squall stopped walking to the main entrance.
"I'm just going to head back to my room Squall. I'll see you later. All this is too confusing right now and waiting to see what happens seems like the most sensible thing to do," Quistis headed back down the long white hallway disappointed that Squall did not soon follow. Instead he stayed and watched the people in lab coats run around like chickens with their heads cut off. It was amusing for a wile but he missed her being around him. With no one else, he was planing on keeping her really close.
Squall had gotten lost again and was about to slump onto the floor when he heard a shriek…
All she wanted was to help him adjust to reality, bring him to familiar faces but she should have known with his temper that he wouldn't take it so well. Then Squall rounded the corner to see him holding Grace up off the floor and against the beige wall by her vulnerable neck. She was so small at 5'6 compared to his big build and vertical advantage.
"Seifer!" Squall almost screamed.
"Squall?…" his hard face turned to a look of astonishment "no…" he turned back to Grace. "Stop fucking with my mind! I'll kill you, and then I'll kill him, then I'll kill the rest of ya!" he squeezed her harder and she winced in pain and lack of air.
"Seifer! It's me! Common let her go. If you want revenge against everything that much I'm right here. Shit Seifer stop thinking with that hot temper you got and start thinking with your common sense for once!" He didn't move, just kept his cold stare fixed on Grace.
"Shit Seifer their gone! They're all fucking gone! Fujin, Reijin, Rin… Rinoa," he felt tears in his eyes again. Gawd dammit he was going to be an emotional wreck before the day was over.
That's when it happened. It hit him like a tone of bricks. They were all gone, all but Squall and Quistis. He released her from his lethal grip and glared at him.
"Why… why aren't they. What the fuck happened to them? They were their one day and you wake up the next day with fucking long hair and…" he let out a loud bellow as he released his frustration on the wall. Bones cracked.
"Seifer," grace jumped up and put her slender hand on his shoulder. "Please, don't hurt yourself. Let me take you to your room and I'll get the doctor. Try to remember were not going to hurt you," she looked up at him with those big caring blue eyes of hers despite his looming body. The three of them walked back to the dorm hallway.
He had to stay, being his stubborn self. She'd probably never see him again. Maybe he was right, and leaving was the better choice. Finding herself alone she sat in the far corner of the room with a chocobo plushy Zell won her awhile back at a carnival. They even made the stupid plushy. It was sickening how they played with her mind like this. How much longer were they going to leave her before the questioning started? She imagined all the people; the 'familiar' faces all watching her waiting for her to speak. She could just die. But that couldn't be an option. The have her every move on camera. They knew she left, and that she'd come back. And where she was, what she was doing at that very moment… Squall, come back. Just then there was a knock on the door. Quistis sprang to her feet. It opened and there they stood. Squall and…
"Seifer!"
Grace watched the camera screens as Quistis embraced Seifer and he returned the favor. The trio sat down on the bed and started talking. A hand was placed on her shoulder.
"A job well done" Grace noted.
"And at a very small price," Mr. Mathers lifted her chin to reveal the red finger marks still showing on her skin. "A job well done,"