Powertrip -Remastered

by Lions Soul

This is my very dark and graphic interpretation of the prison scene. Contains descriptions of torture. Seifer has the power. How will he use it?

Squall awoke from the realms of unconsciousness, his head was heavy and a feeling of grogginess and nausea quickly welcomed him back to reality. As he braved to open his eyes, he looked around and took stock of his surroundings. He was in a dank room that was lit by a solitary source, a long thin fluorescent tube that flickered constantly. He could see no windows and only one door. It didn't take him long to draw the conclusion that it was a prison cell.

He shook his head to clear away some of lag he was feeling and tried to sit up. An action he immediately regretted. A surge of pain swept over him as his body violently protested against the simple action. So he laid back down and remembered the events that had led him to his current locale.

His objective was clear, assassinate the sorceress, rid the world of her menace. He was the leader of the sniper team. He wouldn't be responsible for firing the killing shot, that was down to Irvine. Squall's responsibility was to complete the mission in the event the sniper missed.

He remembered been on the clock tower with Rinoa and Irvine waiting for the exact moment when the tower would rise and Irvine could take the shot. He recalled looking over at him and seeing his has hand trembling uncontrollably and Squall could feel that sense of uneasiness stirring in the pit of his stomach. It would seem nerves had clearly gotten the better of the cowboy. Squall inwardly cursed. He hated people that were fake, walking with a swagger, talking funny for the sake of been cool and this cowboy appeared to be the epitome of fake, at least to Squall. 'Who ever heard of a cowboy afraid to shoot? Or an assassin who didn't like killing?'

Squall had continued watching, studying him, hoping the shaking was going to stop, but there were no signs of this happening anytime soon. Again he cursed to himself. Squall was a warrior who had honed his skills through years of training and strict discipline. He fought up close and personal with his enemies. He had always hated guns. They were too impersonal, used mainly by cowards and fools. He clenched his fist to abate his anger. He had to think how he was going to get Irvine to take the shot. Squall was nervous. He had never seen the cowboy shoot. He had to trust he was good, but right now he doubted he could shoot Rinoa where she stood let alone the sorceress all the way down on the streets.

Squall considered the cowboys position for a moment. Taking a life is never easy, despite whoever it is. Squall remembered his first kill and how he felt afterwards. Once the adrenaline had worn off he was left feeling numb, like a piece of him had been taken by the fallen. Squall then contemplated if Irvine had killed before, he must have, surely? But what if he hadn't? The pressure on his shoulders must be almost unbearable, the weight of expectation incredible.

Squall took a deep breath and composed himself, he thought hard, searching for the solution. The success of the mission depended on it. He looked at Rinoa and remembered her fear of fighting, how she was so scared on her own. Then he remembered when he had told her to just stay close to him and the strength those words carried. When she knew she wasn't along she found courage and strength. Maybe Irvine was the same?

He didn't have time to consider this as the tower began to rise. He quickly stole a glance at the cowboy to see if he was ready. He wasn't. He was shaking violently and the gun was not facing the target location.

"Fire the shot" Squall spoke in a cold matter of fact voice.

There was no answer, no response.

Squall stole a quick glance down towards the gate where the sorceress would be trapped, time was running out to fire.

"Irvine" Squall barked.

"I. I can't do it" he stammered.

"Yes you can. Take the shot." Rinoa said, much more softly than Squall had.

Squall looked at him in disbelief. Time was running out.

"A signal." Squall said. It caused Irvine to look at him.

"A signal?"

"Yes. A signal. It doesn't matter if you hit or miss. It is a sign for us to move"

Irvine nodded, adjusted his grip on the handle of the rifle and settled down to finally fire. He tracked the float, watching his target, his finger caressing the trigger. Time was up, now or never. He inhaled sharply and he squeezed.

The three of them all watched the bullet as it flew through the air, their eyes never leaving it. They held their breath as they witnessed history unfold. Squall had to give credit to the cowboy. His shot was right on the mark. The bullet tracked straight and true towards the sorceress. Squall released his breath as he watched the bullet stop before her. She had anticipated the attack. The delay in Irvine firing, despite however marginal, had been enough for her to cast her protective spell.

Squall felt the surge of adrenaline hit him as his body went into auto-pilot, instinct honed through years of training overriding his brain. He was off and running before the others even had time to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

Time passed in a blur as he made his way to the ground though a series of leaps and bounds off the various rooftops. When he reached the ground he surveyed the crowded streets as he tried to formulate his next move. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this and now it had he knew he had to keep moving forward, keep the adrenaline rushing through his veins. It was the only way he knew how to hold the rising fear at bay.

Looking left he saw nothing of worth but then to his right he found his next move, a convertible car just begging to be 'borrowed'. In a flash he jumped over the car door in to the driver's seat and revved the engine. He sped of towards the gate where the sorceress waited. People fled in panic as he drove, his face set in determination. He reached the gate and brought the car to a halt with a perfectly executed handbrake turn. In a flash he was up and out of his seat. He jumped out of the car and drew his blade. He stared straight ahead and took a couple of seconds to catch his breath and steady himself for what was about to come.

Directly ahead of him on the processional float stood the sorceress and his long time rival, Seifer. His face was set with his trademark smirk as he basked in the glory of his romantic dream. Seifer stared back at Squall, the cold determined eyes of his rival met with a fiery intensity of his own. He withdrew Hyperion in eager anticipation of the upcoming showdown.

Seifer couldn't believe that anyone would have the gall to try something so bold as to assassinate the sorceress, but to go further and now stand here before her. It was almost admirable how obstinate his long time rival was. Seifer was ready, he pointed Hyperion at Squall and taunted him, beckoning him to come and fight. Squall willing accepted the challenge and closed the distance between them and leapt on to the float, sword in hand. Seifer pounced immediately the second Squall landed and swung his blade towards his head. Squall brought his blade up in defence and parried the blow by pushing his blade up and to the side. Squall quickly lunged forward to try push Seifer back but he was expecting this and twisted his blade so Squall missed and left himself exposed. An opportunity Seifer wouldn't pass up, he adjusted his grip and drove the pommel of Hyperion straight into Squalls side, knocking him sideways. Seifer laughed at him, revelling in his momentary advantage. Squall ignored him as he readied himself once more.

The two circled each other before striking once more. Another clash of steel rung out as Squall's blow was parried before he reciprocated. Seifer attacked again aiming high, Squall ducked, so Seifer swung low, Squall easily dodged and used his momentum to aim a slice at Seifer's torso. The blow missed by the narrowest of margins as Seifer was able to readjust his body just enough to avoid contact. They paused for the briefest of moments as both realised how close the blow had been. Squall not wanting to waste his advantage aimed again but Seifer countered once more. Both warriors were highly skilled and both had fought each other countless times, each familiar with their counterparts style and movements.

They continued their back and forth exchange both fighting their cause, neither giving up. The sorceress had been watching intently, her body motionless but her eyes never leaving the unfolding action. She quietly voiced a spell. A pale gold light shone around Seifer as he received the effects of the haste spell. This caused Squall to look away from Seifer and towards the sorceress. Seifer, invigorated by the supportive magic seized his opportunity. With lightning quick reflexes he arced Hyperion upwards and connected with Squall. The blade easily ripping through his leather jacket and slicing into his flesh. Seifer's continued momentum saw him bring his blade back across, the result the same. Squall grimaced in pain but before he could register the full effects of this his rival was already pouncing. Seifer kicked him hard in the chest and his hand lit up with a orange glow as he unleashed a fire spell at Squall knocking him to the ground, just like the day they branded each other all those months ago.

"Still haven't learned have you?" He jeered.

Squall simply stayed quiet as he felt his chest. He removed his hand with a slight wince and saw crimson staining his gloved fingers. The sorceress smiled as she watched her knight press home his advantage. Squall got back to a vertical base and brought his gunblade up into a defensive stance.

"You never could beat me fairly"

Seifer growled and lunged forward, angered by Squall's words. Squall blocked the blow and another. Maybe it was fatigue, but Squall sensed and felt each strike harder than the last. It was getting increasingly more difficult to defend the savage blows. Seifer continued. Just as he began to breakthrough a familiar voice caught his ear

"Squall." It was Rinoa. She and Irvine had finally made their way down from the clocktower and reached the float. Squall summoned a weak ice spell and hit Seifer whilst he was distracted and struck with a quick flurry of offense. Seifer staggered back towards the sorceress and dropped to one knee breathing heavily. She was furious and her eyes lit up with malicious intent.

"A SeeD. Planted in a run-down Garden." She hissed, the words dripping with malevolence. She advanced on the trio.

Squall fell back into formation and joined Irvine and Rinoa. They all had their weapons drawn but a sense of trepidation hung in the air. The sorceress hit Irvine with a thundaga spell and within milliseconds had hit Rinoa with a blizzaga spell. She dropped to her knees from the impact. Squall attacked, he braced himself to be hit like the others, but the hit never came for he managed to strike the sorceress before she had been able to unleash her spell. It angered her greatly and she retaliated with a double blizzaga. The force knocking him backwards.

They were losing the fight and they were fading fast. He stole a glance at Rinoa who had recovered and her face was set in concentration. She was trying to summon a GF. She needed more time. Irvine seemed to realise this too and fired at the sorceress, desperate to keep her from interrupting the summons. The sorceress kept her guard and swatted away his shots like she would a fly.

"Shit." He cursed as he fumbled for more ammo.

She shifted her attention, Rinoa square in her sights. Her hands began to glow as she readied her next spell. The power grew and the glow intensified. She raised her hand to strike. SmallSmall embers erupted around her from the weakest of fire spells. Squall had used the last of his stock of magic in one final attempt to buy Rinoa time.

It worked.

For in less than a heartbeat later the mighty fire guardian Ifrit appeared. He roared fiercely as he ascended the ball of hellfire before pounding it downward. Blazing meteorites striking the sorceress where she stood. She cried out in pain, defeated. The trio recovered and Irvine flashed Squall a celebratory smile.

"Impudent SeeDs!" she shrieked. Her whole body became enveloped in an iridescent blue haze and a swirling vortex opened above her head. Three sharp and jagged shards of ice formed and with a snap of her fingers they flew forward with tremendous force. They sped past Rinoa who turned and followed their trajectory and a look of panic struck her face when she saw their final destination. For Squall had been behind her and he now stood with one of the shards impaled in him. His face was a mask of pure anguish. The sorceress watched, her expression never changing, as Squall blinked and silently mouthed his pain as his body went into shock and he collapsed backwards off the float. The last thing he remembered seeing was Rinoa's outstretched arm fruitlessly reaching for him and the look of absolute horror on her tear stricken face.

---

He opened his eyes and sat bolt upright, like one does after a nightmare. Had it just been a nightmare, a surreal dream? The feeling of dizziness and nausea intimating it wasn't, before the pain affirmed he was indeed awake. The pain was excruciating, more intense than anything he'd felt or experienced before. He lifted his shirt and looked at the wound. It was like a horrible abstract painting with the true image blurred and hidden behind various shades of red, purple and black. The heavy bruising and blood further obscuring the tissue which was inevitably scaring. But it wasn't open, having been poorly stitched up by someone, who either lacked the skill to do a proper job or who simply didn't care. He worried about either option. Neither inspired hope and left far more questions than answers. He let his shirt drop and surveyed his surroundings again. All signs pointed towards captivity. Before he could consider anything else the door opened and in walked Seifer with that god awful smirk that made Squall's blood boil. The young brunette tried to stand but the haunting onset of nausea came again and he sank bank to the sheets, much to the delight of Seifer.

"So pathetic." Snarled the egotistical blonde.

Squall glared back at him and forced himself to his feet and towards Seifer, though he was weak and light-headed. Seifer sniggered and revealed Hyperion that had previously been concealed beneath his trademark trench-coat. Squall continued forward nevertheless and Seifer pounced. He feigned to reach for his sword before attacking with an elbow to the side of the head. He followed this up with another blow, this time sweeping his fist back across Squall's face. A swift kick in the stomach forced him to double over.

"Pitiful." Mocked Seifer before he withdrew Hyperion and hit Squall in the face with the pommel. The force caused him to collapse backwards and return to the realms of unconsciousness once more. "Take him to the 12th floor for questioning." He bellowed to some guards outside the door. Seconds later several Moomba's entered and dragged him away.

---

An hour or so later Squall regained consciousness, letting out an involuntary grunt as he did so, notifying the guards he was awake. He opened his eyes but his vision was still blurry, having not yet adjusted to the lighting of the room. His head was throbbing and the onset of a migraine was not helping the matter. He instinctively went to rub his eyes but was met with resistance and he became aware of the cold steel biting into the flesh of his wrists, that were currently bound above his head. Panic jolted his mind to work and his senses kicked into life. He felt a sudden chill on his skin and realised he was currently shirtless. A definite bad omen. He scanned his surroundings and saw several guards lining the walls. In his peripheral vision he could just see a flickering light and with each flicker he saw specs of blood upon the floor.

The smell of sweat and cigarette smoke filled his nostrils as one of the guards approached him. He grabbed Squall by the hair and roughly pulled his head back so he could look his prisoner in the eyes. Squall narrowed his gaze and stared defiantly into the man's eyes with a cold piercing intensity. The guard however was not fazed and proceeded to speak.

"Now that you are finally awake we can begin."

The guard punched Squall in an attempt to assert his authority.

"You will answer my questions." He spoke with a thick Galbadian accent. He emphasised the word will as he tried his best to intimidate his prisoner. This was met by stony silence. The guard punched him in the face several more times. Squall took each blow and kept his face set in defiance, refusing to give the guard the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in.

The guard signalled for some others to step forward and two duly did, Wedge and Biggs. Now that they were closer and could get a clear look at the prisoner's face Biggs recognised him.

"Hey that's the punk that attacked us at the broadcast tower."

"Yeah you're right." Replied Wedge. "Time for some payback you little shit."

Wedge wasted no time in making good on his words, hitting Squall hard in the side of his face before delivering a swift knee to his stomach. Biggs decided he wanted in on this little act of revenge. He punched Squall in the ribs several times. He was in a lot of pain but he was determined to stay silent and so instead of vocalising his pain he drew in a series of quick breaths instead.

Biggs was a strong man despite the deception of his standard issue Galbadian armour and he held tremendous force in his punches.

"This is for getting me demoted." He said as he unleashed a flurry of shots to Squall's midsection before winding back for a powerful hit. As he did so Wedge got in a punch of his own and distracted the brunette's attention before Biggs connected with his blow. A sickening cracking sound resonated throughout the room as a direct result of the mighty punch. This was the key to breaking his resolve; he cried out in pain causing an infection of callous laughter to fill the room. The guards had not been given this much freedom to have 'fun' with a prisoner in a long time and they intended to take full advantage of the opportunity. Squall was now taking ragged breaths as he struggled to take in air. The simple act of breathing was now a torture in of itself.

"Well now we are all acquainted let's begin." Spoke the head guard. Squall mentally prepared for what was about to come. "What is your name?"

The question was not what he was expecting to be asked and Squall said nothing so Biggs hit him. Again he asked the question and once more he got no reply so Squall received another punch. Several more times this played out, all with same result. The guard moved across the room towards the flickering light that Squall noticed earlier but had long since forgotten about. The prisoner eyes followed the guard. Wedge kicked the defenceless man several times, each one accompanied with laughter and mocking. Squall opened his mouth as if to speak enticing Wedge to stop his offense and move his head close to him. Squall took this opportunity to spit in his face and smile in satisfaction.

"Why you..." He didn't finish the sentence, instead withdrawing his gunblade and burying it deep in the underside of Squall's upper arm, penetrating the skin and part of the muscle. Squall winced in pain and it Wedge's turn to smile. He twisted the blade sideways causing further pain for the SeeD. Then a rush of rage fuelled adrenaline surged through him and he pulled the trigger causing a massive tear in the muscle and a river of blood to flow down his arm, onto his shoulder and further onto the floor. This was accompanied by a loud guttural scream of anguish from the helpless SeeD.

"Aw. Does it hurt?" taunted Wedge in a childish voice. He punched him one more time before spitting in his face. Squall barely registered it as he was too occupied with the pain in his arm.

"Enough!" Bellowed the guard by the flickering light. Squall wearily raised his head and was just able to make out the guard lifting something from the light into the air. He didn't have to wait long before the guard brought it closer. Squall, despite his blurring vision, could see it was a blade, jagged and slightly rusted, glowing vermilion. The guard grabbed him by the hair and moved the blade dangerously close to his eyes. Squall could feel the heat emanating from the weapon.

"I will get answers from you boy." He said in a harsh voice.

"Fu.." Squall started before a small coughing fit stopped him. His broken ribs hurt and he tasted the familiar metallic flavour of blood as it escaped his lips.

"Save yourself the pain. Tell me what I want to know and this will all be over." Continued the guard. His tone had changed noticeably, it was now much more soft, almost fatherly and sympathetic, yet menace still lingered in the background.

"Fuck you." Squall responded. The guard laughed briefly before his face changed back into a serious expression.

"Brave. But foolish."

He then slashed the red hot blade across Squall's chest forcing the restrained teenager to writhe in agony and struggle against his bonds. The pain was incredible and his nerves felt like they were on fire, the heat seemingly intensifying. The guard was merciless and struck again, this time going in the opposite direction and slightly lower down his chest. The guard watched his prisoner thrash against his bonds with a sickening glee in his eye. He could see Squall's body shaking from shock, the conflicting feeling of burning on cold naked flesh magnifying the pain. He continued to watch for a few minutes, giving Squall the slightest of reprieves from the cruel torment.

"What is your name?"

Squall was becoming lost in his mental anguish, struggling to think coherently, the pain just overriding everything else. The guard took his silence as Squall been stubborn and so pressed the blade against one of his ribs, delighting in the sound of flesh been singed. He was meticulous in pressing the blade against each rib on his right hand side.

"Name. Now!" he said aggressively as he pressed the tip of the blade to his stomach.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb" he replied, pushing the blade into his flesh. It pierced his flesh like a needle. "Give me your name." Still no answer so he forced the blade deeper. "Last chance." He warned. Still no response and so he pushed deeper still before slicing diagonally across his stomach, ribs and onto his back. Squall screamed. The pain was so intense, he could feel his vision blurring and his grasp on consciousness slipping.

"S...S...Squ..." He began but was cut off by another coughing fit, blood escaping his lips with each one.

There was a timely interruption as one soldier walked into the room.

"Captain." He spoke in a timorous voice. The captain turned to face him, seemingly annoyed that he been interrupted.

"What is it?"

"The knight wants a progress report." He replied, slightly more confidently than before.

"Seifer." Squall managed to say between heavy breaths.

"Ah he does speak." Responded the guard sarcastically. "We know you know each other, rather well" he pointed at Squall's scar on his face as he spoke the last part. He glared at the prisoner and got right up to his face, their noses almost touching and whispered.

"Squall"

Squall was so confused. The guard had spent the last, god knows how long, beating him senseless asking him his name and now revealed he knew it all along. The guard picked up on his confusion and decided to enlighten him a little.

"I've known all along who you are. Squall Leonhart. SeeD of Balamb Garden." He smirked at his revelation and the look now on his captives face. He took one last look at him, took out his gun and hit him in the side of his head, knocking him unconscious.

The guard was annoyed he hadn't made more progress in his interrogation. He couldn't believe it had taken this long and this much punishment just to get to him to almost confirm his name. Despite this he knew they had to stop, at least temporarily, or there would be no prisoner left to interrogate. With the prisoner unconscious once more the captain answered the messenger.

"Tell the knight to come see for himself." The soldier saluted and turned to leave when the captain added. "And get a fucking medic in here."

They soldier nodded and left the room with a queasy look on his face. He hadn't been expecting to actually see the prisoner, and having seen him, he sincerely wished he hadn't.

---

Meanwhile on the lower floors of the prison...

"Urgh... Where am I?" Quistis said aloud as she tentatively reached for her forehead. Her head felt fuzzy but as she focussed more she began to recollect what occurred before the blackness...

The mission. She and her team had the job of entrapping the sorceress so Squall's team could kill her. Selphie, Zell and herself had made their way through the wretched sewers and up into the tower. They had gotten there in plenty of time and were all ready to strike, Zell was by the controls. All was going to plan. Selphie watched the parade whilst keeping an eye out for anything unusual and Quistis kept her eyes focussed on Seifer. She watched as he stood proudly by the sorceress on her float.

The moment was drawing near, the float was reaching the gate and they would strike at any second.

"Get ready." She spoke to Zell. He clenched and unclenched his fist, a nervous habit of the martial artist. He worked out his nerves and was ready to act, he listened for Quistis' command. The float entered the gate.

"Now."

He flipped the levers and the gates came down. First the front dropped. The sorceress rose from her seat. Her facial reaction never changing. Then the back gate shut. She turned as she heard as heard it fall.

"Good job Zell." Quistis congratulated him on a job well done. The sorceress was trapped. Phase one complete. Now they watched, waiting for Irvine to complete phase two and end the sorceress.

No shot came. What was keeping them? She had been Squall's instructor for a few years now and never had he been late or tardy, especially when on a mission, leaving her to draw the only conclusion that seemed viable; Irvine had panicked and blown the mission.

She couldn't see them from her position in the gate tower but she knew they were there. Still she waited. After what felt like a lifetime, there was a brief faint glow from the clock tower meaning that Irvine had finally fired the shot.

Her eyes darted down to the sorceress. She watched with baited breath as history unfolded before her eyes. The assassination would soon be on the front pages of every newspaper, and she was watching it happen. ThenThen it all went wrong. The sorceress stood, looking as calm as could be and a purple glow shrouded her presence. In the delay between when Irvine should have fired and when he did fire, she had protected herself, expecting an attack.

"Shit." She vocalised her panicked thoughts.

They were in trouble now. The mission had failed and they needed to make their escape. She looked to Selphie and was about to tell her to move but she saw that Selphie seemed transfixed on something. She looked back to the crowded street and even in the midst of the ensuing chaos she could see a car driving towards the gates where the sorceress was currently trapped. She watched the car come to a screeching halt and a man dressed in black jump out of it.

'No it couldn't be' she thought to herself but then when he withdrew a large blade she was left in no doubt, it was Squall. He was going to try take the sorceress head on, Seifer too.

Selphie was the first to break the silence. "What is he doing? Zell get over here."

"What?" Zell bounded over to the two and looked out of the window towards where Selphie was pointing. "Is he outta his mind?"

All three knew that he was practically committing suicide. They also knew they should be making their escape right now but none of them moved, they were rooted to the spot, watching their comrade making what was likely to be his last stand.

They watched as the two fierce rivals fought, time seemed to stop existing as they watched Squall fight. Quistis was scared. She knew first hand how intensely they fought, even when training but now with such high stakes she was genuinely afraid one would kill the other. Perhaps biasedly, she would say Squall was the better fighter, not necessarily more skilled but more controlled and less aggressive than Seifer. With the unknown variable of the sorceress to be factored in though and it was advantage Seifer.

In different circumstances she would admire the calibre of swordsmanship on show right now but that fear would leave her and it only grew when she saw Seifer glow. He suddenly moved quicker than he had been and was overwhelming Squall with fierce strikes. Squall went down and she gasped as she saw Seifer lining up a killing blow. She closed her eyes not bearing to watch the end.

"Booya" Zell said enthusiastically, startling Quistis and forcing her to open her eyes once more. Rinoa and Irvine had arrived. Hope returned to her. Squall seized his chance and took Seifer down but the sorceress remained. She stared as the trio each suffered heavy magic attacks. All seemed lost as Squall was down and Irvine was out of ammo. The sorceress was approaching Rinoa who was stood motionless. She could see the glow of the spell she was preparing, the light almost blinding, even from this far away vantage.

Then it happened. The glow vanished and she could see something had interrupted the spell, though not what exactly and then out if nowhere Ifrit appeared. Quistis, Selphie and Zell all watched as the fire guardian unleashed his power and the sorceress was defeated.

"Woo"

"Booya"

Selphie and Zell celebrated, and cheered loudly, caught up in the moment. Quistis seemingly more composed just breathed the biggest sigh of relief. Zell turned back to the scene below.

"The hell?" he stated in confusion. All eyes returned to the sorceress who was glowing brightly. They saw the vortex open over her and the crystalline shards materialise then watched on in horror as they sped forward, past Rinoa and literally straight into Squall.

"No." Cried out Quistis, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She looked on helpless as Squall fell backwards off the float. She cried out his name and turned to flee the tower. She had to get to him. The others followed but as the three of them got to the exit they were met by a platoon of armed guards who had their weapons out and aiming straight at them. They had no choice but to surrender and the last thing she remembered was fearing for Squall's life before the world went black.

---

She snapped out of her memories and looked round the room. One door, no windows, obviously a prison cell and in it were four prisoners. She dwelt on that last part, four prisoners. She checked again just to be sure her mind wasn't deceiving her. It wasn't. There was Selphie, Rinoa, Zell and herself.

'Where's Irvine?' she thought. Then her mind wandered to the other missing party member.

''Squall. Where's Squall? Is he dead?' Her mind was firing thought after thought at her. She couldn't even think about one long enough for it to truly register before another would substitute itself. She was rescued from the viscous cycle by a rustling across the room, indicating someone else was waking up. It was Zell.

"What a weird dream." He said as he sat up.

"What was it this time?" Quistis inquired.

"That Ward fella. He was a janitor in some dimly lit building. He was mopping the floors and soldiers kept barging past him."

Selphie and Rinoa were both awake at this point and had heard the end of what Zell was saying.

"Do you know where he was working?" Selphie asked. Zell just shook his head. A silence befell the room as all four became lost in their own thoughts. Zell fidgeted with his hands, rubbing one over the other, then swapping hands. Rinoa sat with her back against the wall, her knees up to her chest and her head down. She was thinking about Squall. He had saved her from those beasts when she had been foolish enough to try give the sorceress the Odine bangle. Then when things went wrong he confronted the sorceress head on and then...

She couldn't bring herself to think about it.

"Where are we?" asked Selphie.

Quistis thought logically for the first since she awoke and surmised they were in the D-District prison; after all they had tried kill the ruler of Galbadia. She'd heard that the prison had been closed down years ago but who knew for sure. She prayed it wasn't the prison though for it been said to be impregnable, a multi-storey dwelling in the middle of a desert. If this was indeed where they were then they were in severe trouble, even if they somehow managed to escape.

"I'd guess that we are in the D-District prison." She finally spoke, realising she needed to share her thinking and answer Selphie's question.

"Zell, weren't you saying that Ward was a janitor in some building with soldiers? Does this look familiar?"

"I don't think so but I can't tell from just this one room." The frustration evident in his voice. The room fell silent again as they retreated back to their own thoughts. After a while Zell asked the group.

"Anyone got any bright ideas about how we get out of here?"

Before any of them could respond there was a loud banging noise on the door and and an angry voice bellowed.

"Shut up in there."

It fell on deaf ears as the group continued talking. The guard murmured to himself under his breath and continued his rounds. They continued talking for an hour or so. They couldn't be sure, time was hard to gauge in a room with no daylight, but they were still no closer to a solution to their captivity. Their discussions came to an abrupt end when they heard the distinct sound of a key turning in the lock and all eyes faced the door. In walked three guards with stern expressions.

"Is there a Rinoa in here?" Asked one guard. Rinoa paused before looking up and answering.

"I'm Rinoa." She said meekly, her eyes showing a tint of fear.

"I have instructions you are to come with me." The guard spoke calmly. Rinoa hesitated before shaking her head in denial. One of the guards stepped towards her causing Zell to jump to his feet and step between them.

"Leave her alone!" He said fiercely. The guard chuckled and the others stepped forward, weapons loaded and aiming at him. Zell wasn't stupid, he took the hint and stepped back slightly. Nevertheless the guard hit Zell with his weapon, catching him off guard and then struck another blow that knocked him to the ground. He gave him a kick in his stomach for good measure.

"Come with us." He repeated. "You have been given a reprieve by the sorceress at the behest of General Caraway."

"Ok. I'll go with you. Just stop hitting Zell." She said, her voice laced with concern for her friend.

"Rinoa no." Quistis pleaded.

"It's ok." She said as she left the room with the guards.

Quistis sat there with a bitter taste in her mouth. The mission had gone wrong, landed them in this hell hole of a prison and now the spoilt princess walks away free. She was not amused. Selphie was knelt next to Zell trying to cast a cura on him to help alleviate some of the pain but was unable to cast any magic. She swore, something not usual to her vocabulary.

Quistis watched with intrigue. She had read reports about the anti-magic field but was sceptical of their authenticity, partly because something like that would require enormous power and some very sophisticated technology. A shiver ran down her spine as the realisation of the seriousness of their situation came crashing down on her once more; trapped in an impregnable prison with no magic, no weapon and seemingly no hope of escaping this cruel twisted fate.

The three fell silent once more and she thought about Irvine. 'Where was he in all this?' 'Had his native Galbadian accent helped him evade capture?'

They remained quiet and tried to get some rest. None of them knowing how long they would be here. So many questions remained, namely were they just prisoner's or were they to be given a harsher sentence?

She was disrupted from her thoughts when a brash guard entered with plates of food that looked very unappealing. Was this breakfast or dinner? She had no way of knowing. It didn't matter though as she wasn't hungry. The guard said nothing as he put the plates down and turned to exit, when all of a sudden the dim lights of the cell flickered. Instinctively the guard reached for his weapon and looked back at the prisoners to ensure they didn't try any attempts at escaping. The lights flickered again, and after a slight pause they did so for a third time. The three Seed's looked on puzzled and confused.

'Why were the lights fading and flickering in a place like this? Surely in a place like this there must be generators and back up systems? The electricity wouldn't leave them vulnerable. Has garden sent help?'

All these thoughts raced through Quistis' mind, though the layer was through sheer hope and near desperation than actual expectation.

The guard turned and left the room leaving Quistis to battle her thoughts.

---

Back on the upper floors...

Seifer entered the room in a typically melodramatic manner, his grey trench-coat hanging and flowing behind him, Hyperion resting by his side. He seemed to be annoyed that he had been forced to come to the room himself for the progress report he requested but as his eyes landed on the prone figure of the unconscious Squall, helpless, bloodied and wounded his trademark smirk returned to his face. With his mood lightened he asked the captain.

"Has he talked yet?" His voice contained genuine intrigue.

"No sir."

Seifer was not surprised that Squall was been stubborn, he always was. He couldn't remember him ever backing down from a fight or challenge. Seifer was going to enjoy breaking this habit.

"He wouldn't talk and when we finally seemed to be getting somewhere we had to stop."

Seifer acknowledged his subordinate's comments with a nod of his head and contemplated the next course of action.

"Cut him down."

A guard quickly moved over to Squall and unbound him. His limp body fell forward and his head hit the floor with a loud thud. Seifer walked up to him and took a closer look at the state of his rival. He understood why the captain had stopped but he was annoyed he had. Seifer was eager to continue and so went to inspect what tools were left on the table. He firstly picked up the discarded knife that had done so much damage already. He looked over what else was there, imagining various ways he could use them and was thinking which would cause the most pain. Having taken stock he ordered for Squall to be placed on the chair and secured. Seifer reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. He took one out of the packet, lit it and threw the pack on the table. He took a long drag, savouring it's taste and then sat himself waiting for Squall to awake once more.

Time passed and Seifer had grown bored, his patience had run out, he went over to Squall and slapped him hard across the face. Squall stirred but Seifer slapped him again just to be sure he was fully alert.

"Wake up." He said in a gruff voice. "Time to start talking Squall. Why did you attack the sorceress?"

Squall stared straight ahead and said nothing. Seifer repeated the question but the answer was the same.

"Ok." Seifer said. He wasn't in the mood for games. "You have one chance to speak now or you will regret your silence." He threatened. Squall knew Seifer well enough to know he was serious but he was determined to not tell him anything and he remained silent. Seifer smiled, he had expected nothing less from his rival.

He grabbed hold of Squall's finger and pulled back until he heard the bone break. Squall let out a muffled cry. Seifer then did the same to his middle finger. Squall again moaned but clenched his jaw and grit his teeth as the pain shot up his arm.

"Two down." He said as he looked straight at Squall. "Why did you attack her?" He waited for an answer and when none came he duly broke the other two fingers.

"Fuck" Squall cried as he couldn't hide the pain in his hand. Seifer reached for the tools on the table and as his hand hovered above each object he watched Squall and his reaction. He noticed a flicker of emotion in Squall's eyes as he passed the knife that had already done so much damage. Seifer took a mental note but didn't pick the knife up yet, instead opting for some pliers.

He grabbed hold of Squall's broken fingers and squeezed. He lined up the pliers over one of his finger nails, clamped the pliers closed and pulled. Squall could feel the nail pulling away from the nail bed and it was agony. He squirmed as best he could, but to no avail. Seifer pulled harder and the nail was completely ripped away. Squall grimaced as the blood flowed free causing Seifer to smirk.

"Answer the question." Seifer said. Squall shook his head. Seifer lined up the pliers on the next nail. He pressed down and Squall closed his eyes and braced himself for what was about come. Seifer didn't pull though. Instead he grabbed the rusty knife and drove it straight into Squall's hand with so much force that it pierced through his hand and embedded in the arm rest. Squall screamed. He looked at his hand which was shaking violently as blood spilled out and covered his hand. He stared at the handle of the knife as he tried to focus.

"Now you might stop squirming." Seifer said. He slapped Squall to keep his attention on the question rather than the wound.

"Why?"

"Or. Orders" Squall said between quick breaths. He tried move his hand but between the knife and the broken fingers he was completely helpless, something Seifer was all too aware of.

"No shit." Seifer quipped. His scowl deepened and he continued "Whose orders?"

Squall didn't answer, Seifer was losing patience about as quickly as Squall was losing blood. He reached for the box of matches by his cigarettes. He opened them and took several matches out. Squall watched him apprehensively. Seifer picked up the pliers again and clamped them onto one of Squall's fingernails and this time he lifted it. He then grabbed a match and forced it under the nail. Squall instinctively tried to move his hand away but it was no use. The knife holding it place. Seifer repeated the motion with his other two fingers.

"Who gave the order?"

Squall was fighting the pain and trying to block it out. It was taking his full concentration and he couldn't answer properly. He stammered.

"It, it."

Squall struggled for breaths as he battled consciousness. He couldn't say more before Seifer finally snapped, his patience exhausted and he grabbed a match and lit it.

"Last chance." Seifer warned. When Squall didn't answer Seifer used the lit match to light the ones currently under his fingernails. Squall screamed at the new level of pain. He was trying to move his broken fingers to escape the burning. With every movement of his fingers it made the pain worse, the wound in his hand been aggravated by the unmoving knife. The heat of the matches increased and the burning on the exposed nail bed was on par with the knife wound earlier, if not worse. That was at least quick. This was drawn out and he couldn't take much more.

"It was... The world." He weakly said as he was slipping into the void. Seifer watched the matches burn out, it was almost hypnotic despite the sounds of Squall's pain echoing throughout the room. It took longer than he expected it to for them to extinguish, Squall's consciousness ended before the matches burned out. Seifer lit another cigarette and thought about the state of play. He was frustrated but was at least satisfied that Squall was suffering but he needed answers. It was time to step it up. He finished his cigarette before issuing his next orders.

"Take him to the observation room." After a few seconds he added. "Bring the blonde girl there too."

The captain saluted and went to carry out his latest order.

---

The guard unlocked the door to the cell and walked in, his gun held in front of him. He looked at the three prisoner's who were standing together.

"You." He said pointing at Quistis. "You and me are going for a little walk."

"No." Said all three prisoner's in unison. The guard was in no mood to play games and so he aimed his gun at Zell.

"Move to the side." He ordered. Zell made no motion and stared defiantly at the guard. He smiled and released the safety mechanism on his gun. "Now." Zell sighed in defeat and duly did as commanded. "Now you." Motioning for Selphie to follow suit. She reluctantly obeyed. He then pointed at Quistis and she walked towards the guard, a scared look on her eyes. The guard grabbed her roughly by the arm and pushed her in front on him as they exited. He marched her to the relevant room and the waiting guard opened the door. He shoved her inside and locked the door behind her.

The room looked like her cell except it was furnished with a table and two chairs in the middle of it. She waited for what seemed an eternity for someone to enter the room and when no one came she took a seat. She was scared about why she had been brought here, separated from the others. She was trying not to think of what terror or torment lay ahead, a torture in off itself, yet what else could she do?

Seifer unlocked the door and walked in to find Quistis sitting on the chair, facing him. She had her arms folded and she was staring at him with a burning hatred. Seifer was unfazed. He grabbed the free chair and sat himself down. He said nothing and just stared back at her. He broke the deadlock with a smirk before he took out his cigarettes and lit up. He smoked the whole thing in silence. Her eyes never left him the whole time. Finally he spoke.

"My dear instructor." His voice was soft and he spoke as if speaking to an old friend. "We're gonna have a little chat and catch up on a few things?"

"Go to hell."

"That's no way to speak to your favourite former student."

"What do you want Seifer?" she barked. She was in no mood for games.

"To talk." He simply replied. Quistis was very sceptical.

"To talk? That's it?"

"Yeah. That's all I want."

Her eyes softened and she nodded.

"Good. Now tell me. What did you feel at the TV station?

"What?" She was caught off guard by the question.

"When I answered her call and stepped though the portal. How did you feel?"

"I don't know."

"Come now instructor." He said softly.

"Angry." She answered.

"Why?"

"Because I had followed you all the way to timber only for you to threaten the president, and then disappear with 'her'."

"And then what?"

"Scared. I didn't know why you'd gone or where. I didn't know if you were in danger."

Seifer snorted "As if you cared."

Genuine hurt shone in her eyes. He continued...

"You never cared about me." He said with venom.

"That's not true." She cried out as her eyes shimmered with tears that she was fighting to hold at bay.

"Oh yeah, you cared until 'he' was involved then I was nothing more than dirt under you shoe." He emphasised the word he.

"No." She shook her head fiercely, denying his words.

"Don't lie!" he demanded.

"It wasn't..."

"...There will be consequences if you lie to me again."

"It wasn't like that." She protested. "I never chose between you."

"Even now you delude yourself. Pitiful." Despite his harsh words he kept calm. He grabbed his cigarettes and lit another. He offered Quistis one. She nervously accepted. She wasn't a smoker usually, she'd have an odd one with a drink now and then but these were unusual times and she was worried about angering him further.

"Why do you fight with a whip?" He asked.

"What?" the question completely throwing her off.

"Why a whip? Of all the weapons you could have chosen?"

"I just found it easy and I didn't have to be close to my enemy."

"How do you control the power of your strike?" He was genuinely intrigued.

"It's about technique. Power isn't important. Aim in the right place and you don't need power."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "I tried using your whip earlier, I've always been intrigued and thought it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up." He confessed. Quistis was shocked, a weapon in their trade was a special thing and she felt somewhat violated hearing him say this. "I obviously wasn't as good as you would have been but I was good enough. Lacked some impact but with repetition and a bit of practice, it was effective." He smiled as he thought on that last part. Oh yes it had been very effective, almost therapeutic too, releasing pent up anger upon its target. Quistis found the reference unsettling and was now becoming very worried about where this conversation was heading.

"Now tell me. What is SeeD?"

'Balamb's elite mercenary force. Why is he asking that?' She was very confused.

"SeeD? Surely you know Seifer."

"Humour me." He replied

"Balamb's mercenary program." She answered.

"What is it really?" He asked doubting her answer. "What's their true purpose?"

"There isn't any other purpose."

He stood from his seat and put both hands on the table and leaned forward in an intimidating fashion. "Don't lie to me". He said in a cold and serious tone.

"There isn't..."

"...If you finish that sentence there will be repercussions."

Quistis had to admit she was feeling scared. Normally she would stand her ground and argue away, she was strong-headed. Normally she would be able to walk away but knowing she couldn't do that now it was frightening. He kept talking of consequence but had been amicable so far, she was worried he would snap and all that would change

"Please Seifer. You were there. You know I'm not lying." She pleaded. He heard her plea but ignored it. He'd been threatening consequences and now it was time to deliver. He knew the best way to hurt her and it wasn't physically but mentally.

"He's dead you know." He replied in a uncaring casual tone as if he's was commenting on the weather. Quistis knew who Seifer was referring to and her heart skipped a beat.

"Dead?" Was all she could say. She had seen him be impaled by whatever those things were that the sorceress had conjured up, and had feared the worse but hope had lingered. Hearing those words made it so final. She was heartbroken and let a tear fall down her face. He smiled as he watched his words break her world apart like taking a hammer to a landmine. He let her wallow in despair for a few minutes before smiling.

"I warned you... lies are hurtful." He spoke. She didn't react, too lost in grief. "He's not dead." He revealed his deception.

"Not dead?" She whispered. She sounded like a frightened child.

"Not yet anyway." His words chilled her soul. Her emotions so conflicted; on one hand hope had been revived, he wasn't dead but on the other this may be not be the case for long. She knew Squall had tried kill the sorceress and she wasn't likely to let this go unpunished.

"What do you mean, not yet?" She dared to ask.

"Well I don't doubt he will die but how quick that will be depends on you." He stared straight at her. "You answer my questions and do as I ask and I won't kill him. Simple. On the other hand, don't co-operate and it's game over."

She looked back at him with tear glistened eyes.

"What is SeeD?" He asked again. She knew he wouldn't accept that there was no secret or ulterior purpose, but it was the truth. In a state of panic she took a huge gamble.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"You doubt me?" he responded incredulously.

"How do I know he is alive?"

"Unbelievable. You are in no position to negotiate."

"Why should I tell you anything?" She knew she'd regret saying that but she had laid her cards out on the table. She had to go all in. His response was to laugh aloud. He admired her brazenness. He walked round the table towards her. She stayed frozen in her seat. He stood over her and could see her shaking. He gently reached out and stroked her cheek before he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Why?" he said in a barely audible whisper. He then grabbed her hair and pulled her up onto her feet. She gasped but didn't fight him, knowing that would make it worse. He clicked his fingers and the wall they were facing began to open. The wall slid back to reveal a previously concealed glass pane that ran the length of the wall. A moment later and the room behind the glass was illuminated, as we're it's contents. She saw Squall. She immediately released the tears she had been holding back. As Seifer had said he was alive but for how long? All she could see was blood and bruises. A moment later she saw him struck with something and the look of pain on his face would haunt her for a long time. Another strike and his body twisted on impact. She saw part of his back where he had been struck and it was covered in ghastly looking criss-crosses. She then noticed what had caused them. In the hand of his attacker was a familiar sight; her whip.

"Stop" she cried out. "Please"

"Tell me the secret of SeeD."

"There isn't one." She witnessed him receive another lash and blood spray across the floor. "Seifer please." She begged him.

"5 more." He snarled as he tightened his hold on her. The man hit Squall, and then again. Tears flowed freely down her face, she made no effort to stop them. She shut her eyes not bearing to watch. Seifer noticed this and he was cruel. He hit her before saying.

"For all the times you put him ahead of me, this is payback. You will watch. 5 more."

"No"

"Yes. And every time you don't watch, I will go back to the start. Now count them." He demanded.

"One." "Two." She counted as she watched, the first two strikes were mercifully quick. There was a pause before the third as the guard spoke to him. She cried but no amount of tears would ever reflect the pain in her heart right now. "Three." The third seemed to hit him more on the side rather than the back and looked more painful than the previous strikes. Watching was destroying her, every second felt like her soul was in purgatory. The captain pulled back for the fourth strike but stopped. Squall was coughing and so he waited. As soon as he was stationary once more he landed the blow. Quistis delayed her count and Seifer was about to speak, as he opened his mouth she counted. One more to go.

She didn't know if Squall could see her. She doubted it but silently mouthed "I'm sorry" to him. It was all she could do. The captain had been deciding where to strike next as he had seemingly run out of space on Squall's back. He moved to the side of him. He lined up his strike so he was aiming at Squall's burned ribs. He struck and Squall screamed. The strike was on point and the feeling of the burned flesh ripping open was agony. Quistis quickly counted the fifth strike.

"That's five. Stop."

The captain was unaware of the agreement between them and lined up for another strike. He pulled back.

"Seifer!" She screamed. He pushed a button and shouted "Enough!". It was just in time to spare Squall another strike. Seifer had kept his word, but his bloodlust was unrelenting. He released his grip on Quistis and she stood facing him. As she tried to get her breathing under control he hit her hard across the face knocking her to the ground. There she stayed, one hand on her face holding the impacted area. She stared at him with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She dared not move. He marched to the door and ordered the guard to take her back to the cells.

He was angry and he marched to Squall's room and went straight to him. He undid the chain from its holding and let Squall drop to his knees in exhaustion, his wrists still bound. He kicked Squall in the stomach and he sank to the floor wheezing. Seifer kicked him again forcing Squall on to his back which was bleeding profusely from the whipping and then he placed a knee on Squall's stomach and using his left hand he grabbed Squall's hair and forced his face up towards his own.

"No more games." Seifer screamed in Squall's face. He then punched Squall with a stiff right hand, and another and then another. He kept going, six or seven shots before the captain dragged him off the defenceless prisoner. Seifer didn't resist been dragged away but just roared in pure anger.

He stared at the brunette who now had more injuries for his collection. His nose was definitely broken and his lip was split in a few places and his left eye had a cut just below the swollen socket. Seifer stood breathing heavily and was calming slightly as the adrenaline worked it's way out of his system.

"No more time wasting. Take him to the machine. He talks or he dies."

---

When Seifer had finished chain-smoking and had composed himself he went to the room that housed the machine. His mind was made up; as he'd said before, Squall talked or he died. He cast his eyes to the machine which was going to help break his rival. It harnessed power from the facility and funnelled it into this one place. He was going to electrocute the answers out of him.

He glanced up to the wall where a now re-clothed Squall was shackled. He was in a crucifix style position with his arms out to the side and slightly elevated above his head, essentially hanging by his wrists leaving all his body weight pulling on his arms and shoulders. It was a cruel position under normal circumstances but given his current state, with his left arm sporting the viscous gunblade wound from where Wedge had lost control and his other shoulder having been impaled by the sorceress' ice attack, this was currently an excruciating torment and was only going to get worse as time went by.

Seifer walked up to him and could see he was still unconscious, not surprising given his ordeal to this point, but it was time to finally talk. Seifer motioned to the guard by the controls who flipped the switch and he smiled as he watched the machine come to life with a loud humming noise and the wall lit up as the electric current flowed through the system and the prisoner. The powerful shock had been brief but was enough to jolt Squall back to consciousness.

"Squall fucking Leonhart."

Squall raised his head and glared at Seifer as he tried his best to ignore the pain in his limbs. Seifer laughed as he returned the icy glare. After a minute or so he began to reminisce.

"Did you see me there in my moment of glory? Standing on the float with my sorceress like a true knight. It was like I always dreamed." He said in an overly theatrical voice. He paused and anger filled his eyes. "Then 'you' ruined it." He spat the words that were dripping with hatred. "Now you pay."

He clicked his fingers and the guard flipped the switch once more and the room again lit up with a bluish hue as the current flowed though Squall, the sparks of the current dancing across his skin, burning the flesh as it went. Squall screamed in pain and writhed involuntarily as the current surged through him. It was tough to watch, unless you were Seifer who seemed have no trouble watching him suffer. He snapped his fingers again and the current stopped. Squall slumped against the wall and breathed heavily. Squall had been on the end of some powerful thunder spells before but nothing like this, the power of the electricity seemed to be penetrating his skin, and shocking his nerves directly. It was the most intense pain he had ever experienced.

"What is SeeD?" Seifer asked for the umpteenth time.

'Not this again?' He thought to himself. 'SeeD is the code name for Balamb Garden's elite mercenary force.' Then he answered

"Don't you know?"

"How would I know? I was never a SeeD!" Seifer spat back at him. Envy and hatred evident in his tone. Despite his position it was Squall's turn to laugh.

"Nor will you ever Be" He arrogantly replied. "But you were at Garden, you know what SeeD is."

Squalls outburst had incited anger in Seifer and he order the switch be flipped again. He kept the shock brief despite his anger and continued with his questioning.

"There must be some secret they tell you when you make SeeD. You know that secret and you will tell me it." He moved towards Squall and added "One way or another." He ordered another jolt of electricity to emphasise his point.

Squall organised his thoughts as he recovered from the pain. 'There is no secret. SeeD is just a code word.'

"Do you really think I would tell you?" Squall asked him rhetorically.

"You will tell me, but if you don't there's always the others, Quistis, that messenger girl and chicken wuss. Hell, he wouldn't last two seconds up there." Seifer chuckled as he spoke that last sentence. Squall's eyes lit up in a mixture of concern and relief as he heard Seifer speak. Relief because this meant they were alive but concern because they were here in this his god-forsaken place. He'd suspected as much when he was been whipped earlier as it wasn't a common weapon.

"They're all here?" he asked. Seifer delighted in seeing his concern and merely nodded before adding.

"Maybe I should get the messenger girl. Although I'd have to turn the power down, she's so small."

Squall squirmed but didn't speak.

"I'll give you one last chance Squall. What is SeeD?"

In just a few seconds Seifer clicked his fingers and a surge of power went through Squall who gritted his teeth and tried his best to ride out the pain. The power stopped and Squall was in agony, his entire body hurt. Seifer asked again but Squall didn't answer as he fought for air. Seifer signalled for the electricity and the wall lit up. The shock spread through his body burning and singeing flesh as it went. It felt like his blood was burning as the current intensified. He thrashed against his bonds as the current flowed and couldn't prevent his screams that burst from his lungs, like a battering ram breaking through the gates. With each passing second the pain grew stronger as he got weaker.

"You may as well tell me Squall. Save yourself all this pain. Tell me what I want to know and all this pain will end. Simple."

Despite the pain and the still flowing current, Squall somehow managed to speak.

"I...Won't...Tell."

Seifer smiled and said to the guard. "Keep interrogating him. I need to check on something." The guard nodded and Seifer exited but as per orders, the torture continued. The electricity flowed and then stopped for the briefest of moments so the guard could question him and wait for an answer, then continue, on and on in a viscous cycle. With each sequence his body protested and writhed and his wounds that had been poorly treated earlier were reopening. His body was covered in black and purple bruises and stained crimson which contrasted with the vibrant scarlet that flowed free once more and was slowly collecting in a mere beneath him. Squall had passed out on a few occasions but the refreshed jolts would unmercifully drag him back to consciousness and the unrelenting pain.

---

Meanwhile on the lower floors...

Zell and Selphie were sat in the cell talking, they were getting really worried now. There had been the four of them in the cell to begin with but now we're just two. Rinoa was freed but was she released, could it have just been a rouse? Then they took Quistis. She seemed to have been gone for an age. They worried if she was even coming back.

"Zell I'm scared." Admitted Selphie. He held her hand and rubbed it gently.

"Me too. But it will be alright." He said trying his best to reassure her.

"I don't want to be taken away." She said quietly.

Zell was going to reply but was interrupted by the door opening and Quistis been shoved in the cell. Selphie took one look at her and could see she'd been crying. She waited for the guards to leave before moving to her and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"Oh Quistis. Are you ok? I was so worried about you." Quistis just broke down crying once more and Zell came and joined them and comforted her best he could. When she stopped crying she explained to the others where she'd been and what happened.

"So he's alive?" Zell spoke as he tried reflect on the positive. From what Quistis had explained his little beating from the guard earlier was nothing in comparison to what they'd done to Squall. She described what she had been forced to watch and it made Zell's stomach churn. He felt sick just hearing it let alone having to watch it. Selphie was at least relieved that they hadn't done much to Quistis at least. She had seen how some of the guards had been ogling at her.

"We have to get out of here and rescue him. They are gonna kill him, Seifer suggested as much." The others agreed and they set about working on a plan to do just that. They were interrupted by a constant flickering of the lights. They couldn't ascertain why, it hadn't happened once while Quistis was with Seifer. They decided to ask the guard who kept ignoring them. Undeterred they kept asking and after a while the guard had run out of patience and slid the visor on the cell door open and took great delight in announcing...

"You wanna know why the damn lights are flickering? It's because the machine is currently having its way with that other SeeD."

"Squall." They said in unison. Quistis was on the edge of breaking down again. She had seen how bad he was before. She had no clue what this machine was, but she was in no doubt it was inflicting yet more pain on him, and she didn't think he could bare much more. They were going to kill him. The guard laughed and slammed the visor closed.

With renewed urgency they formulated a plan of escape and they waited a short while before implementing it as to not arouse suspicion with the guards. When it was time to start, Selphie and Qustis lay on the floor face down while Zell stood by the door.

"Guards, Guards." He shouted as banged on the door to get their attention. "Help. Something's wrong. The girls are unconscious. Guards."

The guard finally seemed to react and he slid the visor open and peered in. He cursed as he fumbled for the keys. He opened the door and stepped in, not properly concentrating as he looked at the two supposedly unconscious girls. Zell pounced and kicked him in the gut before a viscous uppercut knocked the guard out.

"Yeah baby." Said Zell triumphantly and the girls got up off the floor and the three exited the room.

"We need to get our weapons." Selphie said as they headed down the corridor. At the end of the corridor they saw two guards standing outside a door. They assumed that they must be guarding something important, so they didn't hesitate in attacking. Selphie distracted one guard and Quistis' struck with a kick to the face. Zell took out the other guard before grabbing the keys and opening the door. Their suspicions were confirmed as the room contained lots of weapons. They quickly searched the room looking for the girls. Zell still had his gloves but Selphie was missing her nunchaku and Quistis didn't have her whip. They found Selphie's quickly but had to hunt for the whip. Quistis was worried it wouldn't be here, after all the last time she saw it the guards had it and she had no idea if they had returned it. After a good rummage they found it and she felt immense relief. She grasped the handle and felt reassured. At the back of the room they found Squall's gunblade. Quistis picked it up, it was very heavy and looked to be as sharp as ever. Despite managing to lift it she knew she couldn't wield it effectively as a weapon.

"Hyne how does he wield this thing?" She said aloud. Zell laughed and came and took it from her though he was also surprised by just how much weight the weapon carried.

"You're right. This thing weighs a ton." He said. Nevertheless he grabbed the belt and sheathed the weapon. They left the room. "Which way? Up or down?" He asked the others. Quistis knew she had been taken up when she was sent to Seifer so assumed this was the best way and where Squall would be.

"We go up." She said authoritatively. The others didn't argue and they set off at full pace to rescue their friend before escaping this awful place.

---

Back on the top floor...

The guard had continued to torture Squall. At this point it was obvious to him that he wasn't going to talk and was just been punished to a slow agonising death. Seifer returned and asked for a progress report and was annoyed to hear he still hadn't talked. He watched Squall suffer another round of electricity before ordering the guard to stop. The lighting returned to normal and Squall hung limp, near lifeless, with his arms pulled back and the shackles biting into the bruised flesh of his wrists. He was taking ragged breaths as his body tried keep him alive. His broken ribs were hindering the natural motion and he started coughing. Blood escaped his lips with each cough as his insides were messed up from all the electricity. There was a disgusting smell of burnt and seared flesh lingering in the air.

Seifer and the guards exchanged jokes about his suffering and taunted the helpless brunette but he was unresponsive to it all. His body focussing on survival, his mind focussing on the pain.

"Just tell me and end this." Seifer said in a bored voice.

Squall mustered the strength to lift his head. "You...Torturer." He spoke in as strong a voice as he could find. Seifer laughed and launched into a soliloquy.

"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter. I will get the answers from the others before I kill them. You see she has ordered all SeeD's to be eliminated and I am to be her personal hunter. Isn't it beautiful? A world free from you filthy SeeD's where my sorceress reigns supreme with me by her side. SeeD will fall, if not by the missiles then I will hunt them down, one by one, death by my blade. Oh how Hyperion shall feast." He spoke in a passionate voice full of pride. Squall had been wrestling consciousness during Seifer's speech but despite this he had heard enough and reaching into hidden reserves of energy he lifted his head once more and spoke but one word.

"Lapdog." He coughed again and felt more blood escape from his mouth, leaving that familiar metallic taste.

"You still defy me." He replied, his voice a mixture of anger and sheer disbelief. He composed himself for a moment and nonchalantly approached his rival, punching him a few times, just for the sake of it. "Ah it's been fun Squall but I have to go attend to the launch of the missiles now. But before I go I will leave you with this thought" he paused, he checked Squall was hearing his words. "All those SeeD's who are going to die, every last one of them is going to die because of you. Because you were foolish enough to attack my sorceress. Their blood, their deaths are on your hands." He smiled at his words. He punched Squall one final time and then turned to leave. "Continue." He ordered the guard without stopping nor breaking his stride.

Squall was left hanging against his bonds once more. He was in a world of absolute pain, his body a broken and bloody mess. His broken ribs making it painful and difficult just to breathe, let alone withstand the onslaught of the machine. His mind offered no sanctuary as he was been plagued by the horrific images and thoughts implanted there from Seifer's vindictive words.

He was wishing for the blackness to overcome him once more, for there to be an end to his suffering. He had heard Seifer say that there was a way to end it; to betray SeeD, his comrades, his home and everything that mattered in his life and give Seifer and the sorceress the information they sought. It was so tempting; he couldn't bare much more. The guard would not allow the suffering to end either as he blindly followed his orders and continued to use the machine to electrocute him. This time though Squall did not scream, despite the brutal pain, he just hung there, his body twitching violently as the current flowed and sapped his energy and life away. He would welcome death in this moment.

---

On the lower floors...

The three Seed's had made excellent progress up the floors despite the guards efforts to stop them. They still had no magic but we're all competent fighters in their own rights, and Zell preferred physical attacks to magic anyway so this wasn't a hindrance to him. As they got closer to the top they had been too slow to react to one guard and he sounded the alarm, sirens blared and an voice come over the PA system.

"Security breached. Prisoner's have escaped. All guards to stations. The anti-magic field will be lifted from floors 10 upwards. Deadly force permitted."

"Shit!" Zell said an Quistis in synchronisation. Undeterred they carried on, they had to get to Squall. More and more guards and robots tried stop them along the way but with the anti-magic field lifted both Selphie and Quistis were able to use their limit breaks and significantly eased the reliance on Zell to take them down.

On the fourteenth floor they came across a guard fighting a Moomba who had refused to do as ordered by the guard. Selphie quickly dispatched the guard and cast a cure spell on the Moomba. It squealed in appreciation and snuggled up to her as she ruffled it's fur.

"Come on. We gotta keep going." Zell said.

"Sorry little guy, I've got to go." She said as she got up and set off with the others. As the Moomba watched them head up it squawked.

"Laguna. Laguna. Laguna."

The three SeeD's stopped briefly and all looked puzzled. 'What has Laguna got to do with this? Isn't he that guy from the dream world?' They all thought.

"Not Laguna, Squall." Said Selphie. The Moomba nodded vigorously and ran past them beckoning them to follow. They finally got to the top having encountered little further resistance and came across a locked doors the Moomba scratched at it furiously. Zell moved the creature aside, cast a blizzard spell on the lock and broke the door down. He spotted the startled guard that was by the controls and he lunged towards him, taking him down with a swift punch combo.

Quistis and Selphie had followed Zell in to the room and Quistis' eyes were immediately drawn to Squall who was not moving, hanging by the shackles on the wall. A series of panicked thoughts rushed through her mind, typically the most haunting bullied it's way to the forefront. 'Please don't let him be dead'.

She rushed over to him and screamed hysterically at Zell to find the controls to release him. It took a minute or so to locate by which time Selphie had joined Quistis standing in front of him. The bonds sprang open and the former prisoner fell forwards, unconscious but obeying gravity nonetheless. The two girls had braced themselves and they cushioned his fall and proceeded to ease him gently to floor. He had been unresponsive since they entered the room and Quistis' had to know if he was still alive. She timidly moved her shaking hand towards his neck and felt for his pulse. She was immensely relieved when she found one. It was very weak but it was there, he was alive, albeit barely but it was something to cling her hope to. Quistis exhaled and turned to the others and simply nodding to answer the unasked question. They both let out a breath of relief that they hadn't realised they were holding.

Step one of their escape was complete. They had found their leader and freed him from his ordeal but now the hard part, to escape their confines. With Squall in his current condition they were somewhat hindered. The Moomba brought over a blue vial and gave it to Selphie. She recognised the medicine and Quistis' opened Squall's mouth and Selphie poured the contents in. She raised his head so he swallowed the elixir. It seemingly made no difference, he lay there motionless, barely holding on to life.

"Come on Squall" Selphie said in a distressed manner as she saw no change in him. Quistis was busy thinking but cursed as she struggled to formulate a way out of this god-forsaken place. Her emotions were clouding her ability to think clearly. Zell was also worried for him but had adrenaline flowing in his veins and he knelt down next to Squall and took charge of the situation.

"Help me get him up." Without any hesitation the girls did as asked and Zell picked him up. "You two take point, I'll be right behind you with Squall." Selphie looked at him sceptically but he dismissed this by adding "We gotta go, now!" Quistis nodded in agreement and mentally admired Zell's composure under pressure.

They left the room and began back down the floors. They didn't know how long they'd been in the room but it evidently was too long as the guards had regrouped and brought reinforcements. Escape wouldn't be easy; with Zell having to carry both Squall's heavy gunblade and it's fallen owner it left the fighting to the girls. They fought their way down a few flights but the guards were relentless and came at them in huge numbers. The battles were coming thick and fast, each one sapping a little more energy. As they got lower down they were further hindered by the anti-magic field. They were all tired and weary but freedom beckoned and they had to push on.

They made it to the final floor and could see the exit. They could also see it was blocked by a platoon of guards. They took them on anyway determined to escape or die trying. The girls were losing, without magic they were been overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Zell knew this and he placed Squall down and joined the fray. He powered through the first few guards but the others rounded on him and quickly outnumbered him. The three continued to fight but we're fading fast, exhaustion and fatigue setting in. One guard caught Selphie with a viscous blow to the stomach which winded her. She was disarmed as she caught her breath. All seemed hopeless, they'd come so far only to fall at the last hurdle. The guards closed in on them and then trapped them near the stairwell.

"Surrender. You have nowhere to go. This is your only warning. Surrender now and your lives will be spared." One said as he raised his weapon at Quistis. She looked at Zell who was standing defiantly but she knew they had lost. The numbers advantage of the guards had proved insurmountable. She adjusted her grip on her whip and bent down signalling her intention to surrender. The commander smiled and motioned for another guard to pick up the surrendered weapon. As the guard went to do so screams and cries of pain rang out although none of the SeeD's had moved. The commander turned his head to determined the source of the interruption and to his dismay he saw two of his comrades dead on the floor. He caught a glimpse of rising smoke from across the room, the inevitable after effect of the weapon that created it, Exeter.

Quistis wasted no time in taking advantage of the welcome relief, exercising her lightning quick reflexes. In a flash she bent down and grabbed her whip and within seconds it was wrapped around the neck of the commander. He dropped his weapon as he struggled to free himself from the cord. She tightened her hold and the life was slowly been squeezed away from him. She was contemplating releasing her grip. 'So he'd followed orders and he'd spoken promises of peaceful surrender and mercy' She was about to offer him the same offer of mercy but in her peripheral vision she caught a sight of Squall. Her thought pattern switched drastically. 'Mercy. Mercy! Her mind screamed. 'They showed him no mercy, just pain and lots of it'. She broke and with a jerk of her wrist she snapped the guard's neck and he fell to the floor dead as she unwound the coil.

Irvine and Rinoa moved from where they had come in and over to their friends. They had just witnessed Quistis take out the last obstacle to freedom and they were reunited as a group once more. Rinoa was relieved to see Selphie, Quistis and Zell were relatively unharmed, all things considered.

"Nice timing." She said to Irvine as she smiled and made her way over to him.

"Thank Hyne you're alright." Rinoa said, the relief evident in her tone. The three SeeD's were glad for a brief reprieve and took a moment to catch their breath.

"Come on. That's the way out." Added Irvine. Quistis nodded and the four made a few steps forward before she said.

"Zell, get Squall."

He turned and ran back to him. It was then that Rinoa noticed the gunblade resting on Zell's waist.

"Squall?" Rinoa asked unsure if her hearing had deceived her. "Squall's alive?" She surveyed the expression on everyone's faces; Quistis' sad look sparked panic in her. Her heart raced and she could feel a lump forming in her throat. Her mind was firing a thousand questions at her all of a similar nature. 'Why isn't he fighting? Why does Zell have his weapon? Hyne, what's wrong?' She looked back at Zell and took a step towards him, then another, then she was running towards him as fast as she could. When she caught up to him she saw Squall and immediately rushed to his side. Her eyes were wide with concern, tears threatening to defy her and flow freely. She held her hand over her mouth to try hide some of her distress.

Her eyes first noticed his shirt; the once white cotton was now mostly a dark crimson with only a few odd patches of white. The higher up his body she went the darker the shirt became and it wasn't long until she saw his face. She took a very quick moment to compose herself as she took in the sight. His face was covered in bruises particularly on his left side between his cheekbone and eye. She could see one particularly viscous looking cut just below the eye and his nose seemed to be broken judging by the awkward angle. Dried blood was all to frequent on his features and she noticed some relatively fresh blood just under his bottom lip that was still wet and yet to succumb to the same state as the rest.

The tears now flowed down her face and she didn't try hold them back. She was horrified to see him in such a state. She was relieved the others were ok but secretly she wished the pain he had suffered had been shared, if only so he wasn't in this state now. She didn't want anyone hurt but wouldn't it be better to have a few people with a few bruises than one person beaten to a pulp like he was?

Zell roused her from her thoughts with a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and then picked Squall up.

"Come on we have to go." He said. She tried her best to hide her concern, dried her eyes and set the best resolute face she could. They regrouped and ran through the exit and out into the sunlight. The light was harsh on their eyes at first and the fresh air was intoxicating.

After a few hundred yards they reached the fence just before the parking lot, compete freedom was so nearly theirs. One final small group of soldiers and droids stood before them and their way out of this hellish place. The fight was short lived due to the fact Rinoa and Irvine were able to fight and also because they were outside they were no longer subject to the anti-magic field and could use their magic and GF's.

The now defeated commander who was slumped by a vehicle tried raise his rifle but Zell stopped him by standing on his arm. Despite appearing injured the guard laughed.

"What you laughing at?" Zell growled. He was in no mood for this crap. The commander obliged him and replied...

"You may escape here but we'll find you again. There's nowhere you can run. The missiles will see to that."

"What missiles?" The commander didn't answer so Zell shook him furiously and repeated the question. This time he did answer.

"The ones that are gonna destroy your precious Gardens." The commander passed out and Zell released his grip on him.

"We have to stop them!" Cried Selphie almost hysterically, although no one could blame her, Garden was her home, it was all their homes with the exception of Rinoa. They were all in agreement they had to do something, give everything they had to stop the missiles. It wasn't just about them anymore but about all those innocent people who considered Garden home. Wasting no more time they clambered in to the only vehicle in the parking lot that seemed to be working and set off to rescue their homes.

Irvine was driving, Rinoa and Selphie were upfront leaving Zell, Quistis and Squall in the back. The latter was still unconscious and more worryingly had shown no signs of improvement since they rescued him. A tension hung and lingered in the air as the conscious occupants of the vehicle were lost in thoughts. They came to some crossroads when the tension proved too much and the bonds of friendship and team work were tested. They had to decide which way to go and this caused a heated exchange of opinions

"I'm going to Balamb and warn them" Quistis said.

"But what about Trabia? They need warning too!" Argued Selphie

"We can't do both." Added Rinoa.

"We wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't involved SeeD on live television." Said Irvine as he bore his eyes into Zell.

"Fuck you cowboy." Zell retorted defiantly. He already felt guilty enough without him putting this shit on him too. To his surprise Quistis leapt to his defence.

"If you'd have fired when you should have then we wouldn't have been in this prison and they wouldn't have tortured Squall." She was furious, her usual tact and composure were absent after recent events.

"It's not his fault she repelled the bullet." Selphie protested.

"Enough!" Screamed Rinoa. She couldn't take anymore. "We need to work together. Now more than ever."

"Yeah, you're right" Agreed Selphie. They may not be have been arguing anymore but there was still plenty of resentment and anger lingering in the air. "We need to stop the missiles or warn the Garden's. That's the priority now."

"Agreed. We split up. Two teams; one will try stop the missiles and the other will warn the Garden's." Asserted Quistis, the instructor in her taking charge.

"I will be on the missiles team. Trabia was my home. I have to save it." Said Selphie with a passionate voice.

"I'll go with you." Said Irvine with a reassuring smile.

"I have to warn Garden. I can't let them pay for my mistake." Spoke Zell honestly. Irvine caught his eye and gave him a nod of respect.

"Rinoa, go with Selphie and Irvine. Zell and I will warn Garden."

"But what about Squall? I..." She began to protest, unfamiliar with taking orders.

"...We'll get him home" Quistis barked, leaving no room for argument. "Irvine take us to the train station first then take the car to the missile base. Step on it!"

"But the trains aren't running. The sorceress ordered them stopped after the attack." Irvine informed. Quistis heard his words and was cursing at been the butt of fates cruel joke yet again. She looked at Squall and her resolve was renewed.

'He can't die out here. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him alive.'

"I'm not giving up! We have to get to Balamb."