Squall was escorted to Odine's Laboratory on the other side of Esthar. The lab was nothing compared to Esthar's Palace although Odine would never let anyone into the back where many research experiments were being held. Squall walked to the computer room where he was told Odine would be waiting. When he walked in there however, the doctor was no where to be found.

"I knew he wouldn't be here," Squall thought ready to turn back and leave. Just then the door opened and in popped the little doctor with a frown on his face.

"Have a zeat! We have much to talk about!" he snapped, Squall stared at him before finding a chair to sit on.

"Has Garden fined you for the incident?" Squall asked trying to figure out the reason for the doctor's mood

"NO NO NO!" he yelled, "that iz not vhat I am concerned about!"

Squall looked at the doctor with a blank expression, he was sure he didn't want to hear the doctor's real reason.

"My research waz incomplete!" Odine yelled hopping up and down "and the place waz destroyed! How do you expect me to care about a fine when I have a Hypotheziz to answer?"

"What hypothesis?"

Odine stared Squall down before walking over to the computer and pointing to a button out of his reach.

"PUSH!" he ordered

Squall frowned, walked over to the panel and pressed the button that the tiny doctor could not reach. A screen of names popped up, Squall recognized a few of them as the names of GF's.

"Theze are ancient GF's said to only exist in the bodies of humanz!" Odine said proudly. Squall continued to look at the names as they appeared, there were millions of them, and they seemed to keep going. Squall's eyes widened as he saw a familiar name enter the data bank.

"Griever?"

"Yez you know of eet?" Odine asked looking at the list grow.

Squall motioned to his Griever necklace and nodded.

"Oh I zee now, ziz GF is sacred to you"

"I wouldn't call it that" Squall thought to himself.

"I have formed a hypotheziz stating that all zese GF's existed long ago. When Sorceress Hyne created mankind she put a GF in each human to give it a zoul, perzonality, and life. I like to call zese GF's zat dwell inzide us INNER GF'S!"

"What does that have to do with the expedition at the Centra ruins?" Squall asked

Odine curled his mustache looking at Squall ignorantly "Eet iz said zat Hyne lived in Centra vwen she created ze first human, I believe zat ze ruins and Odin's dizappearance would be ze key I needed"

"Odin was killed" Squall said, "He was cut in half by Seifer"

"Interesting indeed! Zis Zeifer you speak of, a human strong enough to reverze ze effect of an Ancient GF, incredible!"

"Ancient G.F…"

"Why do you zink he never joined your party?" Odine said in a know-it-all matter "coming and going az he pleazez, and guarding ze ruinz with his power, didn't you zink he waz hiding zomzing?"

Squall thought about the doctor's words for a minute. Odine looked at him, concocting a smile on his lips.

"I have a theory!" the doctor continued "Zat an Inner G.F. has ze power to make ze human host more powerful! But eet must be unleashed like a regular G.F."

"How?" Squall was starting to get confused, but he was very intrigued.

"Zat iz a good question, a much harder prozess than a normal GF, zat is why I have yet to figure out the extraction part" Odine rubbed his chin and walked over to the door.

"Turn ze computer off and LEAVE!" he said leaving the lab and a bewildered Squall.

Squall looked over the names again, and he could see a possibility of Odine's hypothesis being true. There were well over a million GF's in the bank and more were being processed. Had the Ancient GF's been residents of the planet before Hyne created man? And if so why did she imprison all the GF's into humans? The taciturn hero decided to leave all the questions up for Odine to answer. He turned off the computer and made his way out of the lab where the escort was waiting for him.

He was ready to go back to Garden by the time the escort reached the Palace of Esthar. The moon was clearly visible in the night's sky and for once didn't look so menacing over the city as it had when the Lunar Cry took place. But the rest of the sky was dark and the city itself was illuminated with brilliant light, Squall took admiration of it as he walked to Laguna's office.

"All set?" Laguna asked with a wide smile

"What's with the change of attitude all of a sudden?" Squall asked himself nodding to the president.

"Oh and by the way I just finished talking to your headmaster, don't worry we'll pay for all the fines for the expedition and Odine's agreed to work on one of the patients!"

"What do you mean?"

Laguna scratched the back of his head hating to be the bearer of bad news

"One of the kids from the incident is going to have her legs cut off"

"You mean amputated" the brown haired man said correcting Laguna's grammar

"Right! So Odine's agreed to work on her, he's really eager to try mechanical limbs!"

Squall put a hand on his waist. Laguna noticed this.

"The escort's waiting for you outside. He'll take you to a hotel"

"Hotel?" Squall asked instantly

"Well, it would save me some arguments if you and Odine left tomorrow morning, you don't mind staying here do you?"

Squall sighed and decided to agree, he walked to the escort waiting for him and got in the car. He looked around the city, its beauty was so magnificent he almost forgot about the attacks that had happened not so long ago. His mind drifted to Rinoa and how he had come here the first time trying to heal her. He decided not to dwell on it and shot his attention to Ellone. Kidnapped again, and this time Laguna and the whole palace was there to prevent it and it still didn't work. Whoever these new kids were, they were properly trained.

Ellone slowly opened her eyes. She tried to move but her wrists and ankles were in chains. Her vision was hazy and it took her a while to realize what had happened before her blackout.

"Uncle Laguna?" she whispered to no one in particular.

"He's not here."

Ellone jumped at a voice she was not expecting, she didn't know who it was but it sounded stern and cold. Ellone felt her heart start to pound when she realized that the room was full of the people that invaded the palace and took her away from Laguna. In front of her was the man that had knocked her out, accompanied by a haughty looking girl with dark red hair.

The man walked closer but Ellone was ready. Around her was an echoing of moans and grunts as all the personnel fell to the floor, except for the man in front of her. He proceeded to come closer and Ellone frantically tried to get free. She didn't want him anywhere near her.

Suddenly her head felt dizzy and a ringing sound rang in her mind. She saw herself as a young girl, about 2 or so. She saw Uncle Laguna and Raine at the bar in Winhill. They were sad, sad for her. Another image came of Raine holding her hand out for Ellone to take. Her smile was serene and caring. Ellone remembered that smile well.

She shook her head trying to get the sensation to go away and she became aware of the bruise that had appeared on her stomach from where the man had struck her. She looked up with wide eyes, not sure of what had just happened.

The man looked at her calmly while his comrades struggled to pick themselves up from the floor. "I'd be more careful if I were you, this room is very prone to brain waves like yours. The slightest attempt and a drop of fear could mean catastrophe for everyone in here, including you"

"Then…why weren't you affected by it at all?" Ellone managed to gasp through the pain.

The man stared at her with his cold eyes and walked away, soon the whole room became empty. Ellone was left in darkness.