Final Fantasy VIII [2nd Instalment]

Grace Barton

Part Four: The Galbadian Missile Base

Chapter One

…Where am I?

Such was Zell's first thought when he finally awoke, returning from the 'dream world'. His next thought was that the bed he was lying on was hard and very uncomfortable. It took him a moment before he realised that it was not a bed at all, but a cold, metal floor. As he realised that, the rest of his memories returned in a rush. The gateway, the sorceress, and the sounds of battle…

Following the battle, the Galbadian army arrived and stormed the gateway. They arrested those inside, including Zell, Quistis and Selphie, still up in the gateway control room. When they were dragged from the gateway and into the street, Zell had spotted Seifer standing with the sorceress. He recalled shouting at Seifer, before one of the soldiers had smacked him over the head with his gun. The last thing he remembered before darkness took him was being thrown into a secure army vehicle and hearing Rinoa, somewhere nearby, shouting Squall's name.

Zell started to open his eyes. As he did so a shooting pain shot through his head, and he closed his eyes again. The painful sensation woke him up fully. Zell groaned and rolled onto his side. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Ahh, welcome back, Zell," said a voice. "The 'dream world' again?"

Opening his eyes again, Zell looked up. Quistis was sitting across from him. Selphie was sat beside her, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Rinoa was here, too, sitting next to Zell. The woman's knees were drawn up and she was looking down at the ground, her face creased in worry. Squall was nowhere to be seen. Zell looked around at them, blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"Uh huh," he grunted.

"How's Laguna doin'?" asked Selphie.

Zell rubbed the back of his head and winced. There was a lump there from his struggle with the soldiers. "Dunno…" Zell replied. "I didn't see him." He looked at his hand. There was no blood there. "It's not like I know everything about Ward, but… Well, you know how Laguna and company went to that Centra place and got into a real fix, right?" Quistis and Selphie nodded. "After that, Ward's been all alone. He's working in some sort of prison-like place. And he's bored outta his mind! All he wants is to be fightin' alongside Laguna."

They all took a moment to absorb this information. Quistis folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "So, what is this we're experiencing?" she asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Zell replied, snappy.

Everyone fell into a tense silence. Zell crossed his legs and put his chin in his hands. He was thinking about the 'dream world'. Of Laguna, Kiros and Ward, one of whom he had just been. It was amazing, he realised, was just how much Laguna and his friends had become a part of their lives. Strangest part of it was that he was not even frightened. He should be freaking out, shouting at the rooftops and demanding some kind of explanation. Yet he was not afraid. Somehow, in his heart, he knew that these 'dreams' were nothing to fear. There must be some hidden purpose to them. Thinking all of this made his head throb, and Zell rubbed his eyes again.

Selphie looked at Quistis and Zell, both of whom were very deep in thought. She tapped her fingers on her knees and then fiddled with the hem of her dress. Finally, she looked up. "Well… Since we're prisoners…" she said. "Shouldn't we be trying to break out of here?"

"I wonder what happened to Squall…" Quistis added. "Did they bring him here, too…?"

Zell looked at her and then glanced over at Rinoa. Throughout their conversation, Rinoa remained silent. Her face was troubled and she was deep in thought. She was probably worried about Squall, Zell realised. He was about to say something to reassure her when she lifted her head and looked right at him.

"Um, didn't you say that Ward was working in some sort of prison?" she asked.

"Yeah, so."

"And wasn't he from Galbadia?"

Zell nodded. "Sure, he's a soldier there," he replied. What was she getting at?

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, "but aren't you supposed to be Ward in that 'dream world'?"

"Just now I was," replied Zell.

Rinoa waved her hand. "Does this room look familiar?" she asked him.

Zell stared at her and then looked around. Of all the stupid questi… Hey? The fighter paused and took a second look. Whoa? Wait a sec…

He took a third look around the room, to make sure he was not seeing things. Yes, this room did look familiar. It should not have been, but it was. He and the others were locked inside a large cell, with nothing but metal walls and floors, and a single door that was the way out. There were no windows so they could not see what lay beyond the cell door, and no home comforts of any kind. Yet thanks to the 'dream world' it was a very familiar sight to Zell.

Rising to his feet, Zell stamped his foot. "I know this place!" he announced. "Everyone listen up! This is the prison that Ward works at! He's a janitor here! There's so many rooms just like this! It's got to be here!"

"There's a prison for political activists in Galbadia…" Rinoa explained. "This must be the place where Ward works! Right here, where we are! I'm sure of it!"

"It's no surprise we're in jail," Quistis remarked. "We did attack the sorceress…"

Rinoa shivered. She did not want to remember that fight, or how it ended. "We went up against the president," she said. "We'll all be sentenced to death…"

"That president is no longer in charge," Quistis pointed out.

Rinoa's shoulders relaxed. Of course, she had almost forgotten that. She had only vague memories of what happened after Sorceress Edea used her magic to take over her mind. Those memories were like a blur or a dream. The only clear memory she had when her mind was released was the two Iguion diving towards her and then Squall, coming to save her. Then the fight… She shivered again.

"Now that Galbadia's in the hands of the sorceress… what's going to happen to us?" she asked.

Nobody answered her. There was no answer they could give. Galbadia, a military superpower, was in the hands of a ruthless and merciless sorceress… They could only begin to imagine what fate beheld them, and they also knew that their imaginations would not even begin to touch reality.

"Things don't look so good…" Selphie said in a low voice. She lowered her head.

Once more, everyone fell quiet. Zell, after a moment, sat back down on the floor and crossed his legs. He folded his arms across his chest and squeezed his arms tight, hoping that the pain would help him think.

What's gonna happen to us? he asked himself. And where the hell's that guy, Irvine? And where's Squall…? Did the sorceress…? He gulped.

When Squall opened his eyes, he opened them only to find that he was alone. There was no sign of his friends, and he could not hear their voices. In fact, he could hear no sounds of any kind, except for the sound of his own breathing.

The swordsman sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. A wave of dizziness hit him as he moved, and he placed his hands on the edge of the bed to support himself. The wave passed quickly, and Squall raised his head.

…Where am I? he asked himself.

He looked around. He was sitting in a small, confined room. It was one of the D-District Prison's solitary confinement cells, though Squall did not know that yet. The solitary cells were designed for prisoners the Galbadian army classed as 'high risk criminals', and prevented prisoners from having any contact with the outside. This included audible contact, which was why Squall could hear nothing except the sounds that he made. There was nothing in the room except for a bed and a door, which Squall did not need to check, for he knew it would be locked.

As his memories of the day before returned, Squall groaned. He held his head in his hands and tugged at his hair.

I… challenged Edea… he thought to himself. My wound… …?

Squall's hand went to his chest. The wound made when the sorceress hurled her ice spears and pierced his chest was gone. Even his clothing was repaired, as though the injury had never been. Squall felt the spot over and over, as though somehow, in some form of delirium perhaps, he had missed it. Regardless of how many times he checked, no wound appeared.

No wound…? he thought, confirming the fact. He frowned, confused. How…? The Galbadian soldiers… …We were surrounded.

Was it the sorceress herself who healed him? Why? For what purpose? She had defeated them; she could have destroyed them easily. Why then, did she choose to spare his life? The more he thought about it the less sense it made. The wave of dizziness returned, and Squall groaned. He shook his head.

From that moment everything was a blur. He remembered hearing Rinoa call out his name, and he remembered seeing her as she leaned over the parade car, reaching out to him. He recalled trying to reach out and take her hand, but his body would not move. Then everything went black. Then… then he heard Rinoa's voice again. She was shouting. Squall had opened his eyes then and saw her kneeling beside him, though her head was turned away. Irvine was there too, along with Quistis and the others. Then everything went dark and he saw… Seifer.

He was there… Squall realised, lowering his hands. Seifer, leering down at me. The swordsman clenched his fists tight and rose to his feet. "Damn you, Seifer!"

Almost as soon as he stood, the cell started to shake. Squall staggered and then dropped to his knees.

Outside the cell, a metal crane lowered down and stopped in front of Squall's cell. The solitary cells were kept separate from the general cells and were stored in slots, much like a 'hive'. Metal poles emerged from the crane and went into holes on either side of its roof. The cell was pulled out of the hold, held up by the poles. It slotted into the crane, and latches closed over it to keep the cell in place. Once secure the crane rose up again, taking the cell and Squall to the top of the prison.

Meanwhile, in the general cells on the seventh floor of the prison, Zell and the others looked up in alarm. A loud rumble, much like a small earthquake, shook the room.

"What, what was that loud noise?" asked Selphie, looking around.

After a moment or two the shaking came to a stop and the cell returned to silence. The door to the cell opened and a guard walked in. He was a mean-looking man, and he scowled at the group in contempt. Two more guards, each of them holding machineguns, walked on either side of him.

Zell and the others got to their feet. Zell looked the guard up and down. I don't like him at all… the fighter thought.

The guards entered the cell. The door closed behind them. As it clicked shut, the group realised with sudden clarity the significance of these confined, windowless cells. No windows, no witnesses.

The lead guard walked forward and stopped in front of the group. "It's the sound of your friend being tortured," he said with a sneer.

Zell did not like his tone, any more than he liked the sight of the man. He stormed up to the guard. "What!" he shouted. "Whaddaya mean!"

At once, the two guards on either side raised their machineguns and pointed them at Zell. The fighter ignored them and stood in front of the mean-looking guard, his face stern.

The guard glared back at him. His lip curled. "Shut up!" he shouted back. Snatching a baton that was attached to his belt, he lifted it up. "Don't screw around with me! You understand who's in charge here!"

Angrily, Zell stamped his foot. He clenched his fists, defiant. In response, the guard raised his baton and pressed it against Zell's neck. He pressed it down until Zell could feel his pulse throbbing. The guard moved in close to him, his face just inches away.

"I'm asking you a question!" he shouted, and then he whacked Zell at the base of his neck. The fighter gasped and fell to his knees. He clutched at his neck, still gasping for breath. Zell glared up at the guard, but before he could do anything one of the other guards ran over to him and shoved the barrel of his gun in Zell's face. Zell pulled back away from it.

The main guard kicked him, sharply, in the stomach. Zell keeled over and clutched at his stomach, groaning. The guard kicked him again and Zell winced, leaning over further. The other guard then joined in. Together the two guards kicked him over and over again. With each brutal kick Zell groaned and leaned over further, trying to defend himself from their blows.

Rinoa threw down her fists, unable to watch any longer. "Stop!" she cried.

The two guards did stop, but not before they each gave Zell one more kick to his chest and stomach. Zell muttered something under his breath before he slumped down onto the floor. He lay face down on the ground, clutching at his stomach.

The main guard sheathed his baton. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said. Kneeling down next to Zell, he grabbed a handful of his hair. He pulled Zell's head up and, leaning in close, said loudly down his ear: "Hey man, is there a Rinoa with you?"

Rinoa blinked in surprise. She stepped forward. "I'm Rinoa," she said.

The guard looked up at her. He pushed Zell's head back against the floor and released his hair. "Oh, all right," he said, standing up. "Then come over here." He beckoned to her. There was a cruel smile on his face as he motioned for her to come over to him. The other guards sniggered.

At first Rinoa did not move. The smile on the guard's face vanished and he signalled to the other guard on his right. The guard nodded and then went over to her. He stood beside her and raised his gun.

Zell, still on the floor, lifted his head. "Whaddaya doing to Rinoa, you bastard!"

The guard responded by kicking him again. Zell groaned and held his gut.

"Stop it already!" demanded Quistis.

"Stop."

Quistis, surprised, turned to Rinoa. The woman did not meet her gaze and turned to the guard. "I'll go," she told him.

The guard grinned again. At least one of these prisoners had sense. He nodded his head at the door and Rinoa walked towards it. The other guard stayed close behind her, the barrel of his gun still pointing at her back.

Quistis took a step after her. "Rinoa…" she began, her heart wrenching. She had so much she needed to say to Rinoa, and to apologise for what she had said in Deling City.

By the door, Rinoa stopped and looked back at Quistis. She smiled. It was a quiet, serene smile that was uncharacteristic of Rinoa, who was always free-spirited and full of life. Quistis knew then the reason why Rinoa chose to go with the guards. If she went with them, of her own accord, there was less chance that they would continue to hurt Zell or the others.

"I'll be fine," Rinoa said, still smiling. The smile then faded and she turned back to the guards. "Let's go," she said.

The guards stepped aside. Rinoa, holding her head high, walked out of the cell. The guard with the gun at her back followed her out. The main guard followed them, and then the last went out, keeping a close watch on Zell and the others as he backed out of the door. When everyone was out, the cell door slid shut. It clicked, locking them up once more.

Quistis ran to the door. She pushed on it and tugged on the edges. It was no use. The whipmaster slammed her hand against the door and yelled in despair. She then sank onto her knees, feeling completely and utterly helpless.

While Rinoa was being escorted out of her cell and taken away by the guards, Squall continued to be thrown about in his cell. He had surmised that the cell was somehow moving, but as to and to where it was being taken, he did not know.

The cell gave one more violent shake and then swerved to his left. Squall lost his fight for balance and dropped onto his knees. His vision swam, for his body had not yet fully recovered from the fight with the sorceress. The cell then gave a gentler shudder and then stopped moving. The swordsman remained kneeling on the ground, panting and staring at the floor.

The cell door opened and Seifer strolled in. He had his gunblade in his hand as he looked down at Squall, a mocking smile on his face.

"Squall, you're pitiful" he remarked, and he made no attempt to hide the smugness from his voice.

Squall, unwilling to let Seifer see him like this, got to his feet. As he stood up straight his vision swam again and he wobbled before falling back. He fell against Seifer, who placed his hand on Squall's shoulder to support him. Seifer then pushed him off and spun Squall around to face him. As he turned, Seifer grabbed him by his hair and forced his head up so he could look Squall in the face.

Their eyes met. As he looked into Seifer's face, Squall could barely recognise the man he once knew. Nothing physical had changed—Seifer's face was the same as it always was, down to the leering, mocking smile. Yet his eyes… his eyes were different. They had a look Squall had never seen before. An harsh cruelty lay there now. For all that Seifer was, he was anything but cruel.

Squall's gaze drifted from Seifer's eyes. Instead he looked at the scar that crossed his rival's face. It was the scar that matched his own, the one that he had inflicted.

Realising what Squall was looking at, Seifer scowled. He tightened his grip on Squall's hair, making him gasp, before he flung Squall away from him. The swordsman fell against the edge of the bed. He lost his balance and fell back, and slammed his head against the wall. He slumped, dazed.

Seifer leered down at him and then turned to the door. "Take him away!" he ordered.

Two Moombas ran into the cell. They hooked their arms underneath Squall's shoulders and began to drag him off the bed. Seifer watched them, and he smiled.