<Irvine: HEY! Enough with the food jokes!!
 Alex: I’m still HUNGRY!!
 Seifer: There he goes again. Now look what you’ve done!!>

     “We’re getting nowhere fast,” Alex shouted as he threw up a defensive barrier that just barely held against the robot that decided to make them into punching bags.
     “What’s worse is that we’re almost out of magic,” Seifer said as he and Irvine concentrated their powers together for a duel magic tech. A cloud of smoke blew up around them as they performed moves that mirrored one another, both forming large globes of energy in their hands that pulsed with volatility. Before they could fire off the spell a hail of gunfire tore through the air around them, leaving them to ditch the spell before it backfired.
     “This sucks!” Irvine said as he dove for cover, “We’re outmatched, outgunned, out maneuvered...”
     “And outdone,” a female voice filled with attitude said. From the smoke before them stepped a woman with shoulder length green hair that was pulled back in a tight bun. Her eyes were dark against the green of the visor which she wore, and her body suit was skintight blue and black leather with the Galbaldia insignia on the left breast. She took hold of her collar, which possessed a microphone, and said, “Brandon, we have the prisoners surrounded on level Alpha three.”
     “Excellent,” Brandon’s voice said, “bring them to me at once.”
     ‘I only get one chance to use this power, and if it fails we’re all done for,’ ran through Alex’s mind as rays of red light extended outward from where he stood. The rays spun to form a circle of energy beneath him, Seifer, and Irvine before a column of light surrounded them. As he was about to initiate the teleport one of the robots reached in and grabbed Seifer, yanking him out of the field.
     “Seifer!” Irvine called, extending his hand towards his friend, “Grab my hand!”
     “Irvine, go without me,” Seifer called, “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
     As Alex activated the teleport he wasn’t aware that Irvine still had his hand outside of the field until it was much too late. A scream like no other filled normal space and subspace as Irvine’s forearm was separated from the rest of his body, which was teleported through subspace to just outside of Balamb Garden. The hand, though, dropped to the floor, where it twitched a few more times before ceasing to move.
     Seifer stared in horror as this transpired, his face growing white. He went to cry something out, but no sound would come from his lips. He then keeled forward against the restraining arm of the robotic soldier, his consciousness leaving him. His mouth formed one word, “Irvine” before it was still.

     On the other end of the teleport the two remaining SeeDs burst into reality amid an ear splitting and heart rending scream as Irvine realized the extent of his injury. Alex brought them in for a rather hard landing, considering that he usually touched down gracefully, and immediately began proper treatment for shock and blood loss.
     “Oh man,” he gasped as he tore his cape apart to make a proper bandage, “what a mess this turned out to be.”
     “It... it’s not your fault,” Irvine said, smiling weakly, “I’m the... the stupid one who... didn’t get his hand back.... into the field in time.”
     A large vehicle pulled to a stop near them, and from that stepped Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall, all holding gear for some sort of medical emergency. Alex fell backward, his transformations reversing back to what he had been wearing for the mission, the symbol in his transformation pen growing black from the energy drain. Rinoa handed him a can of something, which he slowly drank without tasting it.
     “What happened?” Squall asked, the question going completely over his head. All he could say was, “It’s my fault.... my fault... all my fault...”
     “Alex, what in the nine hells happened in there?!” Quistis asked, shaking him by the shoulders. “Damnit, snap out of it! What happened? Where is Seifer?”
     “He’s... he’s still there,” he stammered, “and that’s where Irvine’s other hand is... floor Alpha three. The teleport.... the teleport was the last resort, and Seifer was pulled out of the field before I could complete it. Irvine reached for him and... and that’s how he lost his hand...”
     “We’ll send another party in to kick their butts first thing tomorrow,” Rinoa said in a comforting tone, “I’ll go with them, and so will Squall and Laguna and Zell. As for right now you really need to get some rest.”
     “We both need some rest,” Irvine said as Quistis and Squall helped him towards the vehicle, “Just drop me in his room, since I don’t want to be alone and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be alone right now.”

     About an hour later the sound of running water could be heard up and down the hallway where Alex’s room was located. Steam filled the small bathroom as the shower ran, and beneath the running water stood Alex. Yet he didn’t seem to feel the heat of the water or smell any of the soap which he used. He simply stared off into space, wondering if there wasn’t something he could do to set things right.
     ‘It’s my fault,’ ran through his mind, ‘Alexander was taken out when I used him as our last resort, and now I don’t have his power. Ridley is no longer with me.... he’s with that Brandon guy, and now I feel two empty spots in my being. No... make that three, since Seifer isn’t here. There will probably be a fourth, since Irvine only has one hand now, thanks to my stupidity. I screwed everything up royally! Now I have to go and fix it. But how? I can barely maintain my transformation with just the pen, and the chaos power overloads me too much at times, so much so that it feels like my brain is going to come unglued and I’m going to fragment.’
     ‘Stop blaming yourself,’ a comforting voice said in his mind, ‘you can pull this off. I know you can.’
     Alex looked around, a little shocked since the voice sounded very familiar. ‘Alexander, is that you?’
     ‘Who else would it be?’ the esper replied, ‘Ridley’s here with me, but he’s not responding to anything that I say.’
     ‘Have you been in contact with Madeen or Bahamut or Angemon or Leviathan?’
     ‘Outside communication cannot be established at this time, for some reason or another.’
     Alex thought for a moment before saying, ‘I forgot.... you were whacked by some of the artillery in the compound, which means you’re...’
     ‘Out of commission. That’s why nothing’s working. O.K..... I should be able to recover by the time you get here. Just hurry.... I think Ridley and Seifer may be joining me soon...’
     The voice went silent a moment later, and tears streamed down Alex’s face when this happened. A red glow surrounded his body, the light visible for miles around. He teleported outside, where his transformation took effect, the added power of the chaos emeralds giving him flight and speed again.
     “Seifer, Alexander, Ridley, I’m coming for you. I know it sounds stupid, but I am going to fix everything that I messed up and set everything to right!”

     The air in the cell was icy cold against his naked flesh, and this caused certain parts of his body to react differently. He shivered convulsively, the chains around his hands and feet jiggling audibly. Every part of his body hurt, and he felt incredibly violated. What had they done to him in the short time following his eviction from Alex’s teleport? How many hours ago was that?
     “You’re not going to pass out on us, are you lover?” a voice sneered in his ear as his head was pulled back by the hair. He felt hands caressing his body in a most uncomfortable and intrusive manner.

     Meanwhile, in the control room of the complex, a certain white gem was glowing brilliantly. Commander Brandon held this gem in his palm, staring in awe at the sheer power it possessed.
     “This.... is this an esper?” he asked, watching the gentle pulse of the stone. The red gem in a necklace in his possession also began to glow and pulse, this time with fire instead of pure white light. He held the two stones together and watched how they pulsed. “Amazing,” he said, “they appear to be communicating.”
     “Sir, that white one looks like the gem that mage used to summon Alexander,” the green haired woman said as she entered the control room. She pulled her helmet and visor off to reveal that she had royal violet eyes that had a tinge of rose to them.
     “So these are summoning implements,” Brandon said, holding them aloft, “How do you work these?”
     “For beginners, you need to know the proper incantation.”
     “Any more?”
     “I think they need to choose to give you their power before you can really do anything.”
     Brandon grumbled and tossed the stones down, making the comment that they were useless to him if they belonged to the damned mage that had gotten away. The woman bent down and picked the stones up, feeling them pulse differently than anyone else would.
     ‘Major Kirinis MaCall, how do you do,’ spoke in her mind. She gasped, but masked her surprise by coughing a moment later. She turned to Brandon and said, “If these are of no use to you, can I have them?”
     “Sure thing. Enjoy yourself. Make yourself a nice necklace or earring or bracelet or something,” Brandon said as he began to look at the necklace and bracelets which he had taken from Alex.
     ‘Typical male....’ she thought as she stepped into the hallway. She stepped into a nearby closet and resumed looking at the stones. ‘How did you know my name?’ she asked the white stone, which she was sure was the one that had spoken to her.
     ‘You are different from the others in this facility,’ the voice said, ‘and if you want to know how I know all about you, it’s simple. I and my friend Ridley here have chosen you to be a carrier of an esper... a summoner, if you will. And as a summoner we must be able to know our master and communicate with them.’
     ‘But who exactly are you?’
     ‘I am called Alexander, and you saw my power earlier. I am the holy angel of light...’
     ‘Who got your butt royally whooped by some incoming fire,’ a second voice said in her head, this one with a lot of attitude.
     ‘I take it you’re Ridley,’ Kirinis said, looking at the red gem.
     ‘That’s me. How ya doin? You have really pretty thoughts and I bet you’re gorgeous.’
     ‘Ridley!! Don’t make comments like that to she who can summon Tidis.’
     “Tidis?” Kirinis said under her breath, “I can summon a water elemental?”
     ‘That’s right toots. Only you need to find your materia first. Once you have that you’ll be able to summon Tidis to your hearts desire.’
     ‘But first we need to go and help Alex save Seifer,’ Alexander said, interrupting Ridley before he could say anything more, ‘Think you can help us?’
     ‘I can try my best,’ Kirinis said as she clipped the necklace around her neck and then clipped the white stone to the necklace. She then put her helmet on before stepping out of the closet, looking as if nothing was the matter.

     “So how is he doing?”
     “He’s doing better than he was. He’s awake and still trying to comprehend what happened to him, to Alex, and to Seifer.”
     “And just where is Alex? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
     “Wasn’t he in the shower?”
     “SHOWER.”
     Quistis and Squall looked up to see Fujin and Rajin standing in the entrance to Squall’s office. Both looked like they hadn’t slept in days, which was partially true since they took shifts keeping an eye out for Seifer.
     “What do you guys know about Alex?” Quistis asked as she rose from the corner of Squall’s desk on which she was sitting.
     “Fujin says she saw the mage go into the bathroom about the time you all returned with him and Irvine,” Rajin said.
     “That was close to two or three hours ago,” Squall said.
     “Still running,” Fujin interrupted.
     “You mean the shower’s been going the entire time?” Quistis asked. Fujin nodded.
     “Which is why I came to see you,” Karna said as he stepped in, his hair dripping rivulets of cold water down his face, “there is no hot water left in any of the bathrooms in our hallway.”
     “Wonderful,” Squall sighed, “if Alex is still in the shower...”
     “I doubt he is,” Anassa said as she breezed in with a small computer in her hand. “We picked up his bio signature screaming towards the missile base about half an hour ago, and again fifteen minutes ago.”
     “So now what?” Quistis asked, “It’s obvious that he’s going to save Seifer, no matter what it takes.”
     “We go to help him,” Squall said as he rose, “Fujin, Rajin, you’re welcome to come along since Seifer’s one of your friends. Anassa, go and get Irvine. Karna, dry yourself off and get dressed.”
     “What about Selphie, Zell, Rinoa, and Mister Laguna?” Anassa asked.
     “We’ll need them here to back us up if we get into trouble. Now move it people. We have a mission and two SeeDs to save.”

     Across the continent Alex found himself facing heavy opposition from airborne soldiers which were protecting the missile base.
     “Damn all of you!” he growled, drawing his star sword, the blade glowing. He swung the glowing blade, a wave of light slashing the sky open and erasing some of the soldiers instantly. “You have my Seifer and I’m here to bring him home, so get out of my way!!”
     Heavy fire exploded around him, and he muttered a curse before diving towards the ground. Drawing a second samurai sword he floated in space, holding the blades flat from his body. He initiated a tornado spin, the blades glowing with energy as he shouted, “Mega Twister!”
     A tornado funnel formed around him, the winds tearing through the area and sucking things towards it. Electricity crackled throughout the tornado, striking anything unfortunate enough to be swept up within it.
     The tornado also mowed its way across the ground, tearing that asunder as well. When Alex finally stopped his spin a lot of crap rained down upon the missile base, all of which was once the defensive systems and units for the compound. The young mage touched down, scanning the distance for any signs of opposition.
     “I’m heeeeeere,” he called in a sweet and innocent tone. When he was met by silence he sighed. “Damn it all! Bloody unbelievable! Where the hell is everyone?!”

     Deep within the compound people were running to their action stations, since somebody was insane enough to attack them head-on, and had managed to get past their defenses. Going against the flow of people was Kirinis, who seemed to be in her soldier mode.
     When she stepped into the prison section of the compound she took a moment to step into a deep shadow and converse with the materia she was holding.
     ‘Is he nearby?’ she asked the two stones around her neck.
     ‘You’re getting really close,’ Alexander replied.
     ‘Look for a cell with doubled guards,’ Ridley added, ‘That’s where you’ll find him.’
     ‘Right,’ she said, tucking the necklace back into her uniform before stepping back into the hallway. Several steps later she found herself standing before the cell where two guards stood on either side of the door. When they saw Kirinis they snapped to attention and saluted, and she returned the salute.
     “Major MaCall, Ma’am,” one of the guards said, “what brings you down to see us?”
     “I came to see the prisoner,” Kirinis said in a tone of authority.
     “Are you sure you want to do that ma’am?” another guard asked, his question dripping sarcasm.
     “You’re relieved soldier,” Kirinis snapped. The soldier saluted and made a hasty retreat. She then looked at the other three, fire in her eyes. “Open the cell NOW, or I’ll make your lives miserable.”
     “Yes ma’am!” the three said, unlocking the door and opening it. In the light that came from the hallway she saw bare legs, manacled to the floor. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light and she could see a naked form hanging from the ceiling, bruises and cuts visible on the supple flesh.
     “Oh my,” she gasped under her breath, “how horrible.”
     “You might want to be careful major,” one of the guards said sarcastically, “he’s a vicious one.”
     “And you three... are dismissed,” Kirinis growled as she stepped into the cell, anger welling up inside at how the prisoner had been treated. Scraps of cloth lined the floor, a pair of beat up boots rested against one wall, and blood stained the floor.
     ‘I hope I’m not too late,’ ran through her mind as she checked for vital signs, ‘breathing is shallow but there. Pulse as well.’
     The person shuddered as she checked for a pulse on his neck, and by the looks of it he had good reason. In as gentle of a voice as she could command after seeing this she said, “Seifer... are you awake?”
     “Go away,” Seifer said weakly, “I’m of no use to you people, since I don’t know nothing, so leave me to die or be the play toy of your jackals.”
     “Funny,” Kirinis said as she pulled a key from a pouch on her belt, “two espers with whom I’ve become friends with would beg to differ, and I’m sure the person who is tearing apart our base looking for you wouldn’t be too happy if you did.”
     Seifer slowly lifted his head, the scar above his nose crusted with blood from when it had been reopened repeatedly. “You know... of Alexander and Ridley?”
     “Yeah, since our commander couldn’t use them,” she said as she unlocked the shackles binding his feet, “they told me that I’m a summoner as well, and I need to find my materia first.”
     Alarm sirens began to blare at that moment. Following the alarm the base began to shudder, like something was trying to squeeze the crud out of it or someone was trying to open a tin can without using a can opener.
     “That must be Alex,” Seifer sighed as he collapsed onto Kirinis following his release from the ceiling. Kirinis took a blanket from the bed and laid it on the cold concrete floor before laying Seifer upon it.
     “I’ll tend your wounds before we do anything else,” she said, taking her gloves off before pressing her hands to Seifer’s chest. Seifer shuddered at her touch, and she sighed. “You need to trust that I won’t hurt you.”
     ‘After what he went through it’ll be tough,’ Alexander said in her mind, ‘he’s in serious mental anguish after what those guards put him through.’
     “Which gives me all the more incentive to get him back on his feet,” she said, her anger rising, “Humble blessed hand of god, life and breath of mother earth. I pray thee to come before me, show your great compassion unto this poor soul, and deliver him. Recovery!”
     White light poured from her hands, washing over Seifer’s body, healing his wounds and other injuries. Once the spell had run its course she took up the tattered pieces of cloth, dividing them by color into two piles. With her palms to the ceiling the chanted, “Time which has passed, be called back once more.”
     A globe of light formed in each hand, these floating towards the piles of cloth and descending. A blinding light came from each pile, and when the light had died away Seifer’s clothes lay where the piles had been, nicely folded and immaculately clean.
     “You best get dressed,” she said as she moved to get Seifer’s boots, “your friend will be here soon.”
     “But not soon enough,” a voice grumbled from the door. Kirinis turned her head to see the guards she had dismissed with reinforcements. “Major Kirinis MaCall, I hereby arrest you and relieve you of your duties.”
     “Holy wind, wind which gently sweeps across the land,” she chanted, pressing her palm to the floor, “let all things be filled by your pure breath.”
     “Kill the prisoner, then kill her,” the guard said as the soldiers leveled their guns at Seifer, who was wrapping himself in the blanket. “Give it up Kirinis. You’ll never get out of here alive.”
     “Van Rehl!” Kirinis cried, large tendrils of ice snaking across the floor to create a barrier between Seifer and the bullets. ‘Please let this be enough to keep us from getting killed.’