AN - Stoooooooooooooooooop! If this is your first foray into my work, hit my profile and go and read In Too Deep first with optional one-shot series Starting Block to boot. Otherwise this is going to make *zero* sense. Mild exposition in the opening bit so that you don't actually *have* to read the one-shots if you don't want, but then onto no fucking around and straight into it! This is *your* fault this story exists in the first place. I hope you're happy. Side note: This was a pain in the arse to upload, get your shit together.
Fang looked out over the harbour from her office on the fiftieth floor of the newly built Chrysalia Tower. Cranes dotted the skyline up and down the river, and buildings were covered in scaffolding. The city of Eden looked like a permanent construction site lately, which Fang surmised with a frown that it was the price of progress. Not to mention the rebuild after the fall of the Fal'Cie.
Twelve months in and most of the construction was completed in the central districts, with life beginning to return to normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a notorious gang that has somehow not wound up back in jail despite being far easier to find these days. With their faces on billboards, advertisements and television, it was pretty hard to escape Ragnarok. There were times when Fang missed the NORA days but then the fact that she was essentially a legend incarnate definitely appealed to her when she was having an egotistical day.
A lot had changed in the last year since the Fal'Cie's demise at their hands. The balance in Eden had been restored, but the vacuum left in the wake of the cartel's collapse meant that Ragnarok had to step in and fill it before other gangs from outside the city got any ideas about moving in. The trade-off was that because of their heroics, they had become a household name in Eden and had somehow achieved cult status.
As a result, Ragnarok had become a clothing brand, a style icon; and a celebrity ridden farce as far as her wife Lightning was concerned. The ex-lieutenant had been offered a job at Psicom now that Rygdea headed up the new role as Director in the aftermath of everything, but she'd turned it down to stay with Fang. Vanille however returned to her former position, happy to have the unrestricted access to the databases again. Someone needed to watch Rygdea's back after all, if Lightning was going to stay. In return, Psicom gave Ragnarok a clean bill of health as it were, wiping all their records and unofficially sanctioning them on occasional missions. Fang assumed this was to keep her mostly out of trouble.
Between the brand Rikku had been busy building, Psicom access and a silent partnership with the Estheims, it got them out of the gutters and into the towers, allowing them to focus on rebuild projects that were important to them, such as the Warrens.
The completion of rebuilding the ward turning it into a new affordable housing district for everyone that lived there. A small gift in comparison to everything the locals tolerated, including the destruction of many of their homes when the bombs went off in HQ last year. The locals had taken to calling it Saṃsāra when it had been completed, and the name stuck. The whole city was revitalised, and it was something that should have made Fang incredibly happy.
Instead, she was bored out of her mind. While amused at first, the newfound celebrity status meant she was too exposed and couldn't get up to any usual misdeeds or anything that would sate her desires for an adrenaline rush. Fang missed it at times, she missed the excitement of the back against the wall, scrapping around to get to top dog. There was no challenge here on top of the Nova Chrysalia tower.
She leant back in her chair and closed her eyes with a long sigh. "Price of progress indeed..." She muttered to herself, spinning slowly in her chair. Fang flinched at the sound of the door slamming open, and tried to ignore the light thud of boots marching across the floor.
"You and I need to have serious words." Lightning's cold voice cut across the tranquillity Fang had been enjoying in her office. She opened her eyes and gave her wife a once-over, her smile faltering when she saw how much the pinkette was glowering.
"What can I uh, do for you my love?" She asked, curious as to the angry looking demeanour. Lightning threw a newspaper down in front of her with their gang making headlines once more, but for all the wrong reasons.
"Don't you 'my love' me. A movie. A. MOVIE. Are you kidding me? We're not a fucking franchise, Fang."
The Pulsian threw her hands in the air defensively before smacking the paper away. "I don't have any bloody say in that stuff Light, and you know it. Remember we're not allowed to profit off our crimes so the studios can do whatever they see fit without even involving us. I already tried to stop them. I burst into an executive meeting waving a gun. You know what they did? The producers got so excited they worked it into the screenplay. So I give up, I don't get a say in any of this shit so why blame me?"
"You don't get a say? Then explain the merchandise." The former-officer snapped, pinning her wife with a stern glare.
"... Ok so I may have had a hand in that but that was mostly Rikku's idea!" Fang replied hesitantly, watching as Lightning folded her arms in a frustrated posture. "In my defence, it was originally only meant to be for the gang, but it kind of… Escalated?"
The pinkette threw a sardonic glare in her partner's direction. "Escalated. That's the... Fang. I can't even go out of the HQ without feeling like I'm going to be swamped by paparazzi and people asking for autographs."
Fang slid around the table and moved over to Lightning, bundling her up in her arms. She felt the tension last for only a few seconds, before the arms raised and the embrace was returned. "Can't we go back to the cabin at Besaid? It was nice there. Peaceful. Quiet. Completely devoid of other people. Just seashells. Lots of seashells." Lightning complained from her spot against Fang's chest, her voice muffled by the brunette's shirt.
Due to legalities, executives began pouring out of the woodwork for merchandising deals, movies and more with the gang having no recourse to gain any funds from it or even get them to shut up and move onto something else more riveting. The gang managed to use some interesting legal loopholes and a slew of offshore accounts to have some control over some of the arms that had sprung up which then gave them at least direction and a roundabout way of funnelling profits into their activities.
She shook herself from her thoughts, puttering into the pink hair with a sigh. "It does sound good. I am getting a little restless here at the moment. For the record, I don't like it one bit. Any of this crap. There infamy and then there's all this bluster and fame. It's stopping me from doing anything fun."
"Well if it's fun you're after I may be able to assist with that..." A voice called out from the doorway. Fang turned her head to see her sister being lead in by Paine. The redhead was dressed in Psicom's finest attire, save for the traditional beads underneath the jacket that she still wore from their family's reservation.
"Oh, please tell me you've brought something good, 'Nille. I am climbing the walls here." Fang breathed as she untangled herself from the grumpy pinkette in her arms. She sauntered over and gave Vanille a quick hug, and offered a fist bump to Paine. Vanille smacked her sister in the chest with a folder of considerable size.
"If by good you mean finally getting some traction on this Fal'Cie chain, then yes."
Lightning perked up and snatched the folder from Fang's hands before she had a chance to open it. The pinkette moved to the table and started sorting through the documents and imagery. "So, what have you uncovered? Have there been any suspicious movements into the city?" She asked, looking over a few photos with dubious looking men cutting deals on the docks. Vanille shook her head and pulled out a datapad, typing her password in to unlock it. She brought up a number of email chains that were referring to The Triads, a few movements here and there, but for the most part the communications were -as always- deliberately cryptic. The redhead adjusted her glasses and pointed at a few of the papers.
"We have reason to believe that they're holed up in Luxerion. It's madness. Hierarchy upon Hierarchy. I think it's designed that way so it's harder to find the true leaders. Even the Fal'Cie were just servants to a… Higher power, as it were."
"Like a damn pyramid scheme." Fang mused, looking over the documents at her desk. Vanille nodded in agreement, moving over to the window to look out over the skyline of Eden.
"Officially, Luxerion is outside the GC's jurisdiction, and Psicom's access is… Fleeting at best. So Rygdea was hoping to enlist your… services. For a little reconnaissance, that's all. All expenses paid flight, spend a few days up there, install a few devices for me to get into the city networks and come home."
Fang beamed, her smile broad and slightly manic. "So, Rygdea's giving us a little holiday? All expenses paid?"
"Yes, bahan, all expenses paid," Vanille sighed, exasperated at her sister's antics. "It was my recommendation to send you before you attempted to blow up half of Eden out of sheer boredom."
The Pulsian pointed at her sister accusingly, gearing up for a scathing retort but nothing came. Her finger lowered in front of Vanille's smug face. "Truth hurts, doesn't it, Fang?"
"Up yours."
Lightning looked out over the river and counted the amount of cranes on the buildings in her head. "It'd be nice to get out of here for a while, feel useful. No paparazzi, right?"
Vanille shrugged. "Why would there be? Outside of Eden, who knows we exist?"
"Now boarding flight F713 to Luxerion, would all passengers that require assistance, our speciality program and business class passengers please approach the desk for priority boarding."
Fang stood with a stretch and swung her duffel bag over her shoulder. "That's our queue Sunshine," She said while stifling a yawn and pulled Lightning up from the chair by the hand. There were a handful of well-dressed business people around them in the line and the banality of handing over the boarding pass while slowly moving forward had the brunette ready to blow. She started bouncing on either foot impatiently, calmed only when Lightning grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers.
"Patience, please. I don't want them to stick you on a no-fly list. I have little to no intention of walking to Luxerion."
With a lazy grin, Fang saluted the pinkette. "Aye aye, Lieutenant Farron," She drawled, her expression faltering slightly with the sudden shift in Lightning's eyes. "What is it?" She asked hesitantly. Fang thought enough time had passed where they were able to make jokes about Lightning's past without stirring up reams of pain.
The pinkette shook her head, Fang noticing the subtle darting of her eyes as she moved. "No it's not that. Nothing. It's… Nothing yet. Just a… Just my imagination."
"You know how I feel about your imagination, Light," The Pulsian whispered, feeling the tension in her partner's fingers.
"I know. I just… Maybe just be aware that this flight could be more turbulent than expected. You know, with the weather." Lightning replied with a forced smile, and Fang immediately read between the lines. She had known the former lieutenant long enough to know when she was reading people and estimating their intentions. Etro knows, it was how Lightning got away with her undercover work for as long as she did; a fact that still annoyed Fang from time to time even if the sting had long faded.
Right now, Lightning sensed danger. They boarded the plane, talking casually but every sentence was loaded with double meaning. When the pinkette spoke about the blue oceans they'll be able to see from the left side of the plane, Fang followed her eyes and knew she really meant the business man with a blue tie. When she said she wondered if they could see sharks from that high up, a slight gesture with her fingers told Fang that he was armed.
The brunette pursed her lips and exhaled forcefully. So much for nobody knowing who they were outside of Eden. Fang cracked her knuckles as she sat down, taking care to move slowly to check the distance between seats in case someone sitting behind them tried something. She removed her aviators and placed them on the tray in front of her, serving as a mirror to check for anyone sneaking up behind them. Lightning removed a long clip from her hair and tucked it inside the sleeve of her jacket, preparing for the moment their morning went to hell.
The first sign that things were going south was when the door shut just after the priority boarding, and the rest of the plane remained empty.
"Is now a bad time to mention I really fucking hate flying?" Fang muttered, her fingers twitching as the flight attendants kept glancing nervously at them.
The second sign was the cabin being closed off from the attendants during take-off, and the strange bitter taint to the air once they were airborne. "Just hyperventilate into a bag if you're having difficulties, Fang," Lightning replied, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.
"No you know what, fuck this I am over the word games," Fang sighed and stood from her seat. "If you fucks are going to try something can we get this over with? The waiting game is getting boring."
"Fang…"
The air grew thicker with whatever was being pumped through the air conditioning, and both women began to cough profusely. "Did you really have to antagonise the people currently controlling the thin tube hurtling through the air at thirty thousand feet?" Lightning groaned, her head swimming from the gas.
"At least… We get this over with…" Fang replied as she dropped to her knees, falling into the aisle. Lightning's eyes fluttered closed as a few men wearing masks came into the cabin and moved towards them.
The third sign their morning was nosediving into a mess was a hard slap that brought Lightning back to consciousness. The former lieutenant found herself bound to a chair with her arms tied behind her back. "Well this brings back fond memories," She complained dryly, looking around for Fang. The Pulsian was sitting next to her, groggily opening her eyes.
"You're tellin' me… No drugs this time please, it won't end well for either of us." Fang mumbled to the guards. A monitor was placed in front of them, and a sharply dressed man half hidden in shadows appeared on the screen. "Oh, how clandestine and theatrical! All you need is a single lit candle by your face to really make it really pop."
The face did not appear amused. "Are you telling me that these are the two responsible for bringing down the Fal'Cie in Eden? This court jester is who took Barthandelus out?"
"Well I can't exactly give you an autograph when you're in the television can I, mate?" Fang drawled with a roll of her eyes. Lightning remained quiet and still, staring straight ahead at the screen. The Pulsian gave a devious smile with a quirk of her lips and gestured her head towards her partner. "We are the ones that took out the trash. Who are you to care?"
"I am the Maker. And you are a waste of my time."
Fang gave a mock gasp and leant back in the chair. "The Maker? Well shit now I really am sad that you're not here in person. Maybe I want an autograph."
The figure on the screen shook his head and lit a cigar, the tip bathing his face in a dull red glow. "This has been a disappointing waste of my time. Kill them, and then make arrangements to move on Eden." He said bluntly, and the screen went blank.
"Well that felt like a productive business meeting. Did that feel like a productive business meeting?" Fang asked the guards that advanced slowly towards them, drawing their guns. "Any time now, sweetheart…"
"Working on it…"
Lightning's hands suddenly came loose and she whirled around, slicing the throat of the nearest guard with the hair clip in her hand. She threw it into the eye of the guard next to him and kicked him in the gut hard.
They both hit the deck and bled out on the carpet. She turned to find Fang staring at her with lidded eyes while biting her bottom lip. "Gods, I love watching you work."
Lightning rolled her eyes and fetched the clip from the other guard's face, moving around to pick the lock on the handcuffs restraining her partner. Once Fang was free she rubbed her wrists and picked up the gun, checking it for ammo.
"Not a good idea, Fang." Lightning warned, resting her hand against the small of the Pulsian's back. "Bullets in pressurised places is probably a stupid idea."
With a huff Fang kicked the door open and immediately put three bullets in the chest of a waiting guard. "Good thing I'd been working on my aim with your sister then, hm?" She replied with a mischievous grin. Lightning's jaw tightened at the mentioning of her sibling, and Fang knew she'd overstepped, coughing nervously. Serah hadn't taken it well when Lightning had decided to not take the offered job at Psicom, the resounding argument had them at a silent stalemate for months now. There would be time enough for apologies later.
They made their way through the cabin towards the cockpit and came across the fourth sign that their day was going to hell. It was completely empty, and the autopilot was engaged. The flight attendants lay dead on the floor, presumably taken out the moment the plane hit the sky. "I don't suppose flying a plane was in your list of hidden talents?" Fang asked, giving a nervous glance towards Lightning. The pursed lips and concerned stare was all that was needed to confirm that no, sadly in this instance, she had not married a pilot.
"They could disengage the autopilot at any moment, Fang."
Like clockwork, the plane suddenly nosedived, and began to plummet towards the earth at a rapid pace. "Did you give them the fucking idea?" Fang yelled, gripping at the seat to keep herself upright. Lightning quickly weighed up the options, and jumped into the seat to pull at the controls. She only managed to slow the descent slightly but the plane was still going to crash.
"Fang, we have to bail out!"
They scrambled and crawled their way through the cabin, to find the emergency parachutes by the door. They had all been emptied bar one. "Of course there is. Of COURSE." Fang growled, pulling the pack out and sticking it on Lightning's back.
"What the hell do you think-" Lightning's outrage was silenced by a firm kiss.
"Don't be daft, woman. I don't plan on dying today, I need to smack Vanille for landing us into a trap. But we both know that we need to take every precaution in case this doesn't hold both of us." Fang said, glancing at the rapidly approaching ground. "Back exit, we won't clip the wing on the way out. We're heading towards a river. Time it, and we won't have to fall as far if the parachute breaks. Got it?"
Lightning swallowed hard and nodded, adrenaline making her hands shake. They raced through the narrow walkway of the plane to get to the back exit.
"Ready?" Fang asked.
"Never!" Lightning replied.
They kicked out the door and leapt from the plane, spiralling through the air as the plane continued on without them, falling down into the river below.
"Light, now!" Fang called while holding onto her tightly. The pinkette pulled the ripcord and grimaced as they were both torn upwards, floating silently down after an adrenaline packed day. "Get me within not-dying range of the river and I'll let go." Fang said while Lightning kept her arms firmly around her waist.
"No. We're both falling together, whether this parachute holds or not." Lightning snapped, gripping Fang even tighter. Thankfully it wouldn't be a concern, a small silver lining in a really bad day and the only thing that had gone right for them at all.
They dropped into the cold water of the river, and both immediately began to swim for the shore. They crawled up the bank and collapsed on the grass, panting for breath.
"Worst. Vacation. Ever." Lightning muttered, checking Fang over for injuries. Aside from a few bruises and looking like a drowned rat, the Pulsian was unharmed.
"I'm going to kill Vanille when we get back. If we can figure out where the hell we even are." Fang said, sitting up and giving her partner a relieved hug. "You ok? Instincts spot on as usual."
"Well you were looking for more excitement, this enough for you?" Lightning asked, wet, grumpy and ready for a bed. Or a drink. Whichever came first at this point.
Fang sighed and stood, helping Lightning up from the ground. "The next time I'm going to just ask for a quiet beer instead of hurtling through the sky after escaping a death trap. Next time we're taking the fucking train."
The two stood side by side and looked towards the city they found themselves in. Lightning frowned and cast her gaze over the unfamiliar skyline against the early evening sky. "Fang, this isn't Luxerion."
A long drawn out groan echoed off the banks as the Pulsian kicked at a rock at her feet. She patted her pockets to find them empty. No wallets, no phones, no weapons. This was not what she had anticipated at all. It was meant to be a nice quick trip, hit up a few fancy cafés and restaurants, go see a museum or something, then head home and go back to being bored. Fang stared hard at the signs and billboards nearby that had a Triads logo plastered on it in plain view.
"Then where the fuck are we?"
