She's a Cop
Summary: Lightning is loath to relinquish control of her destiny to a demagogue. Forced into a volatile world of corporate machinations, she must overcome a series of reality distortions in order to secure her fate.
A/N: I've written this in response to news of FFXIII-3 or whatever else it may be. A storm is gathering indeed.
I'm a cop. I'm here to keep you safe.
When you sleep at night, I patrol the cold streets. When you commute in the day, I guard the busy crossways. When you shop at the corner, I lock away the crooks who would steal your hard earnings. When you dine with loved ones, I eat my rations on the beat.
I wear blood on my sleeve so that you don't have to. I stalk the shadows so that you can claim the light. I roar loudest in the chaos so that you can have a moment of peace.
I'm a cop. I'll gladly give my life to keep you safe.
But there's one thing I'll never do:
I'll never surrender my integrity.
I'm no one's slave. My job is of my own choosing. My actions are of my own volition.
I control my fate.
I'm a cop because I choose to be.
Chapter 1
On the eve of Lightning's birthday, Serah ran around the house putting the finishing touches on all the wonderful surprises she had in store for her big sister. She hid the presents under a pile of her stuffed dolls, and made sure to stuff the ingredients for the delectable culinary masterpieces she would cook the following day in the spare freezer they kept in the basement in case of emergencies. Lightning would never be the wiser, and—Serah hoped—the celebration festivities would fill her with such jubilation that it would surely cushion the blow of the bombshells Serah was planning to unleash.
Little did she know that Lightning had a surprise of her own in store. While on patrol earlier in the day, she stopped by a travel agency to reserve a two-week vacation getaway for the two siblings. It was no secret growing gap in their relationship pushed them farther apart by the day, and Lightning resolved to start the patch-up work on her end. For too long, she donned both the responsibilities of a parent and an older sister. But in the process, she unwittingly relinquished her ability to communicate on equal footing with Serah. Lightning resolved to for once let down her guard and slowly regain her sister's friendship.
So that night, the Farron sisters ate one last meal together—a normal meal, a typical sit-down between the cop and the scholar, between the would-be parent and the quasi daughter. They discussed statutory law and ordinances; universities and scholarships; chores and responsibilities. It was a typical night at the Farron household—the calm before the storm.
The very next day, an unexpected guest arrived. Lightning recognized him as the self-righteous delinquent who took the law into his own hands. She reached for her handcuffs only for her sister to stay her hand. With reluctance, she allowed the obnoxious oaf to enter her humble abode and enjoy in the day's celebration. They all enjoyed the good food, and even Lightning allowed herself to lower her guard around the troublesome vigilante long enough to have a good time until…
"Snow and I are getting married."
Lightning stopped breathing for a moment. She couldn't have heard right.
"And… I'm declining my admission to Eden University. I'm instead going to attend Bodhum Community College so that I can be closer to Snow."
The last bit of cake still titillating Lightning's taste buds turned sour. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to reprimand her sister, but her words died in her throat. A strange, little man wearing a posh business suit barged into the room. His polished shoes clacked along the hardwood floor until he paused beside the table.
"That simply won't do! It won't do at all!" he said, yanking out the white cloth from his breast pocket to polish his dark sunglasses. He kept his eyes shut as he wiped the spec of dust clean from the reflective lenses.
"Who are you?" Lightning demanded. But the man ignored her.
"We need something with more pizzazz, wouldn't you agree?" he continued, replacing the glasses snug on the bridge of his nose. "Something with flare—an 'awe factor!' We need…we need… Aha!" He snapped his fingers. "Yes, I know. It's very simple, you see."
"Let's see some identification," Lighting said, fingering her Gunblade. She looked to Serah, wanting to signal her to find cover, but her sister wasn't looking her way. On the contrary, she stood fixed in place like a statue, lacking any and all signs of life.
"Serah—hey! Serah!" Lightning called to no avail. She tried Snow next, but he proved just as irresponsive.
"You do see, don't you? It just isn't enough," the stranger continued to babble. "It needs to shock you hard right here," he tapped at Lightning's chest, to which his finger was hurriedly smacked away, "or else it won't get us very far."
"What did you do to them?"
"No, my dear; the question is, 'What didn't I do to them?' which I will immediately rectify."
Lightning unsheathed her Gunblade. "You're under arrest!" she shouted, but something peculiar occurred just then. The man and his surroundings swirled into one, distorting the whole image before Lighting into a messy splatter of muck. All the color faded to black, leaving her alone and disoriented. She closed her eyes to the vertigo-inducing sight, and when she opened them, the blade in her hand had somehow returned to its holster and strange, little man had vanished.
Before Lightning could question the happening, Serah spoke.
"I have something to tell you," she said, now nursing a strange bandage wrapped around her upper arm. "Snow and I are getting married."
"This again?" Lightning wondered, playing around with a familiar morsel of cake on her tongue. "Talk about déjà vu. Well, at least I'm better prepared for the last bit. No way in hell she's giving up on Eden U.—not while I have something to say about it." She swallowed.
"And…" Serah took a deep breath, with Snow holding her hand for support. "I'm a l'Cie."
Lightning's eyes grew as round as saucers as Serah removed the bandage, unveiling the unmistakable mark of a Pulse l'Cie.
"What kind of a twisted joke is this?" Lightning shouted.
A heated argument ensued between the sisters, resulting in Serah's teary escape out the front door with Snow not far behind. The whole affair left Lightning at the mercy of a muddle of emotions ranging all across the spectrum. Her anger and disappointment eclipsed the confusion she held from earlier. But just when the little man almost slipped free of her thoughts completely, he appeared once more and clacked his way back into the kitchen.
"Do you see now?" he said more to himself than to Lightning. "It's better this way; indeed it is." He nodded his head a few times. "But we shouldn't stop here, because it just isn't enough."
"You again?" Lightning didn't waste time with further questions. She resolved to let her Gunblade do the interrogating. But as she went to strike the man, he dodged the blade with impeccable speed. In the blink of an eye, he wound up behind Lightning, this time leaning against the refrigerator with an apple in his hand.
"Where shall I mark you, I wonder," the man mused as he shined the red apple against the lapel of his jacket. "Perhaps over the heart, yes? That seems rather appropriate for you."
"Enough!" Lightning again went on the offensive, but her blade met only with the steel handle of the fridge, slicing it in half like a warm blade through a stick of butter.
The man took a bite of the apple. "You're too self-aware, just like that other one," he said through a mouthful of apple, spitting soggy bits everywhere. "I do wonder how the two of you managed to maintain such spirit. It's becoming quite the nuisance. Best to just do away with you as I did him, I suppose. After all, you're a dime a dozen."
Lightning dove in for another string of fruitless attacks that served only to turn her kitchen into a sty. Food splattered all along the floors and walls, while the furniture lay in splintered ruins. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, she stared down the mysteriously agile man and called upon him yet again for answers.
"Who am I?" he echoed, letting the once-bitten apple drop from his limp hand onto the ground, where it rolled to Lightning's feet. "No, no. You should be asking who you are! That's far more important."
"I'm Sergeant Lightning Farron of the Guardian Corps., Bodhum division."
"And that tells me what?"
"Two things: First, that I'm a cop; and second, that you're in a hell of a lot of trouble with the law."
"A cop? No, that's no fun." The man paused to rub his chin in thought, not paying the least bit of attention to the belligerent grunts coming from the other party. He dodged another handful of attacks before replying. "What you need is something more rebellious. Cops are too narrow and rigid—not at all appealing to our stockholders."
"What kind of inhuman monstrosity are you?" Lightning seethed. "Why can't I hit you?"
"Aha! I've got it!" The little man cracked a cunning grin. "What about—and I think you'll love this—the world's most wanted criminal-turned-savior! Hey, quick question: how do you feel about stilettos and armor?" He paused for a moment and then let out a boisterous laugh. "Oh, silly me! As if your opinion matters, hee, hee!"
Not bothering to humor the lunatic, Lightning reconfigured her blade to fire bullets. She took a few quick shots, missing all of them and shattering instead a series of priceless porcelain plates that were stacked on the counter.
"Yes well, I don't think this is working out for us, my dear," said the strange man from behind Lightning. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to let you go. The Company expresses its sincerest condolences and blah, blah."
Before Lightning could reply, the man tugged one of his black, leather gloves off and stuck his fingers into his mouth. He let out an ear-shattering whistle that forced Lightning to her knees, dropping her weapon in favor of protecting her eardrums. She clenched her eyes shut, plunging herself in a painful darkness that swept away her consciousness.
When Lightning awoke, she found herself in a strange realm. Gone were her kitchen and home, replaced instead with a peculiar plot of land that floated in an endless abyss. When she got to her feet, Lightning walked along the small cobbled path leading to the only source of light within the entire place. Inside the casing of a metal street lamp, a small flame flickered to illuminate the full perimeter of the tiny plot. There was nothing much to see aside from the thin-wired gate bordering the edge of area and two stone bridges that led to nowhere.
Standing underneath the lamp was the only other person in sight besides Lightning. An old man leaned on his cane in wait for the cop as she approached, and tipped his bowler hat to her by means of introduction.
"Welcome," he greeted. "It's not often I get visitors such as yourself here. It never ceases to amaze me when folks like you appear."
"I must be dreaming," Lightning muttered as she scoped the place.
"Ho, ho, this is no dream, child," replied the old man.
"Nothing else can explain the string of nonsensical events that have happened today."
"You are of course referring to your sister's sudden proclamations of life-altering decisions and unexpected developments."
Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"Right to the point, I see." The old man tapped his cane in amusement. "I am Gaspar and this is The End of Time—a place where the past, present, and future are nonexistent."
"The End of Time?" Lightning shook her head in dismissal. "Yeah, that's a real laugh. Start talking sense or I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice."
"For thinking me a dream, you sure are getting serious," Gaspar chuckled. "In any case, I have no reason to lie to you. What I've said is the truth. Whether or not you accept it is your choice to make."
A moment passed while Lightning considered the old man's words. She studied him to see what little she could ascertain from his body language. The rim of his hat covered his eyes, leaving on his small nose and bushy moustache visible. He was a small, bowed man whose full support rested upon the cane planted firmly in recess between a couple of cobblestones. Nothing about him triggered Lightning's instinctive guard, so she decided to humor the man.
"Alright then, Gaspar—I'll play your game for now," she said, walking over to the fence opposite the old man. She leaned against it with crossed arms and gestured towards him. "You say this place has no past, present, or future? That's impossible. No action can occur without the passage of time."
Gaspar again chuckled. "Quite precocious for an officer, I see. Ho, ho!"
"Just answer the question. Make your case."
"Very well. Although it is true that in order for action to occur it must do so in harmony with the passage of time, the time required to act is irrelevant to the whole of what is known as the 'time stream'—which is not at all infinite. The stream of time has ended here rendering all your actions inconsequential. Should you leave here, it will be as though we never met or had this conversation simply because your presence here is not recorded within the whole of time's flow."
"You expect me to believe that?" Lightning scoffed. "Everything that's going on here is being recorded alright: in my memories. I'll remember this when I leave."
"You may think that now, but once you leave here, your memories will vanish."
"And what about your memories? Why can you still remember?"
"Because I never leave this place."
"Why not?"
"It's my duty to stand guard here and monitor the lifeforce energy of all living creatures. I am the one who determines when a being's life is at its end."
"So you're the grim reaper, huh?" Lightning let out a mirthless laugh. "I thought you'd be taller."
"That is a misconception—I don't deprive anyone of life. I simply accommodate and aid souls who no longer possess the lifeforce energy necessary to maintain their corporeal forms. Every soul incarnated is given a set amount of lifeforce energy upon birth. Once this energy is depleted—regardless of time or cause—the soul returns here for inspection and judgment."
"That's quite the imagination you've got there."
Gaspar sighed and rubbed his bowler cap. "So stubborn. What reason would I have to lie?"
"As of now, I don't know. But that doesn't mean you don't have one."
"Then what will you do, child? You cannot leave here, and your progress is stifled until you take me as an ally."
"Easy," Lightning said as she pushed off the gate. "I'm finding a way back home to square off with that annoying pest. This spell he cast to confuse me will wear off soon enough. After that, Serah and I are going to have a long talk about her future."
"Ho, ho! Will you now?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"No, no. You are welcome to try. Don't mind my amused curiosity, ho, ho."
With pure determination fueling her every step, Lightning walked past the old man towards one the two bridges. She paused for a moment to study the worn and cracked rocks beneath her feet. The dated bridge looked all the more perilous the farther it extended into the black abyss. Nothing but endless darkness awaited Lightning if the ground were to give way. Yet, she took another step forward, and a hastier one still after that.
She charged across the bridge, shaking free bits of gravel that disappeared forever. When she reached the inevitable edge, Lightning launched herself forward, leaving Gaspar again alone on the solitary plot. Though his visitor returned to him not more than a few seconds later via the opposite bridge.
Confused, Lightning slid to a stop and spun around to jump once more. Again she reappeared, albeit on the bridge of her initial departure.
"What's going on here?" she wondered in frustration.
"Do you see now?" said Gaspar. "You cannot leave here by conventional means."
Lightning reclaimed her position across Gaspar. "Why have these bridges at all if they don't lead anywhere?"
"They are not meant for your kind to travel. These bridges serve to facilitate the passage of souls with depleted lifeforce energy."
"The dead," Lightning reiterated.
Gaspar nodded.
"Now you've got me confused."
"What about?"
"Let's say I believe your story about this End of Time—in order for me to be here, I'd have to be dead, wouldn't I? And if I were dead, I'd be able to cross a bridge?"
"Ho, ho! Something akin to that."
"Explain."
"Dear child, you are dead indeed. But at the same time, you are not. It is more accurate to say you've been displaced—caught between the transitory stage of life and death."
"How could I be? All that man did was whistle and I blacked out. I should only be unconscious—if that."
"That man is more than meets the eye. He is what you would label a devil."
Lightning narrowed her eyes. "A devil?"
"Yes, he was summoned from the pit of Chaos by an unholy ritual."
"To what end?"
"To fulfill a most diabolical role, I'm afraid. He has the power to mold and alter realities to his every whim. You see, child, there is not one reality, but many—as many as there are universes. In an infinite stream of universes there are an infinite amount of possibilities. What this devil effectively does is take pieces from various realities and smash them all together to form a new reality within the universe he has been summoned."
"Let me see if I understand you," Lightning said after some time. "Someone somewhere summoned a devil to change around the universe, and he does this by taking—what— people, places, events from other universes to force them into the one?"
"Precisely. He is in the process of altering the universe in which he was summoned by augmenting it with realities from other universes."
"And again I ask you: to what end? Who'd want something like that to happen, and what do Serah and I have to do with it?"
Gaspar nervously rubbed his hat. "Eh, that's where it gets complicated."
"You mean all that other stuff just now wasn't convoluted enough?"
"There exists a corporation in your world," Gaspar continued, "one that benefits greatly from the misery of others."
"The entertainment news networks?"
"It's out of the same vein. The board of directors in this particular corporation conducted the rites to bring forth the reality-bending demon in order to bolster their profits. As a result, you and your loved ones have become unwitting slaves to their greed."
"What's so special about me? I'm just a cop."
Gaspar let out a mischievous chuckle. "Are you?"
"Are we back to the mind games now?"
"Ho, ho, I find it most curious that you keep defaulting to game play as a means to define your predicament. You are quite the extraordinary individual, Claire Farron—most remarkable and curious indeed."
"Don't you ever say that name!" Lightning shouted with such ferocity that she stunned the old man enough to nearly trip him off his cane.
"Ah, yes, do forgive me." Gaspar tipped his hat in apology as he composed himself. "It seems you have not yet recovered from—err, well. That's neither here nor there. All in due time, ho, ho!"
"So you're omniscient, huh?"
"Not anymore, ho, ho! Many universes have been disfigured beyond recognition thanks to that little scoundrel."
Lightning harrumphed and shifted her weight. "So how do we get rid of him?"
"Let me think now," Gaspar said while giving a thoughtful stroke to his mustache. "If I remember correctly, there are only two ways to banish a devil such as he: the obvious is for the conditions of the contract to have been met."
"What conditions are those?"
"I am not privy to the exact details, but I would assume their goal is to profit a great deal from the demon's antics."
"If we let that happen, my world will be in shambles."
"Not only your world. The whole of infinity could collapse from instability!"
"So what's the other way of dealing with this pest?"
"By causing a spiritual blockage resulting in his implosion."
"Layman's terms."
Gaspar leaned forward with a small grin. "Stop him from manipulating reality and he'll go boom! Ho, ho!"
"Isn't that easier said than done? He's already half killed me once."
"Well, if you go after him alone, you will most likely perish. However, should you accept my aid, we can combine forces and restore equilibrium to the cosmos."
"Interesting." Lightning gestured for him to continue.
"You were able to maintain self-awareness even through the demon's reality alterations; this is an uncommon trait, but not altogether unheard of. You were the second to be banished from your reality, and in your place was summoned a Cla—erm, Lightning from a parallel universe."
"How does that work?"
"Well, the new Lightning has an alternate history, skill set, and destiny that reflects her universe of origin. I unfortunately cannot be more precise as these alterations have clouded my sight. There is no telling from when or where he summoned your replacement."
"And I'm supposed to stop him from doing things like that? How?"
"By dispersing the reality anomalies within a set amount of time after they appear."
"Disperse them how?"
Gaspar lifted his cane and tapped it against the Gunblade.
"What if it's a person? Wouldn't that kill them?"
"That's why we're working together, ho, ho!" Gaspar chuckled. "Once you've dispatched them, they will come here for judgment where I will redirect them to their reality of origin."
"I see," Lightning hummed. She closed her eyes for a moment, resting her head against her shoulder as she deliberated over the proposed plan. It sounded simple in theory, but when push came to shove, she knew that it would be a thorny undertaking. After all, her duplicate was one of the anomalies. Anyone else—even Serah—could suffer a similar fate.
"All right," she said after some time. "I'll do it.
"Ho, ho! Excellent." Gaspar leaned forward against his cane with a merry grin. "Now before I return you to your realm, it's time to introduce you to your partner."
Lightning was taken aback. "Partner?"
"Surely you don't expect me to inject you into a twisted world by yourself! Ho, ho!"
"I thought you were my ally in all this."
"I am but one of three," said the crafty old man with a twist of his mustache.
"And now you're dealing me a second wildcard?" A newfound heat pulsing through her veins, Lightning pushed off the fence with clenched fists in the air. "Be straight with me, old man, or you'll find yourself short a sword."
"You wouldn't dare leave now, Lightning—we both know this—not with Serah in peril and your fate jeopardized."
"Tch."
"Now calm yourself; I've already finished briefing your partner."
Lightning took a quick glanced around, despite already knowing that she and the old man were the only two standing on the floating plot. "Is he invisible or have you gone batty?"
"Allow me to explain," said Gaspar while idly readjusting his slanting hat. "Because this place does not exist within the time stream, I can interact with an infinite amount of beings simultaneously without time ever recording their existence. In simpler terms, you and your partner are occupying the same space but not in the same reality. You both exist in parallel universes."
"I'm not interested in the techno babble," Lightning replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Just get going and do your thing. The faster we get moving, the faster everything will go back to normal and I can enjoy a real birthday with my sister."
"Hrm, yes. Very well." Gaspar gave his cane a quick tap against the cobbled street, sending a quake rippling through the ground to the bridge. An explosion sounded off, heralding a fog of smoke that swirled around the bridge, concealing all but a shadow of a tall man.
When the smoke cleared, Lightning just about cut the blood circulation in her hand by clenching it so tight. A myriad of words volleyed for preference as the first thing to leave her mouth since setting sights on the man, but in the end, they all died in the wake of an irritable growl.
"Well, you two—go on and greet each other," said Gaspar with a jolly laugh. He found the array of emotions contorting Lightning's face quite amusing.
The man stepped forward with a wide grin and waved his large hand. "Hiya, Sis!"
A/N: If you like the philosophical principles presented by Gaspar, you may also enjoy my story Broken Shield.