Sector 13: Outbreak

by Raziel12

Sector 13 was a thriving metropolis. Was. With a terrifying virus turning its population into blood thirsty zombies, it's up to a Guardian Corps Special Response Unit led by Captain Lightning Farron to retrieve the research data and the researchers necessary to develop a cure. The catch? They've got ten hours before Cocoon's military nukes the city. Fangrai Forever Prompt #68.

Sector 13: Outbreak

BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.

Click. Click.

"Shit! I'm out!" Snow slammed the stock of his rifle down onto the head of a young man. The blow cracked his skull open, but he continued to lurch forward until a second hit caved his forehead in. "Son of a bitch. This wasn't what I signed up for."

Lightning squeezed off two more rounds from her sidearm before she tossed Snow another magazine of rifle ammunition. "Make it count."

As Snow resumed firing, Lightning's jaw clenched. Nothing about this mission had gone to plan. Half her team was dead, and the rest of them were stuck in the middle of a nightmare.

"Keep moving." Lightning picked off another two: a young woman whose mouth was covered in a hideous mix of blood and lipstick and an old man whose cracked glasses were smeared with gore. "We can't stay out in the open much longer. We need to find a place we can fortify and defend."

A tall plume of flame rippled up into the night perhaps two miles away. It was probably another severed gas line. Lighting shook her head. Sector 13 was dead. Well, almost. Its citizens were still alive and kicking – in a manner of speaking, anyway. Even after General Amodar had shown her the footage, she hadn't been able to believe it.

But she believed it now. Whatever this virus was, the infected didn't stay dead. They came back, and they came back angry and hungry. Nothing short of a bullet to the head could keep them down. She'd blown off limbs only for them to keep on coming. But even so, she couldn't bring herself to call them zombies. Zombies were an old horror movie cliché: slow, noisy, and stupid. The infected were more like rabid animals: shrieking and howling as they charged.

There was a muffled crack as Serah fired her sniper rifle. A middle-aged businessman went down a few steps in front of Lightning. A second shot rang out a moment later, and an old woman toppled back with a hole in her head the size of Lightning's fist.

"There's a bank at the end of the street." Serah peered through her scope and fired again. "I'm not sure it'll hold, but it has to be better than this."

Lightning glanced toward the bank and then at the horde in front of them. There had to be at least a hundred more of these things closing in. Serah was right. "It'll do. Get moving. Now!"

The others turned and ran, and she pulled the pin out of her last grenade and threw it into the middle of the oncoming mass of infected. The explosion that followed kicked up spray of smoke and debris. Bodies flew in every direction, and the explosion must have severed a gas line or something because half the street went up in flames.

"What the hell was that?" Sazh asked. The dark-skinned man wiped the sweat off his brow and then turned to pick off a few stragglers that had survived the explosion. "Are you sure that was a grenade you threw?"

"I don't care what it was." Lightning backed up, still eyeing the smoking ruin of the street. "But we're in the clear, at least for now."

The bank's doors were still unlocked, and they pushed their way inside. A handful of infected were on them at once. She dropped two of them in a heartbeat, and Sazh and Snow dealt with the others. In the meantime, Hope and Serah got the doors and windows barricaded shut.

"So what now?" Snow asked. "Because it looks like we're stuck here."

They were all slumped against one of the counters. One of them should have been on watch but that could wait. Right now, they needed to regroup and get their bearings. If they panicked, they were all dead.

Lightning took a quick inventory of their weapons. They'd lost a lot of equipment in the crash, and they'd been forced to use even more battling their way to the relative safety of the bank. There was no way they could complete their mission with what they had left. "We hole up here for a while. Once we've had a chance to rest, we keep going. We finish the mission."

"Finish the mission?" Sazh chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, there's a whole damn city of those things out there. Let's pretend for a second that we could kill twenty of them with each bullet we have. That still wouldn't be enough."

"We haven't got a choice." Serah held Lightning's gaze. Trust Serah to understand exactly what they were up against. "You remember the mission parameters, right?"

"Shit." Sazh reached into his pockets only to come up empty. He'd picked a bad, bad month to quit smoking. "You're right."

"She is." Lightning stood. She was bruised and battered, but she wasn't about to quit now. "We don't have a ride out of here. The only way we're going to get one is to reach the facility, retrieve the research data, and rescue those researchers." She glanced down at her watch. "We've got ten hours max to get this done. We rest here for another hour, and then we move. Understood?"

There were nods all around. Her team was tough enough to get through almost anything. But a thermonuclear warhead didn't care too much about tough.

They passed the hour seeing to their wounds and checking over their weapons. When there was nothing else to do, they talked. Mostly it was about what they'd be spending their paycheques on. Then it was time to move.

"Serah, I want you and Hope up on on the roof. If anything so much as looks at us funny, you put a bullet in it. Hope, I know they're jamming long-range communications, but I want you to try and throw something together. I saw AVALANCHE's chopper go down. See if you can get them on the radio. I want to know if we've got any help out here, or if we're flying solo."

"Right." Serah slung her rifle over her shoulder and smiled at Hope. "We'd better get moving then."

"If I get AVALANCHE, what do I say?" Hope asked.

Lightning's brows furrowed. Hope was too damn young to be getting into a mess like this. But it was too late to change things. "Tell them our location and try to set up a rendezvous."

"Okay."

"Sazh, I want you down here. Keep an eye on things."

He shrugged. He'd been doing this longer than Lightning had. He'd get the job done. "I'm fine with that. It's better than going out there."

"How about me?" Snow's grin was sunny despite the situation they were in. She rolled her eyes. He was such a big, loveable idiot.

"You're with me." Lightning's lips curled. "We're going shopping."

"Shopping. Somehow, I get the feeling I won't like your plan."

"I lost my bearings after the crash, but I know where we are now." Lightning nodded at the plaque that announced the location and opening date of the bank. "According to our maps, there's a gun store about four blocks from here. We need those weapons, and you're big enough to carry all of them."

"And if we run into trouble along the way?"

Lightning smiled thinly. "Hope that we don't." Snow grimaced. "All right, that's enough talking. Let's move, people."

As Lightning turned toward the doors, Serah stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. "Look after yourself."

Lightning squeezed Serah's hand and then pulled away. "I always do. And remember, it'll be you up on the roof. If you see Snow and I running, get ready to start shooting. We'll have company behind us."

X X X

Four city blocks.

Lightning could run that in less than a minute. But this wasn't an athletics track and running would be the very worst thing to do. There was hundreds of the infected milling about. She'd never outrun them all. But right now, they didn't seem that dangerous. Instead, they milled back and forth, pawing through the garbage and stumbling toward bits of burning rubble or garbage. Her eyes narrowed. They were drawn to sound and movement. If she and Snow could keep out of sight and stay quiet, they might be able to make it through.

Slowly, Lightning eased her way into the shadows. The darkness was one of the few things they had going their way. There was an upturned garbage can ahead of her, and she stepped over it as carefully as she could. Snow, quiet for once, followed in her footsteps. For a man that big, he could be remarkably silent when he needed to be. She'd have to remind him of that the next time he got too talkative on the flight in.

More than once, some of the infected turned their way. They froze, slipping back into the darkness or ducking behind cover. But little by little, they edged their way down the street until they reached the gun store. Lightning bit back a curse. The front door had been barricaded, and there was a pack of infected nearby as well. They'd have to try the back.

The back door was set in an alley. There were two infected there. She rammed her knife into the head of one, and Snow grabbed the other about the shoulders and smashed their skull into the wall. It was messy, but it was quick and not too noisy. The back door was locked.

"Stay alert." Lightning knelt in front of the door. "I'll have this open in a second."

The Guardian Corps Special Response Unit demanded an extremely high level of ability across a range of different areas. Being good with a knife or a gun wasn't enough – she could pick locks, improvise explosives, and pilot aircraft. And that was just the easy stuff. The door popped open, and she and Snow slipped inside.

"Stay quiet," Lightning whispered. "We don't know if we're alone in here."

Snow nodded. There was also the question of survivors. Neither of them wanted to be gunned down by twitchy civilians – that's if there were any civilians left.

They crept toward the front of the shop, and a faint smile tugged at Lightning's lips. A few guns and boxes of ammunition were missing, but almost everything was there. Whoever had owned the store must have grabbed a few supplies and headed straight for one of the evacuation points. They were probably dead then since all of the evacuation points had been overrun hours ago.

As they passed the back counter, there was a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. Lightning ducked just in time to avoid getting her head smashed in by a metal baseball bat. At the same time, she saw Snow lurch back as someone lunged at him with a knife.

The next few moments passed in a blur.

Snow backed up, his opponent closing the gap with incredible speed. He could have fired his rifle, but shooting now would have had infected busting through the front door and windows. There was a dull thud as he parried his attackers knife with his rifle. It was a woman, Lightning realised, tall and with dark hair. She had all the grace of a big cat. Snow swung one fist out, but the woman was already out of range. Then she was in motion again, and Snow barely drew his own knife in time to parry the slash aimed at his throat. But the woman wasn't focused only on Snow. She seemed even more worried about the young red headed woman swinging the baseball bat at Lightning.

Lightning dodged another swing and then reached forward to yank the bat out of her attacker's hands. The weapon clattered to the ground, and she ducked a left hook thrown right at her jaw. She straightened and hauled the other woman into her arms, her pistol flush against her temple.

"Drop the knife." Lightning's voice was soft but firm. "Now."

The tall woman snarled and stepped forward. Btu she must have seen something in Lightning's eyes because she stopped mid-motion. "Let her go."

Lightning shook her head. "Drop the knife first."

The knife hit the ground.

Lightning kept a firm hold on the red head. She was strangely calm for someone with a gun to her head. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but we need these guns. Understand?"

A curt nod was all she got.

"Who are you?" the tall woman asked. "You're not police or army. Those uniforms… Guardian Corps Special Response Unit, I think."

Lightning's eyes widened a fraction. There were very, very few people who could recognise her uniform so quickly. But now was not the time to be drawn into conversation. "You, start loading the ammunition and weapons into those bags by the counter. Snow, tell her what to do."

"You said you'd let her go." The tall woman leaned back against the counter, but Lightning had been in enough battles to understand the look in her eyes. If something happened to the red head, there would be hell to pay.

"I did." Lightning let the red head go and gestured at the corner. "Over there. I want you where I can see you. Keep your hands up."

"Who are you people?" the red head met her gaze evenly. "And do you have any idea what's going on?"

"They're Guardian Corps Special Response Unit. And if they're here, then we're all in deep shit."

It was a surprisingly apt way of putting things.

"How deep?"

"Think neck high and rising."

That brought a chuckle from Snow. He grinned. "That's about right."

"Snow, stay sharp." Lightning eyed the tall woman more closely. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The jeans weren't tight enough to impede her movement, but they were tight enough to show off long, toned legs. The body beneath the t-shirt was all fit, carefully hidden deadliness. This woman wasn't a civilian. "You, who are you?"

"Fair is fair." The woman grinned and stopped loading the weapons into the bag long enough to smirk. Her green eyes shimmered in the twilight. "I tell you who I am, and you tell me who you are."

"I could shoot you."

"And those infected outside would be in here in less than a minute." The woman shrugged. "And you'd better hit me with your first shot because I can promise you that if you miss, I'll have that gun out of your hands and pointed at your head."

Lightning met the other woman's gaze. There wasn't a trace of arrogance there. This woman meant every word she said. "Fine." They couldn't afford to waste any more time. "You go first."

The woman flashed her a jaunty salute. "Captain Oerba Yun Fang, Gran Pulse Gungnir Force."

Lightning stared. Then she stared some more. Was this some kind of joke? The Gran Pulse Gungnir Force was composed of arguably the most dangerous and skilled Pulse soldiers. They were trained in everything from counter-terrorism to demolition and assassination. Even though a tentative peace had been reached between Cocoon and Gran Pulse, she was still required to keep abreast of their training methods and tactics.

"Are you joking?"

Fang smirked again. "Maybe. But can you really take that chance?"

Lightning scowled. It would explain how she'd gotten the jump on Snow. The big man was no slouch, and Fang had definitely had the upper hand there. It would also explain why she'd recognised them so quickly. "No. I'm Captain Lightning Farron, Guardian Corps Special Response Unit. Now, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, I was on holiday." Fang nodded at the red head. "Vanille there is my sister. You know that big technology expo that Shinra hosted a few days ago? Yeah, we were planning on seeing that then taking in a few of the other sights. Then… well, you know." She pointed out the window. "That happened."

"Yes, it did." Lightning pursed her lips. Half her team was already dead. If Fang was who she said she was, she couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. "Do you have any evacuation plans?"

"We did." Vanille shivered. She was Serah's age, Lightning realised, with the same sort of features that looked better smiling than frowning. "But before the radios went down, we heard about the evacuation points. They're all gone, and everyone is dead. We're trapped."

Fang studied Lightning intently. "Something tells me that you might have a ride out of here. Mind sharing?"

"We might have a ride." Lightning met Snow's eyes. He knew her well enough to guess what she was thinking. He nodded. "But it depends."

"On what? Because if there's a chance I can get Vanille a ride out of this hell hole, I'm all for it."

"There is a research facility underneath this city. We need to get into it and retrieve as much research data as we can along with a few researchers."

"Sounds classified. Are you sure you should be telling me this?"

Lightning wasn't sure at all. But she didn't have much choice. "If this mission fails, then we're all dead. Nobody gets a ride home. More importantly, any potential cure for this virus goes up in smoke along with this city."

Fang tensed. "What?"

"In roughly nine hours, a small-scale tactical nuclear weapon will be hitting this city. Since we can no longer contain the spread of the infection through the city, we're going to try and wipe it out. It will vaporise everything." Lightning growled. "And I know what you're thinking. We aren't the only ones behind this. I have it on good authority that your people are involved in this too."

Fang's glared. "I don't think –"

"Fang!" Vanille shook her head. "It doesn't matter who's responsible. We need to get out of here. Now, captain, if we help you, can you guarantee us a ride out?"

"I can. But I cannot guarantee what will happen to you after that."

It went unspoken that any Pulse military personnel who encountered classified information were likely to be subjected to interrogation and a whole raft of political manoeuvring.

"Good enough." Fang started filling the bags again. "Let's hurry up then. The quicker we're out of here, the better."

They loaded three bags with weapons and ammunition. It was a lot, but they couldn't risk running out before they completed the mission. Then it was time to head back to the bank. The trip back was even worse. There were four of them now, and Vanille was making things even more complicated. Lightning hadn't noticed it in the melee, but Vanille had injured her right ankle. The joint had been heavily strapped and while she could maintain a reasonably brisk walk, she wouldn't be able to run on it.

Halfway back, something went wrong. A gust of wind blew an old soda can under Vanille's right foot, and she slipped. She hit the ground hard but managed to bite back her cry of pain. However, the can skittered right into a loose pile of garbage. The racket had all of the infected in the area rounding on them with raw, primal hunger in their eyes.

"Run!" Lightning shouted. "Head for the bank!"

Vanille struggled to her feet, but it took Lightning less than a second to realise she wouldn't be able to make it to the bank in time. And Fang wasn't about to leave her. Instead, she threw Vanille over her shoulder and ran. But as strong as Fang was – and she had to be strong to run with Vanille on her shoulder – the red head was still slowing her down.

Lightning turned and fired into the oncoming crowd of infected. Five of them went down, and she saw Fang spin, Vanille still draped over her shoulder, and fire. She was a good shot – she'd dropped three of the infected in a matter of seconds. But the infected were still gaining on them.

"Snow!" Lightning barked. "Give one of those bags to me and another one to Fang. Grab Vanille."

Fang must have heard her because she stopped, took one look at Snow, and practically threw Vanille at him. Then they were all pelting down the street as fast as they could. Fang was strong, but Snow was something else. He barely even seemed to notice the red head's weight as they picked up the pace.

Their short-range radios still worked, and Lightning wasted no time in yelling into hers as they rounded the last corner to the bank.

"Serah! We've got company!"

Her sister did not disappoint. There was one shot and then another and another. The three infected closest to them died where they stood, a hole in each of their foreheads. Ahead of them, Sazh shoved open the doors and added his fire to Serah's.

"Come on." Sazh waved them inside. "Get inside."

They stumbled through the doors, and Sazh yanked down the emergency shutters. It wouldn't hold the infected forever, but it would buy them at least a few minutes.

"So," he asked. "Who are these two?"

"They're coming with us." Lightning watched Snow lower Vanille to the ground. The young woman gave him a grin and stepped gingerly onto her right foot. Good, she could still walk on it, albeit not at the pace Lightning would have preferred. Still, it was better than nothing. She could tell, even without asking, that Fang would never agree to help them without Vanille. "I want everyone on the roof. Now."

Up on the roof, Lightning could see most of the downtown area. It was a disaster zone. Apart from sporadic gunfire, clouds of smoke and ash rose from various parts of the city. The infected wandered the streets in packs, picking off what few survivors were left.

"All right, people." Lightning pointed at Fang and Vanille. "This Fang and this Vanille. They'll be coming with us."

"I'm guessing you have a reason." Sazh glanced over the roof. The infected were still hammering away the emergency shutters. Another few minutes and they'd probably be through.

"Fang says she is Gran Pulse Gungnir Force. I believe her. Vanille is…"

"I'm a combat medic." Vanille scratched the back of her head. "I'm also rated for electronic and cyber warfare along with communications."

"You didn't think it was worth mentioning that until now?" Lightning fought the urge to knock the grin off Vanille's face.

"Well, I don't think any of that matters to those guys down thee." Vanille pointed at the infected. "Somehow, I doubt they use they computers."

"We're glad to have you." Serah tilted her head to one side. "I'm guessing you're helping in exchange for a ride out."

"Got it in one." Fang looked from Serah to Lightning. "Can I assume you two are sisters? I'm guessing you were the sniper too."

"Yep." Serah smirked. "Someone's got to watch Lightning's back."

"Well, good shooting." Fang patted Snow on the back. "And thanks for carrying Vanille, big guy. You really came in handy."

"I try." Snow frowned. "Can she get around on that ankle?"

Vanille waved one hand. "I'll be fine. I won't be jumping around or anything, but I can walk. Besides, Snow can always carry me again."

"All right, enough chatter." Lightning looked at Hope. "Have you got anything on the radio?"

The young man shook his head. "Not a word. All I'm getting is static. If they're alive, then I'm betting their chopper didn't make it out of the crash, which means their long-range transmitter is gone too."

"Then we'll have to assume they're dead. That makes the facility's long-range transmitter the only one we know of that will get through all the jamming."

"Wait," Fang said. "Who are they?"

"AVALANCHE."

Fang laughed. "Oh, hell, this must be even bigger than I thought if they're here too. All right then, what's the plan?"

Lightning pointed across the rooftops. "About a mile in that direction is an entrance to the research facility. There's no way we can fight our way there. The rooftops are our best chance."

"It'll be rough, especially with Vanille's ankle." Fang sighed. "But it's better than going for a walk down there." As if to illustrate her point, a burst of gunfire came from the street below only to be drowned out by a chorus of bestial roars.

"I'm on point. Fang, you're with me. Serah, I want you and Hope in the middle. Sazh and Snow, you're bringing up the rear." Lightning's lips curled. "You're also in charge of throwing Vanille across if we need to."

"What?" Vanille's eyes widened. "But –"

Fang's lips twitched. "It's for the greater good, Vanille."

"Damn it."

They made their way across the rooftops as quickly as they could. Whoever had planned this part of Sector 13 had probably never heard of proper spacing since almost all of the buildings were right beside each other. Even when there were streets between buildings, there were usually awnings or balconies they could latch onto. When that failed, they used some of the grappling hooks they'd salvaged from the crash to string up a line or two to climb across on.

Finally, they reached the building that disguised the entrance. There were a pair of infected on the roof. Lightning didn't even bother to shoot them. She kicked one off the roof and let Fang grab the other by the scruff of the coat and throw him off as well. The door was two inches of reinforced steel protected by a ten digit long password. It was good thing that General Amodar had brief Lightning on all of the passwords she might need.

"Stay sharp," Lightning ordered as they climbed down the stairs toward the ground floor. "We don't know if this building is compromised."

It was.

The second they stepped into the lobby, they came under attack.

"Open fire!" Lightning ordered. "Open fire!"

Infected poured into the lobby – they must have broken down the front door somehow – and Lightning bit back a curse. The lobby was wide, too wide, for them to avoid getting surrounded. They needed to get out of there now. She lifted her rifle and fired, the weapon jerking hard against her shoulder. It took every ounce of control she had to keep it to short, controlled bursts as the screaming, baying horde advanced.

At her side, Fang's emerald eyes had narrowed in concentration. She was an excellent shot, matching Lightning round for round as they picked off infected after infected. Two or three shots per infected were all they needed. Lightning's accuracy was born from endless hours of combat and practice. She had a feeling Fang had earned her skills the same way.

Fang's gun had just clicked empty when Lightning tossed her another magazine. It was faster than leaving the brunette to reach for the magazines tucked into the bulletproof vest she'd taken from the gun store. A few seconds later, Fang returned the favour, flicking a magazine Lightning's way as she tossed the empty one aside.

"Fall back!" Lightning glanced over her shoulder at the corridor behind them. "The door to the facility is back there. Get moving! Go!"

She turned to the front just in time to see Fang level her rifle at her head. The other woman fired and Lightning actually felt the bullet streak through the air beside her head before it buried itself in the skull of the infected behind her.

Fang grinned. "Stay frosty."

Lightning growled and snapped a shot over the brunette's shoulder. One of the infected stumbled back into the wall, its head blown almost in half. "The same to you."

Fang actually laughed, and then they were falling back toward the door into the facility. In the narrow confines of the corridor, it was easier to deal with the infected. There were so many of them that they could hardly miss. But they were using far too much ammunition.

"We're here!" Serah shouted. She was up the back with Vanille and Hope. "Lightning, what's the password?"

One of the infected lunged forward and Lightning riddled his chest with bullets before jerking her rifle up to put a hole in his head. Another four took his place, and Snow and Sazh pushed past her to open fire while she reloaded.

"Not exactly how I figured I'd spend a holiday." Fang was right in front of her, fingers gliding over her weapon as she reloaded it with a speed that could only have come from far, far too much experience. "But Vanille always did have a nose for trouble."

"Lightning, the password!"

"1792543680." Lightning looked back. "Get it open, now!"

Serah entered the password, and they piled through the door.

"Close it!" Serah shouted. "Quick!"

They shoved against the door to try and get it closed, but the infected were throwing themselves at it, biting and clawing at the gap.

"Come on!" Snow growled as he shoved his rifle through the gap and fired. "This is crazy."

He fired until his rifle clicked empty. Finally, they managed to shove the door closed, and they locked it behind them. Then they sagged to the ground. It was two feet of reinforced steel. Not even the infected would be able to get through that.

"Well." Fang chuckled. "That was exciting."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Too exciting." She stood. "Come on. We need to keep moving."

Beyond the door was a broad staircase that led down into the earth.

"What is this place?" Fang asked.

"The research facility is directly under the heart of Sector 13. The only way to reach it is through one of three underground railways." Lightning lifted her rifle. "Stay alert. We don't know if the infected have managed to get here."

The train was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs: eight carriages of sleek, modern maglev quickness. According to the files Lightning had read, it had a maximum speed of three hundred miles per hour.

"I want a quick sweep of the train," Lightning said. "We don't get on until I know it's safe."

They were in luck: there didn't seem to be anyone else on the train. They hunkered down in the front carriage and waited for Sazh to get it going.

"Slow it down, Sazh." Lightning leaned back in her seat. "We could all use a breather."

He was only too happy to comply. "Sure thing. Anyone got any music? I don't think this thing has a radio."

That provoked a chorus of groans along with at least one death threat.

"You look tired," Fang murmured as she settled into the seat next to Lightning.

Lightning turned her head. "So do you." Then she straightened. She couldn't afford any weakness, not now. The others were counting on her. And it was her fault they were in this mess. She was their leader, and she'd accepted this mission. If they died, their deaths were on her. Some were already on her. But for now, at least, she could try and take her mind off things because once they got to the facility there would be no turning back.

"How did you and Vanille survive?"

Fang stared at Vanille. Her younger sister was talking intently with Serah and Hope. In between patching up a few of Hope's cuts and bruises, she was trying to explain all of the nifty little devices she could hook up to Serah's sniper rifle to make it better.

"We almost didn't."

"Mind explaining that?"

"Fair is fair." Fang smirked. "I tell you what you want to know, and you tell me a little bit about what we're dealing with here."

"Fine." A survivor's information could prove invaluable. All of their information so far had come second hand, mostly cobbled together from security footage and news reports. "That seems fair."

"I wasn't lying earlier. We were here on holiday. We were planning on doing the whole tourist thing. But this morning, we woke up, and there was smoke. And it wasn't from a fire. Before long, there was more smoke. That's when I knew we had to get out. But by then, the whole city was on lockdown. All of the bridges, the airports, the tunnels – everything was closed."

"Do you know where it all started?"

"Not for certain. But most of the smoke seemed to be coming from the business district. By midday, the news was talking about rioting and looting, and then all the television stations cut out along with the radio. We headed for one of the evacuation points, but we never made it there." Fang shook her head slowly, and her hands tightened around her rifle. "We never made it there."

"The infected?"

"Yeah. We were walking along one of the main streets – the traffic wasn't going anywhere by then – when we spotted some. They must have killed a hundred people in a couple of minutes. And you know how it is. The people they killed didn't stay dead – they came back as infected. We ran, but some jerk knocked Vanille over and stepped on her ankle. I carried her for maybe a mile until we found that gun store and holed up inside. There wasn't much else we could do then but wait there until help came or it blew over. Either way, I knew we couldn't be out there when night fell. Then you guys showed up."

Lightning nodded slowly. It was impossible to miss the tenderness in Fang's gaze when she looked at Vanille. Maker knew she'd have done the same thing if it were Serah in Vanille's place. "Look, about earlier… I wouldn't have shot her.

"I know. I saw it in your eyes. You're a soldier, all right, but you've got rules, and you stick to them." Fang sighed. "Why do you think I put my knife down? Vanille is all that I've got. I can't lose her. So whatever happens, I'm getting her a ride out."

"I meant what I said. You two help us, and you'll get your ride out."

"Thanks." Fang's lips twitched. "You know, I never thought I'd be fighting with one of you guys instead of shooting at you." She stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Captain Farron."

Lightning took Fang's hand. Her handshake was firm without being overbearing. "Likewise, Captain Yun."

"All right," Sazh's voice came in over the train's intercom. "We're a few minutes out from the facility. Get ready."

The train pulled up to the station. A bloodbath awaited them. The platform was covered in gore and bodies. Judging by the uniforms, they belonged to research staff from the facility. But that wasn't what worried Lightning. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the wounds on the bodies. Even compared to the mauling she'd come to expect from the infected, these wounds were vicious. Some of the bodies had been ripped almost in half. Almost all of them were missing entire limbs.

"This doesn't look good." Snow poked at one of the bodies. "This guy here looks like something bit him in half."

"You're telling me." Serah swallowed thickly. "Some of these look like teeth marks. Really big teeth marks."

Vanille nodded and bent over one of the bodies. "Yes, but I can't think of any animal with teeth like –"

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Lightning's eyes widened. There was blood dripping onto the floor from the ceiling.

"Move! They're on the roof!"

Something huge dropped off the ceiling and landed right in the middle of them. There wasn't time to get a good look at it. Lightning had an impression of teeth, claws, and mottled skin. Then it was lunging forward, and they opened fire together, driving it back. But more of the things were dropping from the ceiling. It was a Maker-damned ambush.

"Watch the roof!" Lightning barked. "They're coming down from the roof."

She fired in short bursts in a bid to drive the one in front of her back. Fang was beside her, Vanille tucked away behind them both. Lightning's shots had the thing off balance, and Fang made short work of it from there. The Pulsian fired four times: three of the shots caught the thing around its right eye and the fourth blew out its throat. It collapsed against one of the support pillars, and its limbs thrashed back and forth in one final attempt to reach them.

Behind them, one of the creatures lunged at Snow. The big man ducked as its claws ripped a chunk out of the pillar beside him. He tumbled to the side, firing as he fell, and Serah's sniper rifle blew open the side of its head. It teetered, claws flailing, until Sazh and Snow finished it with a spray of bullets to the head and upper body.

Hope had it the worst of them, trapped between two of the monsters. He backpedalled frantically, firing as he went, and Lightning snapped her rifle around to help him. She shot the legs out from under one of them, and Fang knocked the other back with several solid hits to its left shoulder. Hope took the opportunity to run clear as the rest of them concentrated their fire. The final shot belonged to Serah. She shot a hole right between the eyes of the last one.

Silence fell.

"Check the roof." Lightning scanned the area above them. "There might be more of them."

But there weren't. Vanille peered down at one of the creatures, and her brows furrowed.

"Strange."

"That's an understatement." Snow grimaced. The creatures were vaguely humanoid, but they had to be at least eight feet tall. They didn't seem to have any skin either, and they were covered in thick cords of bulging muscle.

"Look." Vanille pointed. "This one hasn't even been dead two minutes. But its blood is already clotted. It's like…"

"It's like it was dead already," Lightning murmured. "We were told – and we've seen – that the virus does some very strange things when used on the dead. The effects might vary depending on the dosage and strain of the virus that was used."

"What were they doing here?" Fang asked. "Were they making some kind of weapon? Did they engineer those things?"

"These aren't weapons." Vanille used a combat knife to pry the dead creature's jaws open and pointed at some of the teeth. "And they didn't engineer them either. Weapons don't have tooth fillings. Biologically engineered creatures don't have fillings. People have fillings."

"Are you saying these are people?" Fang growled. "Son of a bitch."

"They were people." Lightning reached out to grab Fang's shoulder. The Pulsian looked like she wanted to punch someone in the face. "I don't know exactly what they were doing here, but I don't like it anymore than you do. But we can't turn back now. If we want that ride out, we need to keep going."

"Fine." Fang grit her teeth and cast one last look at the creatures splayed out over the platform. "But none of this is right."

Lightning wasn't about to disagree with that, but they couldn't stop now. The sooner they got this done, the quicker they could leave. "Come on, the main entrance should be this way."

They took some stairs up to the massive, reinforced doors that led into the facility itself. It took two sets of ten digit passwords to unlock the doors and even then Lightning didn't open them. Instead, she tapped a few buttons on the console to try and get a read out of what was happening inside.

"What are we waiting for?" Fang asked.

"There's a containment procedure: poison gas designed to kill almost anything. We need to make sure it's had time to disperse."

"Figures they'd have poison gas." Sazh shook his head. "One of these days, it'd be nice to get a mission somewhere sunny and warm."

"It looks like we're clear." Lightning opened the doors. "Get ready."

The doors opened. Bodies littered the ground. Many were clutching at their throats, and others were clawing at their eyes. But still others had begun to move. The infection was here as well.

"Make for the elevators on the far side. We can take them all the way down to the research labs."

Lightning didn't have to say anything else. They fought their way through the growing mass of infected. They were lucky. These ones didn't seem nearly as alert as the ones above ground. Lightning had to reload twice before they hit the elevator and began the long descent down into the bowels of the facility.

In the flickering lights, she studied the faces of her team. They all looked so tired. Just a little bit longer, and they'd be done. Sagging against the wall, she barely noticed Fang leaning against her. Instead, her mind wandered back to her meeting with General Amodar.

X X X

"I've got another mission for you, captain."

Lightning saluted and then accepted a seat at the table. General Amodar was a cheerful man, but there was nothing cheerful about him now. "Sir?"

He pressed a button on the table and the screen opposite them came to life. "As I'm sure you're aware, rioting and looting has been reported in Sector 13." She nodded. "That's a lie. It isn't rioting or looting."

"Then what is it, sir?"

He pressed another button and a schematic of Sector 13 appeared. Apart from the well-known thoroughfares and buildings, the schematics showed a massive underground facility directly beneath the centre of the city. "Sector 13 is actually a cover for one of Shinra Corporation's most secret and valuable research facilities. The only reason I'm even telling you this is because the facility has been hopelessly compromised."

"What does the facility research?"

"Biological weaponry."

"Biological weaponry is banned according to the latest Cocoon-Pulse weapons treaty."

"We both know that what we say and what we do can be very different." Amodar looked incredibly weary. "I don't like that kind of research, but I'm not the one in charge. The facility houses dozens of extremely dangerous viruses. One of those viruses has escaped."

"Do we have any idea of who was responsible?" Lightning scowled. This was exactly why she hated biological weaponry. A virus didn't care who it killed.

"Not yet." Amodar pressed another button. "But you might recognise the research staff associated with its development."

Lightning studied the pictures. Professor Lucrecia Crescent was one of Shinra Corporation's most talented researchers. She'd been responsible for at least a dozen medical breakthroughs over the past five years alone. Then there was Colonel Jihl Nabaat. Lightning had known Jihl for a long time now, and time had done nothing to dim her dislike of the other woman. Jihl was the Cocoon military's chief liaison with its corporate research partners. Anything she was involved with was likely to be extremely effective and highly illegal. And then there was the last one… Professor Hojo.

She made a disgusted sound. "We're working with Hojo now? I thought he was dead."

"That was our doing. After the Pulse military authorities removed him from his position as head of weapons research, he came to us. We offered him a job."

"No offence, sir, but it might be better for the whole world if we leave them down there."

Amodar gave a rough laugh. "Maybe, but my orders come from the highest authority. The Primarch has ordered us to retrieve these three along with as much of their research data as possible. Even given my… personal dislike for some of them, I can understand why." He pushed another button. "Here's what's really happening in Sector 13."

Lightning watched, horrified, as several reels of security camera footage played. The people of Sector 13 were like animals, biting, and clawing, and tearing at one another. They even seemed to be… eating each other. "What is this?"

"The researchers have been working on a virus to aid in physical development. Based on animal testing it provided vastly increased strength, speed, and agility. However, there were some unforseen side effects."

"Like what, sir?"

"The virus invariably proved fatal. In other words, it killed 100% of those infected. However, they didn't stay dead."

"I beg your pardon, sir. What?"

Amodar raised one hand. "I know how it sounds, Farron. But believe me, I've seen the footage. This… virus brings things back from the dead. Only, they're not the same. Apart from increased strength and endurance, these… zombies, I guess you could call them, suffer from homicidal aggression. They will attempt to attack and kill anything that is not infected."

"So those riots…"

"Yes, those were packs of these infected attacking, killing, and infecting civilians. And it is very contagious. Do not get bitten."

"How much time do we have before we lose control of the city?"

"We've already lost control. We estimate that within 24 hours, roughly 95% of Sector 13 will either be dead or infected. Given that, we have plans to destroy the city with a tactical nuclear strike."

"That's insane."

"It's our only option. We cannot allow the virus to spread. That's why your team is being sent in to retrieve the research data and those three senior personnel. If the virus somehow escapes, we need a cure. And our best chance of developing a cure lies in those researchers and their data. Thus the Primarch has ordered us to retrieve both the data and the researchers at any cost."

"My team isn't complete." Lightning frowned. She'd had several members retire. That was their right, but they'd left her shorthanded.

"Replacements have already been arranged. Will you accept?"

"What can I tell my people?"

"You have complete authority on this mission – I was able to get you that. So long as you achieve your objectives, you have complete clearance to do whatever you want."

"Are we alone in there?"

"Once you're in, you will be. All long-range communication has been shut down. This cannot go public. However, we will be keeping a channel open to the research facility itself. Furthermore, AVALANCHE has also been deployed. This is a top priority mission."

X X X

Lightning looked up at the display above the elevator door. They were almost at the bottom.

The mission had gone to hell right at the start. They'd just entered Sector 13's airspace and radio silence when they came under fire from anti-aircraft missiles. Someone had known they were coming. They'd seen AVALANCHE's chopper go down only seconds before theirs had been hit.

Somehow, Sazh had managed to bring the chopper down almost in one piece. Lightning couldn't remember much about the crash, only screaming, fire, smoke, and a sound like thunder when they'd hit the ground. She'd dragged herself out of the wreck and then gone back for the others. Sazh, Hope, Serah, and Snow had survived. Everyone else was dead. There hadn't been time to mourn them – the infected had closed in within minutes.

"A lot on your mind?" Fang asked. The brunette seemed deep in thought herself as her eyes wandered back and forth over the others. It didn't escape Lightning's notice that they lingered more on her than anyone else. Was Fang worried she was falling apart?

"You could say that."

"I know what it's like to lead a mission and have it all go to hell." Fang chuckled mirthlessly. "Believe me, I know."

Was the other woman a mind reader? No, Lightning thought. She was a leader, like Lightning was, and like any leader, she'd suffered her fair share of failure too. "What did you do?"

"There wasn't much I could do but keep on going and hope for the best." Fang lowered her voice and glanced meaningfully at the others. "You've got a good team, Lightning. They can make it. We can make it."

The elevator reached the bottom. The corridor was still and dark, lit only by flickering emergency lights. The wail of a siren came from somewhere far away. Lightning looked left and then right. She knew where they were. She'd memorised a map of the facility before the mission.

Lightning's voice came out in a whisper. This whole mission had her on edge, but there was something about this place that stood out even amidst all the carnage they'd seen. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she wasn't about to take any unnecessary chances.

"Snow, Serah, I want you two to take Hope and Vanille and head that way. The central data banks are on the other side of this floor." Lightning handed them several slips of paper. "Here are the codes. Get that data and then come back here as soon as you can. If we aren't back in an hour, get to the roof and call it in. Do not wait for us. Get out while you still can. Sazh, Fang, you two are with me."

Fang stiffened. "Can't Vanille come with us?"

Lightning shook her head and lowered her voice as she leaned over to whisper in Fang's ear. "We need to go get those researchers. Based on what little information we have, they should be holed up in a room in the complete opposite direction of the data banks. It's right in the middle of all the research labs and specimen holding areas. You saw those things at the station. The further Vanille and the others are from us, the safer they'll be."

Fang nodded. "Right."

Sazh leaned over. He might be getting older, but his hearing was as keen as ever. "If that's all true, why exactly am I going with you? I'm too old for this."

"You'll be fine." Lightning stepped away from Fang. "All right. You all know what to do. Stay alert and you'll stay alive. Meet back here."

Lightning, Fang, and Sazh continued down the corridor toward the research labs. Lightning was surprised by how natural it felt. Sazh dropped into his usual position at the rear, and Fang slipped seamlessly into a position just over Lightning's shoulder, close enough to help but far enough to keep clear of Lightning's line of fire. They refused to take any chances, and they checked each door they passed. There was a lot of blood, but not nearly enough corpses.

"Do you think they're infected too?" Fang asked.

"Probably." Lightning paused as they passed another elevator. There was an empty magazine of ammunition there along with more than a dozen shell casings. She bent down to examine them. They were still hot. "Someone was here. Based on the ammunition, I'm guessing it was AVALANCHE."

"Well, let's hope they're alive." Sazh shrugged. "We can definitely use the help. Should we try and get them on the radio?"

Lightning nodded. "Give me a second." She tried three times before she gave up. "They're running on silent. Either they're dead, or they've run into trouble and don't want anyone eavesdropping."

"Perfect."

They followed the corridor until they reached a fork in the path. The passage on the left would have taken them directly to the main research lab, but it was sealed shut. At least two feet of reinforced steel stood between them and the other side. That meant their only option was the passage on the right.

"Stay sharp," Lightning warned. "You might call this the scenic route."

Fang chuckled softly. "The less we see, the better. And if we're lucky, we won't see anyone or anything except those researchers."

"I don't think we're going to be that lucky," Sazh said. He patted his rifle. "Do you?"

The corridor narrowed until it was only two metres wide. They came to a long straight with more than a dozen doors on either side. Small red lights glittered in the dark – the doors were locked, at least for now. They tread lightly, easing their way forward. It would have been better to keep on walking, but they couldn't stop themselves from looking through the small windows in each door, not when there were… sounds coming through.

"Maker…" Sazh stepped away from one door. "Is that a dog?"

"It was, I think." Lightning peered through the window. The creature on the other side snarled and hurled itself against the door. It was easily double the size of a normal dog. In place of skin or fur, its body was covered in thin, almost transparent scales that did little to cover the thick ropes of muscle that spanned its body. Its teeth were jagged razors. "Keep moving. I don't know how much longer the emergency power for this place will last. And when it fails, these doors aren't going to stay locked for long."

They were halfway down the corridor when the lights went out.

"Oh hell." Sazh turned. "This isn't good."

All along the corridor, the little red lights beside the doors winked out. Then there was a thump and first one door and then another creaked open.

"Run." Lightning pointed at the still illuminated far end of the corridor. "Move!"

They broke into a sprint. A chorus of howls and wails filled the air behind them. Lightning turned and fired into the gloom. Something screamed, and she heard blood splatter on the walls. In front of them, another one of the doors swung open, and Fang leapt forward and kicked it shut again. There was a sick, wet thump, and the Pulsian spun to fire a few rounds into the gathering dark.

Then something slammed into Lightning from the side. She caught a glimpse of something large and vaguely insect-like looming over her before Fang drove her boot into its side and blew its head off. Then Fang was dragging her back to her feet.

"Come on." Fang snarled as something else burst out of one of the doors in front of them. It looked vaguely like a bear, but no bear had teeth like that. And bears definitely didn't have blade-like wings coming out of their back. Sazh pumped its chest full of bullets, and they stumbled past. There wasn't time to make sure it was dead.

They were almost to the end of the corridor now. Lightning fired as they ran, picking off two more specimens. They were like the one that had attacked her – seemingly half human and half insect. They made a hideous buzzing noise as the bullets bit deep and drove them back into the wall. Sickly green blood, already clotted, splattered across the walls and floor.

"Get the door!" Lightning shouted as they reached the end of the corridor. "Sazh!"

Sazh fumbled with the control console as Lightning and Fang fired into the oncoming mass of twisted abominations. Bile burned the back of his throat as he picked out a few human faces amidst the horror, their faces drawn into masks of rage as they urged their mutated bodies onward.

"Come on," Fang growled. "Any time now."

He slammed his hand down on the console. "Move!"

The pair of women lurched back as one of the emergency doors thundered down from the ceiling. It was at least a full foot of reinforced steel. The creatures on the other side of it hammered away, but they might as well have been hammering at a mountain.

"Well," Fang said. "It looks like we'll be taking a different way back."

Lightning nodded and then frowned. It was difficult to hear over the howls and screams still coming through the door, but she was certain she could make out the sound of gunfire.

They moved swiftly down the corridor, picking off a few infected as they went, before they burst into a massive laboratory. It had to be at a hundred feet long and maybe fifty feet tall. AVALANCHE was there, and time seemed to freeze as Lightning burned the scene into her mind: Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith hunkered down behind a bank of computers; Cid huddled behind a support pillar, and Barret out in the open, blazing away with his minigun.

And on the opposite side of the lab – looming over all of them like some kind of monster torn right out of the pages of a science fiction novel – was something that seemed half dragon and half lion. It had to be at least thirty feet tall with four, ragged, rotting wings. Two sets of canine jaws snapped at the air, and claws as long as Lightning's rifle ripped into the floor. It wasn't alone either. There were at least a dozen smaller versions of it sprinting across the room toward them.

Lightning didn't have to think twice. She jerked her rifle up and fired. Her first spray of bullets caught one of the smaller ones flush in the head and chest. It staggered back, and a second barrage put it down for good. Beside her, Fang and Sazh got to work, and the three of them moved into position beside Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith.

The burgundy-eyed woman took one look at Lightning and grinned. "Nice of you to join us." She leaned around the bank of computers and fired. Five rounds slammed into the monstrosity on the opposite end of the room. It hardly even seemed to feel them. "Please tell me you brought a bigger gun."

"No." Lightning ducked around the corner and picked off another one of the smaller ones. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fang fire at the ceiling. Another one of the smaller ones dropped to the ground, dead. Damn, these things could climb on the ceiling too. "I was wondering if you were dead."

"We're not that easy to kill." Barret roared and levelled his minigun at the giant. It jerked backed beneath the deluge of bullets, but it refused to go down. With a howl, it lunged forward. A swipe of its claws tore one of the support pillars in two, and Barret had to scrambled to keep his head on his shoulders.

"Damn it." Cloud met Lightning's gaze. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Half of them are dead. The rest are at headed for the data banks. You?"

"We're all still alive. Yuffie, Vincent, and Reeve are headed for the data banks too." Cloud scowled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I kind of wish Yuffie was here. That little pyro is carrying pretty much all of our explosives."

"What have you got?" Lightning asked.

"One high explosive grenade." Cloud tapped the grenade on his belt. "But that thing isn't going to stand still long enough to get a good hit."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. The plan that had just occurred to her was crazy, but it might be their only shot. "Cloud, cover me." She nodded at Fang. "I've got an idea. Think you can keep up?"

The other woman's grin was wicked. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" She smirked. "Because if you are, I'm in. I've always wanted to see someone force feed a dragon lion… thing."

"Force feed?" Tifa laughed. "That might work. Go for it. We'll cover you."

Lightning grabbed Cloud's grenade and pushed out from behind cover. At the same time, AVALANCHE opened fire, doing their best to distract the creature as she worked her way toward it. Fang was right on her heels, ready and waiting for Lightning to give the order. The pink haired woman jumped onto the bottom half of the torn support pillar and then hurled herself at the tangled mess of wires, pipes, and insulation that jutted out of the hole in the ceiling.

"Now!" Lightning bellowed. "Fang!"

The other woman opened fire on the monster. Her shots clattered into its cheek and one punctured an eye. It roared in pain and fury and stomped toward her – and toward Lightning.

Above the creature, Lightning grabbed hold of a pipe. Damn it – she needed something else to grab onto –

Thud.

She glanced down. Cloud had thrown a loose piece of pipe right into the roof in front of her. Perfect. She grabbed it and twisted in mid air, angling herself over the twisted horror beneath her as it threw back its head and roared. That was exactly what she'd been hoping for. She pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it down into the creature's open mouth.

Then she fell. And it was a long way down.

"I've got you!"

Lightning grunted as Fang leapt to try and catch her out of mid air. But the force of her fall was too great. She was going to hit the ground and Fang was probably going to break her arms –

"And I've got you." Barret chuckled as he caught both women. The impact knocked him onto his back, and Lightning and Fang skidded off, still tangled up with each other. Lightning tossed a look back at the monster.

BOOM.

The explosion blew the creature's head apart in a spray of blood and gore. The body thrashed and flailed before it crashed to the ground. It twitched twice and then lay still.

"And they wonder why all our teams need a medic." Aerith pried Fang and Lightning apart and quickly checked them over for anything worse than a few cuts and bruises. "You're as bad as Cloud is, Lightning. It's almost like you're related."

Lightning and Cloud gave her almost identical glares.

"See what I mean?" Aerith rolled her eyes and looked at Fang and Tifa. "Look. They even look similar."

"Hey, what about me?" Barret stumbled back to his feet. "I might be hurt."

"You're fine." Aerith chuckled as Tifa and Cloud finished off the last few smaller monsters. "Now, come on, up you get. We need to keep moving."

Cloud looked at the door at the far end of the lab. "It's not far. That's it over there. That's where they're supposed to be."

They got the door open, and Lightning leaned back against the wall. Lucrecia and Jihl were both in there looking a little stressed but otherwise unharmed. Hojo, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Hojo?" Cloud barked.

Lucrecia shook her head and stumbled to her feet. "He's gone. He… he's the one who did all of this."

"Explain." Lightning growled. If Hojo was really responsible for all of this, she was going to kill him. Orders be damned, she'd tell Amodar he was dead when they found him. "Now."

Jihl gave Lightning a haughty look. "I can explain as we go. But we need to move right now before that bastard gets us all killed."

"We can't go back the way we came," Sazh said. "It's kind of… filled with monsters."

"There's another way back," Cloud said. "We sealed the door behind us, but we should be able to get it open again. Let's go."

They made quick time along AVALANCHE's route, and Jihl explained along the way. As much as Lightning disliked her, the other woman was very, very smart. Anyone clever enough to get the better of Jihl was extremely dangerous.

"This whole thing was a set up," Jihl said. "I was supposed to come here and examine their progress on the virus. The higher ups have been getting nervous about how dangerous it is. They wanted assurances that we could control it. They were also getting nervous about Hojo. He's a brilliant man, but he's far from stable. They wanted him out of the program until there were better safeguards."

"I'm betting he found out about that." Cloud shook his head. "He always was a clever bastard."

"He still is. He stole a suitcase full of samples along with the only working samples of a cure that we currently have. Then he infected some of the other researchers and activated the facility's containment mechanisms. He must have made a mistake, however, because he's still here."

"How did it spread to the surface?" Lightning asked.

"I'm assuming that one of the infected researchers must have made it to the surface before a full lockdown could be achieved. It is also possible that Hojo had helpers who spread the virus on the outside."

"That makes sense." Lightning glanced at Cloud. "We both came under attack on our flight in."

"Well, the virus would be worth a great deal of money on the open market." Jihl bared her teeth. "But, like I said, Hojo made a mistake. This entire building sealed itself when the containment procedures were activated. He disabled our communications from down in the lab, but we were still able to monitor his progress. He was trapped for a few hours when some of the specimens escaped, but he's on the move again. He's on his way up to the roof right now."

"We can't let him get away," Cloud said. "Not with those samples."

Lucrecia bit her lip. "You have to stop him. What happened here is nothing compared to what he could do if he was able to get those samples to his own lab."

"We'll do our best." Lightning frowned. "You said you don't have communications down here. How about the control tower on the roof? Does that still work?"

"It should," Jihl replied. "It's likely how he intends to call for help. If I recall correctly, standard procedure dictates that a single channel be left open for long-range communications. All of this facility's long range communication devices would have switched over to that channel when a lockdown was initiated."

"Damn it. Then he'll be able to radio in for a chopper. We have to get to him now." Lightning looked at Sazh. "Radio the others. Tell them to hurry up and meet us at the elevator."

"It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" Fang grinned.

"Yes." Lightning smiled faintly. "About earlier… thanks for trying to catch me."

"Well, it was a pretty long fall." Fang chuckled. "And you should really be thanking Barret. Damn, he's strong."

They got back to the elevator in record time. The others were already waiting for them. Rather than waste any more time, Lightning decided to brief them on the way up. Her team took one elevator, and AVALANCHE took the other.

It was a long trip up. The Shinra Corporation Tower at the very centre of Sector 13 was roughly two thousand feet tall. Add in the fact that the research facility was buried five hundred feet underground and that meant a two thousand five hundred feet trip straight up.

When they stepped out of the elevator, it was raining. The roof was more than four times the size of a tennis court and open to the air. The control tower was off to one side, and a large crane occupied another corner. Bright lights lit up the helicopter-landing pad, and Hojo was standing right there, waiting for them.

Lightning nodded and the rest of her team fell into flanking positions. AVALANCHE eased into position as well. There was madness in Hojo's eyes as he looked at them, and his lips curled up into a sneer.

"Stand down, Hojo." Cloud levelled his rifle at the scientist's head. "Or I will shoot you."

Hojo laughed and looked down at the briefcase in his hands. "Really? You're going to kill me. I'd like to see you try."

"I'd like to try," Cloud said. "Believe me, I'd like to try."

"Get in line." Lightning gestured at the briefcase. "We know what you're up to, Hojo. It's not going to work. Put the briefcase down and we'll put you in a cell instead of a box."

"There is a chopper coming in fifteen minutes." Hojo reached into his coat. "And I plan to be on it. My samples will be on it too, of course."

"Don't." Lightning's voice snapped out. "Hands where we can see them, Hojo. Now!"

He laughed again, and his hand came out of his lab coat with a gun. "I don't think –"

BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.

Hojo jerked back under a barrage of gunfire. Blood frothed from his lips, and he spun in a slow circle to topple back onto the ground.

Lightning lowered her rifle.

"Tell me that didn't feel at least a little bit good." Fang grimaced. "You know, my military fired him because he was nuts. That should have been your military's clue to stay the hell away from him."

"At least he's dead now." Lightning glanced at Hope. "Get on the radio, Hope. Tell them we need to choppers and –"

"Wait!" Lucrecia cried. "It's not over yet."

Lightning turned back to Hojo, and her eyes widened in disbelief. His body was jerking and twitching. The flesh underneath his clothes rippled and tore.

"He must have infected himself with the virus!"

X X X

"Fools!" Hojo got to his feet. They opened fire. Their bullets ripped his coat to shreds and shattered his glasses, but he didn't seem to care. The muscles on his torso jerked back and forth. "The virus only gets stronger when it's given to the dead, and I have been planning this for a long time. I'm going to enjoy killing all of you."

Hojo roared, and then he changed. Pink flesh turned grey. Skin became hard, bony armour. He was no longer a man. He was a monster, nine feet tall with amber slits for eyes and jagged blades for teeth. His frame broadened, the plate-like armour over his torso pushed outward as thick bunches of muscle spread across his body. His left arm twitched violently, and his fingers lengthened into whip-like tentacles. His right arm became a single, massive blade as wide as a shield and as long as a broadsword.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Hojo bellowed as he grabbed a nearby metal crate. He crushed it in his tentacles and sliced the remains apart with his right arm. "You're nothing to me."

"You're not going anywhere." Cloud snarled. "Light him up!"

As AVALANCHE let loose, Lightning turned to her team. "Serah, I want you to hang back and look for shots. That armour looks too thick for our rifles, but you might be able to crack it or get a clear shot at his head. Hope, get to the control tower. They need to know what we're up against. Hojo cannot be allowed to leave this building alive. Vanille, go with Hope. The rest of you, form on me. This bastard isn't going anywhere."

They all nodded their assent, and Lightning took a split-second to assess the rooftop. Hojo was currently stuck in the middle with all of AVALANCHE doing their best to kill him. Rather than keep his team together, Cloud had decided to break them off into pairs. It was a wise choice.

Hojo laughed and charged. He knocked crates and other debris aside as he tore off part of a metal railing and hurled it like it was kindling. Cloud leapt clear of the projectile and continued to rain gunfire down on Hojo, but it had yet to leave so much as a scratch. Lightning signalled, ordering her team to offer supporting fire, as they fell into position behind what little cover the rooftop offered.

"Fang, you're with me." Lightning made a beeline toward Yuffie. "We're going to need something bigger to take out Hojo."

They ran together, zigzagging across the rooftop as Hojo picked up one crate after another and hurled them. Each crate weighed hundreds of pounds, but all it took was a flick of his wrist. Lightning ducked beneath one and it dented the roof. Another shot through the air only inches from Fang's head and tore a chunk out of the concrete rim around the roof's edge.

"Yuffie!" Lightning barked as she slid on her knees under another crate and came up beside the young woman. "Give me something that he'll actually feel."

Yuffie dug through her backpack and handed Lightning a large grenade with a cheerful smiley face on it. "You can try this. Think of it as a kind of… thermite grenade."

Lightning's eyes widened. She really needed to get some of these. "Thanks."

"How about me?" Fang smirked. "Got any other toys in there."

Yuffie handed Fang another grenade. "High explosive. Trust me, it'll give even Hojo a very, very bad day."

"Try to get some of your other weapons to the others," Lightning ordered as she broke into a sprint toward Hojo. "Fang, back me up."

Hojo swiped his claw down at Cid. The pilot barely managed to dodge, and the bladed limb cut deep into the surface of the roof. With a howl, Hojo pulled his arm free and whipped his tentacles around at Yuffie, who was running full pelt toward the others. The young woman yelped, and Lightning caught a flash of movement before Vincent tackled her to the ground. This couldn't go on. Sooner or later, Hojo was going to get a hit in, and someone was going to end up dead.

"Cloud!" Lightning shouted. "Take out his legs."

The blonde man nodded and concentrated his fire on Hojo's right knee. There was a gap in the armoured plates, and Hojo gave a howl of pain as the knee gave way. Lightning closed in, the grenade held tightly in one hand. But Hojo saw her coming. He swung his blade arm in a flat arc toward her.

Lightning's eyes widened. Half a step behind her, Fang cursed.

This was bad.

She jumped, desperation driving her up into the air. The blade passed under her, and the world spun. She caught a glimpse of Fang ducking beneath the attack, and then she was swinging upward at an impossible speed. Her other hand had caught on one of the thick, stubby armoured plates above the blade part of Hojo's arm.

"Lightning!" Fang shouted. "Lightning!"

She spun in mid air, jerking her hand free. Somehow, she managed to angle her descent down onto Hojo's shoulder. She wasn't sure who was more surprised: her or him. Then she was shooting, emptying her rifle right into left side of his head. There was a hideous screech as the bullets dug into the hardened bone of his skull. He reeled back, and she pulled the pin on her grenade and shoved it into the hollow between his collarbone and his neck. At the same time, Fang pulled the pin on her grenade and lobbed it right at Hojo's head.

"Move, Lightning!"

Lightning didn't need to be told twice. She leapt off Hojo, hit the ground hard, and then ran for cover. The twisted scientist gave a hideous screech as the thermite grenade went off. Flesh and bone melted away, and then he was lost in a cloud of fire and force as Fang's grenade exploded. The roof shook, and Lightning found herself flat on her back, Fang sprawled over her legs.

"Is he dead?" Lightning asked.

"I hope so." Fang shook her head to try and clear it. "Because… aw hell."

Hojo wasn't dead. Somehow, he'd managed to survive. And as the smoke cleared, they could all see the flesh healing, thickening, and strengthening.

"This virus is perfect." Hojo lifted his blade arm. "I am perfect. And there's nothing you can do."

A sniper rifle round jerked his head back, one of his eyes blown away. Yet in less than a second, the eye was back. Lightning looked across the roof and saw Serah hasten to fire another shot. Hojo roared and flung a crate at her. Serah threw herself to the ground, and the scaffolding she'd been on came apart in a shower of wood and metal.

"It's the virus." Lucrecia peeked out from behind one of the downed crates. "It's gotten too strong. You have to neutralise it first if you want to kill him."

"Now she says that." Fang stumbled to her feet and helped Lightning up. "The briefcase, where is it?"

Lightning looked around. Yuffie had the briefcase. The young woman must have heard Lucrecia because she forced it open. There were a dozen sample containers in there, but three of them were clearly labelled with 'anti-virus' on the side.

"Yuffie." Cloud reloaded his rifle and peppered Hojo's head and upper body with gunfire. "Don't miss."

The young woman smirked. The samples were held in syringe-line containers. A flick of her wrist was all she needed to palm one like a throwing knife. Lightning had seen Yuffie with throwing knives. She didn't miss. But it couldn't hurt to make things easier.

"Keep on him!" Lightning ordered her team. "Don't let him breathe."

Hojo snarled, forced back by the sheer weight of gunfire. Yuffie threw the first syringe. It hit Hojo right between the shoulder blades. He roared, and the flesh near the syringe began to blacken. Blood poured from the wound, and he stumbled backward.

"What?" He reached back with his tentacles and pulled the syringe free. "You can't do this!" He advanced toward Yuffie. "I'll rip you limb from limb."

During the whole battle, Lightning had almost forgotten about Hope and Vanille. She'd asked them to get on the radio, and she could only trust that they'd done their job. Even Hojo had forgotten about them. Well, they hadn't forgotten about Hojo. There was an ominous creak, and the crane turned. The hook attached to the end swung down and caught Hojo right in the chest.

Hojo staggered back, the armoured plates on his chest cracked and bleeding. But then he steadied, and with a roar, he yanked down on the hook. To Lightning's utter disbelief, the crane jerked out of its moorings. It leaned forward for a moment before the bottom end of it swung out over the edge of the roof. Then it was falling.

Lightning and Fang broke into a run toward the falling crane. Hope shoved Vanille out through the window of the operator's compartment, and Fang just managed to grab her hand in time. As for Hope, the young man clambered out a split-second later and jumped. Lightning reached for him. It was too far. She was going to lose him –

No, she wasn't. Not without a fight.

She leaned out over the edge of the building and grabbed his hand.

"I've got you!"

Then she was falling too until someone else grabbed her.

"Honestly, what is it with you and falling off things?" Fang groaned and hauled Lightning and Hope back up onto the roof. "That's twice now, I've had to catch you."

Lightning shrugged. "You're turning out to be pretty useful."

Fang looked like she wanted to say something else, but another bestial cry from Hojo grabbed their attention. Yuffie had managed to hit him with a second syringe, and the mad scientist was clearly slowing down. Their bullets were actually starting to break through his armour, and the wounds weren't healing either. As she made to throw the third syringe, Hojo lumbered forward, his blade arm held high.

Snow and Barret dove for his legs, tripping him, and Yuffie lodged the third syringe right between his eyes. A deep groan came from Hojo, and he threw Snow and Barret off. Then he got to his feet.

"I can still kill all of you." He gasped. "This isn't –"

BANG.

Serah fired. Her first bullet blew out one of his eyes. Her next blew out the other eye. Blinded, Hojo stumbled back, but Serah continued to fire until her sniper rifle was empty. Hojo clawed at his face and let loose an incoherent scream of pain and rage. The rest of AVALANCHE opened fire, and Lightning ordered her team to add their weaponry to the mix.

Hojo staggered back. His chest, upper body, and head were reduced to little more than pulp beneath the assault. The final blow came from Yuffie. She lobbed a few explosives his way, and there was a deep, bass boom before the blast hurled Hojo off the roof and down, down onto the street below.

"Do you think he's dead?"

Lightning glanced at Serah. It was a fair question. She peered over the side of the roof. Hojo had fallen all the way to the ground. It was too dark to be sure, but it didn't look like anything was moving. "I think so." She shook her head. "Hope, about those choppers…"

"They're standing by at the edge of the no fly zone. All we have to do is radio in the kill, and they'll swing by and pick us up."

"Call it in." Lightning smiled softly as her team and AVALANCHE exchanged grins, smiles, and handshakes. "Get us out of here."

X X X

They were about ten miles clear of the blast zone when the missile hit. The chopper shook as the shockwave rocked the sky, and a pillar of light and fire rose up into the night. Sector 13 was gone, nothing more than an ocean of bad memories and nuclear flame. Lightning looked at her team. She was proud of them, damn proud. Outside the window, she caught a glimpse of AVALANCHE's chopper before it angled north on its own route.

"So what now?" Fang asked. Vanille was slumped against her, the red head barely able to keep awake. "I guess your superiors will want to arrest and interrogate us for getting involved in your mess."

"That would be according to regulations, yes." Lightning shared a look with Serah. Her sister nodded a fraction. "But regulations aren't always right." She turned to speak to the pilot. "I want you to set down at the nearest major town."

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but those aren't my orders."

"I'm making them your orders."

Lightning dug into her pockets. Like most Guardian Corps Special Response Unit members, she carried a few credit cards at all times – all of them were untraceable and all them had more than enough money to support her in the field in case she ever needed to lay low for a while. "Here. You can use these. It'll be at least twenty four hours before they can shut them down and that should be enough time for you and Vanille to get out of the country."

Fang pocketed the credit cards. "You'll be in trouble."

"You caught me twice when you could have let me fall. It's the least I can do." Lightning smiled faintly. "I do ask that you keep everything you've seen a secret."

"I can do that." Fang shuddered. "The less I think about it all the better." She grinned. "We make a pretty good team, you know."

"We do." Lightning grinned back. The chopper was angling toward the edge of the town now. "Take care of yourself, Fang, and Vanille too."

X X X

Several months had passed since the "incident" in Sector 13. For her role in containing the outbreak, Lightning had been awarded a promotion to major. She almost didn't accept it. She'd lost half her team right at the start, and it wasn't like she'd completed the mission on her own. Her team had helped as had Fang, Vanille, and AVALANCHE.

The official story was that Sector 13 had been the victim of a terrorist attack masterminded by Hojo. According to the official statements, the scientist had fled Gran Pulse after his removal from their military on war crimes charges. He had destroyed Sector 13 in a bid to reignite the conflict between Cocoon and Gran Pulse. However, the peace treaty remained firmly in place, and the Primarch had spoken extensively on the need for further transparency and cooperation with Gran Pulse. If it weren't such utter bullshit, it would have been beautiful.

In the meantime, Lightning and her team had healed and rested. There were still times when Lightning woke up in a cold sweat, and there were times when Serah staggered to her room, shaking, and mumbling about some of the horrors they'd seen. But those times were getting less and less frequent. They were almost better, and it was about time they got back into the field.

Their team still wasn't complete again but that was why Amodar had called her into his office. Hopefully, these newest members would last longer than the previous ones.

"How are you feeling, major?"

"I'm feeling good, sir." Lightning met his gaze evenly. She had a feeling that he knew exactly what she'd done to help Fang and Vanille. He certainly hadn't put much effort into tracking them down, no matter how much some of his colleagues complained. "I understand I'll be picking up some new team members today."

"That's right." Amodar grinned. "Due to… certain circumstances that have come to light, the Gran Pulse military has requested places for several of their operatives on some of our teams. Given the way things have worked out, the Primarch thought it would be a good idea to oblige them."

In other words, Lightning thought, the Primarch was giving the Gran Pulse military an inch before they asked for a mile. "Understood, sir."

"Oh, don't give me that look. It's not as bad as you think." Amodar smirked and glanced at the door. "Come in, you three."

The first person through the door was a young man with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. He held himself like an experienced shoulder, and his uniform belonged to one of the various Special Forces units that Gran Pulse maintained. However, the next person through the door was someone very familiar.

"Vanille?" Lightning stared. "What… I…"

Vanille grinned. "Well, I have been looking for something new and interesting to do, and last time was very interesting…" She nodded at the last person to come through the door. "Plus, she wanted to join too."

"Nice to see you again, captain," Fang drawled. She leaned up against the doorframe. "I told you, we make a good team."

Lightning felt a grin tug at her lips. "Yes, we do. But it's major now." She extended one hand. "Glad to have you back."

Fang took her hand. "It's good to be back. Here's hoping our next mission isn't quite as bad as the last one."

X X X

Outtake/Omake #1: Don't Mess With Vanille

Lightning caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and then yelped as the baseball bat clattered into the side of her head. She went down, and she was vaguely aware of a tall brunette trying to pull a berserk red head away. Snow, meanwhile, could only gape in horror.

"Die, zombie!" Vanille wailed. "Die, die, die!"

X X X

Outtake/Omake #2: When A Sniper Rifle Isn't Enough

"Now would be a good time!" Lightning yelled as she and Fang sprinted down the street. A few steps behind them, Snow had Vanille slung over one shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lightning. I've got this."

There was a whoosh from the rooftop as a… a rocket thundered down toward them.

"Oh crap!"

BOOM.

Infected went flying everywhere and the building behind them came down in a cloud of half-melted brick and dust. Through the radio, Lightning heard her younger sister laugh.

"Who says a rocket launcher isn't better than a sniper rifle?"

X X X

Outtake/Omake #3: Trains Are More Complicated Than They Look

Lightning leaned back into her seat. "Get us moving, Sazh."

There was a low whirr as the train started up. Then it lurched forward. And then it lurched back. A horrible grinding sound filled the air followed by the smell of smoke.

"Uh, Sazh?"

The man in question poked his head through the door. "Just give me a minute…"

Right on cue, a host of alarms came on.

"Emergency evacuation necessary. All passengers please alight from the train. Repeat, emergency evacuation necessary. All passengers please alight from the train."

"Oops."

X X X

Outtake/Omake #4: When The Lights Go Out…

"You have got to be kidding." Fang shook her head. "You mean the elevators aren't working?"

"No." Lightning sighed.

"Well, how far down is it?"

"Five hundred feet."

"Five… five hundred feet." Fang threw up her hands. "Who builds something like this?"

"A crazy scientist with more intelligence and evil than common sense."

X X X

Outtake/Omake #5: Like A Ninja

Yuffie palmed the syringes full of the cure. With a skill unmatched by any other member of AVALANCHE, she took aim and threw the first of the syringes right at Hojo's back.

She missed.

By about ten feet.

"You missed?" Vincent grabbed her by the scruff of her bulletproof vest. The normally reserved man had murder in his eyes and even Hojo had stopped to stare at the debacle. "How could you miss? He was five feet away, and he's huge. Now, we're all going to die!"

Yuffie struggled to breathe, what with Vincent's hands tightening around her neck. "It slipped…"

X X X

Outtake/Omake #6: No Time Like The Present

Sazh hunched over behind an upturned crate as the transformed Hojo continued to rampage across the rooftop. Beside him, Cid lit another cigarette and handed it over.

"You know, I quit smoking this month." Sazh took a deep, deep puff on the cigarette.

"Could you have picked a worse month?" Cid grinned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cloud go flying into the crane. "Shera is always telling me to stop smoking. I mean, damn it, I can smoke if I want. I have a very stressful job."

"You're preaching to the choir, buddy." Sazh took another deep breath. "My kid, Dajh, is always telling me to quit smoking too." Lightning soared through the air and barely managed to grab hold of the edge of the roof as another series of explosion rocked the building. "I figure in between raising a kid and fighting off hordes of zombies, I've earned a smoke."

"That's the truth, all right." Cid grinned and lifted his rifle. "Let's get back to it."

"Right on."

X X X

Outtake/Omake #7: Sometimes It Just Works

Hojo laughed. "You can't kill me. Nothing can kill me. The virus has –"

Bang.

Hojo went down. And he stayed down.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Was that supposed to happen? I kind of figured he'd be harder to kill or something. I mean normally when someone rants like that…"

Lightning shrugged and poked Hojo with her boot. Nope, the scientist was most definitely dead. Apparently, even the virus hadn't wanted anything to do with him. "Well, at least we get to go home early. Hope, call it in!"

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

This chapter was based on Fangrai Forever Prompt #68: Zombies… Everyone loves zombie apocalypse, why not something like RE or The Walking Death with both of them?

There's nothing quite like a zombie story, and after finishing Wasteland, it's been a while since I've been able to write one. This is, of course, a very different story to Wasteland. That story had a lot to say about the psychological and social impact of a zombie apocalypse. This story, however, is very much more about kicking ass and taking names. It is, I suppose, much more in the vein of something like the Resident Evil series, and the watchful reader will notice more than a few subtle (and not so subtle) nods at that most beloved of zombie franchises.

For those of you wanting a really strong, out and out Fang and Lightning romance, I'm afraid there really wasn't a good way of inserting it into this story. I wanted something fast-paced with a lot of action, and it doesn't really make much sense for two people to be falling in love and making out while riddling zombies and mutated scientists with bullets (that comes after…).

One of the toughest parts of this story was trying to manage all of the characters. Lightning's team is already quite large, so coordinating all of them in one action scene can be tricky. Unfortunately, not everyone got as much screen time as they might have liked. Lightning definitely got a lot and so did Fang, but the others, almost by necessity, had to play a supporting role more than a main one.

And speaking of supporting roles, I couldn't resist throwing AVALANCHE into the mix. Hojo is very much their nemesis, and I wanted to try and fit in a few large-scale battle scenes (like the final one of the roof). Given that, I needed another team to include, and who better than everyone's favourite band of FF VII misfits? Sector 13 is a nod to the doomed Sector 7 from Final Fantasy VII.

I had a lot of fun with monster Hojo at the end. There's something about him that's just really creepy and turning him into a hideous monster makes for a much more enjoyable villain at the end. It was tough, and he certainly made it tougher, but our heroes came through okay.

As for the ending… does this mean there will be a sequel? There certainly could be. If Resident Evil has taught us anything, it is that evil viruses that turn people into zombies never die easy. And that people like Hojo have a knack for surviving. Naturally, Fang and Vanille had to find their way onto the team. It wouldn't be the same without them.

I would also like to thank everyone who participated in The Last Huntress promotion. If you are interested in my original fiction, do check out the links in my profile. If you've enjoyed Whispers of the Gods, you're likely to enjoy The Last Huntress and its sequel, The Lord of Dark Waters. If you like a bit of zombie killing action spiced with a Western flavour, check out The Gunslinger and the Necromancer. And speaking of my original fiction, I now have a preview of my upcoming fantasy short story The Burning Mountains available. Here is the blurb:

The Burning Mountains have belonged to dragons since the Old Days when gods still walked the earth. They are a place of fire and ruin where no man dares walk and no elf dares linger long. Only the strong can survive there and only the ruthless can prosper.

Amidst the smoke, the ash, and the flame, an exiled elven princess will meet an outcast dragon. Alone, they have little hope of survival. But together, they might do more than survive – they might conquer. For the dragon has a realm to claim and the princess has a realm to take back.

There are some lessons that only fire can teach and some wisdom that only a dragon can impart.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.