The plan was crazy and Snow knew it. He also knew that this was their best chance of acquiring a transport that would get them down to Pulse and through the mountain snows that would make their flight a nightmare. Still, though, a two man assault on the Sanctum air base wasn't his idea of a great plan. He and Sazh walked side-by-side, he was wearing a flight uniform Sazh had snatched for him from the locker rooms in the base and his nervousness showed through that. "Are you sure this is going to work? This feels like suicide, man."
"This is a military base. That means orders get handed down from the top and nobody here wants to be caught questioning orders. We'll just walk in there and I'll say I'm supposed to be training you on take-off procedures on the X5. If I wave this around," he produced a piece of paper bearing the seal of General Raines, "no one is gonna question it. They won't get suspicious until the transport takes off but by then it'll be too late."
"Don't these vehicles have countermeasures against this? Tracking devices or something?"
"I know where to find them and I'll disable them in the air. After we get out of here we'll stash the bird at you're NORA warehouse until we're ready to leave. Simple."
"Yeah. Well I still don't like it." Snow tugged at his uniform, not liking the fit. "I hate this uniform."
"Just let me do the talking, kid."
Their uniforms and a crisp salute from Sazh got them through the front gate and they walked through the courtyard towards the hangars. Snow looked around him and felt oddly. He had fought against the Sanctum's influence his whole life. NORA, the anti-Sanctum group, was formed by him and a close circle of friends that also disapproved of the Sanctum's ways. Over the years they had grown and now they were a large cell that spread nearly across Bodhum. It had been a long time since he had seen a Sanctum base up close, however, not since Serah dragged him to one when Lightning was promoted. He hadn't liked it then, and he didn't like it now.
The first spot of trouble was encountered at the entrance to the hangars. One of the men on guard approached them. "Excuse me. What are you doing pilot?"
Sazh expertly waved the letter in front of him so that the guard could see Raines' seal but not what it said. "Orders from the General. I'm supposed to train the newbie here on warm up procedures for the X5. We need to get inside."
The guard gave Sazh an unbelieving look. Snow was preparing to take him out when his facial expression changed. "Can't keep Raines waiting, can we? Go on."
Sazh saluted the man and the two of them continued into the hangar. The hangar was massive, large enough to hold two or three transports but was reserved for the particular one in the center. Dubbed the X5, it was a new type of transport that was being developed for spec ops missions. The small craft was capable of speeds beyond the normal huge transports at the cost of size, unable to carry large amounts of troops or cargo. The X5 specialized in dropping recon or special ops groups behind enemy lines to subvert enemy positions. The craft was perfect to get them to Oerba.
As they approached it, however, a maintenance man walked around to the front of the craft and spotted them. "What are you two doing here?"
Sazh froze. Snow shot him an odd look. "We're here under General Raines' orders."
The man crossed his arms. "Bullshit. What's really going on here?"
Snow realized why Sazh froze, he hadn't expected this guy to be here. Whoever he was he wasn't going to fall for their ploy. Fortunately, that's where his skill set came in. He crossed the distance between them in seconds and laid him out with a well placed right hook to the jaw. Sazh took a breath. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I didn't know what was going on."
"Forget it, let's just get the hell out of here." They mounted the transport and Sazh quickly found the cockpit. By the time Snow got there he had already completed most of the warm up and was getting the craft ready to lift off. "Buckle up, kid."
WSnow sat in the co-pilot's chair and watched through the window as the craft rose up out of the hangar and into the air. He happened to catch a look at the guard that had let them pass and the expression on his face would be something he remembered for a long time. He laughed as the ship turned and took off to the south.
The ship made the trip quickly. Less than five minutes after take off the X5 was already flying over the warehouse. Sazh hopped into action as soon as the ship was airborne. He disabled three different tracking devices and tossed them out of the door in different places across the city. It would be enough to scramble their search at least. The X5 set down in front of the warehouse. As soon as it came into the view the doors opened and allowed it to enter, shutting quickly behind them to make sure that no one saw it enter.
The jaws of the other NORA members in the hangar were slack as the elegant craft slid to a stop in the center of the warehouse barely large enough to contain it. Sazh and Snow dismounted, all smiles as they approached. "I'm glad that worked."
"You almost blew it at the end there, Villiers."
"Hey, I took care of it." Snow put his arm around Sazh's shoulders. "Good work, man. Go home and get some rest, we'll be leaving in the morning." Sazh walked away, planning to do just that. "Hey, Sazh," the pilot turned around to see Snow with a serious look on his face, "thanks."
Sazh shrugged. "Just doin' what I can."
Snow let out a breath. He still had a lot to do; prepare a team for the trip, find enough supplies for them to survive both the journey and the possibly long time they could spend in Pulse and, what he dreaded most, tell Serah about the whole thing. He didn't know how she was going to react and he hoped it was positive. Serah could be just as scary as her sister when angry.
-SAVAGE-
Claire awoke in the morning to a warmth that she had never felt since coming to Oerba. Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted to the sight of the same room she had been occupying since Vanille had given it to her. The warmth she was feeling came from someone sleeping next to her, lying half-naked in her arms. Red hair and green eyes met her vision and a familiar pair of lips met hers. "Good morning, Lightning."
She groaned and lay back. Vanille readjusted and snuggled close, her arms wrapped around Claire's neck. Her body ached, she reasoned it was from the festival the previous night. Her voice was gravelly when she spoke. "I don't want to get up."
Vanille planted light kisses along Claire's jawline. "Then don't get up."
Claire learned something about Vanille then, she could be very alluring in the morning. Their lips met for a kiss and before long Vanille was straddling the older woman, tongues battling in their mouths. Claire was amazed at how easily Vanille was able to heat things up between them. All it took was a simple look or a touch and Claire was putty in the girl's hands. Claire's hands felt along the soft skin of Vanille's back then traveled downwards to rest on her thighs. Vanille started kissing down Claire's body and before long she was lost in the heat rising from her belly.
Vanille undressed her slowly and tossed her clothes off the bed. This was her first time with a woman but from how easily Vanille seemed to find her spots, to spite the fact that she had told her she had never been with a woman, it didn't seem like hers. Vanille knew just where to use her tongue and just where to use her fingers and before long she had Claire breathless and wanting. Claire's legs were spread and Vanille dove her, using her tongue and fingers until Claire threw her head back and cried out then fell back to the bed panting.
Vanille licked her fingers clean then was met by Claire's lips, the older woman sat up and pulled Vanille down to the bed with her. She reversed their positions so that she was straddling Vanille. She undressed her and took a moment to admire Vanille's slender body. She used what she already knew coupled with a few of Vanille's techniques until Vanille couldn't take anymore. Her toes curled and she called out her name as she succumbed.
When they were spent they fell back into each other's arms, sweaty and out of breath. Claire held Vanille close until the younger woman caught her breath. She whispered, "Lightning..." breathlessly.
"Claire."
"Mm?"
Vanille looked up into her dazzling blue eyes. "My name, it's Claire."
"Claire." Vanille tried the name out several times, each time accenting different letters of the name or elongating others. After several tries Claire tousled Vanille's hair and earned a scowl from her. "Even you're name is beautiful and otherworldly."
Otherworldly... Claire's face turned from a smile to a frown, went from fantasy to cold, hard reality. I'm not from Oerba. My feelings aside, when the spring comes I'm going home and we'll likely never see each other again. What am I going to do now?
"What are you thinking about?" Vanille's finger traced circles on her chest while she placed butterfly kisses on her jaw. "You look far away."
"Yeah... Listen, about..."
"I love you."
The words catch her off guard and she stammers. "W-what?"
"I love you." Vanille's expression turned somber but Claire could see that her eyes still shone. "I've felt empty for so long and after becoming engaged I didn't think I would ever find love."
"Vanille..."
"I know that you'll leaving when the snows thaw, Claire. I won't try to stop you." Something about her expression or her tone shattered something in Claire's heart. She felt a tear sliding down her cheek for the first time since she was a child. "I just want to enjoy the time we have together."
Claire buried her head in Vanille's hair and stifled a cry that threatened to overtake her. Vanille didn't need to see her break down right now, she needed Claire to be strong and that was something Claire was good at. Vanille shuddered, a sob, but Claire kissed her forehead. "Then let's enjoy it together."
-SAVAGE-
Serah was waiting for him when he got to her house, still laying on the couch, eyes sunken and dark from crying. This had been her state since learning of her sister's death nearly a week ago. It tore at Snow to see her like that and it cemented his resolve to go on the journey to rescue Lightning.
He walked into the darkened house, Serah didn't even look up as he entered. His brow furrowed and he steeled himself. He didn't know what her reaction was going to be but he was prepared for anything and she wouldn't be able to talk him out of it. "Serah?" Serah didn't react to him, didn't sit up or even open her eyes. "Serah? Are you awake?" A grunt was her only response.
Snow sat down on the couch next to her and affectionately patted her leg. "I have something to tell you but I don't want you to freak out."
"There's going to be war." Snow was caught off-guard, his jaw slack. "They announced it this morning. After what happened to Claire and the others the Sanctum government declared war on Pulse. They're preparing troops to march in spring."
"So they did it, then? They got their war." Snow exhaled a long, slow breath. "That whole mission was a setup. They weren't dropped at the border, they were dropped deep inside Pulse and when they reacted the Sanctum used it as fuel against them." Snow gathered up his courage. "Lightning...might not be dead." Serah shot up as soon as he said it. "I met a pilot from the Sanctum and he told me that he dropped her and four soldiers for that mission but the pictures of the scene only showed four bodies. Hers was the one missing."
"So, what happened? Is she coming back? Are they going to save her?"
"No...but I am." Serah gave him a questioning look. "Me and this guy, Sazh, we hijacked a transport from the Sanctum airbase and we're going into Pulse. He thinks he knows where Lightning is and we're going to bring her back."
Serah closed her eyes and nodded. "If you can, it would mean the world to me."
Snow took Serah's small hands in his much larger ones. "That's why I'm going."
Snow slept over that night, as he had been since Lightning's disappearance, but found it difficult to sleep. Thoughts of the war, of the coming mission and of the woman lying next to him kept him awake. She had her back to him now, he was lying on his back with his hands behind his head when he heard the sounds of footsteps down the sidewalk. There were a lot of them and they were in step, something that struck Snow as odd.
Quietly, Snow got out of bed and snuck over to the window of the room. He could see down to street level where a squad of a Sanctum troops were fully armed and approaching the building. One of them spotted him in the window and pointed, calling out to the others. Snow gulped, they were clearly after him.
"Serah." He gently shook her awake before frantically looking around the room for clothing.
"What?" Serah woke up to see Snow bouncing around the room and asked while half-asleep.
"You need to get dressed, Serah. Grab some warm clothes. Hurry."
Snow started grabbing clothes and tossing them at Serah on the bed. "What's going on?"
"We need to get out of here, that's what's going on."
Serah started to put clothes on then threw on a green jacket with fur lining. Snow, meanwhile, found the clothes he had been wearing and had just thrown on the jacket when they heard a loud crash come from the main room that could only be the door breaking open. "The fire escape. Go." He pushed Serah in front of him and she crawled out of the window. Snow stuck one foot through to follow when the door to her bedroom splintered open and a man with a gun entered. He raised his gun to fire but by the time he pulled the trigger Snow had pulled himself through the window and out onto the fire escape.
He could hear one of the men shout into his communicator. They must have men on the ground floor and they'll be waiting for us. Serah ran down the staircase and Snow followed quickly after her. As he suspected, he spotted two men waiting in the alleyway for them. Shit, now what? Snow looked around him for options as they descended the ladder to ground level. As soon as Serah's feet hit the ground the two men advanced on them. Snow held his hands up as they approached, weapons raised and ready. "Woah, fellas. We give up."
"Not this time. Our orders are to terminate you."
Snow let out the breath he had been holding. So I failed and this is how it ends. He wasn't upset that he was dying here, ever since setting up NORA and setting himself against the Sanctum he knew that this was most likely how it would end for him, he was more upset that Serah got wrapped up in it. She was his world, she meant everything to him and he wasn't about to let her go like this. "The girl's got nothing to do with this. If you're going to shoot anyone, shoot me."
Both barrels turned to face him, he was both terrified and relieved at the same time. "Orders are orders, but you can go first."
Snow closed his eyes and prepared himself for the end. He could clearly see in his mind'e eye Serah's face and a tear slid down his cheeks. I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry... One gunshot sounded followed quickly by two more. What surprised Snow was how easily he had slipped into death. No pain...wait, no pain.
He opened his eyes. The two gunmen lay on the ground in expanding pools of blood and Serah was holding a pistol in her hand, barrel still smoking. The sight awed him, for a moment all he could do was stand and stare. "Snow, we've got to hurry."
He shook his head and took her empty hand. They ran out of alleyway and out onto the darkened street. They could hear soldiers come out of the building but by then they had turned a corner and were out of sight. This didn't stop them from running. "Where did you learn to shoot like that? I thought it was your sister who learned to fight."
"Dad taught Claire to fight but mom taught me to shoot. A lady has to be able to defend herself." In that moment Snow simultaneously gained new respect, admiration and a healthy dose of fear for his girlfriend. "So, where are we going?"
"We need to get to the docks, to the NORA warehouse."
Always one to play devil's advocate Serah replied, "What if they know about it already?"
Snow exhaled. "Then we're screwed."
-SAVAGE-
It was mid afternoon and Vanille was walking back to her house with a new kick in her step and a song in her heart. She felt like singing, her body filled with this new energy called love. The sky seemed brighter and, as if to spite the snow around her, she felt warm and light as a feather. She was nearly hopping as she got to the Dia house and stepped inside. Her smile faded when she saw who was waiting for her. "Where have you been, Vanille?"
Vanille hung her head, both her father and Jago were waiting for her in the main room. While Jago smiled to see her, her father started grilling her. "Please, father, I'm sure she can explain why she didn't come home last night."
Father? Who are you calling father? "I stayed at Fang's last night."
"Yun Fang, right?" Jago looked to be placing a face with the name. "Attractive woman, powerfully built about this tall." He held his hand to nearly his own impressive height. "I met her once, she didn't seem too friendly."
"Perhaps she just doesn't like you."
Her curt remark seemed to amuse Jago. "Perhaps."
It angered her father, however. "Vanille? What has gotten into you?"
Jago held his hand up to stop her father. "Please. You're daughter is hot-blooded. I find that...attractive." He smirked at her in a way that made her skin crawl. "Not to mention, it was my fault for not being at the festival. It is I who should be apologizing." Jago approached, got down on one knee and took Vanille's hand. "I was upset at the thought you would have to spend the festival alone. I'm sorry."
Rather than being struck by the sincerity or grace of the apology she instead felt awkward. If he had been there she would never have spent her magical night with Claire, would never have learned her name or her favorite spots or the sounds she could make in bed. She would never have learned how much she could love someone or what it felt like to be loved back. His words rang hollow in her head but she nodded and graciously accepted them, something she would have to get used to. "You don't need to apologize."
"Then I will make it up to you. We will spend all of tomorrow together. I'll take you wherever you want to go, we can do whatever you want. How does that sound?"
Her father goaded her on with his eyes. "Doesn't that sound lovely, daughter?"
Vanille smirked. "Anywhere I want?"
Jago reiterated, "Anywhere."
"I want to go to the Mother's."
Her father's face changed to a look of malice. "You just want to see that foreign woman. I forbid it."
Jago once again held up his hand, silencing the elder Dia. "I said anywhere and I meant it." He returned his gaze back to Vanille, still down on one knee. "If that is what you want, darling, then that is what you will get."
Vanille showed a genuine smile to Jago. She had been wanting to see Claire tomorrow and, even as awkward as it would be having Jago there, now she could and her father couldn't say anything about it. Her father's lip curled, he knew what she was after though he couldn't fathom why. "Get ready for dinner, Vanille. We'll be having it early so that Jago can join us."
"Sure, father."
Jago stood so she brushed passed him and headed up to her room. She was smiling the whole way.
-SAVAGE-
Snow and Serah arrived at the docks two hours later after picking their way through the backstreets to avoid any patrols. The Sanctum knew that they were out there and they could hear sirens moving down the main roads but they were a good distance off so Snow ignored them.
They approached the docks and when Snow spotted the strobe lights of the Sanctum military his heart sank. If they had discovered this place then they've probably found the X5 already and there was no way out for them. They laid down on a rise that overlooked the warehouses and Snow lowered his head. "So that's it, then? What now?"
"Something's not right, though." Snow looked up at the unexpected voice of Sazh who had snuck up and was now lying next to him. "They're not waiting for us. Check out those searchlights..." Sazh pointed up to the searchlights positioned around the building. As Snow watched them move around he realized that they weren't watching the perimeter, they were looking around the warehouses. "They're still looking for it."
"You're right, but how are we going to get passed them?" Snow and Sazh both scanned the area looking for a way to get to the NORA warehouse. Snow checked the fence around the edge, checked the front entrance then noticed that no one was covering the right side entrance. "Look. We can get in there, then it's a straight shot to the backdoor."
"It's a risk, but what choice do we have?" Sazh noticed Serah laying in the grass next to Snow. "Is she coming with us?"
"She can't stay here. They know who she is now."
"Fair enough."
The three of them stood and made their way carefully down the rather steep rise towards the west entrance. The military had carefully blockaded the main entrance but had paid little attention to the west entrance. Snow reasoned that they assumed he was dead and had nothing to fear. Now they were taking their time and thoroughly searching the docks for their missing transport, a transport that the three of them desperately needed.
They snuck through the entrance and almost immediately came upon a patrolling guard. Serah raised her pistol but Sazh stopped her and made a gesture that indicated that it would be too loud. Instead he crept over and silently took out the single guard. After that it was a simple task of getting to the backdoor, opening it without alerting anyone, starting up the X5, opening the main bay doors and flying out without getting shot down. Again, not Snow's idea of a great plan but they were working with what they had.
They made it to the backdoor without further incident. Snow entered the door code and the door clicked open for them. They entered quickly and Sazh made sure the door was closed tightly behind them before following Snow and Serah into the darkened warehouse. Snow navigated them through the darkened building by memory alone, too afraid to turn on any of the lights lest they give away their position.
Several skylights positioned on the roof above shined moonlight down into the main room where they shone clearly on the X5, sleeping like a massive cat in the center of the warehouse. They quietly snuck across the room and to the gangplank of the transport. Sazh entered the security code and they entered the craft. For Sazh this was nothing special and Snow had been in it once before but for Serah, who had never been inside a miltary transport, it was something completely new. She stopped to look around her before realizing that the others had already made their way to the cockpit.
Sazh began the start up procedures and the engine whined to life. "We've got a problem." Snow looked over Sazh's shoulder and out to the massive bay doors. "We need to get those doors open but the only way is to activate a switch on the console over there." Snow pointed just to the left of the door to a small console set in the wall. "As soon as those doors open those troops are going to come at us. One of us has to open it."
Sazh responded, almost too quickly, "I have to pilot this thing so it can't be me."
"I'll do it." Serah's voice rang through the now silent cabin. Snow went to protest but Serah cut him off. "Just leave the gangplank down and I'll hit the button. On your way out the door I'll sprint to the ship and we'll take off."
"Serah..."
"I'm faster than you, Snow, and Sazh has to pilot us out. I can do it."
Serah was determined and twice in one day Snow earned more respect for her. "Be careful."
Serah leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips. "I'll be back in a minute." She left the ship and lightly jogged her way over to the door console. When she got there she waited until Sazh gave her the signal that he was ready. She hit the switch and the massive bay doors started moving, sliding away from each other with a loud grinding sound that, as predicted, alerted every soldier in the area.
As soon as the doors split the X5 started forward, though it hadn't gained much speed yet. Serah sprinted the hundred yards between herself and the gangplank that was moving away from her at a growing rate. Her legs pumped as she tried to keep her breathing even. Just like Claire, in and out, in and out. By the time she reached it she wasn't sure she was going to be able to catch it, the craft had steadily picked up speed and was now going as fast as she was. Her lungs burned for oxygen but she pressed on, not wanting to know what would happen to her if she didn't make it. She spotted Snow hanging from the back of the ship with held his hand out for her. "Come on."
Using a burst of energy she took two more steps and threw herself forward, catching Snow's hand just before she would hit the ground. He pulled her into the ship where she lay on the floor, struggling to catch her breath while Snow raised the gangplank. After it sealed he knelt down beside Serah and took her into his arms. "You did it."
Serah's breathing evened and she looked up into his eyes. "Of course, a Farron never gives up."
Meanwhile, the doors opening had attracted the attention of every soldier on the docks, as did the appearance of the sleek craft that they were all searching for. Surprising to them was the fact that it was moving but each man hoped to rectify that. Several soldiers posted on the rooftops took aim at the craft with their rifles, trying to hit the pilot as it pulled from the hangar. One shot almost succeeded. It smashed it's way through the windshield and struck the chair that Sazh sat in. "Shit" he exclaimed and leaned to the side to look at the hole the bullet had torn in the chair's fabric. "That was close."
"How's it going up here?"
Snow and Serah returned to the cockpit. "Strap in, I'm about to take off."
As the craft exited the makeshift hangar it became fully exposed to fire from all sides. Bullets glanced off the hull as the craft lowered it's engines and fired, lifting off straight into the air. One of the men on the ground fired a wild shot as the flames from the engines nearly engulfed him. The bullet sailed straight upwards and struck one of the hydraulic tubes for the tail flaps before flying off into empty space. The tube spit it's liquid as the pressure equalized.
The craft's engines realigned to the rear and fired, propelling the craft forward and away from the mass of soldiers on the ground. Only when the docks were out of sight and the city was merely a speck on the landscape behind them did Sazh breathe easy. "Well, we did it." He turned to Snow. "Did you happen to get any supplies while you were out?" Snow shook his head and Sazh sighed. "Then it looks like the easy part's over. It gets harder from here."
The three of them lowered their heads. Serah's laugh broke through the silence and caused the other two to look at her. "Now I know how Claire feels all the time." She yawned loudly and stretched her arms, everything catching up to her all at once. "I need a nap."
Snow smiled warmly at her. "You do that, babe. I'll wake you when we get there." Serah found it hard to get comfortable in the seat but when she did she found that sleep wasn't far away. Don't worry Claire, we're coming for you.
