21
Rows of airships idled along the outskirts of Niflheim, towering over crowds of people who were progressively shifting into organized lines as the afternoon wore on. ISD personnel strategically placed themselves among the hordes of civilians, while ESD patrols guarded the perimeter facing the neighbouring wilderness.
In light of the final boarding call for families supporting young children, elders, or those requiring assistance, one particular collection of individuals bid farewell to their nearest and dearest, prior to departing to their three respective destinations. Knelt down to his son's height, Sazh's uncertainty of the hours to come was briefly forgotten as Dajh promised that he and Hina would behave in his absence. Despite previous difficulty in communicating with Hope, Bartholomew succeeded in expressing his wish for his son to make a safe return home. Knowing there remained scarce time until they went their separate ways, Snow and Serah stood close to one another, trying to lessen their underlying fears with light conversation.
Lightning lingered a few feet away from the interactions. Practical reflection of this action convinced her that this distance existed to prevent the risk of interfering with the sentiments of fathers to sons and the bond of a couple. A modicum of doubt tried to mar her reasoning, boasting that she did this to feel less out of place, to accept the loneliness she had fought to deny upon initially hearing of the man who had swept her sister off of her feet. Recurring as it was, Lightning snuffed out the sense of resignation at the back of her mind and inclined her head towards Dajh as he enthusiastically waved farewell before dragging Bartholomew further into the line up.
The former soldier fell into file with her family as they left the boarding aisles, picking their way around scraps of metal and discarded equipment that recalled the early days in which the outskirts had served as a repair yard for automata units and vehicles. Looking over his shoulder to monitor his father and the child's progression towards safety, Hope noticed an ISD velocycle guiding traffic from the farther reaches of the residential lanes towards the improvised parking space.
"How are you getting everyone to the Subterra?" Hope asked Snow, once they were out of earshot. To make the relocation process as quick and efficient as possible, the licensing of rental vehicles had been momentarily restricted from any effort that did not benefit the transportation of civilians from their homes to the docking yard.
"After the Misfortune, we put some Golems on stand-by near the tunnels heading to the Springs," the burly man informed him as they started to trek down the alleyways leading to the business district, "Getting the team there was a bit of a hassle, but Yuj and the guys managed to pull it off."
"Got by the ISD patrols on account of 'inventory recall' after the other night," Sazh explained, "The things you kids get away with these days..."
Serah affectionately nudged his elbow, "It's not like we're hurting anyone," she reminded him.
"Can't say the same for that fal'Cie," Snow said, somewhat half-hearted as the group reached the end of the alley, before it lead into the main streets of the district. From here, Snow and Sazh would continue on to the storage shed behind the Helicon, wherein lay a velocycle that would bring them to the strike force waiting in the Springs proper.
"Give it our regards," Lightning advised, her grim air offset by the concern in Serah's eyes.
"You'll be careful, won't you?" the younger Farron pleaded as she embraced her fiancé.
Leaving the couple to their parting assurances, Lightning followed Sazh to the end of the alley, from where they peered out into the empty street. "Last time I checked, there were some modified Falco's parked about three blocks from here," he told her, rummaging through his coat pocket for a palm-sized crystal, affixed with engine-compatible components. Handing it to her, he went on, "Replace the current fuel source with this, soon as you've dealt with the alarm. This should be enough to get you there and back."
Beckoning Hope over, the former soldier entrusted the engine core to his expertise. "Make sure he stays in one piece," she advised the pilot, giving a discreet glance towards Snow.
"Never got tired of that one," he laughed, briefly resting a hand on Lightning's shoulder, "You better take care out there."
Lightning gave a good-natured scoff at the parental intonation, "Bit late to start grounding us," she teased. Sazh waved away her humour, ruffling Hope's hair and wishing all the best to Serah before he and Snow turned the alley corner.
The younger Farron gazed after them, subconsciously reaching for the pendant of her necklace. Scratching the back of his neck, the silver-haired teen walked up to her side, "Trust me," he said, "He's a tough guy. Nothing'll stop him from coming back to you."
Letting her hand fall to her side, Serah smiled in appreciation. Once the shadows of the duo had slipped out of sight, she and Hope headed down the opposite end of the alley, where their guardian waited.
"All set?" Lightning asked, receiving replies of affirmation from the adolescents. Though her sister had a strong current of magic under her command, the former soldier had taken the precaution to lend her a sheath and survival knife therein, should she find herself in a situation that required it. Prior to arriving to the airship lot, Hope returned home to equip the Hawkeye and Alicanto boomerangs; to this day, Lightning silently questioned how it was possible for Hope to stuff one, much less two of the weapons in his pants pocket. Even so, she never felt particularly motivated to search for an answer.
With her back to the wall of the building flanking the alley, the former soldier scanned the street for any signs of traffic or Security personnel, referring to the silver-haired teen in case his sharp hearing caught something she initially missed, such as the sound of incoming vehicle engines.
On her lead, the trio darted across the road, pausing every so often in awareness of their surroundings before clearing the next two lanes. Prior to proceeding on to the last block between them and the velocycles glinting in the distance, Lightning picked up on a peculiar exchange, looking over her shoulder to see Hope surrender an item to Serah's ownership.
"What's your excuse?" Lightning smirked, having caught the glint of wire cutters, in spite of the adolescent's attempt at a subtle transaction. She made note to have a word with Snow's branch of the family about teaching her sister the more unscrupulous methods of getting a velocycle up and running; however, combining this with Hope's knowledge effectively solved any problem that would arise from taking out the alarm and enabling the ignition.
"Emergency ESD deployment." Serah told her, casually pulling the hem of her shirt over the tool handles, which were not completely concealed by her skirt pocket.
"Pack of Mánagarmr spotted out east." Hope added.
Amused, the former soldier surveyed the street once more, which cemented the unlikelihood of encountering an ISD hold-up, much less having to employ their justification for skulking away from the relocation efforts.
With no obstacles in sight, Lightning motioned for them to stay on her heels, "Let's move out."