It Makes You Human

The hectic soldiers and medics meant nothing to him. Step by step, everything was a hazy blur, and the destination he had set in his mind was frustratingly unclear. Every time he decided to muster up a plan, he couldn't figure out where his starting point was. The ultimate goal was to bring her back to him, alive and well, but very little was still known about the enemy, or where to go from this point.

His shoulders heavily sagged, struggling to help him keep going, but every step made it feel like he was trekking through a swamp that pulled him deeper into despair. Just when they had reconciled, when they had made their resolve to see this through to the end…she was taken out of his reach, and he did nothing to keep it from happening.

Deepground just completed a milestone by simply obtaining Lightning, and who knew what they would do with her. Just the thought of it made Cloud's jaw clench, biting into his cheek to draw blood. Yet another failure was added to his conscience, one he would surely never seek forgiveness for.

Just when he stood outside one of the labs, he heard a resounding slap ring out into the hallway, and it pulled him out of his reverie. "You have no right to call her that!" he heard in Yuffie's exasperated voice. "You don't know what…!" There was a hesitant pause, moments before Yuffie huffed and suddenly stormed out of the lab. She briefly stopped at the sight of Cloud, coincidentally revealing her watery eyes, before she kept her head down and continued down the hall. After he gave a quick considerate thought for the young ninja, Cloud returned his attention to the lab, standing just outside without making his presence known to the others within.

"Why would she do something so…?" The voice was young, one that was used to being lifeless yet held some curiosity with the question. Cloud hesitated about going to see who it was until Vincent's deep voice replied.

"Before, when I asked Shalua what she was searching for, she answered 'her reason to live'. It was you, Shelke. You were her reason to live."

"I don't understand how someone could give her own life for that of another." The one named Shelke audibly sighed. Cloud thought back to the woman on the stretcher just before he found Lightning's pendant. Almost every WRO VIP was secured without fail, but that woman seemed to linger back in the battlefield for a reason…probably for the one that Vincent was talking to.

"When a person has someone they care about that much, giving their life is sometimes the least they can do…and maybe that's what makes us human."

His words pulled at strings deep inside Cloud, making him think back to Lightning's words back on the airship before descending upon Midgar. Even through his rage and her desire to return to Pulse – to her sister Serah and everyone she knew – Lightning was willing to give up her old life and past treasures to find happiness with him. It was a truly honorable sacrifice, one that Cloud could barely make when he hadn't much left to lose.

With a hard face, Cloud made a fierce resolve to retrieve Lightning from whatever imprisoned her, no matter what it took to get her back. The last thing he could possibly offer her was a life that she wanted, and they had to stop Deepground's plans at all costs.

After taking a steady breath, he turned and walked into the room, making his presence known to Vincent and a young girl dressed in a Deepground mako suit. Cloud vaguely recognized her from the first assault on the headquarters…the one who attacked Lightning just before their run-in with Azul. Before he could give her a cold sneer and lunge for her throat, he saw in her eyes that she too recognized him, and she instantly frowned with regret.

"Who's this?" he asked rather icily, even when a part of him didn't intend to.

Vincent regarded him with a nod. "Shelke…and she's here to help."

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Cloud spotted the woman from before lying unconscious in a regeneration tube. Though her vitals seemed to be steady, the physical injuries and scars appeared too serious to recover from, and it was unlikely she would ever wake up.

"She's one of them," Cloud reminded in a quiet voice.

Shelke's eyes anxiously widened, though her voice was still void of pure emotion. "I no longer associate with Deepground. In this last assault, they deemed me no longer required and announced an order for my termination."

For a moment, Cloud sympathized with her for the mutiny. She was certainly too young to be caught up in bloody battles and wars, let alone become abandoned and left to die.

"I am more than willing to offer my assistance to the WRO…though it may be limited to acquiring data from the Worldwide Network. Nonetheless, I'm able to tap into countless archives and databases across the Planet."

He considered it for a moment, briefly glancing toward her with hopeful eyes. "Can you…find out where Lightning is?"

As Shelke regarded him with more regret, Vincent showed as much surprise as he could from his bright red eyes. "She was…"

Cloud slowly nodded, painfully reminded of the failure once more. The necklace burned immensely in his pocket, furious that it was detached from its owner. Just when he thought Shelke would alleviate the heavy burden in his chest, it only crushed him more when she let out a disappointing sigh.

"Data on Lightning Farron is strictly prohibited, held in heavily guarded files of Deepground that not even I had access to. I was merely told that she was of the utmost importance to our leader, Weiss, and nothing else." Uncertainty flickered in her eyes, as if she was also wary of Deepground's motives for Lightning. "There were brief mentions of an otherworldly origin from Lucrecia Crescent's Chaos Theory…but whether this relates to Lightning Farron or not, I cannot say."

Vincent mulled over that bit of news. "So she could be connected to Chaos, for a bigger meaning."

"Tracking her exact location would be near impossible...though of this I am certain: she was taken into Deepground and is currently being kept there for an undetermined amount of time."

She was deep into enemy territory, just where they wanted her. Cloud tightened his jaw and exhaled sharply, for everything was falling apart. However long she spent down there, it was hard to find out for sure when she would be let out…

If she would be let out.

"We'll get her, Cloud," Vincent said with little reassurance just as Reeve appeared from the hallway.

"Vincent," he greeted after giving a quick nod to Cloud. "Those data files you recovered from Shinra Manor – are you sure there were not more?"

In return, Vincent slowly nodded. "I'm sure. Why?"

"The Omega Report is incomplete," he admitted regretfully. "To make any sense of it, we're going to need the other half. Maybe if we send Lightning back to Nibelheim with you…" The looks on Vincent and Cloud's faces made him wary "What is it?"

Cloud hesitated in giving him the news, but they had to make plans to coordinate with whatever manpower they had left. "She's been abstracted," he told Reeve through gritted teeth. After a moment to comprehend the loss, Reeve sighed and nodded his head.

"Right. That means we don't have much time."

"That report…" Shelke hesitantly approached the commissioner as he responded to her sudden voice. "Are you speaking of Dr. Crescent's findings?"

The three men looked at her in shock. "Yes," Reeve confirmed. "But, how did you…?"

Realization finally dawned on Vincent, the pieces coming together in his head. "She has access to the findings Lucrecia stored in the Shinra database."

Shelke nodded to confirm Vincent's words. "It was my prime directive to use this data to locate and retrieve the Protomateria. This data was also incomplete, but if I can compile it with what Vincent Valentine has found, you may obtain a clearer picture of what you will be up against."

Cloud carefully studied her words before approaching her again. "So, do you know why your comrades were taking civilians back to Midgar?"

Thinking back for a long moment, Shelke slowly shook her head. "Though I accompanied Deepground to many of the towns where they captured civilians, my main objective was to locate Vincent Valentine and the Protomateria. I was never debriefed on the directives issued to Azul and the others."

"That's right," Reeve said, suddenly remembering. "Cloud, did you and Lightning find something in Midgar?"

He carefully relayed his and Lightning's findings to the rest of them, watching the shades of horror wash over their features. Even Shelke showed some signs of disbelief and surprise, and Cloud wondered how long Deepground masked her true use as just a mere tool.

"It looks like they're jumpstarting whatever they're planning," Cloud summarized. "…And the Protomateria's the final touch." He exchanged a wary glance with Vincent, realizing he was the last thing keeping Deepground from completing its job. If he worked along with Vincent and the WRO long enough, maybe they could find an opportunity to retrieve Lightning before it was too late.

"Then we should strike now," Reeve concluded. "Even if Vincent is also in Midgar, if we work efficiently, we can stop Deepground. Perhaps we could find Lightning and other civilians that are still alive." As plans were finally formulating, Reeve and Cloud left the room to begin the process. "We'll need two fronts when we get to Midgar. Cid can lead the sky fleet in the air…"

"While the rest of us are for ground assault." Cloud nodded with satisfaction. "Right. I'll take lead of that one. Tifa and Barret?"

"They're housing the little ones in Cosmo Canyon. I'll send a chopper to retrieve them immediately."

"Start mobilizing a convoy for the ground. How many automobiles do we have?"

On ground level, they headed toward the garage in the back. Once Reeve opened two outward doors, they first looked into pure darkness until fluorescent lights flickered on, revealing rows of large trucks prepped and ready for usage. It truly was a sight, but Cloud simply nodded with satisfaction once again.

"Good. One more thing." He turned to Reeve. "Where's my bike?"


Everything was a dark blur, but she could make out the fluorescent sphere hovering above her body. She could make out the faint sounds of computers and technology, though determining how close they were was difficult. Even when her head began throbbing with pain, she found herself incapable of lifting her arms or torso, let alone her own legs.

"Where…Where am I…?" It took a lot of effort to get the words out. As her eyelids heavily fluttered, there was an indistinct figure in the distance…or was it actually beside her?

"It's worse if you try to fight it," a voice as smooth as velvet said in the darkness. "Trust me."

Nevertheless, she struggled to grasp at any string of consciousness around her. Her back felt like it was resting against cold metal, leaving her to shiver for an indefinite amount of time. The grogginess very slowly dissipated, and when she glanced to her side, she noticed the figure was actually right next to her, hovering over her to speculate.

"All those years of research will not be wasted." A few objects clattered around her, and just when her vision started clearing up, her mouth and nose were covered by a strange plastic object. At first, she tried to resist and pull farther out of her stupor…but an odd sensation ran through her body with every breath, and soon enough, her limbs were numb once again. Even when her fingers ached to reach for the weapon holster, she had to be disappointed when she found it missing.

"So be a darling and help me."

There was a sharp pain in the crook of her elbow, but it slowly vanished along with the rest of her senses. 'What are they doing?' she thought just before everything went black once more. 'Cloud…'


The bright afternoon sun began to descend in the north, casting high shadows over the barren wasteland that was slowly coming back to life. Of course, with Deepground in the way, it would all revert back to the old Shinra days, or possibly even worse. Though crumbling from the epic battle one year ago, the Shinra Headquarters still served as a beacon – a monument to remind everyone of the evil Shinra Company wrought on the Planet.

Sadly, that evil still lingered to this day.

At top speed, WRO automobiles raced across the wasteland, heading straight toward the crumbling city. A single truck led the large convoy, and it didn't dare slow down, for time decided to be against them.

"There it is," Barret sighed behind the steering wheel. "Makes you think about how far we've come, huh?"

In the passenger seat, Tifa solemnly nodded. "Lightning's in there," she reminded him in a dark tone. "And we have to stop them, no matter what." Picking up a radio transmitter, she switched the receiver on and held it close to her lips. "I see it."

Her words echoed in the empty trunk space in the back. Though little light streamed in from open air ducts, Cloud didn't need to see that they were quickly approaching Midgar…to know that they were that much closer to Lightning. As he turned on his motorcycle's engine, the rear of the truck opened wide to give him an exit.

Cloud hesitated for the slightest moment. Once he got out and sped toward Midgar, it would be a bloody battle until he might find Lightning, and getting her out alive would be another issue. Should he expect to find her still breathing and kicking? Countless scenarios ran through his mind, most of them ending not exactly in his favor…but one thing was for certain.

He would regret not trying to get her back, not even risking his own life to see her safe.

Pushing the goggles up the bridge of his nose, Cloud grabbed hold of Fenrir's handle bars and sped out into the dusty wasteland, swerving around to rush ahead of Barret and Tifa's truck. The sky was already tainted with a faint red hue, as if sensing the bloodbath that was to come. Up ahead, Cid's sky fleet assisted in cornering the Deepground forces on their own turf, and it was up to them to put the monstrous army in the ground, back where they belong.

Opening the side compartments, Cloud pulled out the main blade of his sword, swerving around the rocks and the first missiles that came their way. Pebbles and dirt flew everywhere, but he easily maneuvered through the firestorm aimed at the WRO. The spiderlike robot from before came into view, only now multiplied by at least ten, showering the ground with bullets and missiles. Rushing toward it, Cloud gave a fierce swing at the mechanical legs, and he sliced through them with ease before the monstrosity tumbled down short-circuited.

Up above, he saw WRO soldiers deployed from airships on hover boards, streaking the sky with smoke trails and flashes of bullets. Some were able to glide over the high walls and land within the ruined sectors, though it was uncertain if they were out of the hot zone yet. A red flash caught his eye, and once he looked closer, it turned into a woman cloaked in crimson wielding a dangerous long blade. She soared through the air, shooting down toward him as he was approaching.

Lifting his feet on top of the seat, he launched himself upward just before she collided into his motorcycle. Luckily, the vehicle wasn't destroyed, but it was left to skid across the wasteland and ram into Deepground forces. Cloud dashed up toward the sky, the wind blowing his spikes into his eyes when the woman followed suit and appeared before him in mid-air.

"You sure know how to pick girlfriends," she taunted with a thick accent and ruby smirk. "She put up a good fight, but for us Tsviets, it was all too easy to make her squeal." The last word was released in a high pitch for her enjoyment, anticipating the sight of the furious sneer on Cloud's face.

Reeling his arm back, Cloud swung the main blade down on the woman's head as she brought her dual-bladed weapon to counterattack. The impact released an immense shockwave around them, and for the longest moment, nothing could be heard except for a faint ringing in the base of their ears. Blinding light flashed around them, and soon enough, Cloud heard his heart race in his eardrums. His muscles felt ready to tense and become of use, his body preparing for whatever it took to get to Lightning.

To get through the night without finding her dead or out of his reach.


Soon enough, the sun collapsed over the horizon and darkness fell upon Midgar, sources of light coming from fires and bullets littering the field. War raged in every sector – WRO troops working to draw closer to the Shinra complex, while Deepground sought to eliminate them. The worst was the train graveyard in the old Sector 7 slums, where Deepground's most powerful defenses were fortified. Even when most of the WRO troops were sent to land there, they suffered casualties they knew would be impossible to remedy.

Fortunately, Vincent had been close by, fighting side-by-side with the WRO soldiers and helping to preserve as many lives as possible. It was a challenge, but he managed to regroup them with their captain at a halfway point, leaving them so he could deal with the brute of the Deepground masses on his own.

"Wait," the captain insisted. "You should go with back-up—"

"No." Vincent's deep tone was absolute as he looked at the captain square in the eye. "You heard what Cid said – your job is to live. You follow me, and you're sure to die." He thought back to the day he and Lightning searched Edge, finding none but the fallen members of Midgar Area Patrol. Collected as she was, Lightning was devastated, and it would only hurt her more to know another significant amount of lives were lost for her sake. This was just the smallest of favors he could do for her, especially after everything that had happened. "Stay here, and keep Deepground at bay while Cid and the others blow up the reactors."

The captain hesitated at first, but eventually saluted with understanding. "Sir! We'll do our best!"

The closer he got to the Shinra building, the more sure he was of reaching the central complex. Shelke had told him the only way into Deepground was by a special elevator at the top of the central complex, forcing a grimace out of Vincent. After a great number of battles he lost count of, he gained access to the complex only to find it full of soldiers ready to capture him. A trail of corpses was left behind him, and he refused to give an ounce of regret as he trekked up some flights of stairs to finally reach a service elevator. This was nothing, he thought to himself throughout the siege. His current priority was to find Lightning, an ally and a friend he couldn't bear to lose. Though it was true he hadn't known her well or for a long time, she was willing to fight by his side despite the enigma that he was. Vincent had a feeling things would go downhill when her face was vaguely familiar the first time they met, but she had become a part of his life just as much as Cloud and Reeve had been.

And he wasn't going to let her down without trying.

It was just a second after reaching the top of the stairs did he notice the elevator being operated. The light at the top was speeding down to his level, and he crouched low with Cerberus out before him. Vincent's finger was ready to pull the trigger, growing more anxious as the elevator dinged to signal its arrival…

But his breath was swept away at the sight of Lightning clutching onto the floor selector box, her breath shallow as her limbs shook to keep her steady.

"Lightning!"

She staggered unceremoniously out of the elevator, only able to keep herself up for a few seconds before collapsing forward as Vincent rushed up with open arms. Kneeling down, he studied her face and found it only faintly pale, and she fought to keep her eyes open as his image began to clear.

"Vincent…" She gently rubbed the inside of her elbow, feeling an odd sensation that refused to go away. "This is Midgar, isn't it?"

He nodded while shifting to keep her in a more comfortable position. "We're in one of the old Shinra towers. There's an elevator here that's supposed to bring me down to Deepground."

"It's at the top," Lightning told him, confirming Shelke's relay of information from before. "It'll go straight down, but that'll only be the first floor. The facility runs deeper than that, but I haven't exactly seen all of it."

"Did they do anything to you?" Vincent asked her warily, worried about what could have made her so fatigued.

Her brows knitted together as she tried to go back in time in her mind. "I don't…remember…" With a slight shake of her head, her eyes seemed to focus. "But it's not why I'm like this," she assured. "I just didn't have a chance to properly rest from what happened at headquarters."

Vincent nodded once again and carefully moved to hold her up on her feet with her arm slung over his shoulders. Approaching the stairs, they slowly went down one step at a time, for even when she put up a tough front, Lightning struggled to regain her strength.

"I'm sorry."

Lightning turned her head with surprise, peering past the cloak and finding solemn crimson eyes. "For what?"

"It probably was my fault you left Pulse," Vincent admitted, sincerity coming out in thick layers. "Even I have a strong feeling it was the Chaos inside me who brought you here. Since Deepground showed up, I haven't been keeping a good hold on it." He placed a hand on his chest, close to where his heart was. "Without the Protomateria…sooner or later, Chaos will consume me."

"That's what you're afraid of…?" All this time, Lightning had a very vague idea of how Vincent regarded the chaos residing inside. With what she heard from Reeve, it certainly wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't until now did it dawn on her how much suffering this man had gone through. Ever since Cloud and the others found him in Nibelheim three years ago, Vincent had believed the monster could be useful in helping people rather than taking their lives. If Lightning hadn't been somehow captured by Chaos, Vincent's pain wouldn't be so tremendous.

"I've been running from that side of me for so long. However, it doesn't help anyone. I'm just a coward – trapped in a river of time, unable to face the fact that there's a monster inside me."

Lightning vehemently shook her head, and Vincent stopped at a step to regard her curiously. "Being afraid doesn't make you a coward," she said, searching for the emotions he hid deep in his eyes. "It makes you human. You can't run away from yourself; Chaos is a part of you, but it isn't what you are. You're here right now, helping me, aren't you?" Seeing Vincent in a better light, she gave him a soft yet earnest smile. "No monster would do that. I'm sorry…for blowing up like I did. I'm sure you heard about what happened after Edge, huh?"

There was a small sound, and she couldn't tell if it was a scoff or a chuckle. "A little." His voice was as gentle as it could be, assuring her that the strains were finally gone, and she could place her trust in him once again.

A series of booming explosions caught her attention; Lightning's head whipped to the halls that had to inevitably lead to the entrance of the complex.

"The WRO's setting explosives," Vincent explained. "They're destroying the reactors to stop Omega."

She looked back at him with knitted brows. "Omega?"

"A Weapon that'll suck up the Lifestream and destroy the Planet."

"Wait, I thought the Weapons were supposed to protect the Planet." She recalled one particular lesson Cloud told her months ago about the Planet's history, where nature forged Weapons to protect the Planet from dangers such as the calamity Jenova.

"Overflowing the Lifestream with pure lives is a signal that the Planet's in danger. That's when Omega takes the Lifestream and flies off."

Lightning's jaw slightly hung as it all made sense. "The people being sacrificed…And no more Lifestream means no more Planet."

He nodded and glanced back to the stairs. "The leader of Deepground, Weiss, is back that way."

"You're going without backup?"

Vincent simply shook his head. "It's something I have to do. You should go and find Cloud – help the rest of them out."

She caught a hint of a dark tone in his voice, making her think twice of letting Vincent continue on his own…

But as much as she hated to admit it, it truly felt like something only he could stop. Going up against a Weapon most likely meant they needed whatever help they could get, and Vincent would have to retrieve the Protomateria to regain control over Chaos if they were to use its assistance.

Finally nodding, Lightning brought her hand up, and soon enough, Vincent brought his own hand up to clasp it and shook it vigorously.

"We'll see you soon," she told him without a doubt. "Keep yourself alive, you hear me?"

Vincent gave a firm nod just before pulling his gun out and ascending the stairs a final time. Taking a deep breath, Lightning made sure all her senses finally returned with full operation and held her Blazefire Saber in gun mode. She was sure Vincent finished off most of the Deepground forces nearby, but with the final moments of this battle arriving, she had to prepare for anything, no matter how impossible they would seem.


I'm going back to only updating once a week, since school has started up again.