Chapter 19: Connection

Hope swore he wrote at least a thousand letters in the first two years that they were separated. More often than not, Hope sent multiple letters at time. There was so much he wanted to say and so much that he wanted to ask. A single letter per day didn't cut it. It was like a diary: he wanted to share all of his thoughts with Lightning. Furthermore, with how poor the transportation was between Pulse and Cocoon, Hope would have to send his daily letters in batches. The third Friday of the month became his favorite day— the convoy would arrive and he would trade his batch of letters for a batch sent in by Lightning. It brought him so much joy to see her name written on those envelopes.

Lightning's writing was only a little different. No one could beat Hope in sheer quantity of words, but an outsider would put their wager on Lightning's quality of words. She wrote just as frequently as Hope, making sure to journal everyday just like him. The fourth Monday of every month had become her favorite day. She felt the same joy that Hope felt when she saw the masses of envelopes with Hope's writing on it.

When they read each other's letters, it was as if they were right there alongside each other. Hope could feel Lightning's struggles and dedication through her words. He knew how much faster and stronger she was becoming. Her training was a hell that Hope wished he never would have to partake in. From her first few fears and qualms she had, to the newfound duty and comfort she found in the Corps, he was with her. He felt her same shock when she wrote about how Alyssa apologized to her. He felt her anger (and his own), if not more, when she wrote about how someone tried to touch her. He cheered her on when she wrote about how she punched that same douchebag. He was beyond proud when she got her first promotion, which was quickly followed by a second and third. He wasn't surprised though. In this way, he was with her through it all, sadness, anger, happiness, and even when there was no feeling associated with it. He was there.

Lightning could have published a novel on Pulse based on Hope's letters. She remembered the measly tent he described, and his ecstatic feeling when they finally began to build permanent buildings and housing units. She saw the modernization of Pulse through his eyes, and even felt the slight regret that he felt when he described the destruction of nature. She felt his pain when he was attacked by monsters; she felt his joy when a discovery was made. She felt his distrust (along with her own) when he wrote about how he saw that Alyssa had applied to transfer into his project, and she felt his graciousness when he decided to give her a second chance. Even with all of his smart talk and extravagant vocabulary, Lightning knew he was the same goofy boy she came to love. She was glad to be with him, one way or another.

They liked to joke around and dream in their letters—

"You know, with all those discoveries you keep making, you'll eventually become famous."

"I'd like to let you know I think I already am famous. There's been a lot of praise coming from the capital you know." Not even writing could escape Hope's corny humor.

"What's next? Are my letters going to have to be filtered before you can read them. Will I have to pass through your bodyguards by the time I get to see you?" Lightning's sarcasm was just as prominent on paper as it was in person.

"Just bypass that all by being my bodyguard then."

"Haha, I would love to. But I don't think I'd enjoy the attention it brought."

"Nor would I. I would be happy with a simple life with you."

In the two years they wrote letters, Bodhum changed once again. Alyssa graduated at the top of their class with distinction. She was a physics genius just like Hope. But she didn't forget the awful deeds she did. She went out of her way to apologize to Lightning, explaining herself fully. She told her about Caius, Yaag, Jihl, and how blinded she was to have agreed to work with them. As angry as Lightning was, she forgave her. Enough time had passed, and she was genuine with her apology. But she made her do one thing— tell Cid Raines everything. As much as Lightning hated all four, she had to admit Cid was the least bad of them all. He had a true sense of justice in him last she remembered; he just hung out in the wrong group, just like herself. It was definitely the right choice on Lightning's part.

Alyssa was all Cid needed to confirm his suspicions. Over his last year in university, he had connected all of the dots. Lightning was correct the whole time. He just needed a solid piece of evidence, or a testimony to expose Yaag and Caius. Alyssa was the key. But by the time he had it all together, Caius had already left the university. He vanished during their last year. Yaag and Jihl continued to graduate, though Yaag's reputation was tarnished. It wasn't the punishment he deserved, but it was something. Cid was unable to convict Jihl of anything due to her indirect involvement. Unfortunately, their future in PSICOM would continue. As frustrated as he could be, he knew it was his fault as well— he should have trusted Lightning from the very beginning. All he could do was truly look out for a better future, keeping people like them in check from now on.

Hope's next discovery on Pulse would end the era of letter writing between himself and Lightning. He found what was called an "Oracle Drive." It was a device capable of storing memories and images, resembling the ability of a video camera. The most astounding part of the discovery was how the Oracle Drive stored the data— within a crystal. Other scientists reasoned that it was ancient Pulsian technology used to store visions of the future. Hope didn't need visions of the future. He just wanted to share his present with her.

Hope reasoned that if the crystal stores data, it must be a conduit for energy. So, his scientific brain began to think of a way to modify it. Add a satellite dish to one end of the crystal as in input. Add another output antenna. He tested his idea with two separate Oracle Drives. It worked— the Oracle Drives were capable of sending and receiving data between crystals. The wavelength of energy sent was unique too, making it impossible to tap in on. Moreover, if the Oracle Drives were left to continuously be receiving and sending waves, it could act like a video call. The perfect encrypted call. Now he would just have to send one to Lightning. It was going to be a long shot, literally. Electromagnetic waves sent throughout space: I hope it works. He recorded all of his thinking and methodology on one of the Oracle Drives. With all of the attachments connected and a set of instructions within, Hope sent it to Cocoon in a convoy. He would only have to wait for Lightning to receive it.

Lightning was baffled when she received the Oracle Drive from Hope. After random attempts of tapping and pulling, she got the recorded projection to play. She understood, and she was more than excited. She did as Hope told her in the recording, and activated his attachments. And almost instantaneously, she saw a projection of Hope. And the projection instantly jumped back. It worked! The two immediately went to hug each other, and suddenly realized the ineffectiveness of it. But they didn't mind, they could finally talk face to face. It would become their new form of communication for the next two years. Talking, chatting, and enjoying each other's presence in real time. They could even leave voicemail-esque video messages if they weren't available. Cell service in Pulse wasn't going to be available for at least another two years anyways.

Within those next two years, Cid Raines rose up to become a general in the Guardian Corps. His time as a Sanctum Scholar gave him a direct route and ticket to this position, not to mention how he was already qualified. He was in charge of protecting the skies. Hope missed only one factor in his joyous discovery. Cid was left with one mystery that he could never solve— whenever he flew over Bodhum, a strange interference would mess up all of his communication systems. No one was able to track it or tap into it. It just blurred and messed up their own signals.

Hope and Lightning themselves wondered why their projections had a bit of lag occasionally. They just blamed space and the clouds above them.