Epilogue: Freedom to Live
The dream faded, and the three of them stepped out into the wastes.
Camelot lay in the distance, and Cloud could perceive a group of refugees making their way past it. But he could not see Snow among them. Then again, at this distance, it would be difficult to pick anyone out.
"We're out," said Jessie.
"Yes, somehow," said Cloud.
"The Lifestream must have sent us back," said Barret. "And that means we've still got things to do here."
"What now?" asked Jessie.
"A lot of refugees headed out there," said Barret. "Jessie and I will head after em. They're gonna need someone to look after them. You'd better find Snow and get out of here. We'll be better off splitting up, and, well, you've got Lazard to stop."
"Are you going to keep killing people, Barret?" asked Cloud simply.
Barret paused and thought about it. "...I'm gonna keep fighting, yeah. But... no point in targetting ordinary soldiers. I think I'm gonna see if I can fight Shinra another way.
"Maybe hit them with their wallet."
"Have you considered organizing boycotts?" asked Cloud. "Spreading the truth about what they are. Shinra doesn't have any resistance against it because people don't know the full extent of what they are doing.
"Just by telling people about their atrocities, you inspire action. And that won't hurt anybody."
Barret nodded. "That might actually work. Course, I've got one or two ideas if that doesn't pan out. Why don't you come with us?"
"I've got papers to deliver, Barret," said Cloud. "Someone has to tell the President about the monsters he's created. Even if he doesn't want to hear it."
Barret nodded. "I guess so. We'd better head out and pretend we never saw eachother."
"Probably wise," said Cloud.
Barret turned to walk away, but Jessie hesitated and turned back. "Cloud.."
"Yes?" asked Cloud.
Then Jessie surged in and kissed Cloud on the lips. He flinched as she stepped back and smiled. "Say hello to Tifa for me. I'd love to meet her someday."
Cloud smiled; this was too weird. "Right."
And so the two of them turned and parted ways. Cloud, however, found he had no idea where to go from here. Looking over to Hollander's Lab, he saw the destroyed and melted wreckage of it. The entire thing was on fire, and the bodies of Genesis copies were lying all over the place. There was no way anyone coming to investigate could miss this.
And unless Lazard had subverted the entire military, there was a good chance whoever it was would be loyal to the President. So Cloud should wait here and see how they reacted to the Genesis copies. If they tried to clean it up, they weren't to be trusted. If they were horrified, he could approach them.
Then his boot hit something.
Looking down, Cloud saw a broken and shattered walkie-talkie. Snow's walkie talkie. A chill went through him, and he heard a groan to one side. Cloud looked and saw Snow lying in a ditch in a pool of red liquid. His own blood.
"Snow!" cried Cloud, rushing to him.
His entire body was riddled with bullets as if he'd been shot where he was. But the refugees had gotten away, so how-
The refugees.
"Cloud..." gasped Snow. "I... I protected the refugees. But they... they started shooting at me. I... I tried not to kill any of them, but..."
"Why?!" said Cloud. "Why would they do this?"
"It was... his mother," said Snow. "There was this kid named Hope. He accused me of killing his mother when I was trying to get them out. I guess she must have been among the Wutai forces.
"All of a sudden, he pulled a gun and shot me, and I guess the others didn't... didn't trust me not to kill him..." He spat out blood. "Not a very good look for a hero, I guess. Saw the fireworks. Did they get away?"
"Yes," said Cloud. "They did."
"And uh... did we win?" asked Snow.
"Yeah," said Cloud. "Yeah, we did." Opening his bag, he looked for bandages, but he didn't have to. "Snow, stay with me, please! There should be someone here to investigate soon, so we can heal you and-"
"I'm glad... glad you're alright," said Snow. "Hey, Cloud, don't... don't give up on that girl your fighting for just yet. Maybe she's reading about you in the papers."
Cloud stared at Snow and knew that he was going to die. "I won't."
Snow fell back into the blood and died, his eyes staring at the blue sky above. It should have been raining. Cloud closed his eyes and looked at the body, so like his had been a moment ago.
Two men had died there, just now.
Snow Villiers, Cloud's friend and comrade, the last remaining member of his battalion, had breathed his last. And as he died, so too had died Cloud, the Cloud he had envisioned himself becoming. It was a dream that was dying with Snow, and Cloud could not save it any more than the corpse at his feet.
"So, Snow's dead, finally," said a cold voice.
Cloud looked up and saw Lightning making her way up the slope. Her body was covered in wounds, but they were healing. Her clothes were drenched in Mako and blood, and her armor cracked. And her expression was that of a corpse. "I can't believe he ever thought he'd be a hero. On and on like a broken record. We both know he was never anything more than a thug."
"Lightning..." said Cloud, drawing his sword.
"I'm glad you're still alive," said Lightning, turning her gunblade to sword. "My focus is to kill you. I'd hate for you all to die because of some explosions."
"Lightning, what happened to you!" said Cloud. "We were going to expose Lazard! You hated what he was doing! I heard it in your voice!"
"That was an hour ago," said Lightning, looking up to a clear sky above. "I've got orders now, and I enjoy following them."
And then she surged forward, blade readied.
Cloud clashed blades with her before stepping away from Snow's corpse. Lightning spun into the air and surged at him. He rolled away just in time, summoned a lightning bolt, and hurled it at her feet. Lightning withdrew for a moment before spinning her blade.
She was enjoying this. Her entire body was shaking with exhilaration, like a rat that had been conditioned to enjoy things. And that smile on her face...
"Snap out of it!" said Cloud. "Don't you realize you're being used! You've been conditioned to enjoy them! Lazard is only using you! He's turned you into a clockwork soldier!"
"What does that matter?" asked Lightning, surging forward. "I know that already. It doesn't change the fact that his orders give me focus and purpose. I feel fulfilled, pursuing those orders, Cloud. I feel something!"
Their blades clashed, but this time Cloud took the offensive, striking against her. Attacking faster and faster, he drove her back. "Because he's destroyed your mind!
"He's never going to let you gain any kind of free will of your own! He'll just keep erasing what you learn over and over."
Lightning caught his blade and flung it from his hand with a twist. Cloud ducked under her attempt to behead him and rolled away. Catching the sword as it fell, their blades locked, and they strove against one another.
"It doesn't matter," said Lightning. "I'll be dead after I kill you anyway."
Their blades were turned to smash against a stone, and the rock split open. Stones flew at them, and they jumped back. Even as they did, however, Lightning came at him. "We're very much alike, you know.
"Everything about your movements tells me what I need to know. They all scream of determination, of a drive for acceptance and power. I used to seek those things once too.
"Not that it matters anymore."
"You have a choice!" said Cloud. "You can come back to Midgar with me! Tell them what is happening, expose Lazard!"
"And what?" asked Lightning, unleashing a flurry of rapid thrusts. How was Cloud even reacting to any of this? He supposed there were benefits to being blessed by King Arthur. "Get used as a guinea pig by Hojo? Or get reprogrammed again."
"Neither!" said Cloud. "You'll get reprogrammed under Lazard no matter what. Assuming he doesn't kill you right after this. And you don't know that Hojo was going to get to dissect you! It could be all nothing more than a pack of lies!
"What do you have to lose by coming with me? I will protect you!"
Lightning halted, and the madness in her face departed for a moment, hesitating. She stepped backward. "I...
"I want to die, Cloud! I want all this to end! And I want you to die with me!
"What do we have to lose by just ending this here? Lots of... lots of stories end with hero and villain dying at once."
"You aren't the villain of this story, Lightning," said Cloud. "At worst, you're the symptom of the real problem. And you're a victim as well. And if I die here with you, I won't be the hero.
"Maybe we would be better off if we died here and now and went to the Lifestream. But the Planet would not have created us here if we didn't have a purpose. Put the sword down, please."
Lightning halted, her breathing little by little slowing as her grip on her sword loosened. Finally, she halted, as the sound of helicopter blades came to. "...I think we might need it in a minute."
From the heavens descended a Turk helicopter. In it was Tseng, who stepped off before the thing had landed. With him was Reno and a bald Turk with sunglasses. "Cloud Strife? Claire Farron?"
"Tseng?" asked Cloud.
"I've been dispatched to place you under arrest," said Tseng, looking to Snow's corpse, then the facility behind. "For destroying Shinra property, freeing prisoners, working with known terrorists, and killing Shinra personnel."
"Oh, thank god," said Cloud with a sigh.
Reno blinked. "That's not a usual reaction."
"You aren't going to kill me outright," said Cloud, loosening his pack. "That means you aren't in on the conspiracy.
"These files should explain the situation." He drew out the files he'd found and moved forward, putting down his sword on the way. Tseng took them in hand, opened them, and looked through them one by one. "These are...
"How could this...
"Where did you find this?"
"In Hollander's Lab," said Lightning. "And if you want more, just look at the bodies by the lab. Every single one of them is Genesis. That evidence enough not to shoot us on sight?"
Tseng passed the files back. "...Well, this changes the situation. In light of this, I expect we'll be able to clear you of any wrongdoing.
"Where is Snow Villiers, Barret Wallace, and Jessie Rasberry?"
"Snow he..." Cloud motioned back. "He was murdered by the refugees he freed to deny Genesis more copies. Barret and Jessie split off from us after we made our escape. His body is over there."
"And you worked with them because?" asked Tseng, motioning to Reno, who checked the body.
"We didn't have any resources," said Cloud. "Barret and Jessie wanted a chance to destroy Shinra property, and Lazard was using Shinra property for his own ends. I offered him the chance to blow it up but almost talked him out of it. That place would still be standing if the Genesis copies hadn't arrived instead of ordinary soldiers."
Tseng nodded. "...Fine, I'm certain we can make this work. Step into the helicopter. And get your sword.
"Lightning and Cloud Strife discover Wutai conspiracy, Snow Villiers killed in heroic last stand. Something along those lines. Perhaps have Barret be an evil manipulator of some kind. Step into the helicopter. We'll need to debrief you once we're in a secure location."
"What about Genesis and Lazard," asked Cloud.
"Lazard?" asked Tseng.
"Yes, he..." Cloud paused. "He's the one responsible. I heard his voice through the speakers, and Lazard attested to it. The files might show it as well."
"So did I," said Lightning.
"Lazard also... he's implanted programming into Lightning. Something about a focus," said Cloud. "He activated programming in her. One moment she was helping us destroy the Genesis copies, and the next... she went psychotic.
"I think she was brainwashed by Hollander."
Tseng looked at both of them carefully. "...To be blunt, Cloud, neither you nor Lightning have the best mental health track record. And I don't see why he would stand to gain by gloating to you.
"Also, when did he have time to rig up speakers at the scene of his crime.
"Speakers that he can access from a plane."
"Barret talked to him," said Cloud, feeling a sinking feeling.
"Barret Wallace is not here," noted Tseng. "Given what has happened to you, you might well be suffering from hallucinations."
"But I heard his voice, Tseng," said Cloud. "And I wasn't expecting him to show up; it just happened."
"Did you suspect Lazard before this happen?" asked Tseng.
Cloud paused. "Well, yes. It has to be Lazard.
"It can't be Genesis; he's insane, narcissistic, and a terrible leader. Angael lacks the creativity for a scheme like this and wouldn't be able to subvert Hollander. Sephiroth is on the other side of the continent and didn't know about it.
"Run the information; Lazard is the only option."
"Of those you know of," said Tseng. "There are other commanders in Wutai, and the mastermind might well be Hollander or someone outside of Wutai. This could be an attempt at sabotage. We cannot jump to conclusions. A further investigation will have to be conducted."
"So..." said Cloud. "What are we doing about the rest of this?"
"We will be doing nothing for the moment," said Tseng. "We'll leave that to the Crisis Core."
Lightning and Cloud stepped into the helicopter, and Tseng sat across from them, a gun in hand. Paramedics took Snow's body and carried it into the back as well. A lot of good it would do; the only family he had left was Lightning and him.
"...How did you find us?" asked Lightning.
"Well, the gigantic explosion of Mako energies and gunfire certainly helped," said Tseng. "And we were already en route to find out.
"Cloud, if the investigation bears fruit, your father will be very pleased with these results."
Cloud looked at him. Why would Tseng say that if not as one more means of manipulation? Cloud meant no more to Tseng than he did to the President. It seemed likely that Tseng was aware of the President's manipulations and was trying to reinforce them.
Best to play along. "Yes, I know he will."
The investigation concluded without incident, and the helicopter took off to a secure location. Soon enough, Cloud was certain he'd be returned to Midgar to be debriefed. Perhaps he'd even be told that he'd done well. But no one would actually care about him save insofar as he remained a useful tool.
Lazard would escape justice, for now, because he was part of the political elite. They would remain willfully ignorant of the horrors he perpetuated until he came to their door. At best, Cloud had made the coming war easier to win. Not that Shinra deserved to win it.
Well, at the very least, he could put the corpse of his dreams to rest.
'You've done well,' said Sephiroth in a reassuring tone. 'I am proud of you.'
But Cloud paid no heed to the thing he'd wanted to hear his entire life. It was only a lie, told by a hallucination.
Lazard would pay for this. And Camelot would come again.