Chapter 39 The Secret Room
This chapter is a little bit more violent than the others. Caution when reading, but thank you for reading. This chapter was a hard one to write, but crucial to endgame. Viewer discretion is advised Kupo! (If this is considered M I will change the rating)
Lightning looked at the bookcase and then back towards Fang, "You wanna help me move it?"
"Yeah. Let's pull it away from the wall and place it in front of the other bookcase. If there's something behind it, like your suspicion proves, we'll need some room."
Lightning got on one side, as Fang followed. "On the count of three. One… two… three! Push!" Both Lightning and Fang pushed the shelf and all of its contents. Pulling it from the wall, they moved it in front of the other bookcase.
Once moved, the couple noticed an arched doorway. There were no doorknobs but a keypad beside it.
"Dad hid this extremely well. The times I've been in here working… The times Serah and I were caught playing in this room, all to find out that Dad hid this secret under our noses."
"Well, people are good with their secrets. I'm surprised you missed him in here with this door in the past."
"Dad would often lock himself in, so you would believe he was working. Just to know he had this secret in plain sight. Which leads to the next secret, we need a passcode to get in."
"That could be a problem, Sunshine."
Lightning started hitting a few buttons, to several dates. From her parent's anniversary date through their birthdays, nothing worked. Getting frustrated, Lightning walked away from it for a second, "I can't figure it out. I tried birthdays, anniversaries, and even the day that Serah got Iris the cat."
"Hmm, did you ever try your father's badge number?"
Lightning went to her father's uniform bag and hesitated to open it. "I can't do it."
"Here, let me help Sunshine," Fang offered, going right behind her, as Lightning felt her nerves start to drop. As Fang's hand guided hers towards the zipper, Lightning grasped it, and Fang slowly helped her open it. "I could tell you were hesitating, and it's clear you never went through his bag."
"Well, yeah. I could never bring myself to open it. It was easier going through Mom's stuff than it was Dad's. His uniform bag was one thing that I didn't want to touch. Serah thought I would, and I kept telling her I would, but never did."
"Caspian must have a lot of important things inside it, I'm guessing."
"Well, his Guardian Corps jacket was going to be passed down to me, and frankly, even after death, I felt like I was in his shadow. I need to make my own path instead of following his," Lightning said while pulling out the blue and silver pauldrons. Badge 168, Caspian Edwards Farron, had been engraved into it.
His black trousers were folded neatly, and the black Guardian Corps jacket was folded underneath with dog tags that Lightning clutched tightly in her fist until it whitened. Steadying her breathing, so she didn't cry, she felt Fang's comforting hand along her back. In his pocket was his leather wallet, which had a picture of Rosa, and another picture of Serah and Claire.
The pin of the commander was attached to the jacket and the red band from his days as a commander. However, it was tied tightly around a box. Opening the box, Lightning noticed a pendant necklace with a charm made from bone, and she recognized it was a claw.
"That craftsmanship, that was Dad's gift to Caspian, as a symbol of friendship between the Guardian Corps commander and the Yun tribe." Fang responds automatically, "He kept it."
"I'm surprised he did. I remember him wearing it and thought it was the coolest thing."
"Well, call it our sign, Sunshine."
Lightning looked into the bag she noticed her father's heeled boots; before placing everything back inside once more, grabbing the commander's pin, she went back towards the keypad and entered the code, as she noticed a small indent. Taking the commander pin, she held it to the notch, 'Please, open.'
The door started to slide open as she gasped. Fang smiled, just happy they opened the door. Within the door, there was a stairwell that went down.
"Shall we?"
Lightning nodded and started to climb down, with Fang following behind. At the bottom of the stairs, Lightning pulled a lever that turned the lights on. The room was shocking as Lightning grit her teeth.
Her father had several items within this room, including a couch, a projector, tapes, a map, another desk, and an unlocked safe. "My father's secret study."
Going to the safe, Lightning knelt down, where she noticed several items within. Opening it wider, she grabbed several things from within, seeing files on Fang and Vanille. Also, inside was Jihl Nabaat's file. There were several notes scribbled on the outside, "Dangerous, warrant, caution."
Flipping it open, she noticed there was a warrant for Jihl. "Suspicious, individual, presents a danger. Last seen with Cyrus Hawke before he passed. Bring in for questioning."
Lightning bit her lip, "Dad was investigating Jihl. He wanted her for questioning. There's that name again, Cyrus Hawke."
"Cyrus, the former captain of PSICOM. It was all over the newspapers when he died, all because it happened months before your parents' deaths, Sunshine."
"Odd,"
As Lightning walked towards the projector, she flipped a button, as the old projector turned on. However, on the screen, she eventually saw her father looking sternly into the camera.
"I don't have much time, and this might be the last chance I get to say this. I believe my family is being hunted. My name is Caspian Edward Farron, badge 168 Guardian Corps Commander."
"What did you do, Dad?"
"I feel like I've lied to my family on several accounts; this tape should clear up those questions. First and foremost, Rosa, my love, if I die on the job, feel free to remarry. I'm sorry to you and the girls. I cannot express how grateful I was that you became my desert flower when everything felt so wrong. I'm sorry, my love, I'll see you on the other side."
Lightning felt her cheeks flush slightly pink, embarrassed. However, Caspian's words were real. Rosa was from Pulse as well. Beatrice, Caius' wife, also was a Dia, who married him.
"Serah, Claire, just because your father did wrong doesn't mean I don't love you both. You two are my entire world, and I loved being your father. Seeing you two growing up and becoming mature young women only makes me happy to know that someday you'll marry and expand our family name; Claire, I also know, you don't have to hide behind a mask, I accept and love you for who you are, and if you bring home a beautiful woman to become your own, I'll still love you forever, you're my little girl. Serah, I know you're too young, but someday you'll find someone who will love you like I have loved your mother and you."
Lightning lowered her head, hands as they balled into fists at her sides, squeezing until her knuckles turned white.
"To clear up what I've done, though. Cyrus Hawke had gotten word that Caius' daughter Yeul had the Eyes of Etro. To put it simply, she has a rare power making her a Farseer. With this power, it causes her to see the future. She can also see the past, and each time, it causes her to die or weaken a little bit. Thanks to Cyrus, she was brought to Bodhum Institute to be researched like a lab rat."
Seeing an image of Yeul flash upon the screen, Lightning recognized her from the hologram.
"We're smuggling her out. My clients will take her to the Cult of Etro, who are traveling worldwide just to keep her safe. Caius, your daughter will be safe, but you need to trust me. She has been cloned, and we've seen the same result in the clones. However, you'll think I betrayed you by handing her over to the Cult. I'm doing this to protect her and to protect you. I don't want PSICOM coming after you. Yeul is my niece, and if she's not safe, what kind of uncle am I?"
Fang could see the frustration in Lightning's eyes as the next segment of the video started playing.
"Oerba didn't fall; Rowan, Zelda, if anything should happen to me, I want you to take care of my daughters. Look after them like your own; I'll be taking two girls from the orphanage into my home once the paperwork is finalized once more. They came from Oerba, and it was a promise to Chief Mamoru."
"Dad… Why'd you keep this all secret?"
"Lastly, I'm bringing Jihl Nabaat in for questioning. Cyrus died, and it was ruled an accident, but furthering the investigation, we found evidence that proved she had murdered him in cold blood. A bloodstained PSICOM jacket in a locker in the old training room. It has her badge number etched within, as well as the gun used to kill Cyrus. Her erratic behavior only confirms my suspicions, and the fact she's been sending several PSICOM members to their deaths by having them travel to Oerba to look for clan members only confirms my suspicions further. Be careful, be safe."
"Turn it off, Fang."
"Should anyone find these tapes, or my personal study, just know these were my final words as commander."
Fang hit the button on the projector as it started to cool down and shut off.
"Even Dad feared Jihl, and when he was a commander, she was a fresh new commander. Something happened between the transition of Cyrus and Jihl."
Lightning opened Jihl's file and started to quickly read through it, "Jihl Nabaat, daughter of Alois and Morgan Nabaat. Siblings: Zelda, Cedric, and Marcus. Husband, Cyrus Hawke…"
Fang looked over her shoulder at the name, "Married? There was at least ten years difference in age for those two."
As Lightning skimmed through the folder, she noticed a paper from Bodhum Hospital. "Pregnancy test, positive."
After flipping through the file, she noticed a card, "Jihl lost the baby after sustaining injuries on a mission." A newspaper clipping was also in the file, "Commander Cyrus Hawke and wife call it splits, Cyrus to remarry." Behind that clipping was the final one, "Cyrus Hawke jailed, claims to be guilty of destroying the village in Oerba. Miracle child handed over to Bodhum Institute!"
"It seems like her motive was clear; Jihl was jealous and lost everything. So, she swore revenge? As for everything else, Cyrus led the assault of Oerba, and someone from PSICOM handed Caius' daughter over to the institute."
"Could be," Lightning sighed. "But I don't know. My head hurts, and I need to sit down for a minute."
Fang sat beside Lightning, who rested her head on her shoulder, "This is too much. Dad had kept so much from me that I don't even know what to believe anymore."
"Well, if this map can help us find Yeul and find the secrets out of the Farron family, you'll get closure, right?"
"Yeah. I just want to be done with this mystery."
"Well, we have enough things here we can probably bring them to Amodar. If your father had been investigating Jihl, we have enough things here that can actually prove she did wrong. Sunshine, I think you solved several cases rolled into one huge one. Jihl Nabaat and Cyrus Hawke slaughtered my village, and your dad knew she was erratic! We can bring this evidence, and Amodar will take her in instead."
"Fang, you're a genius. My father wasn't stupid, he always knew when not to trust a person, and Jihl had been fake to him. It's even in his journal and notes."
"Well, we should probably take it to the Guardian Corps then."
"We'll need to pack it up, and I need my work bag, which is in my room."
"Hold on a second," Fang looked at Lightning, "Sunshine, I have to ask something of you. I feel sort of silly with this, but…" Fang had dropped down, almost kneeling on a knee, both Lightning and Fang ended up in the dark. "Power outage? But it's not windy or raining."
Lightning felt bad cutting Fang off, but something was wrong.
CRASH!
"Something's happening upstairs."
"I'll go check the fuse box Fang."
"No, it could be something dangerous!"
Another loud crashing sound was heard overhead as Fang and Lightning glanced at each other, "That's not Serah or Snow. Someone's trying to get in the house."
CRASH!
The crashing became more consistent. "We gotta get out of here."
Another crash was heard overhead.
Lightning felt like a trapped rat with Fang. "We need to get out of here."
"And how do you expect us to do that, Sunshine? We're as good as trapped rats."
"I'll buy us some time, you follow close behind me, and then we'll rush towards the upstairs. If someone is in the house, we'll escape through the crawlspaces of the house; there's one close by my room that leads outside. That's our only option right now."
Lightning grabbed her survival knife from her boot, she started to rush up the stairs.
Fang was quick to follow behind her; however, another item went crashing, and it was coming from the kitchen. Going up the stairs, both steadied their breathing.
Lightning and Fang looked at the locked door to the study; it came crashing open as several armored men entered the room with guns; the safety was flicked off each, as red dots aligned both Lightning and Fang.
"You are intruding into my house! This is private property! Get out before I dial the Guardian Corps and report all of you for intruding and damage!" Lightning yelled, "Now get out of my house."
However, the men heeded her warning as they entered. Swiftly, the men grabbed Lightning and Fang knocking her survival knife from her hand in the process. Before either could react, both Lightning and Fang were forced to their knees. The men had a harsh grip on their arms, as Lightning kept still. Her girlfriend, however, was trying to escape.
The circle broke only for a moment as someone entered the room. "Hold these two abominations tight." a feminine voice said.
Blue eyes looked up at the blonde in front of her, as Lightning noticed Jihl Nabaat smirking down at her. "What's the meaning of this?! What are you doing at my house? You broke in with your men and have been causing damage."
Jihl started to laugh, "You see, I let myself in. My men were told this was a house harboring magic-users. With you being fired from the Guardian Corps and having no protections under Amodar, I could make a move to take you in. You see, without your protection of the Guardian Corps, you are considered a danger to society. It's the perfect cover-up when you think about it," Jihl smirked, gripping Lightning by the chin roughly, forcing her to look up into her fierce green eyes.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, LET ME AND FANG GO, AND STOP TOUCHING ME!" Lightning barked, clearly frustrated, as she struggled in the men's grip, but they held firm.
Fang was trying to get up but was shoved down roughly. "You won't get away with this! Our sisters are probably on their way."
"KEEP DOWN NOW, YOU WORTHLESS DOG!" one of the men yelled as Fang continued to struggle.
"I don't care who's coming; we can do this with or without an audience. When I heard Amodar let you far too easy, it seemed like a slap on the wrist. Under PSICOM, you're an abomination. Without the paperwork from the Summoner's Guild, you're considered disposable, a threat to society, and are, at this moment, my prisoners. You have no job in the Guardian Corps, so I can do what I see fit to you. You lost the trust of your commander, got fired, and now are considered dangerous."
"You can't dispose of people of magic descent!" Fang yelled. "We're just like you, but we have a little extra. If that makes a person dangerous, then you're stupid. I have a paper from Caspian Farron that I am considered safe here, the fact you barge into my girlfriend's house just to take her prisoner because she was fired and has Odin, then you're just a sadistic, vile bitch who needs to reevaluate her life choices. You're a commander; you're supposed to be understanding, sympathetic, and proving to be a leader."
Jihl removed her baton from her belt, using it to prop Fang's chin up to look into her eyes. "Farron's guard dog. Strong words for such a stubborn woman. Ever since the dance, you lowered your guard down. I've been tailing you for years now. You act way tougher than you think you are. It'll be fun to break you because I remember the day you came in and made a fool out of me."
Fang started to laugh, "You're easy to make a fool out of; especially, when you start to insult my friends, my family, and my girlfriend, then you become a problem to me."
Before Fang could get another word in, Jihl slapped her harshly on the cheek, "Lesson one, I'm in control here. Shut up, or I'll have them execute, you here and now."
Lightning looked at Jihl, "Leave her alone! She's not part of this, and if it's me you want, that's fine! Leave Fang out of this."
"Was that a plead, Farron? How many people do you have to throw underneath you? Poor Alyssa, such a sweet girl with a huge heart."
"What did you do to her?! She called me to warn me that someone wanted me dead. I knew it was you!"
Jihl smirked, "She's gone now."
Blue eyes went wide, "How can you say that?! How many people will PSICOM slaughter for the power they have? Having magic shouldn't be a punishable act by death! You have a bloodlust, you crave power, and destroy everything and anything that is considered abnormal. Those creatures that you use in your transgates, do they not matter except for training purposes? You lay waste of everything you hate and hide all because you sit in leadership, that shouldn't belong to you!"
"How many lives?" Jihl looked at Lightning with unwavering green eyes. "Does it matter? There are many lives in this world, but you are only one person. Your life-ending means they can all live safely."
"If that's what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, Jihl, you have another thing coming. You'll get your just deserts someday."
"So, dispose of all magic users, and become a hero of Bodhum? You're not a hero; you're more of a sheep in behemoth clothing. All you're doing is causing people to panic, make people fear the lies, and turning on people who come off as different just because you don't like them!" Fang grit her teeth.
As Jihl knelt closer towards Fang, she smirked, her hand gripped her chin roughly, "Sweetheart, you're an abomination. When you introduced yourself at the dance as an Oerban, it made me realize you were the little kid who got away. Cyrus said two kids got away the day Oerba fell. Then we heard about you working in Eden, as a slippery thief who always seemed to get away. Stealing food to survive, making runs for all sorts of bad people, and leading a small group of vigilanties through the city. You went under our radar too many times. Thanks to Farron here, you were easily caught. She was to take you in that day, but instead, you two fell in love. You have a powerful entity inside you, and it'll be fun to extract."
Fang started to thrash in an attempt to get free. Once free, she got in a punch as Jihl felt a small dribble of blood run down her lip, as she used a gloved hand to gently wipe it away, "I'm surprised that's all you got."
The men were quick to grab her tighter, to the point they'd dislocate her shoulder.
Fang felt enough pressure that could break her arms, but knew not to move in that instance.
"Sedate her, then restrain her and get her out of here. You'll be fun to break." Jihl smirked, looking at Fang, who was breathing heavily.
"You won't get away with this! I'm Oerba Yun Fang! I always get out of bad situations."
"Enjoy your rest, Oerba Yun Fang."
However, one of the men inserted a needle into her neck as the men felt her thrash once more. The stress on her body was producing adrenaline. The men held firm until the drug started to make her limbs grow heavy, as viridian eyes began to droop.
Fang was still trying to fight, and eventually, the men took advantage of the situation, carrying her out once they restrained her wrists and ankles.
Lightning looked at Jihl with unwavering blue eyes, "Leave Fang out of this! I'll plead my life for her if it makes you reconsider. I didn't want her to be part of this."
"Well, you should've thought about that before bringing her into your little murder mystery. You could've avoided this altogether by taking her in like you, were asked when you were still a rookie. Instead, you kept stringing her along, all because you loved her," Jihl started. "I don't think that's love. You could've stopped this, but instead you kept trying to solve your little case that not only hurt your girlfriend, but your family, your friends even. How many people will you keep stringing along? Reks, Fang, poor precious Serah, Alyssa?"
"How could you?!" Lightning thrashed failing miserably. Hot tears started to slowly slide down her face.
"I'm just saying that's the business Farron. Most know when to quit, especially after they were fired, but you kept pressing and pressing. But want to know a secret?"
Lightning looked at Jihl with wide eyes, "If I stop will you let her go..."
Jihl leaned closer towards Lightning's ear, "You'll be meeting my esteemed guest very soon, Caius Ballad is still alive."
Wide blue eyes looked terrified into greens."Jihl… please…" Lightning felt her face grow hot; tears started to fill in her eyes slightly, as she knew Jihl was ignoring her. "Caius is still alive?"
However, Jihl ignored her pleas and questions, filling a syringe with the same vial of sedatives used on Fang.
The men held firm as Lightning struggled. However, Jihl approached her slowly.
"It'll all be over soon. Pity, you could've been smart this entire time, and you failed Farron."
As Lightning struggled, she eventually felt the sharp poke of the needle; in one more attempt to break free, she got one arm free, breaking the red band around Jihl's sleeve. Her arms and legs grew heavy until the room finally went dark.
Author note: And another chapter down, things are not looking so good for Lightning and Fang now. Stay tuned for chapter 40 coming soon.
