Chapter 8
To hunt l'Cie
Palumpolem was filled with PSICOM soldiers. They flooded the grounds and flew in clusters in the air. They were organized and sectioned into groups. Each group was responsible for covering an area of the town from the entrance gate of the city all the way up the cliffs to the residential condo's.
Lightning and Hope ducked behind a large rock located just outside the gate to the city observing the area. They could hear the announcements being made over every television, every billboard and every radio all in the city echoing from within.
"Attention all units and citizens, this is director Rosch of PSICOM division. I am so grieved to announce that Cocoon is caught in the grip of a Pulse-born terror. It has been confirmed that Pulse l'Cie are on the loose and while we are doing everything in our power to capture the vermin, we cannot allow them to infiltrate our cities and contaminate them. If this happens the peace and stability we have fought so hard to maintain will be nothing more than a memory. Pulse l'Cie must be eliminated and we ensure you that we are working as hard as we can to do just that."
"Um Light, I don't think our plan is going to work out." Hope whispered to her.
"How did they know?" she questioned. "They've been on our tail everywhere and with each attempt to trap us they've gotten closer and closer. How did they know we were going to Palumpolem. It's like they're waiting for us."
"What do we do? Just run for the train station and board a train for Eden?"
Lightning shook her head. "I don't think they'll let anyone leave, nor will they let anyone in. Which brings us to our next problem, how the hell do we get out of here without being spotted?"
"Why don't we just go into the city and try and stay low for a while. Then once this calms down we can start backtracking through the Whitewoods and figure out where to run to next." Hope suggested.
"Sound's great" Lightning whispered. "Except for a few things. One how do we get into the city, two how do we hide once we're in there and three how do we get out if we're spotted?"
Hope smiled. "I live here remember. I know all the short cuts and secret passage ways. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the forest around them that lined the shore.
"Hope where are you going?" Lightning asked
"Here" he whispered as he pointed to a large pipe that jutted out of the earth in the middle of the forest area. "we can use the old plumbing system to sneak in and out. I used to play here all the time when I was a little kid. No one knows about this, not even the army."
"We can sneak in right under their noses" she whispered with a grin on her face as she followed Hope through the complex twisting of the old rusting pipes. After quite a few minutes of climbing she was about to ask Hope if he knew what he was doing when he announced. "Okay, we're in."
She climbed out of the pipe to find herself standing in a massive orange lit room in a warehouse or something. She eyed the pipe they came in from and was shocked that the army hadn't found that yet.
"Don't worry, only kids like me know about that entrance." Hope assured her.
"They'll find it. With a l'Cie scare as big as the one we're causing they will find and seal off any possible way into and out of the city. " She retorted. "Where are we exactly?"
"This is the Nutriculture complex. Its where the Sanctum fal'Cie Carbuncle creates, manages and packages food for most of Cocoon. It's all automated so no one works here, its just the fal'Cie." Hope answered.
"Fantastic," Lightning replied with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Just what we need, a sanctum fal'Cie alerting PSICOM we're here. We'd best move and get out of here."
"Hey Lightning" Hope asked. "When are we gonna stop running?"
"What do you mean" she asked as she moved swiftly through the corridors of the Nutriculture building. "We can't stop running, we'll never stop running."
"We're l'Cie, ticking time bombs. Either we complete our focus in time or we don't and turn Cie'th." Hope was gripping the brand on his left wrist.
"What's your point?" Lightning asked him. "I know that much already."
"Why are we wasting so much time running away? Our time could run out any day now, and we haven't even gotten any closer to knowing what our focus is let alone attempt to complete it." Hope snapped. "When are we gonna stop running and just fight?"
"I don't know yet" was all Lightning could respond with. It was true she felt the same way. If she was a Pulse l'Cie and had nothing left to live for then why not just try and complete her focus so that she too may be granted the same eternal life her sister had been given. If it meant destroying her home world, then so be it. The people of this land were so eager to end her life, why not do the same back to them and end theirs?
"What do you mean?" Hope yelled. He was beginning to get irritated. He was sick of running away and he was beginning to realize that they could escape as many times as they wanted, but every new encounter the Sanctum was getting closer and closer to their capture. Whatever or whomever the Sanctum inside Intel was, it was able to track them down to their very decisions of what to do or where to go.
"Listen, you're friend Vanille said something very important. She said we can't lose hope, it's the only thing we have left that's worth living for. I lost both of my parents and I had to be strong for Serah. So I became Lightning. I shed my old name and would answer only to Lightning. I thought that by changing my name, I could change who I was. Lightning is a mask I wear to cover up the me inside that I am afraid to show others. It was because Lightning is proud and won't admit mistakes that Serah ended up trapped in that Vestige. I blame myself for it, so I look forward to the day I can see Serah again and apologize to her. That is what I live for."
"And I live to make Snow realize and admit his mistakes." Hope said. "Every time I think about him it brings it all back. Seeing my mom fall into the abyss and then I see his smiling face and I get so angry. How can he live knowing that he let her die? I know I can't bring her back, and I it kills me every time I think about it, but he needs to pay for what he has done."
Lightning flinched.
Hope felt the anger subside and sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry. I get so frustrated some times. At least I know there's something else I want to do."
"And what's that" Lightning said as they came to one of the building's exits.
"If we can manage it, I want to talk with my dad. I want to tell him what happened to mom, and I want to explain everything from the Purge to becoming a l'Cie."
Lightning couldn't hold back her smile as she pushed open the door and walked out into the bright daylight. They were in an arena of some sort that was abandoned of any life. Her smile faded instantly. If PSICOM was so desperate to find them there should have been at least one or two soldiers patrolling this area. Something was definitely wrong and it gave Lightning a bad feeling. She pulled out her sword and Hope followed in suit but yanking the miniature knife from his pants pocket.
A voice filled the air. It was smooth and mechanical as it radiated from the walls around them. Lightning looked up to see a large billboard advertising a weight loss pill was replaced by an image of a Sanctum sky fleet ship.
"In a recent convened emergency conference, the Sanctum announced that the fugitive l'Cie on the run have been located." The mechanical voice rang throughout the stands.
The first thing Hope thought was that Sazh and Vanille had been captured. But he gasped when he heard the voice continue.
"The military plans on apprehending the l'Cie with a live and public execution. These images are coming to you live from the scene here at Palumpolem." The billboard showed a picture of Lightning and Hope walking through the abandoned stadium.
Lightning pulled her weapon ready to strike but it was too late. The air around them was filled with airships and floods of soldiers came rushing from every angle in the stadium. It was the two of them against two hundred troops and two dozen flying aircrafts. Lightning knew she was a good fighter, but even she knew when to admit defeat. Even so, she wasn't going to toss her weapon down and let them kill her without a fight
She looked at Hope. "Run! I'll keep them busy. You survive this. Tell your father, make amends." Then she turned to face her competition.
Just as she was about to strike an explosion was heard from overhead. Part of the stadium crumbled sending chunks of rock hurtling toward the clustered masses of troops. From the destruction more soldiers came bursting into the stadium, but rather that join the others who held the captured l'Cie on the spot, they attacked the other soldiers. Lightning used the opportunity to grab Hope and run behind a pillar just as a few dozen soldiers opened fire on the spot she stood just seconds before. Lightning knew she needed to find another plan. Staying there wasn't going to work as a hiding spot for much longer, especially since the ships overhead were telling the troops where to look for them.
Lightning was about to move again when a bright light flashed in the air. She thought she saw two feminine figures dancing within the light freezing whatever they touched encasing a large mass of their pursuit in a chunk of ice. When the light cleared the entire arena was filled with ice. Not only had the troops been encased but the ships ahead had large chunks of ice attached stopping their weaponry from working.
"Look!" Hope yelled. "Its him"
Sitting on a motorbike was Snow. He rode the bike down a ramp of ice towards where Lightning and Hope were fighting for their lives. Even more curiously, sitting behind him was a woman wearing a blue sari with dark skin and hair.
Lightning didn't want to wait to find out just what that idiot Snow had been up to, nor to find out who his mysterious lady friend was. She grabbed Hope by the arm and yanked him through a cleared area. She slashed down any soldier that got in her way. One by one the soldiers fell while the other's perished within the ice.
Snow directed the motor bike to where Lightning and Hope were hiding. "Hey Lightning!" he called with a grin and a wink.
Instantly her hate for Snow returned.
"We need to split up!" the woman in the blue sari called. "We bought you some time, but they have a hefty load of soldiers here. Backup will be arriving soon." She gripped Lightning's arm and said. "I'd like it very much if you would come with me. There's something I need to discuss with you."
Snow nodded. "It's okay. Go with her."
Lightning thrust Hope into Snow's arms. "Keep him safe." She demanded.
"No need to worry. You're hero is back to protect you."
"I mean it Snow. Keep him safe. If you don't I swear I'll kill you myself after we get out of this." She snaped as she followed the woman up a pair of stairs and out into the streets of Palumpolem.
After Lightning and the mysterious woman left, Hope found himself standing next to the one person he wanted dead in an ice covered stadium with only minutes left to escape. Knowing that the army would be back with more soldiers made him reason the order of his priorities. Sure he hated Snow, but right now the thing he needed to focus on was escaping even if that meant escaping with someone he despised. In the back of his head he reasoned that if he lived through this, there would be another time to seek revenge on Snow. So with a twinge of regret he tossed the idea of stabbing Snow repeatedly with the pocket knife Lightning had given him to the back of his brain. For now, he needed to focus on running away.
None of this made sense. PSICOM the top of the ladder in the Sanctum's army was bent on destroying all l'Cie, however, the people who had saved him and Lightning from their public on the spot execution also wore army uniforms very similar to that of the PSICOM. So it brought Hope to this question. Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Sure all of Cocoon thought they were the bad guys, but could it be possible that there was a section of the Sanctum that believed that the l'Cie weren't out to murder millions of people?
"I don't get it," Hope said as he followed Snow up a pair of stairs that led opposite the way that Lightning had gone. "Who were those guys you came with?"
Snow grinned. "Let's just put it this way, not all sanctions of the army are willing to follow what the Sanctum says just based on claims. The people I was with are a branch of the defense corps called the Calvary."
"The Calvary?"
"Yeah, they are an independent branch that secretly despise the Sanctum. Let's just say they aren't fans of fal'Cie of any kind." Snow answered. They ran into an abandoned alleyway. "Say, you've toughened up a bit since I last saw you."
"Yeah well, I'm a l'Cie now. I have to." Hope retorted.
Snow sighed as he peeked around a corner to see if the coast was clear. "It's not fair you know…that you and Vanille became l'Cie. The only ones who should have been cursed and the only ones that should be fighting the army are us dumb grownups."
"You think that fighting is stupid?"
"Fighting is something that has been around for generations. Humans will always fight one another just as Cocoon and Pulse will always have wars with each other. Fighting is only stupid if you get yourself killed." Snow answered as he surveyed the area. A handful of troops were standing at the end of the street.
Anger began flooding Hope again. He couldn't believe what Snow had just said. He began remembering how Snow had let his mother die and how he watched it all unfold. He clenched his fists biting back the urge to yell; instead he felt his hand close around the handle of the knife in his pocket. He was about to pull it out when Snow said, "Come on, those troops aren't paying attention. If we move quickly we can make it. Where do you think we can hide?"
Hope hesitated. He could do it; he could stab him and leave him to die just as he let his mother die. This was the payback he was waiting for and wasn't sure if he'd ever get another chance let alone enough courage to do it. After a moment of silence he said "the residential district. I have a house there. We can hide there until we figure a way out of here."
Snow nodded just as a noise reverberated from his pants pocket. He pulled out a thin holographic cell phone. With a flick of his wrist he answered. "It's me. What's up?"
What he was greeted with was a very unhappy irritated accented voice. "You know damn well what's up? Why the hell didn't you call in? I told you to call in as soon as you made it out of the stadium safely. We've been waiting for you to check in."
"Oops. Must have slipped my mind." Snow replied casually.
"Right! I'm sure it did." The female voice on the other end of the line called. "What's your status?"
"Great. We made it out and we've avoided PSICOM so far, though just standing around talking with you might get us caught at this rate."
"Real funny!" was the sarcastic response. "I'm great, you're great, we're all perfectly peachy. Now can we focus and find a way out of here." Her voice was beginning to crack in frustration. "Here' talk with your comrade."
Snow heard muffling voices as the phone got passed from who was no doubt the woman that was riding the bike with Snow to another familiar female voice. "Snow?"
"Lightning? Sis are you okay?" Even though he had just seen Lightning fighting for her life in the arena, he didn't get the chance to see how she was doing. He had been worried sick about her since they had split up. Sure he had been fuming when she ditched him and Serah, but after having time to think about it on a cozy safe airship he realized that Lightning had been right all along. He was incredibly lucky that the Calvary was flying over the area at the time or there was no doubt that PSICOM would have gotten him eventually and he wouldn't have stood a chance. It also pained him to know that when he was in his cushy room on the Calvary airship taking a nap and eating full and healthy meals, Lighting and the others were running in the dirt and mud with no food or shelter.
"I'm not your sister!" She yelled. "Stop calling me that." She sounded like her normal self, perhaps a tad out of breath from running around and nearly being shot to death. "Where are we meeting up? We need to pick a rendezvous point."
After a moment Snow replied "Hope's house in the residential district. Felix Heights 35-A." he rattled of as Hope listed his home address.
"Fine. See you soon."
"Lightning?"
"What?" She snapped rather impatiently.
"Be careful. Your face was plastered all over that screen. People know what you look like now."
"I will. And Snow?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Remember what I said. Keep Hope safe. His face was on that screen as much as mine was."
Before he could answer the line went dead. Hope looked at him expectantly. "Well," Snow said with a grin. "Hope, lead the way."
Lightning disconnected before Snow could say another word. On the outside she looked irritated from having to deal with his cockiness, but on the inside she was secretly thanking the Maker that he was safe. She was sure he was going to die out on Lake Bresha, but seeing him alive gave her a feeling of relief.
"You said you're name is Fang right?" Lightning asked as she handed the phone back to her.
"Yep, and you're name is Lightning correct?" She didn't even wait for Lightning to confirm that, it was indeed her name. "Now that we are on a first name basis let's get to business."
They had made their way to the central heart of the city hoping to blend into the crowd but to keep the civilians safe, they quickly slipped into abandoned alley ways and began to make a plan as to how to escape without losing their lives. The darkness of the alleyways proved to be a useful ally as the troops patrolled the area on the lookout for the missing l'Cie. The Calvary was making quite a ruckus as most of the PSICOM troops were busy trying to take them on, which gave Lightning and her newfound companion Fang a chance to hide.
"That's quite an accent you've got" Lightning noted. "I've only ever heard one person speak with an accent slightly similar to yours."
Fang grinned. "You're talking about Vanille right?"
Lightning did a double take. "You know Vanille? Is she family?"
"You could say that. We are both from Gran Pulse. So I guess that makes us family."
Lightning couldn't help it, but her jaw dropped. "Gran Pulse as in Pulse, the hell on earth?"
"Yeah, the world below that you all hate so much and want to destroy everything from." She replied. "You know, I'm the same as you. I've got a few screws loose but I'm a l'Cie too." She held out her right arm. Sitting just below her shoulder was a brand. It didn't match Lightning's though; it was completely covered in what looked like a white spider-web like pattern. She could barely see the black of the brand through its white cover.
"That's a brand?" Lightning asked.
Fang nodded and said "Back on Gran Pulse, Vanille and I were both l'Cie, that's how we became close. Sure we lived in the same village, but when we were both picked to be l'Cie we became almost like sisters. We had gone to sleep in Crystal Stasis on Gran Pulse, but when we woke up, here we were, on Cocoon." She added. "Snow said that everyone in your group has been blaming themselves for becoming l'Cie. I got a newsflash for you. The real reason you're a l'Cie; the real reason why your sister became a l'Cie, and the reason Cocoon is in such an uproar now is because Vanille and I woke up."
"I don't understand." Lightning said. None of this was wrapping around her brain correctly. How could Fang and Vanille be the cause of all this? How could the two of them wake up from crystal stasis? If they woke up from their crystal sleep, then maybe Serah could too. There was still hope.
"When we woke up from crystal stasis, we couldn't remember anything about our focus or what we'd done, but we did know this, we were still branded l'Cie and our awakening triggered the fal'Cie Anima to awaken within the Vestige along with us." Fang explained. "We spent our days wandering Cocoon, a land that hated all things Pulse, hoping to remember something. We wasted time, not attempting to complete the focus we were given because we were too busy trying to remember what our focus was. As punishment, the fal'Cie started to make more l'Cie. It called out, and your sister answered."
"You mean the fal'Cie called out to Serah?" Lightning asked. "Why her?"
"The fal'Cie called out to no one in particular. It just called out for someone, and your sister unfortunately was the one to answer first. We found her in the Vestige unconscious, but it was too late, she was already branded."
Lightning remained silent, as if taking it in.
"If it makes you feel better, I can assure you, it was us that set off the Pulse panic here, not Serah. When they realized l'Cie were on the loose, they didn't even know Serah was branded. Vanille and I caused a bit of a ruckus and we were discovered to be l'Cie. That's how we got separated. Shortly after, the Pulse panic started and I had to keep a low profile."
"So, let me get this straight." Lightning said slowly. "You and Vanille are from Pulse-"
"Gran Pulse" Fang corrected her.
"Fine. Gran Pulse. You wake up from crystal nap time here on Cocoon and decide to cause havoc to all it's citizens by revealing yourselves to the Sanctum? Do you realize thousands of people were killed?" Lightning clenched her fists.
Fang shrugged. "Cocoon is a filthy world anyway. Why should I care about this place?"
Lightning was fuming. She continued through clenched teeth. "Now you're telling me that Serah was made a l'Cie, because the fal'Cie grew impatient with you?"
Fang shrugged again. "We didn't do our job right. We somehow found a way around our focus and achieved crystal stasis. When we woke up we were supposed to complete our focus all the way, problem is, we took too long for the fal'Cie's liking and it made your sister a l'Cie. Sorry."
Lightning struck her. Her palm connected with Fang's cheek causing a loud crack to fill the air. Fang looked at Lightning as she let her hand brush the cheek that had just been slapped raw. "I suppose I deserve that. You know you sound like Snow."
Lightning snorted. "How did you come across that bonehead anyway?"
"After Vanille and I were separated, I searched everywhere for her but she was nowhere to be found. A man named Cid Raynes leader of the Defense Corps Calvary found me. Said he didn't like the Sanctum and was willing to protect l'Cie for the sole reason that the Sanctum wanted l'Cie dead. Shortly after, he got word from one of his men that a girl fitting Vanille's description was seen in Bodhum. I searched for her, but with all the tourists there to view the annual fireworks, I wasn't able to find her before the Purge happened. I managed to get out of the city but Vanille didn't. Fang answered.
Lightning simply nodded.
"We had to keep a low profile as we searched. The Calvary couldn't well burst in and save just a single person at the Hanging Edge, so we waited a bit before showing up. Raynes had no idea that the Purge was a cover up for a massacre or else we would have tried to rescue everyone." Fang explained. "By the time we arrived, everyone was either dead or hiding and on top of that, we saw Lake Bresha and how it had been turned into the same Crystal that encases the body when a l'Cie reaches crystal stasis so we checked into it. We searched the area. By that time you and Vanille were long gone, but we did see Snow. So we rescued him and freed Serah"
"You freed Serah?"
Fang nodded. "Yep. She's still in crystal stasis but she's on the Calvary's ship the Lindblum as we speak. Cid has researchers working on trying to find a way to wake her up."
Lightning let out a relieved sigh. Snow was safe, and so was Serah. Plus, now she had the hope of knowing that Serah wasn't dead and that she would one day wake up. "Do you think the others are safe?" she asked once her anger finally faded. "They'd make an announcement or something right?"
"Sure as hell they'd make an announcement. They'd want the people to know that the big bad l'Cie have been caught. These people are twisted." Fang replied and added. "But hey, don't get me wrong, Gran Pulse is just as twisted. I grew up learning that Cocoon was a floating nest of vipers ready to strike at any moment. From what I've seen, you've probably heard similar."
"Yeah."
"A floating nest of vipers is exactly what I thought Vanille and I landed in at first, but then we met some really amazing people here, like Serah and suddenly, murdering these people didn't seem like a good idea. They were the same as us, afraid and given no reason as to why." Fang continued.
"I've been thinking," Lightning said "If you were in crystal stasis, does that mean you completed your focus?"
"It must. Those are the l'Cie rules. You either complete your focus and are granted slumber in crystal stasis, or you fail and turn Cie'th." Fang answered.
"There's no way around it? You even said that you didn't complete your focus correctly and that's why you were brought back."
"True," Fang whispered. "I've been wondering that myself. I can't remember my focus from before or I'd tell you if we completed it or not. Maybe the fal'Cie wasn't specific enough. Maybe we completed our focus in the most vague sense possible. Then there's my brand, its all messed up."
"How so?"
"Well look at it, it looks nothing like Vanille's, and hers is the way its supposed to look. I can't tell how close it is to Cie'th city like this." She replied.
Lightning's eyes grew wide. "You can tell how close you are to turning into a Cie'th?"
Fang grinned and cocked her head slightly. "Yeah, didn't you know. As time goes on, the brand changes. Once the red eye in the center opens up all the way and all the lines sticking out become arrows, time's up. Lemme see your brand."
Lightning hesitated. But she slowly unzipped her turtleneck shirt.
"Nowhere near, you got plenty of time. Couple of month's maybe, but don't let that slow you down. The fal'Cie have a way of knowing if you are trying to complete your focus or running away from it. They can make it progress faster to coax you along to doing your job."
All throughout their conversation they had been taking a route that led through dark alleys and sewers. Eventually they would need to step back into the bustling civilization that was in a panic in order to reach Hope's house. Lightning figured the longer they stayed hidden, the better. Their first priority was to meet back up with Hope and Snow, then they'd devise a plan to break out of Palumpolem and onto the Calvary's airship. The airship was the safest place for them at the moment and since they wouldn't need to return to Lake Bresha to save Serah they could go in search of Vanille and Sazh and figure out just what their focus meant and how to avoid it just like Fang and Vanille had done once before.
Snow was afraid, that much was for certain. But at a time like this, fear had no place in his mind as he followed Hope through a series of dark tunnels. His first priority was to hide the fear that was eating at him. With Hope, who was nothing more than a kid around, showing fear was not an option. Besides, what hero showed fear? Instead he focused on working out just how they were going to break out of the city.
The Calvary's Intel told him before he even made his grand entrance with Fang that PSICOM had tracked Lightning and Hope through the abandoned sewage system and into the Nutriculture Center. And that fact alone bugged him. Sure by now troops would be swarming through the Nutriculture Center blocking a way out, but that isn't what annoyed him. What got on his nerves was the fact that PSICOM somehow had been on their tails all along, and by some miracle Lightning and Hope managed to escape every time.
After spending hours on the Calvary's ship, and learning from Fang about l'Cie, he was able to see for himself PSICOM's movements. Somehow they were able to predict where Lightning and Hope were going and they were casting their net and it was tightening to the point where escape was going to be near impossible. What puzzled him however was how Sazh and Vanille managed to escape. If PSICOM could track Hope and Lightning, then surely they could track Sazh and Vanille.
While Snow thought that splitting up was a smart idea, he was worried about the two l'Cie that seemingly went missing and off the Sanctum radar. He silently sent out a prayer that they would keep up what they were doing and stay hidden.
"This is as far as we can stay hidden" Hope said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"The old sewage system only goes this far. The rest of the way to my place will have to be in the open." Hope whispered. He'd taken them through an abandoned labyrinth of rusted pipe and crumbling tunnels that he and his friends used to play in when they were younger.
"This is risky." Snow stated. "PSICOM is desperate to get rid of us. I don't think they'll stop to move the citizens out of the way if they spot us."
Hope grimaced at the thought. Snow was right. If they were spotted by the army, the army would easily shoot at anyone or anything that got in the way of their targets. Hope was coming to realize that fear and panic could make a person do something insane if it meant saving themselves.
Snow hoisted himself up from the hole in the ground they were standing in and took a look around. They were standing a currently unused alleyway. With swift movements Snow peaked around the corner to a street lined with people. They stood in a long line jammed shoulder to shoulder with each other. PSICOM troops stood spaced out along the street holding guns to the people to coax them to stand still and stay quiet. The whole scene was highly reminiscent of the Purge that took place in Bodhum just a couple of days ago.
"Are they insane?" Hope whispered. "They're gonna purge all these people too? Are they gonna massacre all of Cocoon?"
"Hard to say kid." Snow replied. "PSICOM will do anything to protect Cocoon from all things Pulse. That means they're after not just us l'Cie, they're after anything that has been contaminated by Pulse."
"So because we l'Cie entered the city, they're going to purge everyone in it regardless if we came in contact with them or not?"
"It's what happened in Bodhum." Snow stated. "The reason they Purged the whole city was not because of the fal'Cie in the Vestige, it was because Serah was a l'Cie and she was roaming the streets of the city for days before they found her."
Hope sighed. "At this rate, more innocent people will be killed." Then his mind flashed back to his mother, and all the other people on the purge train who had been sentenced to death simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The more time he had to think about it the more he wanted to blame the Sanctum on the entire mess, but doing so would mean that Snow was not at fault for what happened to his mother. That , he couldn't accept. That was the one thing preventing him from forgetting any hope for a future in Cocoon and just giving into his focus and destroying it. It scared him to think that if he shifted the blame to the Sanctum like it should, than all the anger he had been building toward Snow was for nothing.
"So, what do you think we should do from here?" Snow asked.
"What Lightning told me" he answered. "Blend in."
Snow nodded. "You got it."
The two of them found an opening when the army troops weren't looking and they slipped into the group of people that were held up on the streets. The troops weren't looking for anyone in particular, but rather just trying to keep a group of very paranoid people from lashing out. They kept their heads low hoping not to draw attention to themselves. Snow felt more comfortable than Hope. People didn't know he was a l'Cie, but Hope on the other hand had his face plastered all over the city.
They inched through the crowd of people moving further away from the center of the city and closer toward the residential district that Hope's house was located. It was hard moving through the streets when troops held guns pointed at them screaming things like "Shut up" or "Don't move" Snow had to resort to waiting until the troops looked away before slipping into an abandoned alleyway or empty shop on the streets and find another crowd to blend in with. The process was extremely tedious and slow moving. While Snow would have liked to stay with a single group as they were moved to a different location, they ran the risk of being noticed that way.
It was about time to switch to another cluster of people when a young voice cried out "Hey! Isn't that the boy who was on the television screen?" A little girl holding a plush version of the mythical Eidolon Carbuncle pointed at Hope.
The cluster of people went silent as they inspected Hope. "Holy Maker, it is him" another voice cried. Instantaneously, the cluster of people moved away from Hope, panic written all over their faces. "It's the l'Cie boy!" a woman screamed.
Snow knew that they were not in a good position. He needed to get Hope and find a way out of there or else the PSICOM troops would be all over them.
"This is PSICOM troop leader of section D. We have the l'Cie boy here. I repeat we have the l'Cie boy here. Bring back up just in case" a soldier cried into his communication unit.
"Well, so much for getting out of here before PSICOM found us" Snow thought to himself. Without thinking he grabbed Hope's arm and pulled him into the nearest alleyway between a bookstore and a coffee shop. Unfortunately he quickly found out that the alley he picked had a dead end. With a swift movement he placed himself between Hope and the growing crowd of both PSICOM troops civilians. While the troops held their guns ready to fire when given the command, the civilians had picked up random objects they had found in the streets or in store display's ranging from pipes, to shovels.
"If you protect the l'Cie then you are as vile as Pulse itself" a man cried to Snow. Disgust was written all over his face as he wondered how someone could possibly protect a l'Cie. The crowd advanced on them. Threats of "Kill the l'Cie" reverberated off the walls.
"Don't come any further" Snow warned.
The crowd ignored him as they advanced even closer.
"You asked for it" he said. He quickly yanked up the sleeve on his white overcoat to reveal his own l'Cie brand.
Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd. "Another l'Cie. How many of them are there?"
Snow didn't wait for them to react any more than their shocked gasps. He quickly used his magic and summoned a large shard of ice. As his brand began to pulse in a soft blue color the civilians hesitated and began to back away from the two l'Cie, for they believed cornered l'Cie were even more dangerous.
Snow kept adding to the ice shard following what Fang had taught him on the Calvary ship. "Build it up, until you're at the edge of control" she told him "then release it." Snow focused all of his energy into creating the large ice shard until it was nearly the size of Hope who was cowering behind him. In one swift movement he flicked his wrist and the shard of ice shot upward to an overhanging metal clump of pipes that connected the two storefronts.
The ice smashed into the pipes and they crumbled. The rubble piled between the two l'Cie and the hostile citizens and PSICOM troops. While the rubble only served as a small obstacle that could easily be climbed over, those wanting the l'Cie dead, hesitated.
"That was magic" a woman cried. "We don't stand a chance."
"If we stay here any longer, the l'Cie will kill us" another voice called.
Hope stepped forward. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "It's true we're l'Cie, but we didn't want this anymore than you do. I don't want to complete my focus, I just want to be left alone."
The crowd was silent as if taking in what he said. Could it be possible that a l'Cie had compassion like they were human? Certainly not, for the Sanctum always told them, that l'Cie were once human, but after being branded they were human no more for their mind was the possession of the fal'Cie that chose them.
"Stop them!" a voice cried. Several more troops had arrived. They rushed into the alleyway tossing aside innocent civilians like they were ragdolls. A few men came in on jet packs allowing them to float through the air.
Without a moment's hesitation Snow released his magic again sending a spear of ice into one of the men who danced above them. He crashed to the ground with a grunt. Thinking quickly, Snow yanked the jetpack off the soldier and threw it on his own back. He grabbed Hope and yelled "Hang on."
Hope felt his legs lift off the ground as a burst of green sparks flew from the pack that Snow was wearing. He gripped onto snow's arm with both hands as they hurdled upward at a speed that he thought shouldn't be possible for a simple army jet pack. He was sure he was feeling pain, but the adrenaline rush was covering up most of it. Mentally he added this event onto his list of things he survived when he really shouldn't have.
They burst through the cover of the buildings and into open space as they zigzagged randomly through the air. Surely PSICOM would be sending word of their escape and to be on the lookout for any suspicious movement through the air on a jetpack as Snow couldn't really control it. As they zoomed over clusters of buildings that stood further and further up the cliff Snow saw a decent spot to land. He managed to get the jetpack to take them closer to the ground but as he wasn't completely sure what he was doing he just let go of it when he felt that they could handle the drop.
Hope landed on his back and felt the air get knocked from his lungs. That's when the pain took action. It seeped into his bones and muscles as the adrenaline faded. Snow lay a few feet away on his side. He groaned. "That was not as graceful as I'd have liked it."
"Now what?" Hope asked as he slowly sat up trying to fight off a migraine that was forming behind his eyes. He looked around and saw they were lying in a massive sandbox at a playground. A playground that looked very familiar. They were at the playground his mother used to take him to all the time when he was younger. The playground that sat atop the cliff and was just blocks from his house.
"Phoenix's light is beginning to fade" Snow stated. "Darkness will be a good cover for us. How much further till we get to your place? This is the residential district right?"
Hope wasn't listening. Being here brought back too many painful memories. Memories of his mother and his father when they used to do things as a family, before his father got swept up in his job and never paid attention to his wife or son. Memories of his mother and how she'd push him on the swings or help him build a sand castle. Memories of her before Snow let her die to save himself. The anger boiled at the surface of his consciousness, and this time it was too strong to fight off. To hell with Snow! He needed to pay!
"Snow!" he yelled. "What is it you plan on doing?"
Snow looked at him oddly but said "I thought I told you already. Save Serah, protect Cocoon and have myself a big ole' happy family."
"Even if you're a l'Cie?"
"All the more reason to keep fighting for what I want." Snow replied as he looked at his brand. A tiny sliver of red peeked from the center. It was progressing.
"What if what you want gets other people….no…innocent people involved?" Hope asked.
"What are you saying?"
Hope pressed on. "What happens if you're actions to do what you want end up ruining someone else's life?"
"Hope I don't-" but Hope cut him off
"What if someone dies because of something you did? What then Snow? How do you pay?"
Snow was backing away from Hope. He was shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably as if remembering the Purge; replaying it all over in his head. "I can't!" he screamed. "There's nothing I can do to make something like that right again. When someone is dead, they're gone. There's nothing I can do or say to bring them back."
"So that's it!" Hope yelled. "You just say you can't fix it and run away?"
"What else can I do Hope? If what's got you all upset is what happened with the Purge then yes, it's my entire fault. I should have never gotten all those innocent people involved in parading around with me as I went to save Serah. I should have done it on my own and maybe they could have escaped. That's why I need to keep surviving. Until I can find the answer to your question."
Hope glared at Snow with distain. "There are no answers."
"What are you saying Hope?" Snow asked, his voice cracking.
"You deserve the same fate" he screamed as his mind flashed back one last time to the image that had been burned into his brain. The anger that had been boiling up within him finally exploded. A bring ring of light surrounded him as his brand began to glow. The light pulsed around him softly at first but grew more violently as it burst outward. The shockwave sent Snow flying through the air.
Snow was taken aback by Hope's tone of voice. He had never heard the kid speak like that and frankly he didn't believe that Hope had it in him to get that mad. Perhaps that's why Snow was overcome with shock when he felt his body lifted off the ground by the kid's magic. He flew over the railing of the observation deck of the playground that overlooked the city below. His fingers grasped wildly as he reached for something to grab on to.
His right hand grasped onto a pole of the railing. He dangled over the edge of the cliff as he looked helplessly into Hope's eyes. His feet tried to grasp onto something but found nothing but empty air.
Hope walked over to him as he pulled the pocket knife Lightning had given him out. Snow recognized it. It was the knife that he and Serah had picked out together to give to Lightning for her birthday after all. "Nora" is all Hope said.
"What?" Snow thought of his group of ragtag teenagers that always followed him around. They came up with the name NORA for their group.
"Nora Estheim" Hope continued. "She was my mother and she died because of you! You let her carry around that gun and you let her fall to her death."
Snow gasped. "You? You're the one she meant?" he asked as the memory of the elderly woman grasping his hand as she hung over the edge of the falling roadway came flooding back into his mind. She told Snow to find her son and take him home. He wanted to keep his word, but he had been so caught up in rescuing Serah that he completely forgot. He had no idea that her son was the boy he'd been traveling with all along.
"It's too late Snow. You killed her and now payment for it, is your own life." Snow screamed as he lifted the knife over his head.
There was a loud explosion. PSICOM had found them again and this time they weren't taking any chances of them escaping. They brought out a helicopter which shot at the playground behind them. The shockwave from the explosion knocked Hope off his feet as he tumbled forward and over the railing. Snow used his free arm to grab Hope as he tumbled downward. Hope had lost consciousness when his head hit the stone from the cliff. The dead weight was too much for Snow and he could feel his fingers slipping. Either he could drop Hope and save himself, or they would both fall to their deaths.
Snow closed his eyes and let go of the railing. The two of them plunged downward. He remembered grabbing Hope's body and hugging it close to his own to protect the kid. He did after all have a promise to keep to both Nora Estheim and Lightning. He vaguely remembered crashing through layers of glass and through thin rusted metal. The pain was so unbearable that he passed out anyway, not caring what happened to himself, but wishing that if he was going to die that the end would come sooner rather than later.