SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
"I'm not happy about leaving the kid on his own," Sazh said, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, but it's his choice." I said.
"Do you think we should've... made him come with us?" Vanille asked.
I shook my head.
"Nothing would have made him leave Serah behind. But I don't envy him when PSICOM show up."
"Hey, maybe they won't find him," Vanille said hopefully.
Sazh snorted. "He's a bit hard to miss. Guess all we can do is pray he makes it out okay."
"We'll be lucky if any of us manage that," I said.
Sazh started walking. "Come on, she'll leave us behind."
Lightning was indeed far ahead of us, with Hope trailing behind her.
As I hurried to catch up, I thought back to Snow's confrontation with her. She was grieving, certainly, but did she have to be so hard on Snow? I knew Lightning was a practical woman, that much was made obvious when she left Serah and Snow to their fate. Survival was the name of the game here, and staying on that ridge was not going to be good for our health.
But the thought of Snow, still working his way through the crystal, was not an image I could easily banish.
Thankfully, we encountered a large group of Terraquatics – small frog-like creatures that brought their prey down as a group – and the ensuing battle took my mind, if only briefly, off the quickly diminishing hope of survival.
"Hey, kid... Er, James," Sazh called to me.
I slowed so he could catch up, and matched my pace to his.
"Yeah?"
"You're PSICOM, right?"
I raised my eyebrows at him.
"I mean," he backtracked. "You know all their plans, and how they might try to catch us."
"Oh." It was true that my knowledge would probably prove helpful, if I anticipated the Sanctum's moves correctly.
I thought for a moment.
"First thing would be to set up a perimeter," I said, trying to view the matter from the enemy's point-of-view. "Then hit squads."
"Hit squads?"
I nodded. "PSICOM's got trackers. They'll be following our movements."
Sazh looked behind him, and I looked over my shoulder warily as well, just in case.
"The good news is that we won't leave footprints, and if we come across a stream..." I stopped, struck by the absurdity of my notion.
Sazh hadn't missed it either.
"Stream? The whole lake's turned to crystal!"
I turned away, abashed.
"Anyway," I continued my analysis, "It all depends on how far the Sanctum's willing to go to catch us. There hasn't been an incident like this for centuries, they might mobilise the entire army against us."
"How do we fight an entire army?" Sazh asked, hanging his head.
I shrugged.
"Don't worry!" Vanille skipped over to us. "They have to catch us first!" Then she skipped ahead, humming a cheerful tune.
I scratched my head as she departed.
"I don't get it," I said.
Sazh chuckled. "I don't either."
We came across a large chasm in the crystal, with a large, black tube stretching across the gap.
"Seriously?" I said to Lightning, who agilely jumped onto the tube and began to cross.
Vanille went next, hopping onto the tube.
I grumbled, tried not to look down, failed, and stepped onto the tube.
It wasn't as hard as it looked; the tube was wide enough that I was able to walk across easily.
"Okay, do not shake the slippery tube," Sazh said loudly from behind me. "We cool on this? Do not shake the slippery tube!"
"It's only scary if you look down!" Vanille cried back to him. "You should close your eyes!"
"Yeah, because that will definitely make this easier!" I called to her, her laughter being the only response I got.
I stepped off the tube with immense relief, only to see Lightning already moving.
"She's a machine," I muttered to Sazh, who nodded, smiling.
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound above me, and I looked up, only to have a small chip of crystal hit me in the face.
"Ow- okay, I'm in pain," I said, rubbing my head.
I turned, blushing furiously, and saw Sazh trying unsuccessfully to stop laughing, Vanille was giggling to herself with her hands over her mouth. Hope was grinning. Even Lightning cracked a smile.
"Not funny," I growled, gnashing my teeth.
That didn't stop them from laughing, though. The four of them turned abruptly, but I could still hear Sazh sniggering quietly.
I knelt down and picked up the shard of crystal, turning it over in my hands. It shone brightly, all blue and pink.
Focussing, I drew out the magic energy that pulsed within me, feeling it spiral from the brand on my shoulder to the tips of my fingers, gathering in my palm.
I concentrated, willing the magic into the form I wanted, and the crystal shot into the air, propelled by a gust of wind that had emanated from my palm.
I grinned, struck by a sudden idea.
"Hey, guys." I hurried after them, still clutching the rock.
"Check this out," I said when I reached them.
The four of them turned, looking interested, except Lightning, who sighed.
"I know we need to get moving," I said to her reassuringly, "but I just want to see if this works."
I concentrated again, willing the magic to remain under my control. The crystal shuddered, then rose a few inches, hovering in the air above my palm.
"What is that, telekinesis?" Sazh asked, sweeping his arm under the rock.
"Nope, just basic wind magic," I explained. I willed the magic to surround the rock, enclosing it in a ball of air, and then directing that ball around my head.
"Let me try it with something bigger," I said.
I let the magic go and the rock fell to the ground. I extended my blades, gave one to Sazh to hold, and then tried to repeat the action with the one I was still holding.
It was easy to get the magic flowing, but when I tried to wrap it around the blade, as I had with the crystal shard, the blade was suddenly sent flying.
"Whoa!" I cried out, jumping backwards as the blade flew passed me.
The blade buried itself in the wall of crystal, quivering from the impact.
"Let's not try that again," Sazh said, handing me back the blade.
I nodded, wide-eyed, and wrenched the other blade from the crystal, reverting it back into its rifle from and holstering the weapon.
"If I can keep control of it..." I mused to the others, who had started walking again.
Images of my blades swirling around me, dealing instant death to any enemy, filled my mind, my companions faces watching in awe and adoration. Lightning's face stood out particularly clearly...
"Still couldn't talk to him?" Vanille's voice roused me from my reverie, and I concentrated on the task at hand.
"You'll never get past this if you don't say something," The orange-haired girl was addressing Hope, who was looking forlornly at his shoes.
"Words won't change anything," Hope said. "But next time we meet, he'll learn exactly how I feel."
I puzzled over the exchange briefly, before deciding that whatever they were talking about they would share with us when they were ready.
Ahead of us was a long, wide bridge, and at the end of it was a wall of crystal, blocking our path.
"Dead end," I said to Lightning, who stared at the crystal, as if she could shatter it with her gaze. It occurred to me that given enough time, she probably could.
"Hey!" I turned at Vanille's voice.
She was waving her arms and pointing at the wreckage of one of the Sanctum's warships.
Lightning and I went up to examine it.
"I don't think it's gonna work," I said after a quick look at its dented and cracked exterior.
"That will," Lightning said, indicating the attached gun with her gunblade.
As I watched, Lightning climbed up to the gun and swiped at it with her blade. The contact caused the gun to fire, and the wall of crystal came crashing down.
"Nice work," I complimented her as she rejoined us. She merely nodded.
I looked up at the warship again.
"How convenient," I muttered to myself, thinking that we were due for some good luck.
We crossed the bridge and went through a long crystal corridor which opened up onto a wide expanse of frozen waves.
In the centre was a giant mechanical behemoth, with huge claws and sharp teeth. Its armor was green, and there were two long tendrils writhing from the base of its head.
"Just once," I said, drawing my blades as the others prepared for battle. "Just once I'd like to find an enemy-free area."
"It's good experience, though," Vanille said.
I shook my head and sprung, dodging underneath a lethal swipe of the Behemoth's muscled foreleg. I carved a deep cut into its vulnerable belly and rolled away before it could attack me again.
As Vanille and Sazh began to attack it with magic, Lightning dashed forward and lunged. The Behemoth moved surprisingly fast and dodged sideways, so the blade that Lightning intended to impale into the beast's head instead pierced its large shoulder.
Lightning wasn't fazed. She withdrew the blade and launched herself over the Behemoth, dragging her blade across the Behemoth's back.
The Behemoth roared and I slashed wildly, quickly imparting a series of cuts into its right foreleg and side.
The Behemoth began to retreat, limping on its injured leg, but Sazh fuelled his twin pistols with magic energy, and a series of fire-enhanced bullets flew into the beast's head, and it slumped to the ground, a mass of flesh and machinery wiped out by fire.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this whole magic thing," Sazh said as he holstered his pistols.
"Good," Lightning said, sheathing her own weapon. "We'll need to be stronger if we want to make it out of here in one piece."
"Doesn't mean I'll be happy the next time we see a room-full of enemies," I grumbled to her.
She looked at me for a moment, a frown on her face, then turned and moved on.
"Strong, silent type, huh?" I said.
"Hardly. I just don't think now is a good time for meaningful conversation," She replied.
"What about non-meaningful conversation?" I asked, trying to keep my tone serious.
She tsked. "You remind me of Snow."
I got the distinct impression that that was a bad thing.
"Sorry," I said.
"It's okay, just don't get the idea that we're all best friends because we're stuck in the same situation."
I grabbed her arm, insulted by her lack of faith and her false belief that she was the only one who could handle what was happening.
"Hey," I said quietly, "Like it or not, we are stuck in this situation, and we're all you've got."
She wrenched her arm out if mine and looked at me.
"We need you, Lightning," I said fiercely. "I can't lead them by myself."
"Who says you could lead them anyway?" She said, her eyebrows raised.
I stumbled for a moment. It was the soldier rearing his head again. In all the years I served as PSICOM, I was the leader. It was a position that was always given to me, especially as the years went by and I was placed in charge of newer recruits.
I had assumed it would be the same now, but it was Lightning who was leading our party, not me.
"We're all following you," I conceded. "And now is not the time to go all lone-wolf on us."
"I never intended to! I'm trying to get all of us out alive!"
I blinked.
"Well-"
"My point was that you shouldn't start treating everyone like we're friends. Any one of us could die, at any moment."
The soldier agreed with her. Getting attached could be fatal in a situation where compassion was weakness. I tried to argue against that, but it was a truth I couldn't escape, just like I couldn't escape the soldier.
"Let's keep going," She said after I didn't respond.
"What's going on?" Sazh asked from behind me. The others had finally caught up.
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just a little meaningful conversation."
"You know, she's just as scared as we are," Sazh said wisely.
I looked at Lightning's back.
"She doesn't act like it." I said.
"Neither do you."
I looked at Sazh.
"Soldier's aren't supposed to get scared, but they are," He said.
"Are you scared?" I asked him.
"Course," Sazh said, as if it were obvious.
"Me too."
He followed after Lightning, leaving me to ponder his words.
The sound of ships rent the air, and I instinctively ducked. Ahead of me, Lightning and Sazh were lying prone on the edge of the cliff, peering at something in the valley below. I hurried over to them and followed their gaze, crouching down.
In the centre of a mass of PSICOM soldiers was a gigantic battleship, surrounded by smaller warships and cruisers.
"Look at that," Sazh said. "They're sending in cruisers. Primarch must be sweating bullets, mobilizing ships like that."
"They must be hunting down Purge survivors," Sazh said once Vanille and Hope had joined us.
"I hope everyone made it out okay," Vanille said.
"So do I," Sazh replied. "But nowhere is safe for them now. Damn it!" He hung his head. "Just 'cause they shared a neighbourhood with a fal'Cie... They get treated like Pulse-tainted rats."
"People really hate Pulse, don't they?" Vanille asked quietly.
"Not hate..." Sazh pulled himself into a kneeling position. "More like fear. Tens of millions of people all scared of Pulse boogeymen. They'd be shaking in their beds every night if they knew that l'Cie like us were around."
"But... they Purged that entire town!" Vanille cried.
"It's crazy, I know. But the Sanctum fal'Cie did nothing to stop it." Sazh's voice took on a depressed tone. "Up until now, Eden's always stepped in to correct their errors in judgement. Guess humans aren't worth the effort." He sighed. "Figure they'll let us just kill each other off."
Behind me, Hope stood.
"L'Cie are not human," He said.
Vanille also got to her feet and rounded on Hope. "Listen you, that's enough!" she said forcefully, grabbing his wrist. She stopped when she looked at the mark on Hope's wrist, and let him go, taking a few steps away from us.
"We're still alive," she said, trying to recapture her cheerfulness. "That's something."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and I braced myself.
"What-"
"Where is it?"
"I don't know-"
The five of us looked around, trying to determine the source of the earthquake.
"There!" Lightning looked up, and I followed suit as several cruisers soared passed us.
"They're sealing off the area," Lightning said, "They're trying to trap the stragglers." She turned to us. "We've got to get moving before we're caught in the net.
I got to my feet.
"It won't take them long to set up a perimeter and surround us," I said. "We've got to move fast."
We moved much more quickly now, and it wasn't long till we started seeing PSICOM soldier's patrolling the area. We avoided those where we could. It was too much to hope that a battle wouldn't attract others.
We also began to encounter watchdrones (mechanical scouting devices that floated in mid-air and pummelled enemies with the end of their triangular bodies, which ended with a sharp point and generated electricity) and velocycles (hovering motorcycles programmed to kill enemies using gun turrets and missile launchers attached to the front).
"Do you even know where you're going?" I called to Lightning as we climbed higher, leaping from ledge to ledge.
"Lake Bresha was surrounded by towns before the War of Transgression; I think the closest one is that way." She replied, pointing in the distance.
"What?" I cried incredulously. "That will be crawling with soldiers!"
"Exactly." She turned to me, a smile on her face. "It's also where they'll keep the ships. We can hijack one and get out of here."
"And go where?"
She didn't answer. If she had a destination in mind, which I doubted, she wasn't going to share it.
As we moved closer to what was left of the towns, more debris appeared in our path, sometimes even blocking routes and forcing us to detour around them. Most of these detours put us within range of the soldiers.
"How much further?" Sazh called, clambering breathlessly up yet another cliff.
"Can't be far, now," I answered. "Please let there be food on the ship." I pleaded under my breath.
We ran along another cliff, and Vanille hurried ahead, exclaiming at the view. It was admittedly far better than anything else I had seen today, and at higher ground like this, there were no waves obstructing our view.
Everything in sight had been turned to crystal.
"The whole place is crystal!" Vanille exclaimed.
Sazh walked up to her, looking out at the crystal expanse.
"I wonder what it would be like," He mused. "To become a crystal, I mean."
Vanille turned to him. "You're gonna complete your Focus?"
Sazh shrugged. "Maybe, if I knew what it was. I probably don't want to know."
The rest of us were silent, all thinking the same thing: What if Snow was wrong?
"Hey, Lightning," Vanille started. "Did Serah say anything to you about her Focus?"
Lightning sighed and placed a hand to her chest.
"Nothing," She said softly.
"Oh, you know what?" Vanille dashed in front of Lightning's grief-filled face. "She probably didn't want to worry you."
"Or she just... didn't think she could trust me," Lightning said, turning away from us.
It dawned on me how hard this must be for Lightning, having to deal with the loss of her sister, Snow's insensitive belief that she could be saved, and the unknown destiny that faced her – that faced all of us... how does one cope?
We walked in silence for a while, Lightning leading, and Hope trailing behind.
We finally emerged from a cavern to see the remains of the town, if you could call it that. All that was left was a gate, and some archways that was surrounded by ruins.
"Whoa," I said, peering around me at the crumbling pillars and walls.
"This place must have looked real nice in it's hey-day," Sazh said.
I nodded.
"Let's go!" Lightning called.
"I guess sightseeing isn't high on her list of priorities," I said to Sazh, who grinned, but moved on.
Just like I guessed, the ruins were filled with soldiers, and a few bioweapons. There was even a Behemoth that we managed to skirt around undetected.
"Even the flames turned to crystal," Sazh said, indicating a cluster of red crystals that clearly used to be fire. "This is ridiculous."
I tapped the crystal and chuckled, amused.
We came across a large group of PSICOM soldiers, headed by one of the elites. The elite was much taller than the rest, largely thanks to the uniform, which was almost regal in design.
"Those'll be our cold-blooded beasts, I take it," Sazh muttered, looking at the soldiers. "They use some sort of devices for their magic. I don't think it's the same as the l'Cie stuff."
"It's not," I told him. "PSICOM uses manadrives to create magic, similar to AMP technology. But it's not as strong as l'Cie magic."
"Good to know," Lightning said. "That'll give us an advantage."
I gave her points for practicality.
There was an old corridor that was barricaded by fallen debris, but there seemed to be enough space for us to get through, and we emerged on the other side dusting down our clothes and wiping grime from our faces.
"Here," Vanille said, approaching me. I had a cut on my right forearm, and she used a quick healing spell to seal it.
"Thanks," I said, rubbing the unmarked skin.
"No worries," She said, and bounced off.
How could she be so optimistic? To me, our situation was all but hopeless, and we were just postponing the inevitable. Even if we did escape the Sanctum's net, it was either complete our Focus – whatever that was – and turn to crystal, or become a Cie'th. Either way, there didn't seem to be many bright spots on the horizon.
We approached a set of stairs, and began to climb, a chill creeping in the air.
"Something's making the hairs on my neck stand up," Sazh said.
"You've got to stop worrying, Sazh!" Vanille said exasperatedly.
"No, I'm getting the 'something bad's gonna happen' vibe, too," I said, placing a hand on my weapon.
"We outran 'em," Vanille tried to console me. "We'll be okay now."
The stairs opened into a large square space with arches surrounding three sides, and the stairs behind us. Crystal fire decorated the entire area.
Vanille was staring around the place in wonder, gasping audibly and running this way and that, examining everything she found and gasping louder still.
"Stay close," Lightning warned, but Vanille ran ahead.
"I want to look around," She shouted back to us.
Lightning sighed, an annoyed look on her face.
She turned to me, and was about to say something when Vanille's scream of terror made us all look in her direction.
She was running towards us, and behind her was a bioweapon. A bioweapon that was flying, swooping towards the ground in an attempt to get to Vanille, who dodged out of the way, causing the creature to crash into the wall.
But the collision did nothing to stop it. It roared, and flew towards us.
I recognised the bioweapon, it was a Garuda Interceptor, and it was one of the military's most dangerous bioweapons.
Vanille ran behind Sazh, who stood in front of her, his pistols already drawn. Beside me, Lightning was in a half-crouch, ready to launch herself at the creature. I drew my own weapon.
"Still think coming here was a good idea?" I asked over the flapping of wings.
She responded by running swiftly towards it, sidestepping as the Interceptor lunged forward with it's neck, snapping it jaws. Lightning dodged and swung, cutting open the Interceptor.
Sazh was already firing his pistols, leaving a trail of bullet-holes in the Interceptor's wing.
I dashed at it, recognising the taint of l'Cie magic as the monster suddenly collapsed, unable to lift its wings. Behind me, Vanille was trying to sabotage the creature, her magic slowing it.
As I brought my blades down, the creature swept its neck, knocking me over. I grunted as I hit the floor, but was on my feet almost instantly. Vanille's spell had worn off, and the bioweapon was in the air again. I jumped, my blades pointing away from me, at its wing, and I cut through the thin membrane. The Interceptor sank to its side and I impaled both blades into it.
As I withdrew the blades, I saw Lightning slash at it, then flip away, her gunblade in its ranged form and spewing bullets. The Interceptor roared in agony, and swung its uninjured wing at me. I tried to flip over it, but the wing was much too big to be avoided. As I crashed to the floor, I suffered a moment of confusion. I felt the impact, but it barely winded me, and it took me a moment to understand what had happened. On the other side of the battleground, Hope had cast a protection spell that had shielded me from most of the damage.
As I prepared for another blow, the Interceptor turned and flew back, crashing through fiery crystal and crumbling ruin alike into another area.
"It's charging up," Lightning said as the Interceptor spread its wings and began to glow.
"Charging? What are you talking about? Charging for what?" Sazh cried, suddenly uncertain as to his next move.
A white light began to surround the Interceptor, electricity crackling in the air around it.
"Its last moments," Lightning said determinedly, and she rushed forward.
I was right behind her. The Interceptor had a final attack to perform when it was reaching the end of its life, and the attack would probably kill us unless we finished it first.
Lightning ran, faster than I could ever have believed. She was the first to reach the Interceptor, and then she jumped, as high as she could, just as the light collected into the centre of the bioweapon's mouth. It opened its jaws wide and flew higher. Lightning wasn't going to make it. I knew she would be right at the centre of the energy beam, a beam that would end our journey before it had really begun.
Still running, I dropped my blades and held out my hands in front of me, palms open. The energy burst from them, a mighty gust of wind that propelled Lightning towards the Interceptor, and she brought down her gunblade.
The light vanished, the wings drooped, and Lightning wrenched her blade from the Interceptor's mouth, dropping lightly on the ground as the Interceptor collapsed, shaking the ground when it hit it.
Panting, I retrieved my weapon and holstered it.
"That was too close," I said to Light.
She nodded.
"That was some quick thinking, kid," Sazh said, clapping me on the back.
"Lucky break," I replied, grinning and rubbing my back. The exertion from the battle had left my entire body aching.
"Let's not get into any more fights for a while, ok," I said to the group at large.
Vanille giggled, then pointed behind us.
"Check it out!"
We turned.
There, at the edge of the ruin, was a lone cruiser, still in good condition despite the battle that had occurred around it.
"Come on," Sazh commanded, approaching the cruiser. "Hop to it, let's go!"
"Can you fly it?" I asked, praying that he could... and that he couldn't.
"Yeah, I used to be an airship pilot, before this whole mess," He said.
"Too bad," I muttered.
He looked at me, brow furrowed.
"What's wrong, kid? Scared?" He said the last word sarcastically, like it was a joke, but I turned a pain-filled expression on him and he faltered.
"Seriously? Big, tough soldier like you is scared of heights?"
"It's not so much the heights, I can handle the heights. It's the whole, let's-all-get-on-a-machine-that-could-crash-and-send-us-all-to-our-feiry-deaths kind of thing." I said this very fast.
"If you want to survive, then you'll get on the ship," Lightning said in an amused voice.
"Fear of flying is a very common phobia," I said defensively.
"It's not for a soldier."
I groaned. "Let's just go," I said, willing my feet to board the ship.
"This'll make things easier!" Vanille said, clapping her hands together.
"Yeah, knowing our luck, it's probably missing and engine."
"Really?" I asked hopefully.
"You shouldn't be so negative," She said to us.
"And you shouldn't get your hopes up," Sazh said dismissively.
I let the others on first, but Lightning placed a hand on my back and pushed me up the boarding ramp.
As the ramp closed, I thought I heard the fluttering of wings.
I hacked at the base of Serah's crystal, trying desperately to get her free. For hours, I had been trying, sweat beading on my forehead and soaking my bandanna with my exertion.
Cruisers flew above me, and I knew my time was up, but I kept at it.
"Sweep team to base. L'Cie spotted. I repeat, l'Cie spotted." The cruisers were back, and they were reporting my location. Soon, they would be here.
"Pulse l'Cie. Confirmed."
My breathing became heavier, and I stood up.
There were three cruisers floating above me, spotlights dancing around my position.
"You gonna lend me a hand, or what?" I yelled at them, still holding my substitute ice-pick.
Soldiers fell to the ground, landing safely thanks to their grav-con units. They weren't PSICOM, they were Guardian Corps.
"Commencing cleanup protocol."
The soldiers had their guns trained on me.
"Cleanup?" I said, gripping the crude bar in front of me. "Let me help!"
I drew my arm back, and hurled the bar with as much force as I could muster. It flew, colliding with several soldiers and sending them sprawling to the ground.
I jumped down, got a running start, and leaped, straight onto one of the soldiers, the force felling him instantly.
I always knew it would come to this. I stood and settled into a fighting stance as the soldiers started firing.
I ran sideways, the bullets leaving a trail behind me. I fired several fireballs as I ran around them, seeing with satisfaction the soldier's sink to the ground as my magic hit them.
I changed direction, and charged the nearest one, leaping into the air and landing with a mighty blow that knocked him unconscious. Another ran out of ammo, and he raised his gun, as if intending to hit me with it, and rushed me. I stepped to the side and held out my arm, clotheslining him. The impact was jarring, and the soldier hit the ground hard.
More guns were aimed at me, and I quickly enveloped myself in a shield of magic that the bullets couldn't penetrate. As soon as they were out of ammo and began to reload, I let the magic go and rushed them, one after the other, a flurry of fists. As soon as the last one was dispatched, I stumbled, trying catch my breath which came in ragged gasps.
More troops landed around me, but I couldn't go on. I collapsed, barely able to hold myself up. Behind me, Serah was still encased in crystal. I would never get her out, or join her...
The brand on my forearm began to burn, and I gasped. The l'Cie mark was glowing again, and the soldiers were retreating as superstition settled in.
A blue ball of light appeared in front of me, decorated with intricate patterns. I pulled myself into a kneeling position.
The ball exploded, and two women – were they women? - appeared, circling each other and descending towards me. They looked like a combination of a vehicle and a person, their hair solidifying and curling back around a large wheel. Their legs were pipes, like those found on vehicles or motorcycles.
The soldiers were as surprised as I was when the wheels suddenly span away from the two women and hurtled towards the soldiers, knocking them down in a whirlwind formed by the wheels. Once the soldiers were still, the wheels sped back to their owners. One of the wheels settling back underneath one of the women's hair, and the other coming to rest in the grasp of the other woman.
"What's happening?" I muttered.
The two women turned to me, and I knew they were going to attack.
I did the only thing I could as one moved towards me. I set up a magical guard and waited. One of them stayed back, while the other tried to penetrate my shield with her wheel, which span with increasing speed against the shield. I could sense their approval as I stood there protecting myself. There was a connection between me and these mysterious beings, why they were here, I didn't know, but I knew that if I could defend myself for long enough, they would surrender.
With each attack, the connection grew stronger, and I let the shield dissipate every few moments to hurl a magic attack their way, which strengthened the connection even more.
As the wheel tried again to push through my defence, leaving a trail of ice against the invisible shield, I felt the connection reach its peak. I felt their approval, and their resolve. A word, unbidden, escaped my lips.
"Shiva!"
As if on command, the two women flew into the air and curled around each other, shifting and changing, becoming more machine than woman. They intertwined themselves around each other, until a motorcycle landed on the ground before me, as much alive as I was.
Then the motorcycle disappeared, and I felt the connection I shared bond with me through the l'Cie brand. It burned white hot and I clawed at it, waiting for the pain to fade.
I collapsed when the pain became too much, and then it started to pass. I stayed on the ground until the brand was back to normal, and heard footsteps.
"The Twin Sisters."
A woman's voice, with a strange accent, pierced my ears.
"I've got to hand it to you for taking 'em down, but don't gloat just yet," The woman said. "Might come a time you wish you'd let 'em end it, and made things easy."
I struggled to my feet to be greeted by the sight of a woman dressed in a blue robe, with black hair and wielding a long, red spear that was pointed at me.
"More of you, huh? I said weakly in an attempt at bravado.
More soldiers surrounded me, and she addressed one that wasn't wearing a helmet. He had long brown hair that fell to his shoulders, and he held his gun against his shoulder.
"He's a l'Cie. Take him," She commanded the soldier.
He pointed his gun at me.
"Back off!" I snarled.
The woman lowered her spear and walked up to me.
"You want to keep breathing?" She lowered herself to my level and cupped my chin in her hand. "Shut up and come quiet."
I flinched away, and she swung her hand, the side of her palm colliding with my neck.
Then everything went black.
I awoke propped up between two soldiers, and the first thing I saw was Serah's crystal being transported onto a cruiser that had landed in front of me.
"Serah." I called her dazedly, still a little out of it. "Serah!" I said again, louder.
A soldier approached me, gun aimed at my chest.
"Shut it!" He said.
I glared at him, but kept quiet.
The woman who had apprehended me came closer and put a hand on the soldier's gun.
"Stand down," she commanded. She pointed towards the ship, and the two holding me upright began to carry me to the ramp.
I didn't take my eyes off the woman, and then I saw it.
On her shoulder was the mark of a l'Cie, but it was burnt and scarred, its progress halted.
"You too? Why are you helping them?" I demanded of her.
"If I were you I'd worry about myself," she said.
I buckled up, double checking that the straps were completely secure. Why did we have to fly away?
I felt the ship start to rumble and shake and pressed my eyes closed tight, gripping the arms of my seat behind Vanille.
I could hear my companions begin to yell, and I opened my eyes for the briefest second.
It was a second too long.
We were entering a long, dark tunnel that lead upwards, and behind us were about a dozen PSICOM warships.
Spotlights from above illuminated the tunnel, and I could barely make out a squad of ships surrounding the outer edges of the tunnel's exit.
"Please don't crash, please don't crash, please don't crash!" I repeated to myself, praying to any higher power that might be out there.
They fired.
Yellow beams flashed around us, and the ship rocked around the tunnel.
"Aww, no!" Sazh yelled.
"Give me that!" Lightning leant forward from her seat and grabbed the wheel.
The ship shook even more as the gun on its underside fired upwards. An explosion rent the air and we sped out of the tunnel.
"Did we get 'em?" Vanille asked.
More shots sounded around us, piercing the sky.
"We got one of them," Lightning said.
"They're still behind us!" Hope screamed in the seat next to me.
Then I completely lost my head.
"We're dead!" I yelled, clawing at the back of Vanille's seat. "We're gonna die, I knew it! This was a bad idea, a very bad idea!"
Lightning was still competing with Sazh for the controls.
"Stop that!" he said, trying to shove Lightning's hand away and piloting the ship around several close buildings that did nothing for my nerves.
"You want to die?" he shouted, pushing Lightning back into her seat.
"NO!" I screamed.
We entered a trench with walls that grew more narrow as we progressed, the warships still firing at us.
"How are you gonna lose 'em?" Hope asked desperately.
"You got me, kid," Sazh said.
"What?" I yelled at him.
"Then let me," Lightning demanded from her seat in front of Hope.
"No, thank you!" Sazh shouted back at her.
I could see light now, we were approaching the end of the trench.
"We're not gonna make it!" I shouted.
"We'll make it!" Sazh yelled at me.
We made it. We burst from the trench and into the blinding light. Clouds were everywhere, and the sky was all we could see. It was hard to believe something so peaceful could still exist.
There was a giant white ship in the sky, but more shots echoing around us forced me to focus on more important things.
"They're still on us?" Sazh shouted, amazed.
The ship was suddenly rocked, hard, and I lurched sideways, my shoulder colliding painfully with the window.
"We're taking hits!" Sazh shouted.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" I yelled, rubbing my shoulder.
We flew into a long river surrounded by walls of rock, the ship going so close to the water that sprays of liquid hit the window.
"You know, if we were in any other situation I might think this was cool!" I shouted irritably.
"Come on, give me a break!" Sazh yelled.
The walls of rock narrowed, and as we passed under a layer of rock, Sazh shot at it, causing it to fall.
I held my breath as we passed, but the rock collapsed behind us, and I heard the distinct sound of a ship exploding.
"Did we lose 'em?" I asked as we flew upwards into the air again.
"For now," Sazh said, then he bashed his fist onto the control panel.
"Okay," I said dramatically. "I need everyone to start looking for food."
It took about two seconds before Sazh tossed me several bars of food designed for flight troopers. The type that contained all the nutrients and only barely sated your hunger.
"These will have to do for now. Thanks," I said, tearing one open.
"If we ever get into a town," I said between bites. "I am going to a restaurant. And a clothing store." I tacked on as an afterthought.
"Probably a good idea," Lightning said. "That's if PSICOM hasn't put the word out telling cities to look out for us."
I crossed my fingers and held them up. "Here's hoping."
I slumped back in my chair as a hologram appeared in front of me. It was a display of the news channel.
"Next, an update on the status of the Purge. Just moments ago, the Sanctum announced the successful conclusion of the Purge, along with the safe arrival of the Cocoon migrants to their new homes on Pulse.
The display showed an attractive blonde newsreader and an image of the Pulse vestige in Bodhum.
The hologram switched to a shot of the Primarch, an elderly man dressed in white robes and a headdress speaking.
"Yes, that is correct. There's no denying the enormity of the strain the Purge placed on us all. But, given the tens of millions of lives at stake, there truly was no alternative."
The display flashed back to the news desk, where a different newsreader, a man, was pointing at the still image of the Primarch on the screen.
"Primarch Dysley stood by the move, stressing the necessity of the relocation. When asked about the possibility of future Purges, the Primarch remained noncommittal, stating only that he'd seek counsel with the fal'Cie Eden and weigh all options before making a decision."
"Yeah, that's right," Sazh said. "If it makes the Sanctum look bad, it never even happened."
On the screen, Dysley was speaking again.
"In all the centuries since the War of Transgression, Cocoon has been spared Pulse aggression, and prospered for it. It is essential that we maintain this peace. That is the Sanctum's focus. We will continue employing every resource available to combat these threats to the harmony of our society."
"Meaning, we'll be running for the rest of our lives," Sazh said.
"Hey," Vanille asked. "Umm, who is this guy?" She pointed at the screen.
Sazh sighed and hung his head, and I suppressed a smile.
"I mean, what do they teach kids these days?" Sazh wondered aloud. "He's Galenth Dysley. The Sanctum Primarch. Murderer-in-chief."
"Just another tool of the fal'Cie," Lightning muttered.
"According to our insta-poll, nearly ninety percent of Cocoon citizens agree with the Sanctum's handling of the Purge. Seventy percent of respondents said they would also support additional Purges were the need to arise."
Sazh sighed in disgust. "Let's Purge everybody. That'll fix it!" he said.
Suddenly, red lights flashed around the interior of the ship and an alarm went off, beeping continuously.
"Points for perseverance," Sazh said as more ships gained on us, appearing from nowhere.
The chocobo chick squeaked from its nest.
A bright light pierced the windshield, and I covered my eyes.
We hurtled through a torrent of clouds to see a bright orange light hanging in the sky.
"Wow!" Vanille said.
A Sanctum fal'Cie up close and personal," Sazh explained. "Cocoon's own light in the sky."
The fal'Cie was all whirling machinery on top, and glowing light underneath, shining on the populace below.
The ship lurched again as we took another hit.
"Here we go again," Sazh said.
I groaned loudly. Why did this always happen?
"Fly in!" Lightning commanded, and Sazh steered the ship into the fal'Cie's light. "We'll lose them in there."
The ship looped and circled, avoiding the particles of heat and light that flashed around us.
"They're still on us!" I cried, only to peer out the window and see one of the warships explode as it hit one of the beams of light emanating from the fal'Cie.
"I like this fal'Cie," Sazh yelled approvingly.
"There's more of 'em!" Vanille shouted.
"Oh, come on!" I said loudly.
Suddenly, the ship was hit again, and it veered sideways. I could see a line of flames trailing from the end of the ship.
"Oh no!" I shouted, drawing out the words. "This is why I don't like flying!"
We plummeted downwards. I could see the ground rush up to meet us.
"Oh, crap!" I joined the throng of screaming voices as I saw the windshield crash into the ground.
Then I saw nothing.