RIDE THE LIGHTNING

LIGHTNING

My steps were measured, controlled, underlying the new sense of purpose I had found. With a clear, definitive goal in mind, I broke away from the others. The sound of shouting was quickly drowned out as I walked on. Whatever their quarrel, I wasn't a part of it.

I knew that from the Vile Peaks, the quickest way to Eden was through the Gapra Whitewood, east of my position.

"Lightning!" A voice called to me from behind, and I was quick to recognise James' voice.

If it weren't for the extra pair of footsteps I detected, I wouldn't have stopped, knowing full well that James would be able to keep pace.

"Wait for us!"

I turned as James approached, a smile on his face. Surprisingly, Hope was behind him. I waited impatiently for the boy to catch his breath.

"We're going with you, Lightning," James said.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Both of you?" I asked. Hope's presence would be a liability that I didn't need.

The two of them nodded, Hope panting, James looking determined.

I sighed. I had planned for this to be a solo mission, but in truth, James' company would make my fight easier. Hope on the other hand...

"I can't babysit you anymore," I told the boy.

"I can fight. I'm not afraid," Hope said fiercely.

James was quick to defend his young companion.

"He can help," James said. "Get him in the field some more, toughen him up... he'll do okay."

I looked at the pair of them. I had a feeling that neither would just let me leave them here.

I noticed James' head snap up, over my shoulder, and I whipped around.

A group of PSICOM soldiers converged on us.

"Friends of yours?" I asked James, drawing my gunblade.

James laughed.

"I don't remember writing any invitations," He said. His teeth were bared in a snarl at the soldiers.

One of the soldiers raised his hand, a small device enclosed within his fist.

"Get down!" James yelled suddenly, pushing Hope forward as they both dived to the ground. I mirrored their movements immediately just as an explosion rocked the ground.

There was a flash of light and the sound of metal collapsing close behind us.

The soldiers raised their rifles, intending to fire at us while we were down.

I didn't hesitate – I rolled sideways as a line of bullets sprayed into the ground beside me. I came up firing, bullets spewing from my retracted gunblade.

The soldiers sprang for cover, and I rushed in, my gunblade extending. I leaped over a rock behind which a soldier was crouching and slashed at him in mid-air, blood spurting from a gaping wound in his chest. I landed, sliding a bit on my boots as James impaled both blades into another, then placing his foot on the corpse's chest and shoving it forward. The blades slid out with a squelch, and the corpse collapsed onto another soldier, who fell under its weight.

I turned and dashed towards another soldier, zigzagging between bursts of gunfire. The soldier stumbled backwards once I reached him, but I quickly delivered a powerful kick to his mid-section, sending him flying where he crashed, head-first, into the rock wall.

There were two soldiers remaining, and I raced forward, striking one over the head with the hilt of my blade, and spinning around to slash at the other, who fell instantly. I turned back, intending to finish the final soldier, but before I could attack, a large fireball collided with the soldier, and he collapsed to the ground, his body alight. I turned to see Hope, his arm outstretched, a look of disgust and horror on his face, which probably had something to do with the fact that the soldier was still alive, screaming wildly and rolling back and forth. I quickly put him out of his agony.

James walked calmly over to Hope.

"Nice work, kid," He said bracingly, winking at me. I shook my head.

"Not bad," I said to Hope, catching James' hint.

"Really?" Hope looked up at me, a glint in his eyes. "Thanks."

I nodded, and tried not to notice James beaming at me.

"Come on," Hope said, walking ahead of me and James. Probably trying to prove how tough he is.

"There will be more soldiers. We should keep moving," The boy said.

"Let's go then," James said, taking the lead, but I stayed put. I recalled Hope's expression as he watched the burning soldier.

"Lightning?" I heard James ask, concern in his voice.

"Are you worried about the others?" Hope asked. "I'm sure they got away okay."

I turned to him.

"So can you, if you leave now," I said to him, ignoring James' accusing look. "With me, it'll be fight after fight. I don't know how it'll end. It's anybody's guess."

Hope hung his head.

"I know that. But – I need to be stronger."

"Lightning, let him stay," James said.

"Lightning?" Hope said.

I looked at them both. If this was the way it had to be, so be it.

"Call me Light," I told them.

James grinned at me.

"What's the plan from here?" Hope asked.

"Through the Gapra Whitewood to Palumpolum. We'll find transport to Eden."

"You know PSICOM will have put the word out on us by now," James said. "Soldiers will be everywhere. If we can get through the Gapra Whitewood, it'll be a miracle." The soldier's brow furrowed. "Palumpolum should be easier. We can blend in, avoid any patrols," He said thoughtfully.

"I live in Palumpolum," Hope added. "I can show you all the shortcuts."

"No side trips," I told him. We couldn't afford any stops at home.

Hope chuckled.

"No need. I don't think l'Cie are welcome at home."

"First we have to get out of here," James said, looking around. "We should get going."

I walked past him, leading the way.

"Hey guys," James said suddenly. "Anybody up for a round of I Spy?"

I snorted, only barely suppressing the laugh that had built up. "You want to play a game now?" I asked him, managing to keep a straight face.

"Why not? I'll go first. I Spy with my little eye, something beginning with 'R'."

I rolled my eyes, not intending to humor him, but Hope responded straight away.

"Rock?" He asked.

"Correct," James said, chuckling slightly.

I shook my head. "That wasn't very hard," I told him.

"Well there isn't much to choose from," He said, shrugging. "Your turn, Hope."

Hope took a moment to think. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... 'G'."

James made a very exaggerated expression of concentration.

"Girl?" he asked.

"What? No," Hope said, surprised at his guess.

"Gorgeous girl?" he asked immediately.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"What?" he asked, his cheeks reddening. "It's I Spy."

"Gorgeous girl?"

He shrugged self-consciously.

"You try then," He said, folding his arms.

I was ready. Even though I had refused to join in their childish game, I was playing mentally, and there were only two things starting with 'G' that I could think of.

"Gunblade," It wasn't a guess, I stated it.

"Yes," Hope said.

"That was my next guess," James said quickly.

"You're turn, Light," Hope said.

"Something starting with 'S'," I said, spying a pair of PSICOM soldiers huddled around a large Pulse Dreadnought.

"Nice," James said, and we dispatched them quickly.

Hope approached the Dreadnought.

"What was PSICOM doing here?" he asked us.

"Probably thought we'd try and use a Pulse machine to escape," I explained.

"Maybe we should try it," Hope said, clambering onto the Dreadnought.

"Hope!" James warned, taking a few steps forward.

"Hey, you're gonna hurt yourself! Don't touch that!" I cautioned him.

"Listen to her, Hope. We don't know what that thing might do," James said.

"What if it works?" Hope said.

"Leave it!" I said loudly, but Hope had already activated it. The Dreadnought began to emit a loud electronic whir and it took a few steps forward, with Hope clinging to its back.

"Hope!" James yelled.

I sank into a half-crouch. "I told you to leave it."

"Wait!" Hope appeared on top of it, nestled in what appeared to be a small cockpit. "I think I got it," He said excitedly.

James sighed. "Just be careful not to accidentally crush us, okay," He called. "I don't think being a pancake would really suit me."

Hope piloted the Dreadnought towards a large, vertical bridge that was blocking our path. With a massive strike, the Dreadnought brought its metal arm forward, against the bridge, causing it to fall .

"At least it's good for something," James muttered to me, hurrying after Hope and the Dreadnought.

The Dreadnought did prove useful, mowing down several Pulse automata that populated the way forward, but when we came to a steep set of ledges descending several metres, Hope tried to manoeuvre the Dreadnought down, but the boy overreached his step, and the Dreadnought came crashing down.

"Nice landing," I said to Hope as he sat up.

"Yeah, you totally got it," James said sarcastically, a grin stretching across his face.

"I'd like to see you try it."

James interlocked his hands behind his head.

"I would, but I think that thing's out of commission, now," He said, looking at the Dreadnought.

"Let's keep moving," I ordered impatiently.

"Slow down a second, I'm still a little winded," Hope said, clutching his stomach.

"You're too soft," I told him. I didn't have time for any delays.

"Come on, Hope, shrug it off," James said bracingly, dragging him forward.

"I hope we find another one of those things," The boy said, jogging slightly to keep up with my long strides.

"I wouldn't count on it," James said.

"Yeah well-" Hope began, but he tripped, and fell sprawling onto the ground.

I stopped. We had come to a bridge spanning a large, foaming waterfall.

"This isn't working," I said.

"Huh?" Hope said, looking up at her.

"I mean, you're a liability," I said, unable to hold back my frustration. "You'll just slow me down."

"Light..." James said.

"No! This was supposed to be my mission. I can't do this my way if you two are with me."

I turned away from them, the anger rising. I needed to prove to them why they couldn't accompany me.

"I'm sorry, but I can't protect you when-"

It was instant. The pain in my chest crippled me, and I doubled over, my brand searing.

"You can't leave us here! You've got to take me with you!" Hope said.

"Enough!" I said, trying to suppress the building pain. "The whole world is against us. I can barely keep myself alive. Let alone some helpless kid!"

"Light?" James was standing behind me now. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer him. They had to know.

"I don't have time to baby you," I said, falling to my knees. I felt James' hand grip my elbow, but I shrugged him off and turned to them.

"You want to get tough?" I asked, my voice rising. "Do it on your own!"

The pain peaked, and a blast of intricate pink light burst out from underneath me. James was knocked back.

"What's happening?" he yelled.

I leaped forward just as a giant figure appeared where I had been crouching moments ago. I got to my feet.

"This cannot be happening," I said, staring up at the figure. It looked like a machine, but humanoid, and strangely majestic. The figure drew a long, curved sword and advanced on Hope.

Hope...

"Look out!" I screamed, running forward as the figure slammed down with its blade.

I was just in time. My gunblade blocked the heavy blow, and the figure recoiled.

"What is that?" James asked. He was standing next to me, blades in hand.

I didn't respond. It was strange, the figure's appearance had been tied to the overwhelming despair that I had been keeping at bay, brought forward by the suicide mission I had embarked on, and now dragged Hope and James into.

Then it attacked. I expected it to target me, but instead, the figure aimed its next blow at Hope, who dived out of the way.

I struck, throwing myself at the figure, raining blows over its metallic skin, and as each attack hit, I had a strange feeling. In the midst of the fury I felt, something else enveloped me. It was another emotion, approval. Not my approval, but the creature's.

The creature launched another attack at Hope, but James dived forward, taking the brunt of the blow as he shoved Hope out of the way. I quickly used magic to heal the soldier, and the creature's approval increased. I could feel the connection getting stronger, and as I unleashed another flurry of attacks, the connection reached its zenith and I spoke.

The word was a reflex, uttered, not on command, but by instinct.

"Odin!"

The figure stopped its assault immediately and it turned to me, a gesture which I understood as surrender. Then it changed, its body moving and transforming into a white horse. I felt the connection envelop my body, then withdraw into the brand on my chest, stronger than before, and Odin vanished.

Fatigue overwhelmed me, and I sank to one knee.

"Lightning!" James cried, rushing over to me, Hope as well.

They crouched in front of me.

"Was that an Eidolon? Like l'Cie can summon?" Hope asked.

James just stared at me, I could see the concern on his face.

"Magic and mumbo-jumbo. I must've hit my head on that Purge train," I said darkly.

"Are you all right?" James asked.

I nodded and stood, the others following suit.

"Am I really in your way?" Hope asked quietly, hanging his head.

I thought back to the battle, how I had jumped to Hope's defence when Odin had attacked him.

I started walking.

"I'll do better! I'll try harder, I'll-" Hope began.

"Hope," I said, turning to him. "We'll toughen you up," I looked at James, who nodded.

"I'm sorry, about before," I told them.

"Come on, kid," James said, prodding the boy in the back to get him moving.

Beyond the bridge was a small clearing with little outcroppings of rock.

"We'll stop here," I said, noticing Hope's sagging posture.

Hope nodded gratefully and leant against the rock, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," He said before sitting down, his back resting against the rock.

"Don't sweat it," I told him. "I'll look around. You rest up."

"I'll come with you," James said, stepping forward.

"I'm just making sure it's all clear," I told him.

He shrugged. "I'll keep you company then," He said.

"You should stay with Hope," I told him, but if I was completely honest, I welcomed his company.

He laughed softly. "I don't think Hope needs much company."

I looked at the boy. He was asleep, his head lolling to the side.

"All right," I said, letting James fall in step beside me.

Several uneventful minutes passed, and I was able to really study my companion.

James looked about six-foot-one, and he had a handsome face, with high cheekbones which tapered to his chin. His cheeks and jaw were defined, and his PSICOM uniform revealed his musculature. I noticed a small scar on his chin. His hair was a very dark brown, almost black, and was long, though not as long as Snow's, and was very dishevelled. He also had thick stubble growing on his face.

"Tell me about yourself, Light," James suddenly asked.

I looked at him.

"There isn't much to tell."

"Well," he thought for a moment. "Why did you join the Guardian Corps?"

"I was good at it," I said simply. That was only partly true. Joining the Guardian Corps allowed me to protect Serah.

"What about your parents?" he asked.

"They died."

"So it was just you and Serah?"

I nodded.

"Must have been tough, having to take care of your sister all by yourself," James said.

I laughed at that. It was a short laugh, involuntary. "She didn't need much taking care of," I told him.

He nodded, smiling.

"Do you have any family?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He shook his head.

"My mother died giving birth to me, and my father passed a couple of years ago," He said solemnly.

"No siblings?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Must have been lonely."

He was silent for a moment.

"I never really thought of it as lonely. My father was a soldier, he was the reason I joined PSICOM in the first place." James smiled. "Who'd have thought their boss was a psycho?" he asked, grinning.

More time passed.

"How old are you?" James asked.

"I turned twenty-one a couple of days ago."

"Twenty-one, huh?"

I nodded. "Why, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"And how old where you when you joined PSICOM?"

"My father trained me since I was a kid, but I joined the Academy at seventeen."

I nodded again, taking it all in.

A couple more minutes passed before curiosity got the better of me.

"James?" I asked.

"Mm?"

"How did you get that scar?" I nodded at the one on his chin.

To my surprise, he grinned sheepishly.

"I can't tell you that," He said.

My brow furrowed.

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing."

"Why?"

"If you must know, I... slipped in the shower." He mumbled the last bit.

I tried to suppress a grin.

"I was really young, okay," He said defensively.

I nodded.

"Since I told you that," he said. "Will you tell me about your piercing?"

I felt the heat flood my face.

"You noticed?"

He grinned. "Of course."

My eyes narrowed. If he noticed, he had to have been looking at my stomach. Why such an area interested him was a mystery to me.

"Serah begged me to," I said simply.

"Why don't you take it out?" he asked.

I snorted. "Serah would always throw a fit if I took it out."

"Huh. The only thing that Lightning gets scared of," He said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, and resisted the temptation to elbow him.

A few more minutes passed.

"Do you think we can do it?" James asked, looking down at me.

I shrugged. "Who knows. But I'm not going to sit here and let my life be decided for me."

"Hear hear," He said half-heartedly.

"And Hope?" I asked.

"Hope will be fine. He's got us looking out for him," James said.

"Well, we should get back, make sure nothing has... eaten him or anything."

James chuckled. "Yeah, because we didn't check the perimeter three times now," he said playfully.

I looked up at him. Thinking back, we had progressed in the same circle thrice already.

"I think it's clear," He said.

I shook my head.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," I said, starting back to where Hope lay asleep.

"Hey, I Spy?" James asked.

I sighed. "'B,'" I said.

"Beautiful?" he guessed.

"Bonehead," I said, smiling.

"Hey!"

"You think I'm beautiful?" I asked him. The adjective sounded strange when used to describe me. I thought back to his earlier description. Gorgeous, he had said.

James shrugged. "I'm sure most guys would," He said, a red tinge appearing on his cheeks.

"They don't," I said, thinking about the lack of attention most of the males in Bodhum had failed to lavish upon me.

James grinned. "Maybe they're scared of you."

I looked at him sceptically.

"Your entire aura practically screams 'stay away if you want to live,'" Said James.

"You're not staying away," I observed.

The soldier shrugged again.

"That's because I was born without a self-preservation instinct," he joked.

I lapsed into silence. I knew I wasn't the most friendly person, mainly because I had never found the need to be close with anyone except Serah. I was independent, and loathed the idea of relying on someone else.

"Trusting others to get things done never works," I said finally.

James looked down at me.

"I trust you," he said.

Those words echoed in my head. James was having faith in me to lead us to our goal. It was one thing to not depend on anyone, but having someone depend on me was something else entirely. I didn't know how this would end. I couldn't tell him that we would succeed. I could only try, and I knew that might not be enough.

"You shouldn't," I told him.

We entered the clearing. Hope was still where we had left him, fast asleep.

James leaned against the rock.

"I'll take first watch," He said.

I was about to argue, then thought better of it. James wasn't a helpless man, he was a soldier, like me, and perfectly capable of sentry duty.

I nodded and settled down, allowing my limbs to relax. I was suddenly aware of how exhausted I was.

My eyes drooped, silhouetting the statuesque soldier in a shadow. I wasn't worried. James would wake me if we were attacked.

An odd thought occurred to me, as I allowed sleep to take hold. In allowing James to guard us, I had trusted him. It was a jolting realisation, but as I drifted, I knew that if anybody was worthy of that trust, it was the soldier standing over me.

Protecting me.

JAMES

I watched Lightning lapse into unconsciousness, her breathing falling into slow, rhythmic motions.

Just as I had been when I had first seen her, I was captivated. The lines on her face disappeared when she slept, the pressure of our situation lifted, if only briefly. She was beautiful; her pink hair fell neatly over her left shoulder, rising and falling with each breath. Her skin was pale, not quite pink, but not quite ivory either. It suited her, and was very attractive. My eyes slowly traced her bare legs, before I forced myself to focus on my task of keeping watch.

She was right, trusting others could be a fatal mistake, but I trusted her nonetheless. She was the only one I knew for certain I could count on if things turned bad.

Hope was sleeping soundly, and as my eyes swept back and forth, searching for any disturbances, I could hear the faint sound of his breathing. It was a soothing, monotonous sound.

As I surveyed my two companions, the stress overwhelmed me. Within twenty-four hours, I had turned my back on the only life I had ever known, disobeyed my master, been branded as a traitor to my world, and become a l'Cie whose only reward was to turn to crystal.

I suppressed the thought. It was no good worrying about events that were out of my control.

My thoughts strayed to a recent memory, a day that had been driven from my mind after everything that had happened.

Day Eight

I walked with purpose, a destination clear in my mind. The large halls of the PSICOM headquarters in Eden looked threatening and intimidating when one first saw them, but after wondering these corridors for four years, they were just another part of the building.

I was headed for the observation deck, which was two floors below ground. I needed to see for myself if the rumors were true.

When I reached the observation chamber, I input the code into the keypad, and stepped inside.

The observation chamber consisted of a large area, surrounded by glass walls. Overlooking the area was a smaller room that provided a view of the chamber. It was in this room that I found myself.

It was filled with men in lab coats and other soldiers. They were all monitoring large computers that lined each wall, all analysing some part of the experiments occurring in the room below.

I peered out the window and looked down into the chamber.

There was a little boy, he was just sitting there, playing with a small toy in silence.

"Is that him?" I asked the soldier beside. She was in charge of the group gathered in the room. Her name was Jihl Nabaat.

Jihl nodded.

"He's just a kid," I said, surprised.

"He's a l'Cie now," Jihl said dispassionately.

I looked at her.

"Have we figured out his Focus?" I asked. Although I wasn't a part of the team who looked after this division, (I was the head of an elite assault unit based out of Eden) I tried to discern Jihl's intentions with the boy.

"No, we think it may be something to do with the detection of Pulse artefacts, though."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"He can sense Pulse equipment. You remember that scrap you brought from the Peaks a few weeks ago?" she asked me.

I nodded.

"It's down in archives now, but he knew it was there," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he said he felt something strange, and asked if he could go downstairs. We followed him, and he went to the archives and started playing with the scrap." She smiled. "It was amazing."

"What are we going to do with him?" I asked her.

"His father's here, he's taking him home tomorrow."

"Good," I said, thinking that a kid that young deserved a rest.

"It is not good," Jihl retorted. "Think of what he could do with that power alone. The things he could find, the data we could collect..."

I shook my head.

"He's just a kid," I said again.

"I know that," Jihl said, turning back to the window.

I raised my eyebrows, but didn't get a chance to press the issue.

"James, get up to the Training Facility immediately, we got a situation with a couple of your guys," a voice rang out from my earpiece.

"Duty calls," I said to Jihl, sighing.

She nodded her goodbye.

I shook my head again and left the room.

Kids don't need this, I thought dully, looking down at Hope. I had no idea if the boy would be able to handle the situation. Sure, he'd been doing okay so far, but when we got to Eden, and things started to really heat up...

I looked down at Lightning again and felt my face soften. Her hair glinted softly in the moonlight, and her eyelids fluttered slightly. She was probably exhausted, and I felt a wave of pity at the strain this must be placing on her. I wouldn't wake her. I'd had plenty of sleepless nights during missions. What was one more?