FRIEND OR FOE

Amra soared over the waves, and the island that was our destination loomed ever closer. I leant forward, willing the Eidolon to go faster, and it responded to my silent command. Amra put on a burst of speed, and the waves were cut through by the lion's slipstream.

I could her Lightning and Hope riding Odin behind me, but I didn't dare look back. I was in the depths of my phobia, but the connection I shared with Amra lessened it, until the fear was just a pale, nagging feeling at the back of my mind.

The PSICOM base was a large, circular building topped by a shallow dome. It gleamed in the fading sunlight, and I could see the faint dots that were the PSICOM soldiers patrolling around the exterior of the base.

I sent Amra a mental message, ordering the Eidolon to land. It wouldn't be long now, another ten minutes and we would reach it.

I thought back to Amra's appearance, and the implications it carried with it. An Eidolon appears when a l'Cie has lost hope, and delivers the only thing that can save it: death. At the moment of Amra's appearance, I had been mourning the loss of Lightning.

My mind refused to piece together the puzzle that was my emotions, but I knew what it meant. I chanced a glance back at Lightning, her pink hair flapping around her face in the wind. My stomach did a back-flip.

I was pulled back to the presence as Amra began to descend. We had reached the island.

There were yells and frightened shouts from the soldiers who saw our approach. Amra landed on the bank of the island with a shuddering crunch as its paws hit the ground, its claws digging into the earth.

The lion roared as the PSICOM soldiers ran towards us, and I heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground as Odin sank to earth.

Amra swiped at the nearest soldier, sending him flying through the air. The soldier hit the ground, where he lay still.

I summoned Amra's blades, and spun them in rapid figure-eights, allowing the magic to consume me. A whirlwind formed, and crashed into the soldiers that surrounded us, dispelling them with ease.

I dismounted, and Amra vanished, returning to the connection that was sealed in my brand. Beside me, Lightning and Hope returned to solid ground, and the three of us prepared for the ensuing battle.

"We need to get inside!" I yelled to my companions as our weapons clashed with the soldiers, felling PSICOM's men left and right.

"How many are there?" Lightning shouted back as she cut a bloody swath through the soldiers and advanced to the big bulkhead door that was the entrance to the base.

"This base can hold thirty soldiers." I said after joining her by the entrance. The soldiers lay dead around us, no match for us l'Cie.

"Okay, listen up." I ordered, pulling the other two into a close huddle. "This base has three floors. On the top floor is the control room. That's where most of the soldiers will be. Below that is the living quarters. The bottom floor houses the armory and training room."

"Think we can catch them by surprise?" Lightning asked.

I shook my head. "They'll already know we're here. Chances are that they have a group standing on the other side of this door with their guns pointing at it."

Hope nodded, determination etched into his expression.

I turned to him.

"You ready?" I asked the boy.

Hope swallowed, and gave a quick jerk of his head.

"On three then."

I put my back to the wall beside the door, and Lightning mirrored my position on the opposite side, Hope standing next to her.

"One." I mouthed, holding up my finger.

This had to be a textbook perfect entry, otherwise we would be gunned down as soon as we opened the door.

"Two." I held up another finger.

Lightning tensed, and my fist clenched around the handle of my rifle.

"Three." I held up a third finger, and jammed the control panel next to me.

The door slid open, and Lightning and I pointed our rifles around the door frame, blind-firing at any unseen enemies.

Our shots were answered by gunfire, and the occasional sound of bullets thudding into soldiers. Lightning and I were protected by the doorway, and as soon as the gunfire ceased, I popped out of cover and stepped through the door.

The control room was comprised of a row of computers all lined against the circular wall. The seats were currently empty, due to the fact that ten soldiers had taken cover behind the tables and benches scattered around the room.

I fired, circle-strafing around the room until I was behind the soldiers. With Lightning on the opposite side, and Hope in the center, the soldiers had nowhere to hide.

Blood gushed from bullet holes, splattering against the floor and the different types of cover that hid the soldiers.

It couldn't have gone more smoothly. In two minutes, we had turned thirty soldiers into bullet-riddled corpses.

I blew the smoke from the muzzle of my rifle and holstered it, a grin stretching across my face.

"Hope," I said loudly. "Seal the door. Light, check the other floors."

The two l'Cie set to work immediately. Lightning marched towards the elevator at the back of the room, opposite the entrance, and Hope pushed the button that closed the door.

I sat down at one of the computer terminals, bringing up a screen that displayed the base's defense systems.

"Hope." I called the young boy over. "Sit down."

Hope took a seat next to me.

"This is the base's defense grid," I said, indicating the screen. "They've sent out an alarm to the Sanctum, so we-" I started pushing buttons - "need to revert the signal before it finishes the cycle."

Hope nodded, following the screen.

"That mean they won't come after us, right?" He asked, looking at me.

"That's right." I said, nodding.

"What next?"

I looked at him.

"What do you think?" I asked, shifting my seat slightly so he could get closer to the terminal.

"You want my opinion?" He asked, surprised.

I smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course. How else are you going to learn?"

Hope thought for a moment.

"Next we need to find transport to Palumpolum." He said slowly. "But I didn't see any ships on our way in."

"Neither did I." I said, trying to remember if I saw any vehicles outside.

I started punching the keys.

"Here." I said, displaying a listing of the available vehicles. I quickly scanned the text.

"Damn it." I said.

"What?" Hope asked anxiously.

"There are supposed to be two transport ships stationed here, but it looks like one was destroyed a few days ago during a training accident."

"And the other?"

"On patrol." I told the boy, turning away from the screen and leaning back in my chair, interlacing my fingers behind my head. "That means there's another group of soldiers on their way here, and they've got our only way out."

"Do you know how many?" Hope asked.

I shrugged. "I would guess eight, because that's the standard size of PSICOM units, but it could be more, or it could be less."

"So what do we do?"

"We wait." I said.

"Wait?" Hope said incredulously. "What about when they get here? What then?"

'What's going on?"

Lightning had returned. She was standing in the doorway that led to the stairs, her hands on her hips.

"We're gonna have company." I explained nonchalantly.

"How many?" She asked.

"I'd say about eight of them, but I could be wrong." I said.

"Then what's the problem?" Lightning asked, now addressing Hope directly.

"I was just wondering what we were going to do when eight armed soldiers burst through that door." Hope said, pointing to the entrance.

"We kill them." I said easily.

"Just like that?" The boy asked.

I nodded. "Sure. Give me a minute."

I turned back to the terminal and rapped my fingers across the keys.

"What are you doing?" Lightning asked. She had come to stand beside me, one hand resting on the back of my chair.

"I'm just re-routing the base's defense systems."

I hit a few more keys until a loud beeping sound emanated from the terminal.

I quickly backtracked, and the beeping stopped.

"What happened?" Lightning asked.

"Anti-tamper mechanism. Stops anyone without the proper authorization code from changing the system." I explained, sighing.

"Don't you know the code?" Hope asked.

I laughed weakly. "I did, but they've changed it."

"So now what?" asked Hope.

"We do it the old-fashioned way. Keep a lookout, and kill 'em quickly." I said.

Lightning placed a hand on my shoulder. It was an odd movement, one that I wouldn't have associated with her hard demeanor, but she gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"It'll have to do." She said. "I didn't find anything downstairs, either." Her hand left my shoulder as she said this.

"I guess we've got some time to kill." I said, standing up. "Come with me."

I led my two companions outside, until we were standing beneath the twin turrets mounted on the domed roof of the base.

"If I can get up there, we can set those up to fire at the patrol." I told them. "Light, give me a boost."

I placed my foot on her palms and climbed onto the roof, approaching the turrets.

"I thought you said it had an anti-tamper mechanism." Lightning called from below.

"It does, but that doesn't prevent anybody from re-routing the defenses directly." I answered.

There were two turrets on the roof. Their structure was exceedingly simple, just two cannons mounted on a rotating base, with a closed panel at the back for maintenance. It was this panel that I pried open and examined closely, recalling the weapons training program at the Academy.

I flicked a few switches and rearranged several wires until I reached the configuration I wanted. I had calibrated the turret so that it's friendly-fire safety was disabled, and heat-seeking was enabled. That way, the turret would no longer be able to distinguish the PSICOM soldiers from any other enemy. Also, turning on the heat-seeking system would ensure that minimal damage occurred to the ship itself.

I jumped back from the roof, and explained what I had done to Hope and Lightning.

"The terminal said that the patrol wouldn't be back until early morning," I said. "So I figure we make ourselves comfortable until then."

The other two nodded. I was a little surprised at Lightning's support, as it was usually her who lead the group. I guessed that my PSICOM experience was relevant in this situation, so she deferred the leadership to me without complaint. Whatever the reason, I was grateful. I had come to regard Lightning as a capable soldier and leader, and it meant something that she agreed to my plan.

I led the way back inside, then turned to Lightning.

"I think we should draw straws or Rock-Paper-Scissors for guard-duty tonight." I said to her. "After sleeping on dirt the last couple of days, a bed sounds like heaven."

Lightning raised her eyebrows, then held out her hand.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors, then." Said Lightning, a gleam in her eye.

I won, rock over scissors, so I would take the first shift. That would allow me to get some rest before morning.

I wasted a few hours sweeping the base from top-to-bottom. The second floor was just a series of small rooms that ran all along the circular wall. On the third floor, a short corridor connected the stairwell to the training room. It was quite large, with advanced simulator technology to allow maximum diversity when the soldiers trained. A thin catwalk lined the top of the training room, going all the way around the rectangular room. A single door led from the training room to the armory.

I stayed in the armory while Lightning stayed upstairs in case the patrol returned ahead of schedule.

The armory was decorated with an assortment of equipment. Pistols and rifles covered every wall, along with variously size gunblades and several sets of PSICOM armor.

It was late into the evening that Hope joined me.

"See anything you like?" I asked the boy as he swept the room, occasionally taking down some of the weapons that hung on the walls.

"I wish I could use one of these." Hope said.

I turned to see him holding one of the long, curved gunblades. He was barely able to lift it.

"Soldiers train for years to use weapons like that," I said, walking up to him. "Even the smaller ones-" I took down one of the shorter gunblades and twirled it in one hand. "-Require previous training."

"There aren't any normal swords." Hope observed, peering around at the walls. "Only gunblades."

"The military doesn't use conventional blade anymore. Gunblades are heavier, but they're more practical." I informed him.

I looked down at him. He was staring forlornly at the mass of weapons.

"It doesn't matter, though." I continued. He looked up at me. "None of these weapons can match Airwing." I nodded at Hope's boomerang.

"This?" Hope asked, lifting it. "This isn't anything special."

I shook my head.

"You may not have noticed, but you've been using that as a receptacle for your magic." I told him. "It's more powerful than any of these in that respect."

Hope smiled slightly and raised his weapon, holding it out in front of him so that it balanced in one hand. After a second, the boomerang was encased in a layer of ice. A moment later and the ice melted, only to be replaced by a blazing fire that covered the length of the weapon. That, too, fizzled out.

"See?" I said, grinning at him.

Hope returned the smile, slightly more cheerful, and I patted him on the back.

"Come on, let's see if Light needs any help." I said, following Hope upstairs to the control room.

"Anything?" I asked the woman who was standing over one of the terminals, her eyes glued to the radar it displayed.

Lightning looked up when we entered and shook her head.

"You should turn in," I said, approaching her and not failing to notice the shadows beneath her eyes. "I'll take over."

Lightning nodded.

"Actually," Hope interrupted, stepping forward. "Can I keep watch?"

Lightning and I looked at his scraggly, fourteen-year-old frame. His face eager and his hand on his weapon.

"All right," I conceded. "Just keep an eye on the radar and call us if anything beeps." I said, indicating the terminal screen.

Hope nodded, then took his place by the terminal, settling into a chair.

"After you." I said, waving my arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

Lightning sighed but led the way downstairs to the second floor.

Lightning entered the first room from the stairwell, and I followed her in.

"Are you sure he can handle it?" She asked me, sitting on the bed at the back of the room.

I sat down next to her.

"Sure," I said dismissively. "It's not hard."

She nodded, but made no move to lie down, or indicate that she was preparing for sleep.

"James?" She said, pausing for a minute before continuing.

I counted to five before deciding that she wasn't going to elaborate on her own.

"Yes?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing." She said finally.

"Are you worried?" I asked her.

She nodded once.

"So am I." I said. "But that's okay."

I laughed then.

"We're about to take on the Sanctum. Who wouldn't be?"

She smiled, though it looked more like a pained grimace.

"That's the spirit." I said, grinning. "I'm gonna check on Hope before I turn in, okay."

"All right." She looked at me expectantly.

"Right," I said hastily, getting the hint and standing up.

"Goodnight." She said, swinging her legs up onto the bed.

I paused in the doorway.

"Goodnight, Lightning." I whispered.

HOPE

I looked up as James entered the control room. He quickly glanced around the walls, searching for anything out of the ordinary, but there had been no odd occurrences since he had left.

"Everything okay?" The young soldier asked me.

I nodded. "Nothing to report." I said with a small grin.

"You need to wake Light in a few hours, okay." James said earnestly. "Then she'll take over and you can get some rest."

I nodded, absorbing his words.

Instead of leaving, however, James sat down in the chair next to me.

"Are you all right?" I asked him, concerned.

James nodded slowly.

"What was your mother like?" He asked suddenly.

I was taken aback by his surprising curiosity, but I cleared my throat.

"She was... everything a mother is supposed to be." I said softly, fighting the rising lump in my throat. "She was kind and compassionate, and fearless."

I looked up at him.

"Why do you ask?"

His shoulders sagged slightly.

"I never knew my mother." He said quietly. "She died."

"I'm sorry." I said, feeling a little guilty about my obsession over my own mother's death when the man opposite me could never even claim to have the presence of a maternal figure.

James shrugged.

"It was a long time ago," he said. "But I wonder, sometimes, what my life would have been life if she had lived."

"Do you think you still would have joined PSICOM?" I asked him.

"Who knows?" He said. "My father signed up after my mother died, maybe because she died. My entire childhood was spent training... and the lectures..." His face took on a far-away look. "The constant lectures about the dangers of society and the Pulse threat, and how everything good on Cocoon was because of PSICOM..." He sighed, exhaling loudly.

"Where's your father?" I asked.

"Dead." James said monotonously.

"I'm sorry." I said again. "How long ago?"

"It was only two years ago." He drew his rifle. "He made this." James said, indicating the rifle.

"He made it?"

James nodded and holstered it.

"He gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday." He said, a smile crossing his face.

I nodded, unsure of how to respond.

"Do you miss him?" I asked.

He looked up at me. "Do you miss your mother?" He asked.

I nodded, answering my own question.

We sat in silence for another minute before James stood.

"Don't forget to wake Lightning." He said, making for the stairwell.

"You really like her, don't you." I said. It wasn't a question. I had seen his expression when he looked at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his face flooding with color.

I shrugged. "It's hard to get to sleep when you're lying on rock." I said. "You two stayed up for an hour talking to each other last night."

"That doesn't mean anything, though." James said defensively, sitting down again.

"And your Eidolon," I continued. "I know the legends. An Eidolon appears when a l'Cie loses all hope. Amra appeared when you thought Lightning was dead."

He opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again, defeated. He knew that I spoke the truth. So did I.

He shrugged then, his humor returning.

"And if I do?" He said. "It doesn't matter. Lightning's not the type to get close to someone." He said it jokingly, lightly, but I could detect the hint of sorrow in his voice.

"You don't know that." I said. "Lightning is still a person. She has emotions... and feelings."

James' face looked suddenly downcast, and depressed.

"I'm not a good man, Hope." He said so quietly that I had to lean closer so that I could hear him. "I've done bad things... to people who probably didn't deserve it."

"That doesn't make you a bad person, James." I said. I knew he was referring to his PSICOM missions. "You were under orders."

"I knew it was wrong." He pressed. "And I've never lost sleep over the lives I've taken... the futures I've destroyed." He buried his face in his hands. "I should have turned around and defied orders."

"You did." I said, reasoning with him. "During the Purge, you did the right thing."

He shook his head. "One good deed isn't enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." He said.

"You saved hundreds of lives during the Purge, James." I said. "And you saved me, and Lightning."

He lifted his head.

"I know you're a good man." I told him. "So does Light."

Finally, he nodded.

"It means a lot to hear you say that, Hope." He said, smiling slightly.

I smiled reassuringly.

"Now, not a word to Light about our... discussion." He said, getting up. "Now, I'm going to bed."

James turned and left, leaving me to my duty.

I smiled to myself as I turned back to the terminal screen. No matter what James said, I knew he had a good heart, and good intentions. I was also convinced that he had very personal feelings towards Lightning.

They suited each other. James' expressions after his defeat of Amra said it all. The fear that Lightning would die had been plain of his face, and the relief he had showed when he knew that she was safe. It extended beyond comradeship.

Lightning also seemed to reciprocate his unannounced feelings. The fleeting looks she gave him when she thought he wasn't looking made her face brighten, and her eyes glow.

It was interesting, the way James always managed to position himself close to her, no matter the situation. The way he would smile for hours after they shared a glance. The way Lightning would flush with embarrassment when James paid her an innocent compliment. Even the way they moved together in battle, working in perfect synchronization with each other.

I gave them my silent blessing, thinking that if anything did happen, at least one good thing would come of this mess.

JAMES

A face loomed over me, inches away from my own. It was a woman, a beautiful woman... a woman I recognized immediately.

I smiled at the magnificent dream I found myself in. Lightning was here, shouting my name as if her life depended on it.

"Lightning." I mumbled, reaching out to stroke her face with my hand.

She swatted my hand away as I brushed my fingertips against her skin. I blinked, confused.

"This is my dream, Light." I told her, patting the empty space in the bed beside me. "And you're wearing considerably more clothes than last time."

She blinked.

So did I.

This wasn't a dream.

I swallowed, my eyes wide.

"James! Wake up!" Lightning yelled.

I sat up, self-conscious and embarrassed.

"What's going on?" I asked groggily.

"The soldiers are here." She said, thrusting my rifle into my chest.

I took it and stood, wide awake and fully alert. The patrol boat had returned.

I leaped out of the bed immediately. Lightning was already racing out of the room and down the corridor towards the stairs. I had slept in my uniform so that I would be prepared for this eventuality.

I hurried after her, running up the stairs and into the control room where Hope was standing at the terminal.

Light flooded the room, and I knew that it was morning. The patrol was running late.

Hope was staring intently at the radar, which was beeping loudly, a red blip clearly visible on its screen.

I rushed over to Hope and checked the radar. The red blip was inching nearer to the center. Right now, it was about three-quarters of the way there.

"When did the beeping start?" I asked Light. Judging by the time, it had been her shift when the blip had appeared.

"About twenty minutes ago." She said.

I did some quick calculations in my head.

"That gives us about seven minutes to get ready." I said, taking command of the situation, as I had done so many times before.

"Light, go outside and see if you can spot them. You know how it is." I said, looking at her apologetically. I had to remind myself that she was a soldier, too. "Hope, come with me."

Lightning nodded and left, her gunblade already in hand.

What are we doing?" Hope asked as we jogged downstairs.

"We," I said, descending to the third floor, "are going to the armory to find some explosives."

"Oh, good idea."

We entered the armory and I strode purposely to the far wall. Several remote explosives were piled on a high bench. I handed a few to Hope then collected several in my arms.

"We're going to set a trap with these, right?" Hope asked as we head outside.

"That's right."

The sky had turned a royal blue, and there were no clouds in sight. The Gapra Channel was shimmering and still. Lightning was standing near the shore, peering over the waves into the distance where I could see the faint outline of a ship.

"Set them in a line along here." I said, indicating a point just before the shoreline.

I lay the explosives next to each, spacing them out so that the blast would cover a large area. I wasn't sure where exactly along the coast they would land, so I wanted to cover as much ground as possible.

"Five minutes!" Lightning called, retreating back into the base.

I quickly covered the explosives with sand and grabbed Hope, pulling him along after Lightning, where we stood by a different terminal. This screen displayed the base's security cameras, affording us a wide view of the exterior and the shore.

Then we waited.

The ship appeared on the screen. It was sleek in design, and was made to carry squads. Unfortunately, this meant that it wouldn't be very fast.

As I had expected, there were eight soldiers in the ship. Two were at the front, facing the bow with one soldier piloting the ship. The other six were sitting three-a-side in the rear of the ship, facing each other.

The soldiers exited the ship slowly. It was clear that the lack of a welcoming guard had unnerved them.

"Now?" Hope whispered to me. I held up my hand, waiting.

The soldiers stepped onto the shore.

I placed my finger over the detonator. This had to be timed just right.

One soldier stepped forward, his foot inches from an explosive.

I waited.

Then one of the soldiers threw his arm out, blocking the others path.

I saw them exchange words on the screen, and the first soldier bent down.

I grinned, and pushed the button.

The soldier exploded, blood and guts flying all over the shore and into the water. Two others were caught in the multiple blasts of the hidden mines, and the other five were thrown backwards.

"You didn't get them all!" Hope exclaimed, his eyes glued to the terminal.

The remaining soldiers got to their feet and, after a heated discussion, began to advance towards the base.

Hope turned to the entrance, but I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait." I said, still smiling.

The turrets would take care of the rest, as soon as they were in range.

The soldiers crossed the expanse between the shore and the base entrance, and I tensed, waiting for the gunfire that would spell the end of the short battle.

It didn't come.

I frowned.

"Something's not right." Lightning said suddenly. "We need to move."

I looked down at her.

Then the door began to slide open.

"We can take them." I said, turning to the door, ready for the unexpected, yet still uneven fight.

The first soldier entered the room, and what I saw caused a chill to run down my spine.

The rocket launcher was mounted on his shoulder, and the soldier crouched.

Suddenly it all made sense. The turrets malfunctioning, the soldiers coming prepared for enemies.

There was still someone in the base.

"MOVE!" I shouted. Hope bolted for the stairs and launched himself through them as the soldier let loose.

There was a deafening bang, and a cloud of smoke trailed from behind the rocket that headed straight for us.

A hand curled around mine and I was pulled to the ground, Lightning piling on top of me as we took cover behind the terminal.

The rocket sailed over us, only to collide with the back wall.

"Get 'em!" One of the soldiers commanded.

I was stunned, rendered helpless by the plan that had backfired, a plan that was supposed to be a sure-thing.

Lightning was in no such state.

The woman jumped out of cover and waved her hand. A massive fireball rocked the control room, and the soldiers dived to the ground to avoid the blast.

Lightning's hand was still in mine, and she forced me up. I took one look at her determined expression.

I ran, following Lightning towards the stairwell. Hope was waiting for us, fear and courage both marring his young face.

"What now?" Hope asked, his breath coming fast.

"We can't go back in there, that rocket launcher will take us apart." I said, willing my jumbled brain to come up with a plan. "And there's more soldiers here!" I informed my two companions of my revelation.

Hope blanched, but Lightning had reached the same conclusion.

"James, I checked the whole base and found nothing." She said.

"I know that, but it explains everything: the turrets malfunctioning, the patrol team expecting us..."

I exhaled, and tried to clear my head.

"We need a plan." I said.

"What about the Eidolons?" Hope asked, his eyes lighting up.

I shook my head. "They'd be no use in a confined space like this."

I cursed.

"Think, damn it!" I ordered myself, hoping that I would be hit by brainwave.

I tried to analyze the situation.

"We can't go back upstairs." I said. "That rocket launcher will tear us apart. "And somewhere downstairs is another group of soldiers."

"We need to get to the armory." Lightning said. "We're too exposed here, and the Armory has only one entrance."

I nodded.

"All right." I agreed, and we hurried downstairs, passing the second floor and descending to the third.

We ran down the short corridor and burst into the training room.

Then we froze, inches past the doorway which slid closed behind us.

Our plan hadn't worked, it had been too obvious... to predictable.

PSICOM soldiers lined the catwalk that curled around the training room, their guns fixated on us.

I counted eight of them. Eight more soldiers that had eluded us through the night.

"James?"

I looked up at the soldier who had spoken. He lowered his weapon and tore off his helmet, revealing a handsome face and short, cropped black hair.

I breathed again as I recognized him.

"Aiden?" I exclaimed, not daring to move an inch in case the other soldiers took that as a cue to start firing.

"How long's it been, about six months, now?" I asked, as if we weren't in danger of being shot down by a surrounding force.

"Yeah, about." Aiden replied.

"You know him?" Lightning whispered to me, surprised.

I nodded.

"Aiden was part of my team in Eden before he was transferred six months ago." I told her, not bothering to keep my voice down.

"As a matter of fact, they transferred me to a new unit." Aiden said conversationally. "Covert underwater incursions." He spoke proudly. "There's a tunnel under the base that takes you to a small cavern that leads to the second floor."

"That's why we never found you, then." I said, putting together the puzzle. "But you never showed up on radar?"

Aiden shrugged. "The submarine we use has a stealth system that makes it undetectable."

"Aah."

"But why are you here?" Aiden began to ask, but then his eyes slid down to my shoulder.

"Oh no." He murmured quietly. "No, it can't be you."

I smiled apologetically.

"We knew there were l'Cie running around, but they never told us you were one of them." Aiden said helplessly.

"It wasn't exactly my choice, you know?" I said defensively.

Aiden raised his rifle.

"Hey!" I cried, lifting my hands up. "You can't just shoot me!"

"You're a Pulse l'Cie, James. I have to."

"Aiden, you know I would never betray Cocoon!"

"What about the Purge, then?" Aiden asked. "We all heard about you going rogue."

"The Purge was a lie, Aiden! It was a massacre!" I said loudly.

"The Purge was necessary. Remember: Sacrifice is necessary for Cocoon to survive, or have you forgotten that?"

"Damn it, Aiden, PSICOM is taking orders from a corrupt leader! Remember Mantra?"

Aiden hesitated.

"Mantra was a long time ago, James. We all did what we had to do, so did you."

"They were innocent, Aiden! And we shot 'em anyway, because those were our orders."

"And now these are my orders." Aiden said.

"But you don't have to follow them, anymore!" I yelled.

He paused, and for a second I thought he was going to lower his gun.

"Sacrifice is necessary, James." Aiden said, and I knew what had to happen.

"Then know that if you open fire, I'll be forced to kill you." I warned, a sudden surge of magic coursing through me.

Aiden sighed.

"Fire." My friend ordered, and the simultaneous sound of fingers on triggers filled the air.

But I was ready. A blast of wind pulsed from me, causing the bullets to ricochet off the wave of air.

Lightning and Hope had already started their attack. Flame enveloped around the room, smothering the catwalk in it's fiery splendor.

The door behind us slid open, and we dived through it as the fire filled the entire room. I could hear agonized screams as the door closed again, and I spared a single, regretful thought for Aiden. Then I focused on the situation.

"Now what?"

"The tunnel, on the second floor!" I shouted, already hurtling up the stairs, three at a time.

I followed the corridor all the way to the end, and came to a wall.

"How do we get to the cavern?" Hope asked.

Lightning began running her hands along the wall.

"Feel for a switch or something." She ordered, and we obliged, searching for the hidden door.

"Here!" Hope shouted, just as footsteps echoed on the stairwell. The patrol team was advancing, and closing in on us.

A portion of the wall slid down out of sight, revealing a flight of stairs that lead down into a stone cavern.

We stepped through the door, which slid closed just as I heard the blast of a rocket being fired from its chamber.

"That was close." I said, unable to hold back a weary laugh.

"Well, we're not out yet." Lightning said, leading the way down the stairs and into the cavern.

The cavern was small, with sheer rock walls and a pool in the center. Half-submerged in the water was a black, oval-shaped submarine. The front end was dominated by a glass screen that ended in a point, and the back end was completely black, with two fans that would propel it through the water. A set of metal stairs led to a hatch on the side of the submarine.

I followed Lightning and Hope towards the craft, where Lightning rotated the wheel on the door and pulled it open, revealing a dark interior with eight seats, similar in style to the patrol boat. Lightning made to take the pilot's seat, but I placed a hand on her arm.

"I'm driving." I said.

She narrowed her eyes, but stepped aside and allowed me to sit down.

I searched for the button that would start the fans, found it, and punched it.

The submarine whirred to life, and it began to rapidly descend in the water until it stopped at long passage. I assumed it led all the way to the shore and into the Gapra Channel.

"All set?" I asked, making sure my companions where ready for launch.

Two nods answered me, and I gunned the motor.

The submarine was fast. We flew through the water at incredible speed, navigating the long tunnel until it began to curve upwards.

"And coming up on our left is the fascinating sea life that inhabits these waters." I said, doing my best impression of a tour guide as we sailed out into the channel.

"I think we're safe." I said finally. There was a view-screen on the main hub that showed the surface of the water, and Lightning had her eyes glued to it.

She relaxed back into her seat, exhaling loudly.

"We're out of range now." She said, looking at me.

I grinned at her, and she smiled back. I was again struck by how beautiful she was. Rare sights like Lightning's smile were a wonder to behold, and I stared, my grin widening idiotically.

"James, please watch where you're going." She said, waving her hand at the glass. Her face was a delightful shade of scarlet, now.

"Sorry." I apologized quickly, and turned to the water in front of me.

"Just keep heading that way, and we should reach Palumpolum in a few hours." Lightning said, pointing in the desired direction.

I nodded, still smiling.

I couldn't deny it anymore. No matter how much I tried to suppress them, my feelings for the woman beside had escalated to beyond simple lust. I had to face the truth: I liked Lightning.