Here is the next chapter in this story. Enjoy and thank you guys for the last chapter reviews. warm my heart everytime.

Now enjoy.

Chapter Ten

Narrow Escape

The trio arrived at where the ships had landed. Éclair and the two took cover behind one of the large rocks as they watched the scene in front of them. They were about twelve soldiers in total, dressed similarly as the ones they saw at the Hanging Edge, with their helmets on and armed with assault rifles.

But they had some new addition in their ranks, Éclair observed as she watched the feline like creatures that were around them. She counted three in total.

"What are those?" she asked Vaan.

"Pantherons," Vaan whispered back, "They are bio weapons, domesticated by the Sanctum. They are somewhat a pain to kill…"

"There is no way we can take on them all," Paine said, "We'll be killed."

"Got a plan?" Éclair asked him.

"Shh, let me think," Vaan told her.

He was watching the area in front of them and Éclair turned her attention toward them also. One of the soldiers, dressed in a large cape spoke.

"The signal we've received should be just beyond there, I want the Pantherons up front to sniff out any people that are around us…set them to immediate attacks if they are Purge deportees."

"Yes sir," the soldiers around him chorused.

"You three," he said turning toward the other three that were back at the ships, "Guards the ships."

"Yes sir," the soldier said.

The man nodded at him and he followed the group as they headed into a direction, the Pantherons already scaling a wall as they sniffed around and growling.

"Well," Vaan spoke as the group was walking off, "That makes our job a lot easier."

Paine rolled her eyes.

"There is only three of them and they are armed," she said, "we don't have any weapons."

Vaan smirked.

"Yes we do, we have Éclair."

That caused the pinkette to raises her eyebrows.

"Me?"

"You can use magic now can you not?" Vaan asked her, "You could cast a spell upon them."

Éclair looked at the soldiers.

"I'll try," she said.

She raised her hand toward the three soldiers that were guarding the ship. She probably thought she'd look silly with her hand raised at them but as soon as she had did that, a lightning bolt shoot out of her hand, heading straight for the three soldiers as they were send back by the blast caught by surprise.

"Woah," Paine said, seeing this, "What kind of spell was that?"

"Thundara," Éclair said to her.

"C'mon let's go before they came back," Vaan told them.

The trio ran toward were the three soldiers were lying probably knocked unconscious by the spell attack as they headed for the ship that was in front of them.

"Standard Sanctum ship," Vaan smirked, "I'll be flying this like a breeze."

Paine herself was snagging the weapons and the ammunition from their belts.

"What are you doing?" Vaan asked.

"I don't know about you," Paine said, "But I like having a gun in my hand, and since they are obviously not complaining about that, I'm taking them."

"Of course they are not complaining," Vaan said, "They're freaking unconscious."

Paine simply shook her head and threw hold on the riffle in her hands before taking off inside the ship after them.

"Close the ramp," she yelled.

Vaan who was already seating in the pilot seat was looking at the controls, his body seemingly frozen like a statue.

"Vaan," Paine said, approaching him.

The young boy turned.

"Er…I have no idea how to fly this thing," he said.

Éclair approached him.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly?"

"I do know how to fly a ship," Vaan told her, his eyes looking a little offended at the reprimand, "but they must have changed the designs because I'm not familiar with it."

Paine approached them and gives the controls a quick glance, sighing before pulling Vaan out of the seat.

"Move over," she said.

The silver haired girl quickly took over the controls as the ship started to gather energy as the engines started to come to life.

"You can fly a ship?" Vaan said, surprised.

Paine gives him a glare.

"I'm a pilot in training," she said, turning back forward, "that is…until I got in this mess."

Lightning Farron walked with Basch heading toward were the ships had landed. It was a quiet journey; not that Lightning was looking forward to any conversation. She was already making plans to have the entire Army of Cocoon on the tails of this Pulsian and to have her taken down…

"Are you injured?"

The sudden voice startled her out of her thought. She glanced toward the blond man beside her.

"What?"

"Are you injured?" Basch repeated his question.

Lightning narrows her eyes at him.

"What makes you ask this question?"

"You've been favoring your left arm," he said.

Lightning realized that she was massing her left forearm…where the throbbing pain from the Pulsian magic was.

"It's nothing," she said, walking past him, "We should get to the…what the?"

A Pantheron had come out of the past they were on as Lightning suddenly pulled out her gunblade aiming it at the Pantheron.

"Get your hands in the air," a Sanctum soldier said aiming his weapon toward her.

Lightning looked around as more soldiers appeared with their weapons raised and a man dressed as a Sanctum Elite approached.

"C…Colonel…Farron," the Elite spoke out, shock in his voice, "You idiots, stand down."

The soldiers lowered their weapon at his command.

"You're the one who've send the distress signal," the Elite said.

"Of course I did," Lightning said, "And I must see the Primarch immediately, it is a matter of the safety of Cocoon."

"Right away Colonel," the Elite said.

Then he turned his attention toward Basch.

"What's a Cavalry dog doing here?" he spoke with contempt in his voice.

Lightning narrowed her eyes.

She knew of the animosity between the two Military branches, but she wasn't having any of that today.

"I suggest you watch your tone Elite," Lightning said, "This Cavalry soldier here had assisted me already in almost capturing the enemy…"

She was suddenly cut off by the sound of an engine and then turned toward the Elite.

"Are more ships coming in?"

"No…we were the only ones…shit the ships," he said.

Lightning narrowed her eyes.

It's the Pulsian…I'll bet my life on it, she thought.

She and Basch sheared a glance, and in his eyes she can tell that he knew also who had taken the ship. With that, the two ran forward, followed by the rest of the soldiers.

Paine flew the ship fast through the air as she holds upon the controls, her teeth gritting against each other. She had never flown a ship in these conditions before except during practice flight or mock battles during her flight classes so she knew how to fly…

Behind her, Vaan had strapped in one of seat so did Éclair who was looking outside as the ship flew past the Hanging Edge which was deserted as far as they could see.

"Go by the Gates," Vaan said, "We will be able to get out of the Lower parts of Cocoon."

"I know," Paine said turning her head toward him.

She pulled upon the controls of the ship which leaned sideway as the buildings passed them….at least, until the radar start to blip...

"What is that?"

"Radar's picking up something," Paine said, giving it a quick glance.

Then the words WARNING started to flash red in front of her on the ships glass before it gives a nasty lurch, causing the controls to shake in Paine's hands.

"Woah, what the hell was that?"

"We're getting attacked, that's what," Paine snapped at Vaan.

She swerves the craft sideway, narrowly dodging an upcoming building.

"We've got company," Éclair's voice yelled.

Paine turned her attention toward the radar as she quickly put a command on.

"Vaan, you're on the gun," she said.

The ship give another lurch as a blast hit it again.

"W…What?"

"If we don't fire back, our ship won't make it to the Gate," Paine told him, her eyes serious, "the ship's shields are already losing power…another hit like that, and we will lose it completely."

Vaan watched her for a few seconds before nodding.

"Alright," Paine said.

She quickly glanced at the controls in front of her and put a command in causing the gun to appear on the back of the ship.

"Éclair, give him a hand will you," Paine said, "He will need help for the reload."

The pinkette nodded.

"Alright," Paine said, now her entire attention focused upon the front, "Let's get this thing going and make for that damn Gate."

Vaan seated at the gun which had an aiming pad in front of him as the word READY was flashing bright green upon the console. He breathed in deeply and then took hold of the handles. At once, a whirl of machinery came to life as the gun dual cannons sprang to life and the aiming pad widened in front of him, bathing the boy in its reddish color.

ENEMY SPOTTED flashed in front of his eyes as he holds his hands on the trigger the computer quickly recognizing their pursuers as Warmech. Vaan let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

At least I won't be killing anyone, he thought.

Then he pressed the trigger.

The entire thing was shaking in front of him as the bullets flew at the Warmechs that were following, his aiming missing completely causing Vaan to grit his teeth. The guns continued to fire as the Warmech, A.I. controlled machines, were taking shots that were passing way too close for his liking.

Then she ship give a sudden turn, something missing them by inches flew by over the ship's haul.

"HEY," he yelled.

"Sorry," Paine's voice said, "Almost crashed into another Warmech."

Vaan shook his head and continued to open fire upon the incoming enemies, until some of his bullets slammed straight upon one of the Warmech causing it to explode into a ball of flames.

"Alright, whose your daddy now," he yelled.

"You got them?" Éclair's voice said from beside him.

"Got one of them," Vaan said.

"I see the Gates," Paine's voice suddenly yelled, drawing the two's attention.

The young silver haired pilot smirked seeing the large metallic gates that were separating the Lowerworld from the Upperworld. She heads straight for them when she noticed something about the gates…they were moving.

Shit they are closing them, she thought widely, we are still too far away to make it with this speed.

Paine quickly glanced toward the controls, her mind working a mile a minute to figure out how to get past this dilemma when her eyes landed upon the thrusters functions.

That's it, she thought, that's how to do it.

"VAAN, ÉCLAIR ," she yelled over her shoulders, "Get strapped in…NOW."

She heard the other two running toward her and Vaan took the seat right beside her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"They are closing the Gates," Paine said quickly working on the controls, setting up her plans.

"What?" Vaan yelled.

Then a loud noise caused him to look back and he was aghast seeing the gun detach itself from the ship.

"We just lost our gun," he said.

"I know," Paine said, "We don't need the extra weight."

"We'll be defenseless…" Vaan started.

"If this works," Paine told him, "We won't need it."

Then the console beeped as a lever appeared beside Paine who quickly put her hand upon it, while the other holds the craft controls.

"Here we go," she said and she pushed the lever forward.

The ship suddenly speed up as the control starts to shake violently in Paine's hands. The girl took hold of it, her teeth gritted aiming the ship straight for the Gates that were gliding themselves to a close in front of them…

"Paine," Vaan said.

The girl ignored him, giving the ship all that it got.

C'mon…c'mon, she thought.

"We're not going to make it," Éclair's voice yelled.

"Yes we are," Paine snapped at her.

The Gates closed even more….

"PAINE," Vaan yelled, clutching on his seat.

The girl could feel sweat pouring down her forehead as the control shook but all her concentration was fixed upon those closing Gates in front of her….

C'mon…

Behind them, Éclair's blue eyes were wide with fear, her hands clutching upon her seat like a lifeline, seeing that the Gates in front of them were closing leaving a small crack that seems way too small, in her eyes, for a ship like their to slip through…

"PAIIIIIIIIINE," Vaan screamed.

"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH," Paine yelled.

Then by some miracle, the ship slipped through the small hole that was left and the three passengers feel it shakes slightly as the Gate skid upon the side of the ship.

"BY MAKER," Vaan yelled.

Then yellow blast started to fire coming from in front of them as Paine navigated the ship through them and Paine pressed a button that was on the controls and opened fire upon the blasters destroying one of them, passing through them and flew through another gate…

Then sunlight…

Bright blinding sunlight penetrated within the ship, causing the passengers to cover their eyes for a few moments as the ship flew through the skies of Cocoon.

"We…we've made it," Vaan said, sounding breathless, "We actually made it."

Paine was breathing heavily, feeling the adrenaline from earlier slipping away from her body which was shaking like a leaf.

"Paine,"

"Yeah Vaan."

"You're a kick-ass pilot."

The silver haired girl chuckled at that.

From the seat behind them, Éclair shook her head slightly at what the girl had just done.

"And you call me crazy," she murmured.

At least one thing is going their way today.

Close one for the team right there. Well now they are out of this place, what awaits our young heroes next?

and what will the Colonel Lightning do about her 'Pulsian' problem?

Next time: Scion.

Jacques0 out.

R&R.