The Hanging Edge, while a large open space dotted with airships, was nothing but a maze of train rails and platforms, both mobile and stationary. At this point the Purge train had been fully stopped and another rebellion was about to take place under the black skies of the Hanging Edge. Fire exploded every other few seconds as Cocoon's citizens fought back.
From every government-controlled airship boomed an intercom that swept throughout the Hanging Edge as the source of the voice came into hearing range on the Aerorail Trussway 5-W. It was a voice that anyone who watched daily politics and had a general knowing of who ruled their own country would know. The voice was also the source of the chaos that ensued below.
"One behalf of Cocoon's citizens...I would like to thank our brave Pulse pioneers and express our best wishes for a successful relocation..."
If the Hanging Edge had been dead silent that very moment, thousands of boos and cries of outrage could be heard. Instead, they were drowned out by gunfire.
"Your noble and selfless sacrifice..."
Running to avoid gunfire, a group of rebels wielding guns definitely heard the words of Cocoon's one-and-only Primarch, Galenth Dysley. Two lead the pack – a brute dark-skinned, fiery man dressed in a blue vest and white shorts threw orders around as he led a group of rebels down the straightaway. Another, a petite raven-haired woman donned in a lavender shirt with puffed shoulders, aimed her gun to the sky. A flare erupted from the end, exploding into a white flash. Amidst the darkness it was a beacon of light.
"...ensures the continued safety and peace of our society. Were it not for this remarkable gestue..."
Bullets unloaded from the rebels' guns, aiming straight for a horde of PSICOM officers ahead. The man scoffed, but focused again nonetheless.
"...every resident of Cocoon...your family, your friends, your neighbors...would be exposed to the dangers of the world below. By choosing to leave Cocoon and participating in this migration–"
One radio, transported from PSICOM to offer updates on the war going on around them, ceased to transmit the Primarch's lies as a heavily booted foot came crashing down, smashing the top down and cutting off what the man knew anyway.
Baggy, black pants and a light blue undershirt were accented by a brown trench coat. His face stared down at the radio in disgust, blonde hair falling in his face despite the black bandana tied around his forehead. He made a fist and threw it down, frustrated. A voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"'Migration'? More like 'extermination–"
He turned to confront the rebel. "Yuj."
"...and he tells...what, Snow?"
"You stay here," the so-called Snow commanded, his eyes staring ahead.
Yuj, dressed in the bright colors of Bodhum and topped with a head of electric-blue hair, blanched. "S-sorry...I didn't mean to–"
Snow cut him off, shaking his head with a smile. "These people need heroes, Yuj. Someone to lead them."
The boy grimaced, knowing full well that his skill on the battlefield left more to be desired. Seeing his embarrassment, Snow lifted his gun up, pushing it across his chest. Yuj glanced up in surprise.
"Here. You keep your cool, and they will too," Snow said, nodding towards a huddle of Purge survivors. Yuj nodded.
"You got it?"
"Got it," he replied, giving a hesitant smirk. This place was too dangerous for comforts, but leading a group of deportees...that was something he could handle.
Snow turned, but stopped. He looked over his shoulder, smiling. "What's our motto?" he suddenly called, hoping to catch the kid off guard.
Meeting him square for square Yuj hefted the gun and straightened. "The army's no match for NORA!" he exclaimed.
"Attaboy." Snow gave a crooked smile and a thumbs up. "Been practicing with Maqui again?"
"Yeah...hey, you leaving, man?" Yuj said as Snow turned to climb a pile of debris. Since his two other friends and comrades-in-arms had left, an explosion had caused part of the bridge to break off from above and landing directly in their path. Through the maze of flaming rocks and debris was the rebellion Snow intended to join.
"Yeah. Gonna go do cleanup."
"Don't do anything stupid!" Yuj called, before Snow disappeared over the side.
Yuj lowered his gun, blowing out a puff of air. "Idiot."
Suddenly a voice called from the other side.
"I heard that!"
The teenager snickered and turned away, examining his hair one more time before consulting a group of frightened survivors.
Snow was on his own.
At the base of the debris pile, stragglers lagged behind, walking aimlessly. Concerned, Snow went from person to person, giving them advice. We have a group of survivors over there, he told them. Sit tight and this'll be all over.
The tall man wished he had someone to tellhimthat.
One woman, still donned in her Purge uniform, scampered over to Snow, her eyes wide and frightened. She had blood dotted across her face. She gripped his arm tightly and pleaded.
"Please, please help me! My home, my husband...they took everything from me! T-They took me away from my baby!" she cried, hysterical. "P-Please…"
Snow patted her shoulder and pointed to where he came from. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't help you right now. I'm headed to the Resistance Front. But you can head over there; ask for Yuj and he'll help you, all right? It's going to be okay, really," he reassured.
She released his arm and walked off in a daze, still crying softly. He watched her go, his face hardening. What had happened to Cocoon? Didn't the government have any damn integrity? Were they really going to send innocent people – mothers and fathers with families to take care of – to a lowerworld, just to die?
"Hey, you coming or not? Hurry up!"
Snow turned to find his childhood friend, Lebreau, waving at him from her station behind a grate. Ahead was Gadot, who looked more like a boxer than your average Bodhum beach bum. Snow spotted Maqui – the youngest in their group of rebels – huddled behind a huge block. He and Gadot were arguing, the latter's flaming red hair a target for PSICOM marksmen.
"Aw, this is crazy!" Maqui complained, afraid to even stick a finger over the top of the metal.
Gadot, fearless as always, snorted. "Then take a nap. You ain't doing anything now, anyway."
The blonde scurried to his knees, relieved. "Are you serious? Can I?"
"Sure! And when we're takin' adirtnap, you go right on ahead and save 'em all! How's that sound?"
Maqui laid back down, exasperated. "Ugh...that's even worse."
Snow quickly darted for the grate, hauling Maqui back to his knees and making his presence known.
"No dirt naps today, Maqui. We're all in this together, you hear me?" he said, giving the boy an expectant fist.
Maqui quickly nodded.
"Our enemy's the Cocoon Sanctum. Their dreaded PSICOM, no less."
Lebreau scoffed, flipping her hair out and adjusting her hold on her own semi-automatic. "What's to dread? PSICOM's been nothing but a bunch of bluster and bullying since the Primarch took the seat. They've got nothing on NORA."
"Well, we are the heroes after all. Who else is going to clean up after PSICOM's mess?" Gadot remarked, nailing an officer in the head. He whooped. "Headshot!"
Snow jumped to his feet. "Then let's prove it!"
The ring leaders of NORA moved forward together.
Overhead, Snow couldn't help but notice the Vestige was a quarter of the way out, tethered to airships as it was slowly lowered into the warzone. As he charged into battle, one thought lingered on his mind.
Hold on...Serah.
He was snapped out of his reverie when his stomach suddenly tightened. He looked down, surprised to see a PSICOM officer retracting from his attack. Nonetheless, Snow merely laughed and jumped forward, counter-attacking with a punch to the stomach as well. The hit knocked the officer's air right out of his lungs, sending him flying backwards. Snow raised his fists, immersing himself in battle as Gadot and Lebreau flanked him. Maqui provided cover fire from behind.
"Hah! And you tellusnot to take a nap!" Gadot scoffed, gunning down an Enforcer.
"What's gotten into you,hero?" Lebreau teased, taking a careful shot.
One more soldier to go, and the Trussway would be cleared for another half-mile. Snow smiled and beat the daylights out of another soldier, doing his best to avoid their quick lashes with batons. "Hey, I'm the leader here! Why's everyone picking on me all of a sudden?"
A sudden explosion up ahead rocked the bridge, vibrating the platform beneath their feet. Snow bent down to regain his balance, straining to see ahead. From the dust clouds a creature swept out, clearly the source of the attack.
"Was the bridge knocked out?" Lebreau called. Snow had climbed a pile of debris to see above the chaos.
He slid back down, troubled. "No, just a fly-by attack. But we've got our work cut out for us. Ready?"
Maqui groaned, but was silenced with a quick smack to the head by Lebreau.
"Ready!"
They fought through wave upon wave soldiers. Several were airborne as rotators held them aloft, their rocket-propelled grenades difficult to maneuver around. Enforcers lurked everywhere and their batons were bluntly powerful when they did get the chance to land a hit. As Snow delivered one last punch to knock out a PSICOM elite, Maqui fell to his knees.
"No...more!" he moaned, physically exhausted.
Lebreau sighed. "There are soldiers everywhere."
"Yo boss," Gadot drawled, bored. Hell, he could be in a world war for two days straight and never tire. "What's the plan? We can't sit here huddled up forever."
"Charge in, guns blazin'. What else?"
"What?! That's not a plan! That's a suicide mission!" Maqui pointed out.
Snow looked back, surprised. "It's what we've been doing for awhile now. Besides, do you have anything better?"
"Uh..." he raised a finger, then let it fall. "No."
"Okay then."
"Real heroes don't need plans."
Suddenly Maqui jumped to his feet. "Hey, the survivors! They're there!"
Snow looked around the debris, fearing his head was about to be splattered across the platform and found himself pleasantly surprised to find that no other soldiers lay in wait before a group of survivors in Purge uniforms. He stood and quickly walked forward, gesturing for Maqui to pick up guns from fallen soldiers. Snow straightened and led the charge. These people needed heroes, right?
They needed to be convinced that they would be all right, that they wouldn't be forced to leave their paradise.
Well, paradise turned hell...
As Snow neared the various men and women huddled together, he wasn't so sure a confidence boost was going to help their morale. Nonetheless, he spoke.
"You all okay?" he asked, addressing the numerous people whose hoods were downcast. Their body language simply screamed that they had already given up.
"Hey, Snow, I got the–" Maqui tripped over the completely flat surface, falling to the ground as semi-automatic guns – with the safety off no doubt – clattered everywhere. He scrambled to gather them again, flashing an apologetic smile at Snow. The fist-fighter rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.
"Be careful with those or you'll end up shooting your toe off."
"Heh...sorry."
The deportees glanced between the two and turned their heads down. They weren't impressed by their "heroes."
"Don't worry. No one's moving to Pulse today. We'll clear you a path out of here to somewhere safe, so be ready to–"
Several men stepped forward, their faces a mask of determination and anger. No doubt they had heard the Primarch's message to the Purge deportees.
"Wait, let me fight with you! I know it's not much, but I want to help!"
"Yes, please! Let us do something...anything!"
"Yeah, you can't expect us to just sit here!"
Snow raised a hand in silence and turned to Gadot, shrugging his shoulders. "Theycouldhelp," he admitted reluctantly.
"Hmph. Maybe. At this point we just need all the help we can get."
"Please! Let us help!"
Another explosion went off on a Trussway located across a stretch of absolute darkness. The noise was muffled by the thousands of airships and creatures that flew in between, but the survivors heard it nonetheless. They cried out in fright.
"Still want to help?" Gadot called.
They nodded and began to stand. "Okay then. Volunteers front and center. We've got work to do. Grab a gun from Maqui."
The survivors-turned-rebels scooped up guns, pointing away from the crowd to test them. Several looked frightened at the sight of a gun in their hands, but Snow could only hope friendly fire wouldn't be the cause of any deaths. One particular volunteer stepped forward, a woman donned in casual white. A voice called out from behind her, soft and frightened.
"Mom? What are you doing...?"
"Don't worry. I'll be back," she answered, smiling softly.
Snow watched as a new volunteer stepped forward. He looked down to find her striding on high heels. He quirked an eyebrow.
"You sure about this?" he asked.
"Yeah," she assured, holding her gun tightly across her chest. "Moms are tough."
She strode to the group of rebels behind Snow without another word. He turned to Gadot, taking one more black gun in his hand. The metal felt cool to the touch.
"It's the last one, boss."
"Right."
He held the gun out to the group, the handle pointing directly to a smaller figure. "All right...this is the last one. Somebody take it. We need all the help we can get if this is going to work."
A voice emitted from under the hood, but it was scared, juvenile. "N-No...I can't..."
Snow raised an eyebrow but before he could say anything a girl had reached her arms out, as if asking for a hug.
"Here!" the girl offered, her face bright and cheery. Snow noted a strong accent in her voice but said nothing. Reluctantly he handed the gun to her, afraid that he was about to die at the hands of an inexperienced teenage girl.
She examined the gun and peered at the trigger, turning it over until she figured out where the bullet exited. She hefted it and looked back to him, smiling. It was moments like these that Snow appreciated optimism the most...a war was being waged all around them, yet someone like her, even as young as she seemed to be, was willing to keep a positive look.
"When push comes to shove, keep 'em safe, all right?" said Snow.
"Bam!"she chirped, and kicked the gun back as if she were firing.
First impression of Snow?
All talk.
She lowered the gun expectedly, laughing. Taking his cue, Snow pretended to double over in pain, wincing. However, there was still a group of people that needed to survive. And they needed a leader by the looks of it.
"Okay. Lay low and you'll be fine. Don't go out in the openat all. We'll clear out the area and then head back to our rendezvous," Snow announced, laying out the plan.
Faces of dread looked up at him.
Snow pumped a fist in the air and raised his voice. "We're going home together!"
His intention to rally the group failed. Lebreau stepped in, exasperated. "Come on! Everyone up!"
Gadot gathered his group. "New recruits – on me! Let's go kick some ass!"
The woman from earlier strayed behind, her footsteps lingering. Snow jogged after Gadot and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on."
She nodded, smiling apologetically. "Right."
Leaving the man to catch up, she slowed, her hands gripping the gun tightly as she cast one last look backwards. Her son was being towed away by the raven-haired woman as they began to retreat into a safer location. She nodded one last time, smiling. She wanted him to feel safe, proud of her for volunteering, but he was just a kid...was leaving him the best option?
For the people of Cocoon, she decided against going back, steeling herself for what lay ahead.
Before he could turn around again she was gone.
The group dove their way further into the chaos, spraying bullets into hundreds of soldiers as they cut a path through the Trussway. By now PSICOM had issued a special caravan of elites to show up, furthering the unbalance as more government officers were transported to the spot to stop the rebellion immediately. Snow's group took a stand, driving back the officers with fierce determination. Everywhere he looked, the citizens of Cocoon were fighting back.
The officers suddenly drew their weapons up and sprinted backwards. On first thought it seemed as though they were retreating, until an enormous battleship appeared in the air, hovering over the platform. Gun turrets lining the side suddenly flashed and a spray of bullets pierced their location. Three men were dead in an instant, their bodies pierced with holes. Snow grit his teeth and led the woman – her name was Nora, he had learned – behind a grate.
Gadot waved an arm. "Snow! We got trouble!"
He waved his hand to signify he heard. "No kidding," he breathed, peering quickly around until he spotted what he needed. A rocket launcher lay in the open of the platform as PSICOM fell back, unguarded. However, bullets from the airhsip's turrets still provided a lethal opponent.
"Stay down!" he told Nora.
"What are you doing? You can't run out there!"
"I have to try." With that, he had leapt from his hiding place and sprinted out into the opening, ducking under the curtain of bullets that followed in his wake. One more step...he leaped into the air and intending to land just above the weapon. Instead, he had timed his jump wrong and he sailed over it, tumbling into a fetal position. He reached out, straining to grab it, but the airship had locked on to him. Its main cannon opened up, deep orange flowing inside. Snow closed his eyes and braced himself.
Suddenly a rocket flew over head, soaring through the air and hitting the airship in the cannon. The impact sent it off course and the charging cannon faltered. Snow looked up, his heart pounding wildly.
Nora.
"I told you didn't I?" she said, offering a hand. "Moms are tough."
He shook his head, but took her hand anyway, climbing to his feet. They were alive.
And then the airship fired the main cannon. It erupted from the decaying machine as it fell into the abyss, taking one last shot at the rebels. The impact lurched the entire bridge forward as the end dipped down, bowing under the weight as the support stilts were extinguished. Nora fell forward, along with Snow.
From afar, the same two Purge survivors, safely aboard Team NORA's skybridge, watched the catastrophe unfold. The accented girl noticed the boy shaking; she followed the gaze of his eyes to see two figures sliding uncontrollably down the broken Trussway.
The boy stared in shock.
This...can't be happening...mom!
Snow felt a shallow heartbeat faintly beating against his own chest as he regained consciousness. Through blurry vision he could make out a collage of bright lights: green, blue, and sparks of orange. Sitting up, he only fully realized what he was seeing.
The entire bridge connecting the two Trussways had been demolished as the end plunged into the abyss, a near vertical level. All around him people collided into the darkness, being propelled by debris and even other people's dead bodies. In his arms was Nora, her body lifeless and unsettlingly cold. Using the last remnants of his strength, Snow scooted backwards, towing Nora across the scorched surface. Others weren't so lucky. They couldn't find any support, and continued to fall.
One slid to a stop near his feet. Still dazed, Snow could only reach out, but his mind was in a fog. His ears rang from the explosion.
It was a woman. Her eyes – frozen in fear – stared up into his. She reached out, choking over her own words as her hands trembled violently. "P-Please...help me..." She began to sob. "I don't – watch out!" She screamed.
Snow turned just in time to see the Trussway snap again, weakening as fire licked the Aerorail from the explosion. Throwing Nora to the side he crawled out of the way. The tremor sent the girl away, her frightened eyes still frozen. A second later and she was gone. However, Snow lost his footing and both he and Nora slid further down. He grit his teeth and tried to grab her hand, but she was deadweight.
Both were sent over the edge.
At the very edge of the Trussway Snow hung, suspended in mid-air and desperately hanging on to both Nora and the Trussway. PSICOM soldiers and regular civilians died all around him. For a moment, Snow looked around him as each terrified face passed him; an immense pain hit his stomach.
There was nothing he could do.
Nothing.
Suddenly he felt a small tug in his hand. Jerking his head down, he heard the faint breaths of Nora. Her grey eyes bore into his, though they still held the kind glint despite their situation. Her face was perfectly smooth; no wrinkles of stress.
"Get him home...please..." she pleaded, loosening her grip.
"No...just hold on! We'll get out of this!" he said frantically, his muscles screaming in protest. His arm felt like it was being incinerated from the inside. The flames at the edge of the Trussway licked his hand, beginning to eat away at his hand.
Her head dropped and Snow felt her entire body sag, her hand slipping once again.
"Don't let–"
She fell, her hand still extended upwards and her hair fanning out around her. Yet her eyes were closed in peace.
Snow stared down at his hand, disbelieving. A sudden tremor from his arm distracted him, and then the entire Trussway broke off, the stilts collapsing as its enormous weight fell, along with Snow.
Darkness lay below.
The boy's shoulders heaved up and down in time to the beating of his heart.
Grey-green eyes simply stared.
What else was there do?
What could you say when the last person you loved died before your eyes?
If you were powerless to stop it?
He suddenly felt two gentle hands on his shoulders, slowly pushing him away from the edge of the bridge. A pair of green eyes came into view around the deep curve of the uniform's hood. It was her again.
"Come on!" she commanded gently, tugging on his hand. Her voice was soft and heavily accented. He hardly noticed.
Suddenly she stopped and whirled him around harshly. His eyes slowly took her into focus, but her green orbs were determined as she raised a hand, striking him across the face.
"We have to move! It's dangerous out here!" she told him earnestly.
He nodded slowly. "All right, sorry..."
He cast a long look backwards before following her.