Uploaded: 11/20/2012

Edited: 11/23/2012

It took the NORA group a couple of hours to reach the front doors of the Shinra tower. The entire trip was spent in solemn silence as they silently grieved for all their other friends that had passed in the fall of Sector Seven. Each member of the vigilante group wanted nothing less than to see the giant white eye sore engulfed in flame, or come crashing down into the wreckage of Sector Seven. When they did reach the front doors of the sky scraper, they were greeted with an almost pleasant surprise.

They saw that Cloud, Barret, and Tifa had been able to escape the destruction, but the three were filthy. A short explanation of how they climbed the wreckage later, the two groups started to formulate a plan. It did not take very long for the plan to form. The group had decided that Cloud, Snow, Barret, and Gadot would charge the front doors while the others would take the stairs.

After returning to the Shinra building, Claire had gone back to her room to relax from all that had happened to her in a short time. As she lay on her bunk letting her muscles un-knot themselves, she wondered why Serah still had not called her. The pinkette was starting to think that Director Trepe had actually forgotten to contact Serah. Just as the SOLDIER First was drifting into some much wanted sleep, her phone rang. She quickly grabbed it and flipped it open.

"Lightning Farron?" Tseng's voice grated her ears.

"What?" Claire responded, with zero kindness.

"Please come to my office, I need to speak with you."

Claire flipped her phone closed and with a huff, pulled herself out of her bed. On her way out of her room, she grabbed Blaze Edge's case and attached it to her SOLDIER belt. As she resentfully traveled to the Turk's office, she idly thought about what he wanted to see her about. It didn't take very long for her to reach his office and when she did, she entered without knocking.

"Lightning, always a pleasure," Tseng said sarcastically, surprising Claire.

"What do you want, Turk?" Claire shot back.

"The alarms on the lower levels have sounded. It seems we are under attack."

"By who?"

"Avalanche."

"They survived the fall of Sector Seven?" Claire could barely believe what she just heard.

"Yes, now if you would gather some troops and meet them on the fifty-ninth floor, it would be appreciated."

"One question, why didn't Director Trepe tell me about this?"

"She is currently away evaluating some of your fellow operatives in the field. Now go, before Avalanche makes it to Hojo's lab."

Claire did as she was told and left to gather some of her fellow operatives. After gathering a squad of Second Class troops, they headed up to the fifty-ninth floor. They set up in front of the elevator doors and waited for Avalanche. On the floor below them, the Turks had grouped together to wait for the part of Avalanche that had taken the stairs.

"Just so you are all aware, Serah is still undercover with Avalanche and she will be coming through that door with them. One wrong move, one slip of the tongue," Tseng eyed Reno as he said that "And they will kill Serah."

After Tseng finished speaking, he reached into his coat and pulled out his pistol, with which he was a marksman. Elena also drew her pistol from its holster on her thigh. Rude fell into his fighting stance, Reno flicked out his baton, and Cissnei pulled her large shuriken off her back and also fell into a battle stance. They were ready for and expecting a fight but something completely unexpected happened, the door to the very long stairwell flew off its hinges straight at them, making the Turks scatter. Only Tseng did not dive away from the door, he turned just enough to be out of the way and kept his gun trained on the doorway.

However, he had not been aware of the woman with long dark hair that had been right behind the door, who had shoulder checked the door off it's hinges. Just as a blue haired man and a dark haired woman appeared in the doorway, both wielding assault rifles, Tseng took aim for a wounding shot but had his gun kicked out of his hands.

As the handgun bounced across the floor, the dark haired Turk threw a punch at the long haired woman, who easily dodged it by moving to the side. The blue haired man and other dark haired woman started firing at the other Turks, who had retreated behind a group of pillars. A few seconds later, Maqui and Serah were able to push through the door and Serah was stunned at seeing who they had to fight. One floor above them, things were in Shinra's favor.

The group lead by Cloud waited for the elevator doors to open with their weapons ready. The steel box slowed down before coming to a stop and a light ding sounded before the doors started to open. As they slid sideways, Cloud, Snow, Barret, and Gadot, caught sight of eighteen SOLDIER second class members with their weapons ready. In front of the group of SOLDIERs was one operative in a black uniform, and who had pink hair. She had her sword ready and three materia, two fire and a lightning, charged and ready to use in at a moments notice.

Cloud looked up and down the line of super soldiers waiting to kill him and the other three of the group, then glanced at the other three men in elevator. With a small shake of his head, he dropped the Buster Sword and held up his hands in defeat, the other three shortly following suit.

"Good choice," Claire said with a hint of arrogance "Grab them and take them to the higher level elevators."

As the four rebel men were lead to the glass cylinder elevators, they had their hands cuffed behind their backs and three of them grumbled and shouted at the SOLDIER members. Calling each and every one of them every foul word and name they could imagine. When Cloud looked, he saw an amused look on the pink haired operative's face. She had also taken the Buster Sword and was resting it on her shoulder as she followed the group. The group of rebels was escorted to the presidents office and Claire felt the gaze of the blond on her back the entire trip. He was very familiar to her but no matter how hard she tried, no memory of him would come forward.

The group of men were lined up in front of the presidents desk and the large blond business man calmly looked them over. Claire calmly marched to the left side of his desk and a moment later heard several sets of feet coming up the stairs. She first spotted Tseng, who looked like he had been through one hell of a fight, then some more cuffed people behind him. Two men, one with sandy-blond hair, no more than a teenager, one with blue hair and expensive looking clothes, a woman with long dark hair and a white tank top, then another woman with dark hair. The last cuffed person made Claire freeze, and the end of the line, just in front of two other Turks, was Serah. Several emotions smashed into the front of Claire's mind upon seeing her sister, happiness, relief, anger, sadness, and murderous intent. Before her emotions could go any further, Claire forced them just far enough back that they would not affect her expression.

After noticing that every one of the prisoners, other than Serah, was looking between her and Serah, Claire crossed her arms under her bust and just sent each of them a glare. She made sure to linger on Serah for just one extra moment.

On the other hand, Serah was dumbfounded at seeing her sister. More than anything she wanted to run up to Claire, wrap her arms around the soldier, and tell her how much she had been missed. Soon after Serah realized three things, the first being that she had never received the news about Claire waking up because her actual phone had been in her apartment, the second was Tseng had obviously not informed Claire, and the third was the most surprising. Claire was on her feet. The doctors had told Serah many times that Claire spine had been severed and she would never walk again. The younger Farron was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the glare Claire had sent her.

Claire stood very still and tried to not focus her glare on Serah. Many thoughts were racing through her head as the president made a speech about something or another to the prisoners. The pink haired operative could not believe that Serah was one of the rebels.

"There has to be a reason for it," she repeated over and over in her mind.

She betray you. There is no redemption for that. The male and female voices said in unison.

"She wouldn't willingly act against Shinra, knowing that I work for them."

That's why she is against them. She hates you.

"But Sephiroth saved us. He made our lives better. Shinra made our lives better."

She hates all of you for sending her away.

"We didn't send her away. She was sent to school to have a better life..."

She is an agent for Cocoon. She sold everything she knows about Shinra to The Sanctum. She wants you to be captured and tortured by The Sanctum. You can see it in her eyes. She is just acting innocent and misguided... She is the true leader of AVALANCHE.

Those words from the voices just further fanned the flames of Claire's anger at Serah. She felt her lip just starting to twist into a snarl when the president called for her.

"Operative Lightning, Director Tseng, please take these criminals to Hojo's cells."

As ordered, they escorted the members of AVALANCHE down to Hojo's lab. The holding cells behind it to be specific. The group was split into pairs and guided into cells and Claire handed off the Buster Sword for it to be taken to be secured with the other weapons. Before Serah could be pushed inside a cell already containing a brown hair woman with a pink dress, Claire grabbed her arm and took her to a different cell. She closed the door and made sure the sound proofing was working before turning to Serah.

"Claire, I'm so happy to see you!" Serah was squealing with happiness and tears ran down her face as she moved to embrace her sister but was stopped by Claire's very hostile look.

"Why are you with AVALANCHE?" Claire growled at her younger sister.

"Claire I-"

"Did you just happen to forget that Sephiroth and I worked for Shinra?" Claire shouted, the amount of fury in her voice surprised her.

"Sephiroth's dead and you were in a coma for four years..." Serah said quietly as more tears rolled down her face but for a very different reason.

"So that gives you the right to up and join people that would have killed me in the hospital?" Claire took a step forward and Serah cowered back, almost falling onto the bed. She felt her hand tense and the voices spoke.

Do it...

"Claire, please lis-"

"It's Lightning to you!" Claire felt her control over her anger slipping.

Do it.

"Claire!" Serah begged between sobs "Please listen!"

"No!" Claire shouted back "You listen! After everything that Sephiroth did for us, this is how you honor his memory!"

"Shut up and listen to me!" Serah shouted instantly enraged at Claire's words.

Do it! The voices shouted at Claire and she obeyed. Her hand flew up from her side and an instant later, Serah spun around and toppled onto the bed. For a brief moment Claire was confused but the tingling in her hand informed her she had just smacked Serah. She was surprised that the small girl had not been lifted off her feet by her enhanced strength.

"You betray me and the one man that cared for us. As far as I'm concerned, you never came out of Sector Six," with that, Claire turned and left the younger Farron alone in the cell.

On her way back to the elevators, she passed by Tseng who gave her a brief look over without missing a step or slowing. When they were near each other, Claire spoke quietly.

"How long did you know about Serah?" she demanded more than asked.

"Who's Serah?" Tseng replied with a confused look and continued on his way. Claire's instincts told her he was lying but that was part of a Turks job.

Upon arriving on the SOLDIER floor of the Shinra building, an unlucky Third class operative happened to be standing in front of the elevator doors and without a second thought, and very little effort, Claire knocked him out with one punch. She made her way to her room, every other SOLDIER member wisely stepped out of her way, and after closing the door Claire punched the wall, nearly fracturing the steel. Basically throwing herself onto her bed, she lay there face down for several minutes and the voices returned.

Claire, don't be sad, we will always be with you and will never leave you.

"Who are you?" Claire growled into her pillow. She heard the voices laugh softly before replying.

Your new family.

The pink haired SOLDIER looked up from her pillow for a moment and the first thing she saw was a picture of Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, Serah, and herself. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed the frame, opened it to get the photo, and tore off the side with Genesis and Serah on it. After balling up and throwing the piece into the trash, she replaced the remaining part in the frame and set it back down on her bedside table. A ghost of a smile passed over her face and she huffed in amusement before laying back down and quickly falling asleep.

That night Claire was plagued by a series of strange dreams. The first was about her being trapped but breaking free with ease. Next was a few similar dreams, all were about her being attacked but not person that attacked her lasted more than a second or two and did not even come close to hurting her. The last dream was about her marching up to a massive desk with a large blond man sitting at it. She walked around it and impaled him from behind, then she smashed the window and jumped out.

A blaring alarm and her phone ringing ripped Claire from her slumber and with a growl she answered her phone. Before she could say anything, a female voice was shouting at her.

"Avalanche is escaping! Hurry up and get to the lobby!" Instantly closing her phone and dumping it in her pocket, Claire followed Director Trepe's orders.

The elevator ride to the lobby was incredibly boring but when the door opened, Claire was more than surprised. She spotted two wrecked robots, the Hundred Gunner and Heli-Gunner, which were supposed to be anti-SOLDIER machines. She heard an engine roar to life over the alarm, looked up the stairs and spotted the blond haired man, who once again had the Buster Sword, riding an old model of motorcycle. Shots flew close to her and Claire quickly stepped behind the wrecked Hundred Gunner, carefully looking out. The motorcycle rider drove through the front doors, demolishing them, and a teal pickup truck, the one that had been on display, followed the motorcycle. Claire spotted two women in the cab, Barret in the back with a strange looking creature she had never seen before.

She followed them out and watched them speed off with another pickup truck on the highway. Several other motorcycle engines alerted Claire and she turned to see a group of Shinra men chasing the escaped prisoners. Claire jumped, turned, and landed on a speeding sports bike, knocking the driver off onto the pavement. Throwing the bike to full throttle, she sped down the highway, weaving through traffic and following the wreckage to a section that was under construction. The wind howled in her ears and when she finally caught up to the three fleeing vehicles, shots started to impact around her, tearing the concrete apart. Claire maneuvered close to the blond on the bike but quickly had to doge a swing from the Buster Sword. After moving closer to the blond, that being the only place she was not being shot at, she engaged in one the strangest fights she had ever been in.

After a few minutes of high speed, intense sword fighting, on motorcycles, a very loud engine and grinding noise got everyone's attention. Claire looked back and saw another one of Scarlet's anti-SOLDIER robots, the Motor Ball. Seeing as how it took up all the lanes of the highway, Claire slowed down and jumped off her bike just before it was crushed by the massive machine. She jumped off the back of the robot further slowing her down and landed safely on the highway. A slight smirk crawled onto her face because she knew they were no match for that machine. The pink haired operative started her long walk back to the Shinra building and after about twenty minutes heard her phone ring.

"Lightning Farron," Claire stated after flipping open her phone.

"What is your current location?" She heard Tseng ask.

"The highway that's being built. Not sure exactly," As much as Claire despised the Turks, there was obviously a reason for Tseng to call her.

What Claire assumed to be an hour later, she heard a helicopter rotor approaching. The helicopter landed on the highway, a fair distance from Claire and the door slid open a moment later. She spotted Tseng as he stepped out of the helicopter, and sitting inside was a young blond man in a white suit. Claire hurried to the helicopter and climbed in. Once she was seated, she spotted a bundle of clothes and was about to ask who the suited man was but never got to say anything.

"This is Rufus Shinra, the new president of the company," Tseng told her.

"New president?" Claire was more than confused.

"My father was killed earlier tonight. By Avalanche," Rufus stated calmly, fully knowing that Sephiroth had killed his father but felt that this particular SOLDIER did not need to know that fact.

"You seem upset," Claire calmly replied. Rufus just huffed and handed her a folder with a small stack of paper in it "What's this?" she asked as she flipped it open and started scanning the pages, most of technical jargon that was outside her knowledge.

"Twenty five years ago, a few years after Jenova Project S was deemed a success, Hollander sold a copy of all the reports and several Jenova cell samples to Cocoon," Tseng answered.

"And you just figured this out?" Claire retorted with a hidden mischievous smirk.

"It's not easy to get our spies into Cocoon. Anyways, you have to retrieve Cocoon's Jenova project."

"I thought kidnappings were the Turks specialty."

"You were out of commission for four years and Cocoon knows all of our current Turks," Rufus answered that time "We have forged documents that will name you as a sergeant of Cocoon's Guardian Corps and that," Rufus motioned to the bundle of clothes "Is the uniform. Now get changed."

Claire quickly started to get changed. She had no issue with changing in front of Tseng and the president but they had the decency to turn towards the window. The uniform she had to change into was a brown turtleneck vest that showed off her midriff, a brown short skirt (Claire was happy to have her SOLDIER gym shorts to wear under the skirt), brown knee high boots with an armor plate over the shin, a white jacket, and a red half cape. She improvised to attach her sheath for Blaze Edge to the skirt and let the two men know she was finished.

"So once I locate the target, how do I get out?" Claire asked as she buckled up the coat.

"We have paid a local pilot to fly you close to our border," Tseng replied "His name is Sazh Katzroy and he will wait until seven PM."

"Who is the target?" Rufus handed Claire a picture of man with silver hair and bright green eyes.

"His name is Hope Estheim. He is home visiting his parents in Palumpolum and it is likely he has the same abilities as Sephiroth," Tseng answered.

"So are you also going there, president Shinra?" Claire asked her boss.

"I convinced Primarch Dysley to allow a meeting between us. In Palumpolum," As Rufus went on to explain minor details that did not have an effect on her mission, Claire zoned out and started to think about strategies for her mission. She barely even noticed that an hour slipped by or that the helicopter had landed on the outskirts of Palumpolum.

"Lightning!" Tseng said loudly "You have to get in, locate Estheim, and get out. Your identity will only be effective for one day before Cocoon realizes they have been infiltrated," Claire gave one curt nod to acknowledge what Tseng said.

"Also, if things go south," Rufus started to get her attention "Do not come to Shinra for help. I am here for diplomacy, so I can't have word of a SOLDIER in Cocoon getting out because it will start a war. Understand?"

"Find Estheim, get out of Cocoon, don't contact Shinra. Understood, sir," Claire stated.

With a nod, Rufus motioned for Claire to leave the helicopter and slammed the door behind her. The helicopter lifted off and continued towards Palumpolum. Claire waited a few minutes and then set off in the same direction. It was not the first time she was on a mission where she would get no assistance from Shinra but it did not explain the ominous feeling she had in her gut.

Well... There it is. Why do I always feel like the chapter is sub-par? Please tell me if something needs to be fixed. I know it's not as long as the last chapter but since the story has now split into Lightning and Serah the next chapter should be like, double the length.

Please leave a review to make me feel happy.