Chaos.

Pure chaos filled the streets of Bresha, a sensation nearly palpable amid the cries of war. PSICOM and Guardian Corps forces clashed with the Pulse automata, sparks flying with every strike. The wolves of Pulse fell upon the machines of Cocoon, and soldiers from both sides cried out in pain. Overhead, an airship screamed through the sky, a line of black smoke billowing behind it, before it crashed into one of the buildings, erupting in a small explosion.

Through the chaos, two small squadrons quickly dashed from cover to cover, avoiding the main fray where possible. They were both on opposite sides of this war, but somehow on the same reconnaissance mission. Their objective: to meet with a contact said to have insider knowledge of the enemies’ weakness, the sort of information that a Librascope would never reveal. Political machinations, the true cogs of war, were churning. Now was their chance to gain the upper hand.

Above the fray stood a man watching from the shadows. The two teams were following their separate paths straight towards him. A smile toyed at his lips. The truth was about to be revealed, and none of the hundreds below had a single clue. Pawns, all of them, even the generals. And all of them were pieces the real enemy. “Time to even the odds a bit,” he murmured before dropping down from his perch to greet the new arrivals.


Most people remember exactly where they were when Pulse invaded Cocoon. Nearly everyone could recall that sinking feeling in their stomach while watching the news footage on their television sets. Julian’s memories were just as strong. Perhaps stronger, as he was within meters of one of the AMP Gates that let in that great behemoth, who then proceeded to maul the first people in sight, tossing their limp bodies into the air. Yes, Julian had felt the overwhelming dread as he watched dozens of PSICOM forces take on a single one of the beasts and fall one by one.

Julian was just a simple file clerk for a legal firm in downtown Bresha, barely more than an intern and forced to do laundry and fetch coffee and donuts for his boss. It was on the way back from one of these donut runs that he heard the deep whoosh of a portal open behind him. He had turned just in time to see a mother and her two children look up in horror into the very face of hell. He knew the mother's fate would be engraved on his mind forever; whether the children survived or not was a question that haunted him today. Julian wasn't sure which was better.

He ran. And ran and ran and ran. He found himself breathless in front of a Guardian Corps recruitment office. Without truly knowing why, he signed up. The decimated ranks of soldiers were starving for new troops, and immediately put him to work, not on the front lines, but where he was useful. Despite never being more than a file clerk, Julian spent his downtime reading those files. Hackers, black market suppliers, illegal Pulse sympathizers, Julian had read about all of them, and likely had been in contact with most of them. For Julian, information was the key to power. He gave just enough information to the Corps to prove himself invaluable without showing his hand and losing his leverage. The information earned him quick advancements through the ranks, and soon he was a lieutenant in charge of a small team dedicated to reconnaissance. It was at this point that Julian had begun to discover the truth.


Julian dropped from his perch amidst the shadows and sat down calmly in front of the shores of Lake Bresha. Any minute now, the team from Pulse would round the corner from the left, and the Cocoon team would close in from the right. Julian sat directly in the middle. With any luck, the sight of their objective would be enough for them to ask questions before firing at the enemy. Julian crossed his legs, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. “No turning back now.”

The armies of Gran Pulse had made their move, and the war was on. During the initial attack, all PSICOM and Guardian Corps units were deployed in response to the invasion. However, as the battles raged on, the scene unfolding across Cocoon quickly became anything but an organized military campaign. Had the Pulsian forces truly caught them so off guard? The opening conflicts saw Cocoon’s military as a completely reactionary force, as if there had been no preparation for what most considered an inevitability. So many lives already lost because of this war, so many who were left without the ones that they loved…

Madeleine L’amouruex stepped into a train car, crowded with frantic passengers, at the station in Eden, the floating city at Cocoon’s center. Eden had not yet seen the worst of the conflicts in spite of the number of casualties that threatened to exhaust the resources of its hospitals and clinics. Madeleine clutched her staff closely as the doors shut and the train departed, her own emerald eyes staring back at her in the reflection of the window. How many soldiers were able to see another day because of her efforts with this instrument of healing. And how many more had been just beyond her reach, both in the treatment rooms and on the battlefield. She sighed and pulled her long blond hair over one shoulder as the train sped her away towards Palumpolum, Cocoon’s “city of commerce”.

But this was not a shopping trip; Madeleine was on a mission. She had been out with special units countless times during the war, her sole purpose to ensure that everyone lived to fight another day. However, this time the assignment was very different. She had practically no details concerning what the task would be or who was requesting it, other than that he had information that could help end the war. In fact, Madeleine still was not sure why she had accepted the call to join what felt to her like the beginning of an anti-government initiative. Perhaps she had long since recognized that no amount of lives saved today would stop the war from continuing tomorrow. Perhaps the feeling of responsibility that she had for all people had driven to her to take this radical change in direction, in the hopes that it would end the suffering.

What Madeleine did know, in the deepest places of her heart, was that the purpose behind her decision to serve had been eluding her day after day, month after month, ever since he disappeared, and with him had gone a large piece of her soul. If leaving her home and unit behind on a whim could get her closer to the path he had taken…

Sebastian… where are you?

The car doors opening in Palumpolum jolted her from her thoughts. She stepped into the drafty station, which was just as full of pandemonium as everywhere else . Madeleine had dressed light, a long cloak over her white dress, which was emblazoned with the Eye of Etro. Occasionally her missions required her to wear heavier protection, but this was not only a hindrance to her craft but was quite exhausting on her small frame. But today there was no room for error. Madeleine needed to focus; her new teammate would be here to meet her. Together they would continue on to the Outer Rim, where the conflict was at its worst, and eventually end up at the appointed destination of Bresha.

She walked further into the station, the entire experience feeling suddenly very surreal. It was a great departure from anything Madeleine had ever done before. Why had she been picked to take on such a strange assignment? She looked nervously into the chaos around her. Who was this other person that had been selected to accompany her?

Madeleine could not have possibly prepared herself for what the answer to that question was about to entail.

Why am I here?

Nyxia marvelled at how high up in the sky she was. It was strange, being borne into the air on an airship. She felt light and a little unsteady on her feet. True, she had often wondered how it would feel to soar through the sky as she watched the fal'Cie Dahaka emerge from Taejin's Tower and glide effortlessly through it. But never in a million years could she imagine that she'd be where she was now.

Why am I here? the unanswered question flashed through her mind again and this time, she found herself looking towards the floating continent that was to be their destination. Cocoon. She often looked up at the sky and wondered why anyone would be tempted to live there in the Viper's nest. 'Within this shell lies paradise.' How can it be paradise when those living there are merely slaves of the demon Lindzei?

Or at least, that was what she was taught as a child. Everything had been simple then. The fal'Cies were gods put in place by the maker to provide, protect and nurture the land and its people. She looked up to them and often prayed for protection and blessing. She was content and never found herself wanting. She thought back to the events that led her to leave Oerba and ultimately join the war effort.

"Mother, I--"

"I know. I'm dying. It doesn't matter. Save your strength. There are still those who need you." The bloodied hand of Oerba Xin Yulia gently stroked the cheek of her daughter. "I am proud of you, Nyxia. Of who you are, of what you've become and I will look after you even in the after life. So will your father..." she paused as her body was wracked with cough and blood trickled down her lips. "He may not have been able to say it often but he is proud of you, he always was. And in his last moment, you were the one that freed him from his torment. That Cieth... that attacked... That... was... your father, Nyxia." Her brown eyes shone with tears and slowly, the light faded from them.

With the memory came resentment towards her father for his secrets, for the destruction and death he brought upon Oerba and for her mother's untimely demise. But she bore a deeper resentment and stronger anger towards the fal'Cie Anima. What sort of god would condemn its follower to such a horrible fate? They had been taught to pay homage to Anima, to thank this 'benevolent god' for the protection he bestows upon Oerba. But what kind of protection was it that turned her father into a monster that brought death to the village? She thought about confronting this 'god' and demanding an explanation so many times. She wanted to cry at it, to shout at it, to accuse it and to destroy it all at the same time. But the elder of the village, knowing the rage that had built up inside her from the death of both her parents, forbade her to. And in the end, she opted to leave, to wander throughout Gran Pulse in hopes of finding herself and finding some sort of purpose to her existence.

Why am I here?

That ever present question that she had never been able to answer before loomed in her head. But as she stared at Cocoon as it loomed closer, for once in her life, she had an answer.

War is destruction. I bring destruction. Perhaps fighting in it would give my life the meaning I've searched for for so long.

Finally, the airship docked on Cocoon's outer rim. Nyxia was brought out of her reverie by the sight of Lake Bresha. It was different from the bodies of water seen on Pulse but it was, nevertheless, a beautiful place. Perhaps there is some truth to this cursed place being a paradise after all. She didn't waste any time. She was, after all, not on Cocoon to do some sight seeing. With a single leap, she was off the airship.

She took a deep breath. "Oerba Xin Nyxia, this is where your story begins," she said to herself.

Riya sat with her arms crossed over her stomach, her head turned to watch as Lake Bresha came into view. It was lovely, but she had little appreciation for the sight. Cocoon was known as nothing more than home to enemies more vile than the beasts that roamed in the wilds of Gran Pulse. Rather than take in the sights, it felt more appropriate to focus on the task at hand: securing information from a defective soldier of Cocoon.

She’d have much rather been assigned near the front lines, doing her best to watch over her allies. But she also knew that this information was far too important, and she’d simply have to trust them to watch out for themselves. Her presence was much more valuable to the small team she was ordered to accompany, yet doubt still tore at her. A contact from inside Cocoon willing to give such important information to the enemy sounded like nothing short of a trap; regardless of what assistance he may have offered in the past. In order to ensure they make it in and out safely, she had to be at her best.

Once Bresha was in sight, it wasn’t long before the airship prepared for landing. She let out a sigh and allowed herself to relax in the brief moment before the airship landed. They were entering a warzone, and any concerns were best left behind for the sake of survival. As the airship landed she made a brief check of her equipment. With everything in order, she gripped her bow tightly and steadied herself on one of the aircraft’s walls, and taking one deep breath, prepared to enter the fray.

There was little time between leaving the airship and being plunged into combat. Chaos swept the streets, and while it was surely a living nightmare to those more directly involved, Riya was thankful that it made their operation easier. There were far too many skirmishes happening at once for their enemy to put much pressure on the elusive unit that quickly made their way through the streets and wreckage. Even when Cocoon soldiers tried to engage, many of them were soon overwhelmed by groups of Pulse soldiers that came to their aid as the four slipped back into cover. The rest of the unit did well taking down any soldiers that got too close for comfort, and Riya focused on taking out distant threats with her bow before they could become a problem.

Her concerns from the flight resurfaced slowly the closer they came to their target, but at the sight of the relaxed man sitting in front of the waterfront a small fraction of that concern seemed to be lifted, if only momentarily. It wasn’t long before two more soldiers came into her vision; at the sight, she promptly halted and drew back her bow, prepared to shoot at any sign of aggression.

((OOC: Nadia and Noir Combo ))

Nadia was deeply distraught when she heard the call to arms from the Pulsian Military. She joined the military about two years after her sister’s disappearance, and she was 15 years old. She heard of the fighting on her way to the local food market in the village, which she was training in. She rushed herself to the closest military airship, which was on its way to Cocoon. She got on the airship and all she could think about is her older sister because she was leaving Pulse, and going to the probable cause for her sister leaving her village, which was Cocoon. She wanted some closure with that part of her life. "It's nice we are all going after an enemy like Cocoon since they are a den of vipers," Nadia thought with a sigh. She did notice at least three people, who looked slightly different from the other soldiers and they were all older than her, she couldn't tell how old they were, but they seemed middle-aged. She smiled slightly at this since she always respected everyone who is older than her. "I hope I get to stick with those three older people. They probably know a lot more than I do," Nadia thought.

Nadia had her scythe on her back while this was going on. The Airship was flying at its steady pace towards the battlefield on Cocoon. One of the Pulsian soldiers on board of the Airship was unready for that battlefield, and he was pacing back and forth. "I bet he’s gonna get taken out by the first Cocoon soldier we see," Nadia thought as she sighed with an uninterested look in her blue eyes.

The male soldier noticed the young little brat sighing in his direction and walked up to her. "What's your problem?" The male Pulsian soldier asked towards Nadia.

Nadia looked at him with a very uninterested look. "You need to calm down, that's what. You're too anxious. My mother and father told me that if you are too anxious the monsters will eat you first." Nadia said with a blank look in her eyes. The male Pulsian soldier slapped Nadia on the face, she rubbed her face since the slap stung a bit, but Nadia did nothing to him since she didn’t want to cause a fight on the airship. Nadia just sighed at him. "Are you done yet?" Nadia asked rolling her eyes.

He got even more frustrated with this girl since her question got to him a bit. He smacks her face again, but this time with his backhand since she was annoying him. Nadia was somewhat shocked that he would hit her again but harder than last time since it stung more than the last time. She stood there very annoyed, her face was kinda getting angry and her eyes even showed it too. She took an oath to find her older sister, but she had more patience than her sister had toward this kind of abuse. She, on the other hand, held her cheek since she was annoyed at this less than a man. "Why are you hitting me?" Nadia asked somewhat confused.

The Jerk was liking this girl’s non-aggressive behavior toward him, but he tried to be quiet while around hoped no one was around to overheard their conversation. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear “You are too easy on the eyes, and I think you really need to go back to your worthless village in the peaks. I heard a rumor that it is deserted no one lives there anymore. I used to live in your village,” He said quietly. Nadia heard what the man said, and she couldn’t believe what he said, but she cried uncontrollably because she thought it wasn’t true. She knew her parents wouldn’t abandon the village, they had too much pride to do that unless something happened to them. Her tears were like waterworks, but they wouldn’t stop. The Man left her in this terrible state without any remorse, which he whispered in her ear.

Noir was going through his inventory and double checked his maps when he overhead a commotion between two other two soldiers. He looks up and saw that it is between two of the younger soldiers. A male and female. He decided to go back to his work and let them sort it out but after awhile, he could hear sobbing. Once again, Noir looks up again and sees the same female as before but alone and tears rolling down her face. Noir decides to get up and walk over to her. As he approached her, he speak in a monotone voice. ”It seem that you could use an ear to listen to you. I may supply one to you.” Noir does not want this young lady to die because of her head is in the wrong space. Noir does not like the idea of war but he learned that most abide by the law of kill or be killed.

Nadia looked at the older man who is walking towards her and she somewhat smiles at him, and what he said was thoughtful. ”Thanks... I could use an ear about now,” Nadia said with tears rolling down her cheek. Nadia was trying to hold her tears back but she was undoubtedly shaken by this event, it was worse than when her older sister left the village. ”My name is Yaschas Dia Nadia, so what’s your name?” Nadia said still teary eyed, ”I miss my older sister a lot.” Nadia just started crying again and the waterworks flowed a lot more than normal since talking about her older sister hurts her more than anything since they used to be really close.

” The name is Haerii Talim Noir.” The distraught young girl cries more as she mentions her older sister. Noir can feel some sympathy for the girl as he can relate to her situation. As he rubs his grandmother’s ring, Nior thinks of the words. “Wherever your sister is, I am sure she thinking of you like you are thinking of her.” Noir reassures Nadia as best as he could. ‘This girl is as good as dead on the battlefield if she can not get a hold of her emotions​,’ Noir thought ‘Then again, most of the fighters here are not true soldiers, including himself.’ Noir just can hope that this girl is not a front liner.

Nadia heard the name of the man, who’s talking to her and smiles a bit at him. ”Nice to meet you Noir,” Nadia said smiling with tears running down her cheek. Nadia touched her cheek and tried to snap out of the crying by rubbing her eyes. Nadia heard what Noir said next and smiled. ”Thanks, I will try to remember that,” Nadia said. Nadia calmed down at Noir's reassurances. ”He is nicer than most people I’ve met,” Nadia thought, ”I hope we get to where we need to go.” Nadia glanced at her scythe since it is in the corner of her eye and remembers the better days in her village.

Noir notices Nadia glance at her weapon. It is interesting to see someone wield an uncommon weapon like a scythe. He chose to wield dual tonfas as they generally are used to knock someone unconscious but still can kill if in the right hands. “So, is your weapon important to you in other way, other than for survival?” Noir is going to try soothe Nadia. It seems that she needs someone to turn to and it looks like he is the only one who do so. “My weapons are used for defense as much as for offense.” Noir takes out his tonfas from behind his back and shows them for a bit before putting them away “I think every tool has a story, even weapons. So do you mind tell your weapon’s story?” Noir hopes that this puts Nadia more at ease with this whole ordeal.

Nadia looked back towards Noir with a smile and a slight sigh. ”Yes, my scythe does have sentimental value to me. I picked it by a ritual we do in our village it’s a rite of passage to become an adult,” Nadia said. The girl took her scythe from her back with her hand and held it close to her body with the Scythe’s blade facing down toward the ground. She noticed Noir taking out his weapons to show her and she smiled a bit since she does know everyone uses different weapons, it is the same in her village. ”I use my dream scythe as a way to calm me down. It does shimmer in the night sky in a multitude of colors, but it only does that when I am holding it in my hands. It reminds me of a time living in my village of Yaschas Peak. It was simpler back then with my family, friends, and I was happy living there,” Nadia said smiling. She is happy that is she is finally opening up after all these years after her older sister left the village, which caused her to close down, and hardly speak of this event in her life until now. ”Burhan helped me pick it out. He was our elder. He died soon after… The last thing he asked me was if I believed in Fate. He told me I was destined to own the Dream Scythe and forge my path, whether for protection… or destruction,” Nadia said. She was somewhat saddened at telling Noir about this, but it has to be told. She put her dream scythe on her back since having a weapon out that long will probably cause more people to be curious about her situation. Since she was smacked hard by the man who didn’t like what she said. ”Noir, I thank you for helping me realize some things. I will try to be a bit more positive even during this war, which will probably end in heartbreak,” Nadia said with a bit of a worried look on her face. She looked up at the ceiling for a second or two, and then back to Noir with a gentle smile.

Noir listens attentively at Nadia, soaking in all of of her words. The night connection of her scythe intrigues him a bit. “Well, the stars are important to me because they aid me in my job as navigator. There are a few fables that I remember my grandmother telling me, showing the importance of stars. “ Noir tries to remember any of the fables. His memories of the fables are vague at best but he remembers the gist of them. “They are often guide the character through their darkest hour, figuratively and literally. We also have a few sayings that use stars like ‘friends are like stars. You don’t always see them but you know that they are there.’ So there could be a star watching over you and guiding your path.” Soon enough, Noir could feel the airship descending. Noir does one final check of his stuff before turning to Nadia. ”Prepare yourself. I don’t want any more deaths as there already are. I will let you go first and I will follow close behind.“

Nadia listened to Noir talk very concisely about what he does as a job, Navigator. She smiled when he tells her a fable mostly because she was told some fables before, but it was only by the Elder’s great storytelling. Nadia was somewhat shocked when the airship started to descend, but she had all her gear on her, which she needed for her role in the military that they gave her. ”I am ready and I won’t die here. I have a lot of things I need to do,” Nadia said. The Airship finally landed and opened up, Nadia jumped out of the airship with a certain set of goals. She wanted to find out where her older sister is, but she hoped her mission will shed some light on that, and the rumor she learned from the man, which assaulted her. She felt grateful she was not on the frontline. ”I hope this contact is worthwhile,” Nadia thought to herself. She noticed the beautiful Bresha Lake and its shores were somewhat amazing since she had really seen the water before since she lives in the Yaschas Peaks. Nadia knew if it wasn’t for the mission she would probably take in the sights but she’s in enemy territory since it is Cocoon.

Noir jumps after Nadia. ” As long as we keep moving and stay away from the enemy infested areas, we should be fine. ” Noir can not take in the sights or dwell on the ensued fighting. Noir takes out the map with the location of the contact is meant to be. He records every important location onto a map for reference at a later date. Noir sees no point in memory as it can be unreliable at times. ”If the contact says where he supposed to be, then we have no issue.” Noir rolls up the map and stores it away for safekeeping. Noir points in the direction of the contact. ” If the Information is correct, we head in that direction. We better get moving.” Noir waits for Nadia to go ahead before following suit. Noir hopes that this mission brings the war to a close sooner. The longer the war, the more is lost. Noir snaps himself out of the thoughts. Noir knows that he must take it step by step. ” So, once this is all over, will you look for your sister? If so, may I join you in your search?”

Nadia nodded at what Noir said in terms of not going near the battle, which is probably happening elsewhere. Nadia walked ahead of Noir towards the location of the contact of what Noir showed on his map. ”Yeah this will be a breeze if he’s there so we can easily get in, and out of the area without running into the enemy,” Nadia said with a nervous tone. Nadia was somewhat worried that this war will probably never end. Nadia looked at Noir slightly when he talked about her older sister. ”I will try to find her and you are welcomed to help me,” Nadia said with a slight smile on her face.

Kirta leaned against one of the pillars in the station. He was not accustomed to waiting, but he had already been there for an hour. Who was it he was waiting for again? He could not for the life of him, remember her name. All he could recall was that she had blonde hair, green eyes, and nice tits. At least, that is what the others told him. He'd never seen her or spoke with her before, so he couldn't judge her physique. She could be an ugly hag for all he knew.

He decided to let his mind wander while he waited for her to arrive.
Pulse had attacked Cocoon. That meant that a lot of people would die. Especially by his blade. Kirta had been eager to go out to the front and battle with them, but he ended up getting stuck with this boring mission in stead. They had to meet some guy that had information to end the war. Not like he hated it. He got to hurt others. His favorite pass time. A smile danced on his lips at the thought of slicing someone up.
Still, he'd rather be on the battlefield defending his home than running around trying to find some guy that might not even exist. Why did he have to deal with this? Surely there were other, more suited people to meet this guy... Kirta wasn't exactly friendly. Diplomacy was not his strongest quality.

A train had pulled up, bringing him back to reality. He watched carefully as each person exited, certain he would see some crooked old woman matching the description he was given. He was delightful surprised when it actually turned out to be a beautiful young woman.
Kirta narrowed his eyes at her. She passed him by, so she was not as lucky to get a description of him. This gave him a chance to observe her.. more alluring assets. She had some decent ones. Still, she looked like she had never held a weapon in her life. What exactly did she do?

"Hey." he paused, her name still escaping him. He was going to have to give her a name he would remember. "Hey, Blondie. You here for the mission to Bresha?"

Madeleine did not know what she thought she was expecting, but the man had succeeded in catching her off guard. At first she was not sure that he had even been talking to her, but as she turned to face him, as calmly as she could manage to pretend, there was no doubt that his piercing green eyes were bearing straight down on her. This was surely the one with whom she had been directed to meet, the second member of the special team that was being assembled for unknown reasons. He certainly looked the part in his white button shirt, black jacket and slacks. Madeleine sensed that he meant business in the way that he carried himself. A draft in the station swirled about them, ominously breezing through his black hair and clothes and giving her the chills.

And did he just call me ‘Blondie’?

Madeleine gathered her thoughts as she regarded the man and pulled her cloak closely around her. “Yes, I am going to Bresha,” she said to answer his question. “I suppose we have been expecting each other. I’m Madeleine.”

Keeping her staff in one hand she extended the other and smiled sweetly, relieved that she was no longer in this situation alone.

Kirta looked at this woman's hand with a raised eyebrow, as if he was unaccustomed to such civility. He did however, extend his own hand to take hers, grasping it firmly. He smiled at her, but it never reached his eyes.
"Good to know. You can call me Kirta."He looked at her staff. It didn't really look like something one would use to bludgeon someone to death. Dammit, what the hell did she do?
He pulled back from her, considering if he should ask what her profession was. Then again, if he was disappointed, it would be a very long train ride out of here.

As if by coincidence, over the loud speaker, it was announced that their transportation had arrived. Well, the sooner they leave, the sooner they get there. "Shall we go?" Kirta asked, and swept his arms toward the locomotive. He didn't exactly wait for her to answer, and started walking off toward the car they would need to board. It didn't even occur to him to look behind him to see if she was following or that he had the tickets. On the way over, he tuned into a conversation he thought might be interesting.
"I heard they're doing something big down there. Said it was goi-"
"Shh! You shouldn't be saying these things, you are going to scare people!"
"I suppose you are right, no sense in it.. is that guy staring at us?"

The two that had been speaking now stared in Kirta's direction, he had inadvertently looked at them over long and the pair ended their conversation and walked away. Oh well, they didn't have anything useful to say anyway. He walked up to the open compartment, then remembered the chick he was suppose to be travelling with. What was her name again? Maybel? Magpie?
He turned and was able to spot her in the crowd. He shouted to her,
"Come on, Maggie, don't want to miss our ride!"

Madeleine took note of Kirta’s reluctance to take her hand and the bored expression he gave her. And his obvious disinterest in conversation. And his lack of care in remembering her name. And his complete disregard for weather or not she actually boarded the train. And-

Did he just call me ‘Maggie’?

It was confusing, to be sure. At length, Madeleine attributed it to a sense of urgency that would normally come with being on such a dangerous assignment. He yelled at her to hurry as she remained paralyzed in analysis, and so she shook it off and trotted quickly to catch up with him, dodging frantic citizens along the way, so that she would not be left behind. They stepped into the train car just as the doors closed for departure.

Madeleine looked at Kirta as the train began taking them towards the Outer Rim. He paid her no mind, and after a few very long and awkward moments of silence Madeleine decided to initiate some conversation.

“So, how did you get mixed up in all of this?” she asked apprehensively. “You don’t look like a soldier. I mean, not that you don’t look like you could be a soldier, because you do, but not like a normal soldier. Which isn’t to say that you don’t look normal, it’s just that…” She cut herself off when she realized that she was rambling, and that Kirta did not appear to be listening anyway.

Just shut up, Madeleine...

She sighed and looked out the window as Cocoon, falling more and more into calamity, rushed past them. “But I’m glad you're here and I'm not alone,” she softly said out loud to nobody in particular.

Kirta stared at the woman as she continued to ramble, an eyebrow raised. As she quieted down, he solidified his impression that she wasn't accustomed to this type of situation. Which meant she was probably useless on the battlefield. Just his luck. How did he get stuck BABYSITTING?! Of all the tasks he could have been given, he was an escort? There was a war going on. He began to fidget with bottom of his shirt, his face masking the anger he felt. Maybe if he ignored her, she would go away!

After a few minutes of silence had passed, Kirta glanced over at the woman. She seemed kind of nervous. Damn it. Even if she was useless, there was probably something he could do with her. Meat shield? Might as well answer her question and try to be friendly.
"I'm part of the Guardian Corps. I volunteered for the mission because I was told it'd be dangerous. We are going to the battlefield, after all. Plenty of enemies from Pulse." he looked down into her eyes and a gentle smile spread across his face, again, not reaching his eyes, "I'm not like those other soldiers." He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "I will kill you if you slow me down."As he moved back, the smile had faded and now his gaze was dark, frightening. 'So much for friendly.' he thought, amused.
He made no more attempts to converse with her until they reached their stop.

Once the train had pulled into the station, Kirta was happy to finally get out of the stuffy thing. He pulled the female with him so she wouldn't get lost. She seemed the type that would either wander off or lose sight of him. He didn't mind hurting women, but if it was as perilous as he was told, he would need assistance. Why bother though? He could easily take out any Pulsian he came across. The excitement of combat was almost too much and an evil grin threatened the adjacent area. Anyone that saw him instinctually moved away. He grabbed Madeleine's wrist a bit roughly and looked into her eyes.
"Let's go, Maple."

At first Madeleine was in utter shock at how Kirta was acting towards her. She had never been threatened by someone so directly, least of all by someone whom she had just met and whom she had assumed was to be fighting this war on the same side as herself. As the situation began to sink in a little deeper, her emotions progressed quickly from complete surprise to fear, and then, as she began to wonder just who in the hell Kirta thought he was, shear anger.

She yanked her wrist free from his harsh grip before he could pull her any further.

“My name is Madeleine!” she yelled at him as he turned to face her. She met his gaze with fists clenched angrily and tears of humiliation welling in her eyes despite her best efforts to hold them back.

She had never been so insulted in her life. This was not her first mission nor her first time heading into battle. Madeleine had accompanied some of the finest soldiers in both the Guardian Corps and PSICOM, many of whom still drew breath as a direct result of her presence in their patrols. She would not be treated so disrespectfully by this man.

“I don't know what you have been through that you would be so willing to kill me.” Madeleine spoke softly but there was fire in her eyes. “I would do anything to take that pain away from you. And I will give everything while we are out here to make sure you don't go through any more. I know that I don't have the power or strength that soldiers like you possess. But please do not mistake my kindness for weakness.”

Madeleine's anger had subsided into sadness now; sadness that Kirta seemed so full of hate, sadness that this war would only continue to bring her loneliness. She walked by him then, heading towards the man sitting calmly in the middle of the battlefield, the man whom she could only assume was their contact.

((OOC: The shores of Lake Bresha, DM Post))

Julian sat tranquilly, listening to the sounds of the water softly lapping at the shoreline. The fighting had not reached this somewhat secluded area, and it was just far enough so that sounds of battle in the distance competed with the sounds of Cocoon’s particular brand of nature. That was soon to change, no doubt.

As he heard footsteps approaching, Julian activated his Manadrive, sending an arc of repelling energy through his body. This Protect spell should give him a defensive edge should someone do something stupid, but his job was to prevent that from happening in the first place. The combination of the moonlight’s reflection off the waters and the electrostatic glow of the manadrive made Julian’s skin nearly shimmer. He raised his head in time to see one of the Pulse soldiers nock her bow.

“Stay your arrow, if you please!” Julian called out. “We have no reason for bloodshed here. I have called you here to work together, not to kill each other. Our worlds suffer a grave threat, and it’s not from who you think!” Julian slowly stood to his feet, trying to keep his hands visible so neither side would feel threatened.

“I am former Lieutenant Julian Cagle, and I’m trying to uncover the truth. I summoned you all here to help me.” The man pointed towards a nearby long one-story building that appeared to be a warehouse of some sort. “Inside that building is a dying Pulse fal’Cie. PSICOM captured it during the initial invasion and have been performing a series of tests on the thing. I intercepted some communications that might shed some light. It seems this fal’Cie wants to stop the war, not continue it. We need to get in there and liberate or at least talk to it.”

Julian stepped forward to the group from Cocoon. “I personally chose each of you to assist me, even though you were unaware. Kirta, you have a lot of talent with a blade. If you had a bit more self-discipline, you would be Corporal by now. The army is suppressing you, but I need your unique... talents. Our opponents will be ruthless, and we need someone just as aggressive and not constrained by protocol. Madeleine, your job would be to keep us alive and healthy, and provide distractions to the enemy. I chose you specifically for your passion in healing, and to help bring balance to our team.”

He turned around and looked towards the soldiers from Pulse. “You have little reason to trust me, but I feel like I know many of you already. Riya and Nyxia, both of you bring unique abilities that we will need where we’re going: a guide through the wilderness of Pulse, and someone to keep us going when we are far from a supply chain. Noir, you will help us establish contacts in Pulse. Your reputation in organizational skills precedes you. Nadia, you and I both know what happened with your family. I think you deserve to know the truth, don’t you?”

Julian tapped the cane he carried lightly on the ground. “Our window is closing. We must act quickly if we are to be successful. I realize we just met, and you must have a million questions. Let me be clear: I am asking you to desert your posts and join me. I do not ask this lightly, and I swear I will do all in my power to protect each of you. I ask you to join me to potentially save thousands, if not millions of lives, and end this war. I ask you to help me save the Pulse fal’Cie if we can, or gain valuable intel if we cannot. I am unable to do this alone; I am no real soldier.”

The man stretched his arms out to both groups, his posture and voice nearly pleading. “Please, will you help me?”

Questions raced through Riya’s mind as Julian continued to explain the curious situation. If the Pulse fal’Cie wanted to end the war, then why did they hear of Pulse inhabitants being given a focus to destroy Cocoon? As he began to call out to them by their names, Riya allowed her arm to relax and returned the arrow to her quiver. It wasn’t much surprise that he knew of the Cocoon soldiers, and while it did seem strange that he had enough knowledge of Pulse soldiers to build a team from them, surely the information he’d given Pulse in the past didn’t come without a price.

Regardless, the situation made little sense. But she’d also yet to get any useful information, and perhaps staying around would provide some deal of it. The Pulse soldiers outnumbered Cocoon here, and if all of them worked together, they should see it end in their favor; and regardless of how uneasy this mission made her, she had come too far to turn back without more information. “Very well.” She put her bow away and stepped towards Julian. “I will agree to meet with the fal’Cie, but I can promise no more than that.” She spoke coldly and strictly, her eyes turned to Julian only until she had finished speaking, and afterwards returned to the two Cocoon soldiers behind him. Regardless of how trusted this man was she had no knowledge of the other soldiers, and would need to watch them closely.

Madeleine hadn’t expected any Pulsians to come running up to them. She readied herself to take action if they decided to attack. Were they part of the invasion? Had their intelligence community received knowledge of this meeting and then sent agents in to disrupt their efforts? She glanced quickly at Kirta, ready to support him if the short-tempered warrior decided to draw first blood. But the man she had been walking towards intervened immediately, deterring any thoughts of violence by either side.

For now.

Madeleine stood by Lake Bresha listening to the one who had summoned them there. The man named Julian was not what she had expected, although as soon as that thought crossed her mind she felt silly for having had any preconceived notions to begin with; the situation was, after all, unfolding second by second. The Pulsians were not agents sent to destroy them; they were, in fact, to be part of the new team. This was by far the most unconventional group that Madeleine had ever worked with, and they were already being tasked with what was sounding more and more like an insurgency. What did he mean by ‘liberate’? And how did he know anything about her at all, much less that she was a healer?

Madeleine did, however, give Kirta a pouty, smoldering look when Julian emphasized the part about not killing each other.

And where did a former LT pick up such an impeccable sense of fashion? Madeleine studied him a bit as he talked. Julian Cagle was well-spoken and certainly had charm. Whether this was the gift of a natural leader or the weapon of an experienced charlatan remained to be seen. In any case, the team was presumably all assembled now. There was a Pulse fal’Cie being held in a warehouse and a detachment of PSICOM to be negotiated with. Looking at everyone standing on the shore, Madeleine could not believe she was going through with this.

And if my story would lead me to my death today then so be it. She watched as the people comprising their small group alit from the airship. At least they all made a cohesive group and she doubted she would have any trouble working with each -- if they didn't have any problems working with her, that is. She had been wandering alone in Pulse for a time now and she was afraid that she was lacking in the social skills department. Nevertheless, she had taken note of each person's name and made a personal assessment of each by their appearance.

A girl that carried with her a scythe. Yaschas Dia Nadia. While she was the youngest in the group, she had no doubt that she was proficient with that curved blade she had. While lost in her thoughts on the way to Cocoon, she faintly heard the girl getting into some sort of squabble with a Pulsian soldier. She would have stood up and helped out but she wasn't one to get into the business of others. And the look of the girl's face --- a struggle for control and a determination to be the better person -- made her hung back and watch what would happen. When she saw the man lean forward to whisper something in the girl's ear and seeing how it made the girl cry, she had no doubt that what he had said to her was some sort of threat. She had smirked when the man walked away. Cowards always make threats but never ever follows through. She had almost walked over to the girl to try and comfort her when the their bearded companion beat her to it. It was a good thing, she wasn't the best company nor the best person to give comfort to a crying girl. It would all just end up being awkward.

Haerii Talim Noir. The man with the dual tonfas. He was the eldest in the group and from the way Nadia had calmed down when he came over, it seemed like he did a good job. From first glance, Nyxia initially thought he was unapproachable with his tough and serious facade. But first opinions can always be wrong.

And finally, Sarii En Riya. The shorter yet older woman was their archer, obviously a hunter from Sarii. Nyxia had once stumbled upon her village while she was wandering around Pulse but had never met the woman before. She had glanced briefly at her during their flight, noting how she was taking in the sight of Cocoon the same way she was but with a less admiration on her face. The sight would no doubt impressed her the way it did Nyxia but she doubted that the woman really cared. A beautiful, unfamiliar sight should not distract them from the mission at hand, after all.

Before heading towards their target location with her team, Nyxia hung back and sought out the man that had attacked her team mate just as he stepped off the airship. She unsheathed one of her blades, pulled and with a flick of her wrist and a quick movement, had the chain wrapped around the man's throat. She pressed the blade to his jugular. "Hit and threaten my team mate again and this blade will find a different sheath than the one hanging on my hips," she said in a low voice. The man stared at her, surprised apparent on his face. There was a reason why Nyxia had been assigned to this mission. While she was obviously younger than the man whose neck was wrapped in a length of her chain, she was obviously faster and more lethal than him.

With a cold grin, she tightened the metal coil on his neck. "Now, if you're lucky enough to survive the war, you would do good to apologize to Nadia or the blade would find a sheath in your neck even without you threatening her." When the man fearfully nodded, Nyxia loosened her chain and with a quick flick of her wrist, had it off the man's neck. Sheathing the blade back, she patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck," she said before turning away and catching up with her group, leaving the man staring wide eyed after her.

As their group pressed onward to the place where they were to meet their Cocoon contact, Nyxia this time, pulled both blades out of their scabbard. As she released the blades, the chain that was wrapped around her waist tightened, giving the blades' chain some slack to allow her to fight comfortably even without releasing the metal links from her body. There was no need to release the full length of her chain for now. She can easily uncoil the chain from her waist whenever she needed to anyway.

But obviously, with the number of Pulsian soldiers with them, their little group didn't need to engage the Cocoon soldiers in combat. It wasn't their prime directive, after all. In a matter of minutes, they were in the designated meeting area. She stopped, just beside Riya, noting that she was drawing out an arrow from the corner of her eye. In response to her team mate's cautious stance, she prepared herself for battle as well, loosening her hold on her blade just in case she needed to release her chain for ranged combat. She narrowed her eyes at the unusually calm man sitting by Lake Bresha's shoreline. Was he their contact?

“Stay your arrow, if you please! We have no reason for bloodshed here. I have called you here to work together, not to kill each other. Our worlds suffer a grave threat, and it’s not from who you think!”

Adrenalin pumped into Nyxia's system in anticipation of a battle. Was what the man saying true or were they walking into a trap? She didn't relax her stance, the chain that had been wrapped snugly around her waist loosening up a bit more as she looked at the Cocoon soldiers.

“Inside that building is a dying Pulse fal’Cie. PSICOM captured it during the initial invasion and have been performing a series of tests on the thing. I intercepted some communications that might shed some light. It seems this fal’Cie wants to stop the war, not continue it. We need to get in there and liberate or at least talk to it.” Lieutenant Julian Cagle continued on.

At the mention of a fal'Cie, the familiar, deep hatred blossomed in Nyxia's chest. Why should they help a fal'Cie? Why should they even listen to it? These so called gods didn't care for humans. All they cared for was themselves. Anima failed to protect her village and her people when it mattered the most. The fal'Cie was the cause for her family's suffering. It made her father a monster and her, a murderer. What makes this Cocoon lieutenant think that he could trust whatever this dying fal'Cie had to say?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the Lieutenant said her name out loud. Heh. What do you know about me? she thought a little sarcastically. She had no idea what sort of intel the man had on her but if he truly knew about her history with the fal'Cie in Oerba then he'd know that she would rather see this one die than help it survive. She wondered again if this whole mission was some sort of trap. Was there really a fal'Cie in this warehouse he was speaking of? Or would they be ambushed and slaughtered the moment they step into it? Whatever it was, there was no turning back now. Kill or be killed. It was the same words that had run through her head when she found out that the Cieth she had killed had been her father. Some sort of desperate explanation for her actions, something to lessen her guilt. It was also the same words that had ran through her head when she signed up for the war.

If a fal'Cie was indeed in the building, she vowed to help. But not in the way Lieutenant Julian Cagle wanted. She would help hasten it to its demise rather than help it survive. And by eliminating the fal'Cie, she would be one step to freeing the world from its cruelty.

One day it would be Anima that would be in front of me dying and I will end its life with the blade that ended my father's. Her hands instinctively tightened on her blade handles.

"If we are so pressed for time, then we should not be standing here making small talk," she called out.

Nadia was in awe at her surroundings until she heard the contact’s voice talked to one of the other Pulsian soldiers who was on this mission together. She saw him with her own eyes and was shocked to see him shimmer in the night sky. She heard his name and what rank he was in the Cocoon Military and was disturbed. She listened to him talk about uncovering the truth and a Pulse fal’Cie captured by PSICOM, which made her saddened to hear that. She felt like a truck hit her when he said, the fal’Cie wanted to stop the war, and not escalate it any further. ”I hope this isn’t a nightmare I am in because it sure sounds like it,” Nadia thought to herself. She stood there in disbelief of what is happening and she put her hands close to her chest and cupped them.

She listened to what Julian had to say since hearing him felt somewhat genuine, with what he was saying about everything. She blinked when Julian addressed her specifically and looked towards him. Her heart sank what Julian said since that meant the rumor from the soldier that slapped her was true. ”Why do these things have to happen?” Nadia asked starting to cry. She fell to her knees crying and she couldn’t stop the waterworks even though Noir helped her calm down on the airship. She reached for her scythe only to rock back and forth with it, and it started shimmering in the night sky in a multitude of colors while she is holding it. However, she dropped it right beside her since she was crying too much to hold onto it. It stopped shimmering and is a regular scythe in the sand.

She slowly looked up at Julian and noticed him asking for their assistance even though she was a complete wreck. ”I-I will help you, Julian in your task since I need to know what happened to my village and my family,” Nadia sobbed. She slowly sheathed* her scythe and got up, completely and unconditionally wanting to help Julian, her will forcing her to stand despite her tears. She was still crying with what Julian said but she couldn’t quit now since she’s close to finding what happened to her older sister.

Noir listened intently at Julian's words. Noir was quite surpised at the information, that Julian has obtained, was probably very sensitive. The task ,that has been request from Julian, was going to be difficult, not matter how you sliced it. After Julian was finished, Noir stayed quiet for the few moments as he assessed the rest of the group's reaction and other important details. Most seem to been younger than Noir, some more than others, and there was a wide range of weapons that Noir can tell. There was almost epual parts males and females including himself.

As far as Noir can tell, there was no objection to the notion of saving the fal'cie but there was some concerns that still remained. Before Noir could have expressed his concerns, Nadia started to sob. Noir went up to Nadia and tried to comfort her the best he could. While Noir comforted Nadia, he expressed his concerns "I am in an agreement with fal'Cie however I think we need a plan. As long we can form a plan, I will follow. If possible, I would like to take a quick stocktake of everyone's inventory and go over the map of the warhouse and surrounding areas." Time was a resource that they vould not afford to waste but neither was their lives.

((OOC: Shores of Lake Bresha, DM Post))

Julian breathed a sigh of relief as each person indicated their consent to the plan. This is going better than I could have hoped for... now for the next step. The hesitation that many showed was expected. The tears from one girl showed in part some of the emotions Julian had felt himself while uncovering the truth. He was certain they would not be the last tears to fall. The silence from Kirta made Julian feel uneasy, but it was better than a blade to the neck. And of course, the planner wanted to plan.

“We might not have much time for an in-depth analysis of the situation,” Julian replied to Noir as he began to walk towards the building. “PSICOM is distracted with the attack. There should only be a handful of soldiers left, probably fewer than our number. The rest would have moved out to defend the area. My plan is to sneak in through the front door.” As he said it, the plan sounded increasingly absurd, but he had been assured it would work. “As for our inventory, well, that was my last charge of my Manadrive. It will only last a few more seconds, so we had better get moving.”

Julian led the small group at a brisk pace, trying to keep mostly to the shadows. As they moved, he explained some of the intel he had gathered. “From last I knew, there was a small contingent of two to five people that closely guarded the fal’Cie. Several more generally patrolled the area, but attempted to blend in with the Guardian Corps so they wouldn’t draw unwanted suspicion. Those troops have been sent to fight the Pulsian force now from the last radio contact I heard. With any luck, the others have left too. Worst case, we fight them off, but we outnumber them. There... that’s the building straight ahead.”

Julian paused, slowing his breathing. Gotta keep calm. This is it. Everything we’ve worked for... He turned to look at the others, spending a moment to look them all in the eyes. “Each one of those soldiers out there is a person. A mother or father, son or daughter. Try to kill as few as you can. Subdue them, silence them, anything. We need to get into that building, talk to that fal’Cie, and hopefully get it out of there without killing any more people than we have to. On either side. Any questions?”

Noir perked up on Julian’s directed question and asked in soft but clear voice. "How do you suppose we proceed safely? I suggest we should approach either from two different angles or we do a leap frog movement. We might have the numbers and surprise advantage however that does not mean we should stay let our guard down."

“Good thinking, Noir. That’s why I recruited you,” Julian replied. “Cocoon, we’ll take the left. Pulse, you head in from the right. Noir, lead the Pulse team, and meet up with me inside the doors when everything is clear. Everyone ready?”

Nadia was comforted by Noir and heard what he said to Julian. She listened to Julian’s speech about not killing every single person they come across. ”I have no questions Julian on what I have to do,” Nadia said. She still had tears going down her face because of what Julian had said before. She continued to listen to Noir and Julian. ”I am ready,” Nadia replied. She knew had to follow Noir’s orders in making sure no one dies here today.

“Each one of those soldiers out there is a person. A mother or father, son or daughter. Try to kill as few as you can. Subdue them, silence them, anything. We need to get into that building, talk to that fal’Cie, and hopefully get it out of there without killing any more people than we have to. On either side. Any questions?”

No, Nyxia had no questions. She had no problems staying her hand from killing people. She had no interest in that. It wasn't her goal. The only thing she wanted dead was the fal'Cie Julian seemed to think so important. What would it tell them? Lies? Fabrications? Would it deceive them? Give them false hopes? She glanced towards the building where the thing was.

No. Never again. She clenched her jaw. She would kill it before it can hurt more people.

"Ready," she declared and then turned towards Noir.

“Each one of those soldiers out there is a person. A mother or father, son or daughter. Try to kill as few as you can. Subdue them, silence them, anything. We need to get into that building, talk to that fal’Cie, and hopefully get it out of there without killing any more people than we have to. On either side. Any questions?”

Not killing them is certainly going to be a challenge, seeing as they'll be wanting our heads. Riya sighed, lightly tapping her foot on the ground out of a slight frustration. While she understood his sympathy, it didn't change the difficulty of the request.

“Cocoon, we’ll take the left. Pulse, you head in from the right. Noir, lead the Pulse team, and meet up with me inside the doors when everything is clear. Everyone ready?”

Letting out another short sigh, Riya nodded and turned to Noir. "Your lead, then. Should it come to it, I'll do my best to immobilize any soldiers we run into."

((OOC: Breshan Warehouse))

With no further questions, Julian nodded to the Pulse soldiers. Now was a time for trust, as difficult as it was. “We should meet up again once inside. If you run into any trouble... well, we’ll probably hear you, so hold them off until we can help you.”

With that, he turned back to his Cocoon allies. “Now Kirta, I need you to hold off... Kirta?” As he looked around, Julian couldn’t find their former ally. He sighed and shook his head. “I figured he wouldn’t stick around. I was hoping to be proven wrong. My contact suggested otherwise... Let’s just hope he doesn’t rat us out. I have a feeling we’ll run into him again.”

Another sigh escaped his lips and he turned to Madeleine. “It’s just you and me now. You have my word that I will do my utmost to keep you safe. I know from your record that you feel similarly. Let’s keep an eye out for each other, okay?” Julian moved forward, leading his ally through the shadows.

The building was long, wide, and a single story. Towards the front was a large door that looked like it would open up like some sort of hangar bay, but the door was closed fast and lights illuminated both the door and the ground in front of it. On either side were small doorways. If any attempt to open them, they would find them unlocked, and Pulse’s side door was slightly ajar.

((OOC: I suggest the two parties create collaboration posts instead of several individual posts. I can step in to provide instructions as necessary))

Aimed towards Julian, Noir said with a serious tone. "Likewise to you. If everything goes smoothly, neither team will need to be helped." Noir turned towards the other pulsian soldiers and crossed his arms. "So the first order of business is movement order and role allocation. Any takers for first in line? " With limited time, information and resources, Noir needed to find a way to complete the task at hand with the other pulsian soldiers and himself surviving as best as they could.

Nadia looked at Noir when he asked the question. ”I will take midline. It is better than being a cry baby,” Nadia said. She had an air of seriousness in her body language. She knew not to hurt anyone seriously since they have lives and probably want to see the people they care about.

Nyxia sheathed her blades for the meantime and then crossed her arms across her chest. She didn’t really care if she was first in line or last. All she wanted was to complete the mission and see to it that the fal’Cie meet its end. ”I don’t mind being first or last. Place me where you see me fit,” she stated plainly.

Noir said to Nyxia. "Could you go in front if possible. If I heard correctly, you understand the meaning of moving from point to point while maintaining cover and looking out for hazards. Correct me if I am wrong.”

Nyxia nodded without hesitation. ”I can do that, no problem.”

Finally Noir turned to Riya and said to her. "I would like you to be third. I will take up the rear. " Back towards Nyxia. "I am leaving it up to you to get us to the door." Addressed the group in general, Noir commanded. "Arm yourselves. We need to be prepared for anything."

At Noir’s address and command, the purple haired Pulsian looked towards the building that was to be their destination as she pulled her blades out of their scabbards. Inside that structure is our goal. I have to… focus. It’s not only me this time. I have companions. People to protect. I cannot fail, she thought to herself as she pressed her lips together.

Nadia heard Noir’s address and command. Her eyes looked towards the building that was to be their destination as she reached for her scythe and it unsheathed. ”I do hope we succeed in our mission. I hope I can find my sister,” she thought to herself having a slight tear roll down her eyes.

With his weapons unsheathed, Noir made the final checks of his belongings and took a quick note of everyone's belongings as well for future reference."Once everyone is ready, take your places. " Noir took his place behind Riya, who has been quiet this whole time but Noir brushed that off as a symptom of extreme focus or some other factor. "Once in position and ready, call numbers, starting from one, from front to back. Once all numbers are called, that is the signal to move." Now Noir waited for the others to finish up.

Nyxia didn’t need to be told twice nor did she need to do any more readying. With swift movements, she took her position in front. ”One,” she called out.

Nadia had her scythe in her hands holding on tight to it. She took her position behind Nyxia and smiled slightly. ”Two,” Nadia said.

Riya called out her number and finally Noir called out. "Four. Move out. " Now Noir must be focused on being a good rear guard.

Completely focused on the mission and the goal, Nyxia moved forward, her movement swift but her steps barely making any sound. It took only a few minutes for her to cross the distance to the building, her eyes wary and her ears attentive to any suspicious sounds around her. A single guard stood outside the large door. While his stance made it clear that he was ready for any incoming attack, he looked distracted, with his attention on the fighting happening in the distance. The Pulsian scout led their little group to the unguarded smaller door to the side.

Nadia followed carefully behind Nyxia with her scythe in her hands. She was careful with her movements towards the unguarded door that Nyxia was guiding them towards. Her body language had a nervous to it. She kept her eyes on her surroundings and was trying to keep focus.

Once Noir had made the final check for any hostiles behind them, he caught up with the group. In a low voice, Noir spoke to the group. "Well done everyone. Now, our goal is on the other side of this door. I would like Nyxia, with Nadia behind her, on the left-hand side while I will be on the right-hand side, with Riya behind me." Once everyone was in place, Noir gave his next set of instructions. "I am going to open the door fully on the count of three. Nyxia and I am going to going in, making sure there are no hostiles. Once confirmation is given, Riya and Nadia will follow suit. Understood?" After everyone gave their confirmation, Noir started the countdown. Upon the sound of three, Noir opened the door.

Julian led Madeleine in the opposite direction from the Pulse team. The duo preferred silent coordination to explanations, and together they closed the distance swiftly and silently. Julian had been promised that the infiltration would be smoith sailing, but he couldn't help but feel like the whole situation was a bit more quiet than even he had anticipated. A lone guard stood watch outside the building, staring into the distance and listening to the sounds of battle from a few blocks away, no doubt both jealous of the glory his comrades were experiencing and relievef that his duties kept him far from harm.

Julian and Madeleine pressed themselves into the shadows, waiting for something to distract the guard's attention. A moment or two passed, and the guard sighed, shook his head, and began to scout towards the other side of the building. The pair took this chance to cross the street, hoping that night and the distant battle would muffle their footsteps. Julian placed his hand on the door and looked back at Madeleine, awaiting confirmation that she was ready. A nod greeted him, and Julian quietly pulled open the door.

Inside the warehouse were stacks and stacks of unlabeled wooden crates. Out of curiosity, Julian lifted the lid on one, but it appeared to contain nothing but straw. The crates were stacked a dozen feet high in most places, and formed rows that led to the back wall about 50 feet away. The back wall appeared to be newly constructed of sheetrock, while the sides and roof had corrugated metal sheathing and exposed steel joists. To even a casual observer, it was fairly obvious that there was something more hidden behind that wall.

More important was that the warehouse appeared empty, as far as Julian could see. He and Madeleine rounded a corner and nearly collided with Noir and his group. "This is too damn easy," Julian muttered, a note of concern on his voice.

No sooner than the words escaped his mouth, klaxons began to sound, the piercing noise filling the air. A handful of crates nearby explosed open, and scandroids and PSICOM soldiers burst out, cutting off the exits. "Pulse infiltrators! Apprehend them!" One of the soldiers called out as bullets began flying. "Protect the package!"

"Time to start running!" Julian called out as he turned and began racing for the back wall. He darted between crates, doing his best to break lines pf sight from the soldiers and hoping the others could keep up. Once he reached the back wall, a doorway that was previously concealed by a stack of crates came into view. Julian fumbled in his pocket for a moment and retrieved an ID card, which he then hastily swiped into the security panel next to the door. A loud click sounded, and he threw open the door, holding it open for those behind him.

This was the first time Julian had gotten a chance to turn around and check on the others. Nadia and Nyxia were hot on his heels, with Noir a few steps behind. Riya was nowhere to be seen, and Madeleine was limping along in the distance. "Hurry!" Julian called out aa a bullet ricocheted off the door jamb.

Suddenly, a stack of crates exploded as a behemoth swiped them aside, blocking Madeleine's path and glaring at Julian. The others had made it inside, and there was no time. Julian locked his gaze with Madeleine's and saw her whisper the word "go." He nodded as the behemoth began to charge and closed the door just moments before the whole building shuddered with a thud.

Muffled screams from the girls could be heard, and a soldier spoke up, stating that there were no other exits. A few soldiers tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. Another voice called for a batterimg ram, and footsteps could be heard runming away from the door.

The chaos ensuing outside the door was juxtaposed with an eery silence emanating from within. More than silence: the air in front of them seemed to nearly devour sound, their labored breathing and heartbeats silently echoing through the space like an intruder. Before them, a vaguely feminime mechanical form stood, bound in chains. It peered at the group, and a voice echoed in each person's mind, neither masculine nor feminine, but somehow both.

"In vainglory we arose, shouting challenges at the Gods. But prevail we did not. Our doom it is to walk the Chaos until time's end. I am Shemhazai, the Whisperer."

A flash of light and thunder rolled as time seemed to stand still. Images of powerful figures flashed through each person's mind, interspersed with glyphs that held no meaning. When the vision faded, strength seemed to fill each person, and a burning sensation drew each individual's attention to a spot on their body. It was there that the mark of the fal'Cie appeared.

Nadia heard Julian yelled what he said towards them and definitely ran towards Julian. She was terrified when the sirens and gunshots were coming towards her and the group in question. ”I dislike this place right now,” Nadia thought to herself. She was behind Julian when he opened the door and ran into the room.

She was startled that the room she entered was silent and was weirdly silent. She looked up at the vaguely feminine mechanical figure and was eerily terrified and somewhat awed. She heard its voice peer into her mind and was calmed a bit. She saw the vision and was confused in what it all mean, and looked on her right hand and saw the mark of fal’Cie. ”W-What is going on?” Nadia asked, confused at the mark on right hand. She looked at Julian slightly for a bit of comfort in what is going on.