DISCLAIMER

Grace Barton does not own Final Fantasy XIII and is not associated with it or its creators in any way. This is a novelisation of the game and Grace only lays claim to the written form and original scenes and dialogue that do not appear in the game. Everything else is copyrighted to SquareEnix, the creators of Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII [1st Instalment]

Grace Barton

Part One: Defiers of Fate

Chapter 01

The day of the Purge was one that would not be forgotten by the people of Cocoon. The Purge marked the beginning of the end—the start of a series of days so dark that Cocoon and all its inhabitants would be driven to the brink of total destruction.

The discovery of a Pulse fal'Cie in the town of Bodhum sent panic shooting through the populace like wildfire. In order to quell the rising panic, the Sanctum—Cocoon's ruling body—had sent in their troops and placed all of Bodhum under quarantine. Nobody was allowed to enter, and nobody was allowed to leave.

Then there came the announcement of the Purge. Under the Sanctum's orders, all citizens residing in Bodhum were rounded up and shipped off to the Hanging Edge. There they would be relocated to the lower-world of Pulse, never again to set foot on Cocoon.

The train that Sazh Katzroy was on was the last to leave Bodhum. He, along with the rest of Bodhum's residents, had been forced to don special Purge robes. These robes marked him and everyone else as one of those contaminated by Pulse.

All around him, nobody spoke. Nobody even dared to look up. They just sat there in silent rows, their hands bound in electronic locks, and the hoods of their robes pulled low over their heads. The few faces that Sazh had managed to glimpse were filled with worry and despair. These were people who had lost all hope and had resigned themselves to their fate.

It was amazing how quickly everything had changed. One day these people were going about their normal lives in peaceful bliss, and now they were being shipped off Cocoon, branded as enemies of the state.

The tracks made a sharp dip downward, heading deeper into the valley. Tall cliffs on either side cast a shadow onto the tracks, but that was nothing compared to the shadows that were cast inside.

The door to the train car opened as a soldier walked in. At the sight of his full-body armour and metal face-mask with its glowing eyes, which marked him as a member of PSICOM, everyone in the car stiffened and shrank further into their seats. Those who had managed to rise out of their despair long enough to raise their heads quickly changed their minds, content to continue looking at the floor.

The soldier stood in the doorway for a moment, looking around at the deportees. They were a quiet bunch, just like all the others. All those who had fought against the Purge had lost their will once they had got onto the train. Not that the soldier was complaining: it made shipping them out much easier.

He walked into the car, the door closing behind him. His fingers drummed the barrel of the rifle he carried—for protection, in case the deportees tried to resist. The soldier tried to look into their faces, but no one dared to look up at him.

The train reached the base of the cliffs. There a wide tunnel had been carved into the side of the mountain, taking the train deep beneath the ground. This was the old route into the Hanging Edge—an area that had been closed off to civilians since the War of Transgression decimated this part of Cocoon centuries before.

Recognising the change in the sound of the tracks as they entered the cliffs, Sazh realised that they were drawing close to their destination. After taking a cautious look over at the pacing soldier, he turned his attention back to the woman sitting next to him.

"You serious?" he asked her.

The woman, also shackled and dressed in Purge robes, shot him a scathing glance. "Be quiet," she said in a low voice.

Sazh took another look at the soldier, who had stopped to point his gun at a deportee who had found the courage to glare at him. Sighing, Sazh looked back at the ground. "Best of luck," he whispered.

The woman did not reply. She was a complete enigma, ever since she boarded the Purge train in Bodhum. She did not say much, and Sazh did not even know her name. Then, out of the blue, she told him this 'plan' of hers. It sounded crazy, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing. Besides, she certainly seemed the type who could take care of herself, so who was he to try and stop her?

The train headed on through the tunnel. Up ahead a secure energy barrier marked the entrance to the perimeter of the Hanging Edge. The train slammed through the barrier, causing all the attached cars to rock on the tracks. The civilians cried out as they were almost thrown out of their seats, and the PSICOM soldier lost his balance and stumbled onto the floor.

Using the moment to her advantage, the woman sitting next to Sazh leapt out of her seat. She ran at the soldier, who only had time to raise his head before she pounced on him. Grasping his collar with her shackled hands, she flung herself over him and forced him onto the floor. His fall caused him to drop a control box he had been carrying. The woman slammed her boot onto it, crushing it beneath her heel.

With the box destroyed, the shackles binding her hands unlocked and fell clear. At the same time everyone else's handcuffs unlocked, releasing them from their bondage.

Sazh jumped to his feet, his eyes widening as the cuffs dropped from his wrists. "She did it," he cried.

More people were out of their seats now, exclaiming in joy at their sudden freedom. Those cries then turned to ones of fear as the car door opened and another two soldiers rushed in. The moment they saw the woman standing in the car with the fallen soldier at her feet, they raised their weapons and opened fire.

Except that the woman was no longer there. The moment she saw them raise their weapons she had leapt clear of the gunfire, leaving her Purge cloak behind her. The cloak flittered to the ground, riddled with bullet holes.

Landing in front of the soldiers, she dropped down and delivered a sweeping upward kick to the face of one of the soldiers that sent him crashing to the floor. Once he was down she rose to face the other soldier, who raised his gun to fire at her. Before he could pull the trigger the woman grabbed the gun and pushed it down before smashing her elbow into his face.

With all the soldiers down, the civilians were free to leave their seats. Most of them headed down to the rear of the car, while others looked around in bewilderment, wondering what they should do.

As for the woman, she did not go with the rest of the deportees. Snatching up the gun from the soldier she had just bashed in the face, she hurried through the door into the waiting area where they had come from. She stopped outside another door—the door leading into the next car. After checking that the gun was ready she threw open the door and ran through, firing the gun as she did so.

At first the car appeared empty, and the bullets clanged against empty seats. Then a single PSICOM soldier jumped out from behind one of the chairs. He ran at her and was about to open fire, but she struck him first. After delivering a sweeping kick to knock him off-balance she fired several rounds into his chest that knocked him down for good.

Now that Sazh was free from his shackles, he was able to assist the other deportees in escaping the car. He too had ditched the cloak that marked him as a member of the Purge, feeling much more comfortable in his usual olive coat that, for him, was much more distinctive.

Sazh was about to follow the other deportees out of the car when he noticed a small boy sitting alone one on the floor. Separated from his parents and too scared to move, he now sat lost and forlorn while the rest of the people fled. Sazh did not even hesitate. He ran back into the car and knelt down in front of the boy.

"You all right?" he asked, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

The boy hesitated before looking up. Seeing suspicion and fear in his eyes, Sazh quickly added: "I'm not a l'Cie."

The boy did not seem inclined to believe him. Then Sazh's afro rustled and a small creature emerged. It was a baby chocobo. Small and fluffy, it rode about in Sazh's hair in place of its mother. The boy's eyes lit up when he saw it, and he smiled at Sazh. Taking the older man's hand, he let himself be led out of the car.

More soldiers rushed into the car. The woman clicked her fingers, activating her AMP Gravity Manipulation Cloak. A wave of electricity swept over her body, covering her just like a cloak and making her long, pink hair shimmer. She jumped at the soldier, and the cloak defied gravity to propel her through the air towards him. She slammed into the soldier, forcing him up against the wall.

Another soldier was running up from the other end of the car. The woman pushed herself off the wall. Like before the cloak carried her right through the air. Just as they were about to collide, the woman twisted her body and kicked him in the face.

Planting her feet on the ceiling, the woman raised her gun and opened fire on another soldier who was just running into the car. Lifting the other gun she had taken from the soldier she had just kicked down, she fired another few shots into the head of another soldier running up behind her. With each shot she fired, the electricity covering her body buzzed and crackled, appearing just like the natural phenomenon that was also her name.

Lightning.

Only one soldier remained in the car now. He stood frozen, watching Lightning as she stood upside down on the ceiling. The change in view did not seem to disorientate her at all as she turned to face him, raised her gun and fired several shots into his helmet.

While Lightning was busy dealing with the soldiers, Sazh and the other civilians made it to the end of the car. The train was still moving, which meant it was impossible for them to leave just yet, but they were safer down here than they were up front.

To Sazh's surprise, most of the civilians were not content to sit and wait in the car. Inspired by the woman's brave retaliation against the soldiers condemning them to exile, they too wanted to stand up and fight for their right to remain in the home they loved.

In the car, Sazh found a hidden stash of weapons. They were all PSICOM-issue and equipped with the most advanced AMP technology and manadrives that allowed ordinary humans to replicate some of the magic wielded by the fal'Cie and their l'Cie servants. Almost all weapons on Cocoon were powered by manadrives, but the weapons used by PSICOM were the most advanced.

He assisted the volunteers in selecting their weapons. Most of the weaponry was far too advanced for these civilians, who were simply townspeople and not soldiers, but it was better than having nothing. As for himself, he chose a bazooka as his weapon, and strapped two further portable rockets to his back. It was not entirely necessary, for he had his trusty companions—his Vega 42 pistols—strapped to his thighs. However, he figured that the more equipped he was the better in the fight to come, and so he took everything he could carry.

Once he and all the other volunteers were equipped and ready, Sazh unlocked the doors and headed out. He led the group back towards the front of the train. He was relieved to see that there were no soldiers around to stop them, which meant that the woman had already dealt with them.

"So far, so good," he breathed.

They reached the foremost car. Here they found Lightning standing over the bodies of more soldiers she had slain and for a moment Sazh was taken aback. This woman had single-handedly eliminated all the PSICOM soldiers on the train! He came to a stop behind her and nodded his head to the civilians behind him.

"They all want to fight," he told her.

Lightning did not look back. She threw down the spent guns she had taken from the guards and drew her own weapon—a Sanctum-issue gunblade known as a Blazefire Sabre. The weapon was able to change shape between a gun and a sword and was used only by the highly-skilled—for Sazh this was further proof that this woman was more than she appeared.

Clasping the gunblade in her hands, Lightning scowled. "Good for them," she said.

A loud explosion sounded from outside. Everybody shrieked as the train rocked and they ducked onto the floor. Everyone that is, except for Lightning.

Throwing open the side door, Lightning peered ahead. The train had just emerged from the tunnel and they were now arriving at their destination. Only it was not an abandoned city that Lightning saw when she looked ahead.

It was a warzone.

The Hanging Edge was built in a large, secluded cavern at Cocoon's outer rim. Once a thriving urban district, it had been left derelict since the war that almost wrenched Cocoon from her home in the skies. Now the dead city was alive again, home to yet another fierce battle.

As Lightning watched, a number of high-speed battle cruisers went zipping overhead. They turned in the air, making their way through the vast network of bridges and pathways that wound throughout the city.

When the train came out of the tunnel, several of these battleships turned and headed towards it. They flew alongside the train and then opened fire on the rear cars. Sazh gasped in horror as one by one the cars exploded into a shower of smoke and flames, remembering all those who were waiting inside.

After completing their assault, the ships pulled away from the train. Lightning watched as they moved ahead of the train and then turned to begin a second approach, with the head of the train as their target. Knowing she had to act fast, Lightning turned to Sazh, who was standing behind her.

"Give me that," she snapped.

She snatched the bazooka from his hands. Before Sazh could protest, she aimed the weapon and fired at the ships. The projectile hit the foremost ship and the craft exploded in a cloud of smoke. The explosion was enough to disorientate the rest of the ships and they were forced to fly out of the way. The train ploughed straight through the smoke and falling debris and continued on its way.

The cruisers pulled away. As they did so, several aerial warmechs burst through the smoke and began to chase after the train. These automated war machines were built to resemble winged scorpions and, complete with their manadrive-powered engines, were a fierce and deadly opponent.

But these machines did not bother Lightning. Taking aim again, she fired another shot from the bazooka. Most of the mechs swerved out of the way, but one held its ground and flew after them. Electricity crackled in its 'mouth' as it powered up its main weapon. It fired and sent a stream of lightning down onto the tracks.

When the blast hit the train the rear cars exploded and lifted off the tracks. The connectors holding the cars together could not take the strain and snapped. With nothing left to hold it down, the car spun until it crashed into an archway. It then slid off the tracks and plummeted down into the depths below. Sazh closed his eyes, feeling sympathy for those who were lost.

It was not just the train that was under attack. In all parts of the Hanging Edge, people were fighting for their lives. People who had never even held a weapon before had taken up arms to fight against the PSICOM soldiers who were trying to expel them from their homes. It was a full-scale revolt—with civilians versus soldiers, and the price being freedom to live.

Sazh watched as a group of civilians on the lower levels hid behind the burning ruins of Purge trains—trains no doubt destroyed by the warmechs—firing shots up at the upper levels. Sazh turned his attention to these upper levels and he saw the PSICOM soldiers firing back down at them.

The scene was the same all around them. Everywhere Sazh looked, the air was filled with smoke and the sounds of gunfire. What was meant to be a peaceful relocation to Pulse had turned into a massacre. The deportees had revolted, and the army would not stop until they had obliterated every last one of them.

He watched as a PSICOM soldier some distance below them activated a transgate—a special warp gate used for the transportation of soldiers and mechs from one part of Cocoon to another. The gate's blue surface shimmered and crackled with lightning as three Pantherons jumped out of it and landed on the path in front of him. These mechanical beasts were as agile and vicious as the real thing, and bounded away from the soldiers in search of their targets.

The soldier activated the gate again. This time the metal bars of the gate separated and expanded to make the gate larger as a Beta Behemoth jumped through. Also a mechanical beast, the Beta Behemoth was even fiercer than the Pantherons and was difficult to control even for PSICOM. Ripping its sharp, double-pronged blade from its head, the beast rose onto its hind legs and roared, causing all those around it to back away in fear.

Sazh tore his attention away from the events below and looked back to the sky as a Manasvin Warmech flew in. With the bazooka now spent, Lightning threw it down and hurried back inside the train in search of another weapon.

Before she could find one, the warmech drew its wings inwards and dropped into a dive. It swooped low over the train and then crashed onto it. Its added weight forced the train to slow down and scrap along the tracks, creating sparks. The engine heaved as it tried to keep on going. Eventually it gave out and the train came to a stop.

With its target now immobilised, the warmech raised its tail and stabbed it through the roof, causing Sazh and Lightning to duck down onto the floor. Withdrawing its tail, the mech then slashed it through the car, almost severing it in two.

Sazh brushed a piece of debris from his jacket and turned to Lightning. "Run!" he shouted to her.

Instead of running, Lightning looked up at the ceiling. The mech's initial strike had created a large hole in the roof, leading straight out onto the top of the train. Grasping her gunblade in her hands, Lightning jumped over the debris and made a dash towards the hole.

"I meant away!" cried Sazh.

Lightning did not listen. She reached the hole and, without any hesitation at all, jumped through.

A Note from the Authoress

Welcome to my novelisation of Final Fantasy 13! If anyone's already looked at my other novelisations, you will know that I use the original game scripts in my stories, so this shouldn't be a surprise to you. To anyone who is new to my stories, I use the game script as a means of staying on track. I write these stories for writing practice and personal enjoyment, and nothing more.

I have, however, begun to diverge from using game scripts. My novelisations of Koudelka and Shadow Hearts are such examples where I have broken my habit of writing straight from the scripts. These are my main experiments to see if I can drop this habit for future projects. This story, however, will use the original script. From the way things are looking, it will be the last one where I do.

I hope you enjoy.