CHAPTER 3 - NIGHTFALL
Minsk, Belarus
The mansion looked abandoned.
Except for the three storage PODs placed on the front lawn, the grounds surrounding the structure exhibited decades of neglect. The window shades had been removed and the doors were fortified with plywood boards – lashed with large fasteners and bolted shut with thick pad-locks.
"What the hell happened?" she asked. In anger, she kicked over the small Property for Sale sign. "I can't believe this!" Baring her teeth, Larisa Tamm marched up to the front door, gripped the heavy duty padlock and tore it free along with the plywood boards. "You are locking me out of my house mother?"
Pushing the heavy double doors open, she entered the dark unlit house. The outside sunlight cast a shadowy outline of her figure on the floor as she cautiously proceeded into the foyer. The ransacked house was a depressing sight - "How could you do this to father's legacy?" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the halls of the empty mansion.
Larisa searched the entire structure, but found none of her personal belongings. Furious, she stormed down the upstairs hallway to her mother's bedroom. Arriving at the door, she showed no hesitation in smashing it open. The wooden door broke free of its hinges and crashed to the floor with a thunderous sound. Splinters of wood and plaster and other debris crunched and cracked under the boots of the tall Pandora as she entered into the room.
Scanning the area through the plume of dust, she noticed that all of the furniture was missing except for an old dresser and mirror. As she walked towards it, she noticed some writing on the mirror. In dark red letters were the words
Enjoy the world you chose to live in...
Larisa's blood boiled. "How dare she disown me!?" Impulsively, she punched the mirror. Shards of glass exploded along with wooden pieces from the decorative frame. She continued the assault until the top of the once ornate dresser was reduced to a pile of wooden chunks and fragments of sharp glass.
Shaking, she covered her mouth - ashamed at having destroyed part of the dresser her father bought as an anniversary gift for her mother. The sounds of breaking glass continued for a few more moments as everything finally came to rest on the hardwood floor.
Her eyes filled with tears as she saw crooked reflections of herself in the broken pieces of mirror. She felt sick to her stomach - seeing how ugly her anger truly was. She couldn't bear to be in that room any longer, and so she quickly left and returned downstairs to the foyer. As she walked through the desolate house, she looked through the open window and saw the storage PODS. She decided to take a look.
Approaching the closest crate, she grabbed onto the handle and pulled it open. The lock easily twisted and broke. Inside were all her personal belongings. "What the hell . . . ?" She went from one POD to the next and then to the next.
Two of the three PODs were filled with her personal effects. The third one contained some of Marta's clothing and several large pieces of furniture. Rummaging through her mother's items, she paused for a moment and picked up a picture frame from the bottom of one of the bins - a family portrait. Her father, Lukas; standing noble next to her and Marta. Flustered, she snatched it up and studied it closely. Her anger still flaring, she tossed the portrait against the metal wall of the locker. The small frame exploded from the sheer force of her throw.
"Oh father!" She cried out after realizing what she had done. Quickly picking up the broken pieces of the frame, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"
As she knelt among broken pieces of frame and glass, she began to realize that this was not what she wanted for herself. Her anger and frustration was now beginning to control her actions. She knew that she had to relax before she impulsively destroyed something else of value.
After calming a bit, Larisa returned to her bin and went through her items. Placing a few personal articles into her duffle and suitcase, one of which was a special stuffed teddy bear, she closed up the POD and walked back out to the road. Dialing a taxi from her handset, she gazed at the darkened house she grew up in.
Enjoy the world you chose to live in…
As her mother's written words festered in Larisa's mind, all she could do was call out to her father. "Dad, I miss you SO much. Why did you have to die? Life has been so different with you gone." For the next fourteen minutes, she silently sat at the end of the driveway until the taxi arrived.
Praising the driver for arriving so quickly, she jumped in and gave the address to the Minsk Heavy Industries facility located on the outskirts of the city. As the taxi drove away, Larisa gazed out the rear window, taking one last look at her home as it disappeared into the distance.
Marta, Mavis and Sledge had just settled back into the conference room. Mavis was still very excited at the prospect of re-energizing his terrorist efforts with the addition of Minsk Heavy Industries' technology and hardware.
Sledge on the other hand had been quiet most of the morning. His intentions were never fully revealed to Mavis. His job from the start was to visit and observe. After completing his report, his plan was to contact Amelia and convey the status update. As he watched Mavis and Marta discuss the logistics of hiring new mercenaries, he excused himself from the table and helped himself to some of the food which was provided by Marta's assistant, Sasha. Filling his plate from the variety of buffet choices, he overheard raised voices and several odd noises coming from outside the conference room. It sounded to him as though there was an argument involving several people.
Suddenly, the solid wood doors of the conference room burst open as the body of a security officer came tumbling through. It landed partially on top of the walnut table, and slowly slumped to the ground. The man was obviously unconscious, and his blood-soaked uniform indicated that he had suffered a terrible beating.
With a lump in her throat, Marta began to panic. Mavis pulled his gun, but kept it under the table. From the onset, Sledge had dropped his plate and reached for his side arm, all while slowly moving away from the door. They were shocked to see Larisa walking through the door. She was breathing heavy, trying to control her anger.
"Don't EVER…put your hands on me, you filthy maggot!" Larisa shouted as she grabbed the unconscious man she had just used to open the door. Lifting him up by his armored vest, she effortlessly tossed him back outside into the hallway. Snarling, she turned towards her mother and advanced on the table.
Marta stood up with her hands in the air - shaking her head at Mavis. Her signal was all the mercenary needed to stand down. He knew as well as she did that if any of them engaged Larisa, they would all have lost. Most importantly, they would have lost their brokered deal with the weapons and equipment.
"MOTHER! You owe me an explanation!"
"Larisa, please allow my associates to leave so that we can discuss the situation in private."
"NO! I don't care about them and their business deals, and I don't care about you! You have gone too far! How could you sell our home? Our home!"
"Larisa, try to understand. You were at West Genetics; I was all alone in that mansion. I had no reason to stay there. It was for the best."
Mavis tilted his head at hearing West Genetics.
"Go to hell! I read the message you left on the mirror!" Marta winced at hearing that remark; she had been found out. The idea of allowing her guests the opportunity to leave before too much of their private lives were made public were now way beyond her control.
"You want me out of your life? Fine! I don't need you!" She then turned her attention to Mavis and Sledge. "And just who the hell are these two?"
"Larisa, this is a private business arrangement. Gentlemen, would you please excuse us. I would prefer some time alone with my daughter, as she seems to be somewhat upset."
Sledge sneered as he slowly walked past Larisa. Standing a full six inches above her, his presence was imposing. Despite his size and appearance, Larisa wasn't intimidated; her three Stigmata tablets were fueling her rage – nothing could stop her. "You heard my mother! Get out…or do you need me to toss your ass out myself?" Sledge's eyes went wide.
Mavis interjected, "No, no…we were just going. Please excuse us." Mavis escorted Sledge out and into the hallway.
"A Pandora! Her Goddamn kid is a Pandora! What the hell?" Mavis struck the wall. "This can't be happening! We can't move forward with this deal! It's too dangerous. We need to cut our losses and regroup now."
"No."
"What do you mean no? It's over."
"No." His response was cold. He walked over to his partner, "We are proceeding with the plan. We have worked too hard to fall back now. That punk teen-aged broad is not gonna screw things up for us. I'll take care of her myself."
"Wait a minute," Mavis felt concerned. "Are you telling me that we are going to eliminate Marta's daughter?"
"Affirmative. Larisa Tamm isn't a valuable resource. I will deal with her swiftly and strategically."
"Sledge, I'm really surprised. I never thought you would commit yourself to this level of dedication. Am I looking at the new you?" Sledge just stared at him; his silence was enough to prove that he was extremely serious.
10km northeast of Paris, France
The deafening sound of the gun shot made Lucie jump out of her skin. She instinctively shut her eyes when the pistol fired.
Pina was moving before the bullet left the barrel. Typically, Third Year Pandora are trained to propel themselves at fantastic velocities and sustain speeds in excess of 360 meters per second. These battlefield techniques are referred to as Accels. These higher skilled maneuvers are tiered according to the level of speed and acceleration they achieve - Single Accel, Double Accel, Triple Accel, Quadruple Accel and beyond…respectively.
Without the proper training, Pina's natural speed allowed her to approach the threshold of a Double Accel. On instinct, Pina was able to accelerate her body just enough to save her mother.
As time slowed down, she saw the muzzle flash of Bruno's weapon. In one continuous motion, Pina reached for her mother while she materialized one of her Kunai knives. Gripping the Volt Weapon tightly in her hand, she shielded her mother with her own body while deflecting the bullet with her knife. The shot ricocheting off the blade and safely embedded itself inside the brick wall.
Bruno sat speechless as he peered through the smoke from the barrel. Pina had landed on one knee with her mother under her arm. Lucie had fainted as Pina gently put her on the ground.
Screaming, Bruno attempted to empty his clip. In the blink of an eye, Pina had covered the distance to her attacker, deflected his arm upward, and grabbed the gun. Spinning the gun sideways, she ejected the clip and worked the pistol-slide, popping the remaining bullet from the chamber. Bruno cried out as she tossed the gun away. Then lifting the man, she clenched her right fist to deliver the final blow.
"Pina! No, don't do it! He's not worth it!" A familiar voice from behind was pleading for Bruno's release. Obeying her father Rémi, she slammed the man back down into the garbage. Bruno sighed, thinking that he was saved.
"Listen, you worthless piece of shit," she hissed. "From now on, you will leave me and my family alone. Got that? As for your alleged sex trafficking efforts, they end TODAY. If I so much as hear that you have abducted another innocent girl, I will find you and I WILL kill you. But not quickly as you had planned to kill my mother. By the time I am through, you will have begged me a dozen times to get it over with. And when they find you, your own mother wouldn't recognize what's left of you."
Her hands were trembling; she'd never threatened anyone like that before. As for Bruno, his hand and shoulder throbbed as he nodded his head repeatedly. Henri and Gabriel were just barely conscious as the Marigolds quickly left the alleyway.
"Thank you for saving us." Lucie whispered as Pina helped her walk. "I'm sorry you revealed yourself. What's going to happen?"
"Don't worry, it's time for me to start protecting you." Pina replied. "Papa, why didn't you tell me that things here had gotten so bad?"
"Pina, there are things in this world that a father isn't willing to share with his daughter."
Poland, March, 15 2088
"Is this him?"
"Yes, he gave us quite a struggle."
"How interesting. Do you feel he will be a match for the Moirai project?"
"It took seven of us to subdue him."
"Excellent."
The man was fully restrained, his arms and legs braced with thick steel bars. "What's going on here?" Demanded the frightened young man. "Why am I here? Release me!"
"Temper temper Oren. It's Oren, is it not? My name is Dr. Litvinchuk. God-willing, I am going to be your savior. Do you know what that means?"
"You're crazy! What the hell is going on here?"
"Have you ever heard of the Moirai?"
"Go to hell!" The man exclaimed as he frantically looked around the dimly lit surgical room trying to figure out where he was.
"Moirai, in ancient Greek mythology, referred to a group of three incarnates who controlled a mortal's life. One of them spun the thread of life; the second one measured out its length, while the third, Atropos, cut it. You, my young friend are to play the role of Atropos; the incarnate responsible for cutting the life-line of the mortal; the bringer of death." The man continued to struggle against his restraint.
"When we are finished with you, you will have power beyond imagination. It is our hopes that you will one day have the ability to defeat our enemy – something also created from Greek mythology."
"What the hell are you talking about? I've been serving a twenty-two month sentence and I'm due to be out soon! I can't make anymore mistakes."
"You're wrong my friend, we read your file. Your gravitation toward violence is just what we need. I need someone who isn't afraid to take risks to get the job done. Did you know that the word Pandora can be defined as the first woman who possessed all the gifts of the world?"
"Pandora? What the hell are you talking about?"
"My young, powerful friend, when we are through, your sole purpose is going to be to inflict pain and suffering on the Pandora. I want you to be the sole individual responsible for their destruction."
"What makes you think that I'll have a chance against a Guardian?"
"We are going to give you all the gifts that a Pandora possesses."
Oren laughed out loud. "Ha! That's not possible for a man to achieve those abilities, everyone knows that!" The prisoner continued to drain his energy pulling on the steel bars.
"I told you that we read your file. Can you explain to me what happened to your parents? You were very young then weren't you?"
"Shut up! You don't know anything!"
"Oh, but I do… I know that the final NOVA clash of 2077 took the lives of both your parents."
"Stop it! Let me go! You're insane!"
"What if I told you that if you cooperate…I'll deliver to you the people responsible for allowing your parents to die."
"How…how could you know that information?"
"As I said, I will share the information with you only if you cooperate."
"If I agree, what will happen to me? What are you going to do?" Dr. Litvinchuk moved around to the side of the restraint apparatus and examined his prisoner a little closer.
"I am going to implant artificial Stigmata into your nervous system. Your physiology is just compatible enough to encourage the symbiosis. With a little help from my research, we should be successful."
Eastbourne, UK
The big Mercedes was headed down the gravel road leading to the el Bridget Estate. The cloud of dust billowing from the rear of the vehicle plumed into the air as Morris wasted no time arriving to the mansion.
Pulling around the circle, Morris threw the car in park and leaped out to get the door for Summer. Unfortunately, he was too late, she already had the door partially open as she exited the limousine.
"Miss Summer! Please, let me get the door for you. Miss Summer!" The young Pandora had already sprinted around the side of the car and entered the house.
Calling out to her parents, she heard her father respond from the sitting room. "In here!"
"Father…" Summer's voice cracked as she stumbled into the doorway; tripped up by what she saw.
"Where have you been? We were very worried! Your mother doesn't need this added stress!" Summer was saddened by Kazuya's words. Just then, Morris arrived, pausing in the doorway behind Summer. Both of them stood motionless, staring at the pitiful sight. There, sat Satellizer el Bridget-Aoi, former Field Major to Japan's Military – a defender of humanity, a once powerful Pandora.
She looked so fragile, her skin had lost some color and she appeared to have lost some weight. Both her hands were stationary on the arm rests while Kazuya used a small device to check her vitals. She had tied her graying blonde hair tight in a pony tail, and her glasses were folded neatly on the nightstand next to the chair. The simple red dress she was wearing was hidden under a heavy blanket.
Slowly turning to her daughter, she managed a wide smile. "My little Summer's day…I missed you. Oh my, you have some bruises on your face and neck. Care to explain yourself, young lady?" Summer couldn't hold back her tears, as she ran and knelt by the chair.
"Mum, I have so much I want to tell you. Morris told me what happened, and…"
"Summer!" Kazuya interrupted. "Please give your mother some space."
Kazuya wasn't taking Satellizer's Degradation very well. He himself faced similar symptoms a few years ago when his Stigmatic body began degrading. With the miracle of cell and tissue re-organization developed at the Gengo Aoi Center for Medicine, the top scientists had created a breakthrough in maintaining the correct levels in his body. Gengo Aoi, Kazuya's grandfather, had one final wish; to make sure that his grandson's physiology stayed compatible and healthy for the duration of his life. Before he died, Gengo assisted in the development of a treatment for his grandson's brief affliction. Unfortunately, the technique proved useless to female Pandora.
Satellizer frowned at her husband and then looked back at Summer. "It's ok darling. Tell me what happened."
"I lost to Larisa Tamm, and I got beat down pretty badly. My healing processes haven't finished yet. I still have several marks on my body."
"What was your Rank at the end of the Carnival?"
"I'm Ranked 4th overall."
"That's wonderful my dear, I am so proud of you. I told you didn't I? You ended up being an Elite Pandora after all."
"But I lost!" Summer interjected.
"Sometimes it's okay not be on top. Sometimes you miss out on seeing the finer things in life when you are distracted with being the best of the best."
Summer was puzzled with her remark. Usually, Satellizer had been a lot more forward with her thoughts on winning. Typically, her mother encouraged her to continue the fight and never give up.
Satellizer took a labored breath and tried to stand.
"Mother, wait!"
"What are you doing?" Kazuya responded.
"I'm feeling better now that Summer is home, so I want to walk into the kitchen and fix myself something good to eat." The two of them assisted in getting her standing. Slowly, they helped her walk from the sitting room down the hall.
Morris was beside himself with grief; he felt sorry for his adopted family. Even though he had a wife and child of his own, the el Bridget family had always been a part of his life. Watching the former Field Major take slow halting steps toward the kitchen made his heart heavy. It bothered him that he was burdened with the responsibility of explaining the situation to Summer when she arrived at Gatwick. He continued to watch them as they made it to the end of the hall; finally, he called out to them: "If you don't need me, I'll bring Miss Summer's bags up to her room." Kazuya motioned for Morris to go ahead and deliver the suitcase and duffle.
Northeast of Bakersfield, California, United States
"What do you mean by that?" Willa argued. "Kallie, don't you see? We need this research!"
"No. I won't be experimented on. Go find another subject."
Tossing the folder onto the conference table. "Why did you come here in the first place?" Willa demanded as Kallie got up and stood by the thin window looking out over the desert terrain. "I asked you a question young lady!"
Turning away from Willa, Kallie asked.
"Do you know what's happening to father?"
"No. What do you mean?"
"He told me to tell you that he was re-activated into traditional military service."
"Oh, he didn't tell me that. I'm sorry. Do you know for how long?"
"Six months."
"I didn't know." Willa showed genuine concern. "Did you come here to be with me because your father was going away?"
Kallie still kept her back to her mother. If was difficult for her to process the emotions. She didn't want to admit that she was lonely.
"I don't know Willa."
"Please… can you call me Mom?"
"Tell me again about Nightfall." Kallie interrupted.
"The basis for our experiment comes from the intelligence we have gathered from our spy at Minsk Heavy Industries - one of our defense contract competitors. The source tells us that there are several key players working in conjunction with a former terrorist organization to develop weapons that will be used against Pandora." Kallie shifted her weight and turned to face her mother.
"Weapons like what happened to my team leader?"
"Yes, especially the phased weapon, but that's not the complete story. Nightfall has an even more sinister plot." At this point, Willa slid the folder close to Kallie who had now approached the table.
"In these reports, there is mention of a man; Dr. Litvinchuk, a leading Eastern European researcher who has dedicated his life to an anti-Pandora initiative. The name of the project is code named: Moirai."
Kallie raised an eyebrow. "Moirai? Isn't that based on Greek mythology?"
"Yes my dear, you remember your studies. Pandora is also taken from Greek mythology; the connection between the two is definitely not coincidental. We need to be careful."
"I'll be fine, the Pandora…"
Willa interrupted. "I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. Litvinchuk has already created artificial Stigmata, and from what our spy has reported, his experiment with a human test subject was successful."
"Explain. I can't imagine replicated Stigmata implanted in a host. Wasn't this achieved on the early E-Pandora subjects thirty years ago?"
"I'm not sure, but the situation is grim. We will need to be very careful. Do you now see how important my research is to the future of Pandora? You could be the key to staying one step ahead of Nightfall."
After hearing this new information, Kallie began to feel compelled to cooperate. "I will consider your request mother." She straightened her suit and walked to the door. "I would like to return to my hotel so that I can get some rest and think about all this."
"Of course. I will send for Jimmy and he can fly you back. If you do agree, we will have to do the tests soon."
James's eyes went wide when he saw her again; the mysterious girl was his boss's daughter! "Afternoon, Miss Osuka." James offered his hand as she stepped into the tri-rotor.
Willa stood alone on the tarmac as she observed her personal pilot completing all his pre-flight checks. As he circled the craft one last time, he noticed that his employer seemed sad. Figuring that her daughter leaving for the evening is the cause of her disappointment, he decided to make her an offer.
"Miss Wagner, care for a ride?"
Willa felt claustrophobic sitting in the jump seat behind Kallie as the aircraft soared through the clouds. Typically, jump seats in tri-rotors are designed for young adults or children. Willa had second thoughts as to why she chose to come along after the second wind disturbance forced her to bump her head on the ceiling of the cabin.
Jimmy deftly worked the controls while he continued his small-talk with Kallie. His flight plan purposely took them east to the mountains before heading south-west to Los Angeles.
As they flew, he explained the history of all the local landmarks and discussed in detail the weather forecasts for the region. Kallie continued to be polite as she tried not to roll her eyes at him - enduring his banter of useless information. Willa, however, smiled at how her daughter was interacting with the pilot. She behaves a lot like me…she thought to herself as she watched Kallie respond and carry on the conversation.
Without warning, the reciprocating motor began to sputter and stall. As the emergency backup system sounded its warning, the aircraft itself began to shudder. "Shit! We have an engine malfunction!" Jimmy shouted.
"Can you get us down to the ground?" Willa shouted.
"We're gonna have a problem; the engine is cutting in and out. We're losing altitude!" Jimmy continued to feverishly work the controls and tried pushing buttons to coax the engine to stay alive.
The most important feature of a tri-rotor is its powerful engine. With the absence of wings, the aircraft depends on the motor to turn the double set of five blades to provide lift for the vehicle. As the speed of the spinning rotors deceases, the vehicle succumbs to gravity and ultimately plummets to the ground.
Jimmy began to panic, "The engine is going to quit any second! I don't think we are going to make it! I'm sorry Miss Wagner! What do you want me to do?"
The altimeter continued to click off decreasing numbers. Faster and faster the needle spun, indicating the continued descent of the craft towards the ground.
-10,075ft - 9200ft - 8300ft - 7600ft…
Willa grabbed her daughter's hand. "Kallie, I'm sorry, but you have to listen to me!" Willa bumped against the side of the compartment as the craft shook and swayed. "I know you will be able to survive the crash. Please tell your father that I was very proud of you and your accomplishments. After all these years, I wanted you both to know that I regretted my choice - I should have been there for you both."
Kallie tore her hand free and glared at Willa. Her usual serious, calm demeanor wasn't present. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her mother. Just a few hours ago, she was angry, but now the emotions swirling around her mother's revelation overwhelmed the young Pandora.
"Kallie?" Her voice cracked as the craft bucked again. Willa's mind filled with terror as she began to realize that she was going to die and her daughter wasn't listening to her.
Taking just a brief moment, Kallie was able to clear her head; there was only one choice, and she had to act fast.
A Pandora is sworn to protect humanity - she had to save them. "Kallie!" Willa's voice cried out.
Without saying a word, Kallie scanned the instrument panel and recorded all the gauges in her mind. Recognizing that she had just moments left, she realized that their current altitude was low enough for them to breathe the air outside. Standing up in the seat, she pushed out the windscreen. As the rush of air filled the compartment, Jimmy screamed, "Holy shit! What the hell are you doing?" Kallie ignored him as she climbed out through the opening and clutched the aluminum framework where the window once was. She observed their proximity to the ground as she called out to her mother.
"Mom! Grab my hand!"
Nodding, Willa nervously climbed over the seat and grabbed her daughter's hand. Effortlessly pulling the older woman out of the aircraft, Kallie instructed her to hang on to her back as she reached back in for Jimmy. Willa gripped her daughter tightly as the wind buffeted her hair. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on Kallie's shoulder as she clenched her hands together. The tri-rotor's engine sputtered again as Jimmy struggled to keep the craft level. She called out to the pilot, "Now it's your turn! Move it!"
Jimmy couldn't believe what was happening. His screams became louder. "What the hell are you? We're going to die! This is crazy!" Impatient with Jimmy's slowness to react, Kallie reached in and grabbed him by the arm. Clicking the auto-hover toggle, he allowed her to pull him out. He couldn't believe her strength as she hoisted him outside the vehicle. "OH MY GOD!" he screamed as she held him under her left arm. The auto-hover stabilized the craft, but the ground was still rapidly approaching.
"Just hold on to me!" She ordered.
As the young Pandora adjusted her grip on the nose of aircraft, she could see several roads leading to the town of Lake Isabella. The 150ft tall Jeffrey Pines growing near the sides of Route 178 gave Kallie an idea.
At last, the weight of the tri-rotor overcame its lift and the vehicle dropped from the sky. Kallie couldn't wait any longer.
"Volt Weapon deploy!"
A single Kusarigama materialized in her right hand as she pushed off the nose of the aircraft. Jimmy continued his high pitched screams as they rushed towards the ground. Kallie now attempted to aim her body so as to fall into one of the rapidly approaching pine trees. Intending to use her weapon as a brake, she flipped the weapon around and used the handle to catch on the branches as they crashed into the canopy. Her right hand dripped with blood as she held the side of the handle and blade.
Their bodies tore through the pine, finally coming to rest near the base. Kallie released the weapon during their final descent and all three fell the remaining six feet to the ground.
She had lost track of the aircraft when they fell into the pine tree. As she stood up, she realized that the vehicle had smashed into one of the buildings in the town of Lake Isabella. Residents were running in all directions as the fire burned uncontrollably. Some of the people were screaming and pointing toward the structure while some heroic individuals were carrying victims to safety. The Kern County Fire Department had already dispatched several trucks from their station located a few blocks away.
Inspecting herself first, she was discouraged at the sight of her shredded business clothes; she will have to modulate her Volt Texture and repair her clothing later. Kallie stepped to her mother and checked her vitals. Willa's left leg looked broken, and she also had multiple lacerations and large bruises over most of her body. Jimmy seemed to have similar injuries. Both victims were breathing, unconscious, but with non-life threatening injuries. She ran to the road and flagged down some of the cars.
Of the four cars that sped past, only one stopped.
"What happened to you sweetie?" Asked the older woman who had pulled over.
"Please, call for an ambulance! I have two injured people from a crash near that tree." The driver activated her handset and called in the accident to the emergency call center.
More drivers began pulling to the side of the road as the emergency crews began blocking the roads leading to where the fire was raging. Kallie saw one of the ambulances coming up the road to where they stood.
As the first responders analyzed both victims' condition, Kallie felt comfortable enough to leave them behind and offered to help the emergency crews.
Sprinting up to the barricade, one of the town police officers stopped her. "Miss, you can't pass this line! Please get back!"
Kallie stepped closer, "I'm a Pandora, let me through, I can help."
"Guardian, we don't need your help, plus it looks like you already had an accident yourself - your clothes are all bloody and ruined." Kallie was shocked, why would an officer refuse her help?
"Why are you refusing my assistance?"
The fire crew was still trying to clear debris so that they could focus their efforts on the blaze. A woman ran over to them to say that her six year-old son was still in the building. One of the fire fighters grabbed the woman by the arms and dragged her away from the flames. "Lady, you have to get back!"
The mother continued to plead with the man. "Please! I can't find him! He must still be inside!" The fireman clicked his radio and told his chief that there were still victims in the building. As the men continued to brace the walls and ceilings of the damaged structure, new flames exploded from the second story windows.
"Why are you obstructing my efforts?" Kallie asked again.
"Listen little girl, I don't care who you are. You are not passing this barricade. We don't need your help!"
Kallie never fully realized that not everyone in the world appreciated the efforts of the Pandora. She recalled what Instructor Kim told her squad about how the world had varying opinions on the role of Pandora in society; elite warriors trained to protect the earth from an alien threat that no longer exists.
"You must let me pass." Kallie responded strongly. "Please. There may be victims still trapped inside."
"If you don't back away, I will arrest you for obstruction!" The officer threatened. It was troubling how this policeman behaved around her. How could this man be so obtuse? Kallie was running out of time. Her keen hearing had picked up the desperate pleas of the woman who had lost her son in the fire. There was only one option left. The young Pandora hurdled the barricade and sprinted towards the building.
"Freeze! Wait, stop!" Yelled the officer as he held his holster while giving chase. Easily out-running the policeman, she stopped abruptly when two fire fighters blocked her way.
"Please let me pass, I can save whoever might still be inside."
"You can't be serious!" One of the firemen replied observing her disheveled appearance. "It looks to me that you are the one in need of some medical attention."
Kallie felt someone tightly grab her hands to wrap plastic restraints around her wrists. Turning to the officer, "What are you doing? Let me go!" The officer ignored her as he physically struggled to move her away from the emergency crews. Kallie hesitated; she had standing orders not to disrupt the roles of local authorities, but there were lives at stake and she couldn't wait any longer.
"I want to apologize, but I cannot go back with you. Please understand that this isn't anything personal." Spinning around as she ripped the plastic bands free from her wrists, she gently shoulder-tossed the man to the ground. Somersaulting over the officer, she sprinted back to the building.
"Volt Texture, equip."
The shimmering shielding reflected reds and yellows as she confidently ran into the building. The firemen watched incredulously as the young woman disappeared into the smoke and flames.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story! Your opinion matters to me, so it would be greatly appreciated if you would take a moment and leave a review.
