CHAPTER 9 - THOSE WHO SUFFER
The Black Sea
Marcy smashed her Halberd against the side of the Mech as Leslie drove one of her Zanpakutos into its arm joint. Yumi ducked under a thick swinging arm as she twirled herself around preparing an assault from her Anti-NOVA weapon.
Leslie quickly flipped up and reached for the cockpit's glass surround. As the machine tossed Marcy aside, it focused on the blonde-haired leader who clung to the front of the machine. With a violent thrust, Leslie embedded her short sword through the transparent material just missing the pilot. Rotating its limb, the machine gripped the Pandora by her arm and slammed her down on the metal deck.
Yumi witnessed Leslie's body impacting on the decking as she aimed her cannon point-blank; a tremendous blast tore apart the mechanical arm and ablative armor. In retaliation, the pilot of the Mech trained its Gatling gun on the young woman. Performing a Triple Accel, the Pandora instantly appeared on the other side of the machine and drew aim once again. Marcy ducked under the attacking machine and covered Leslie as Yumi fired her second shot, obliterating the remaining upper portion of the machine, and reducing it into smoldering slag.
"That'll do it." Yumi replied as she jogged over to Marcy and Leslie. "Are you two all right?"
"We're both a little cooked, but we're okay. Great work." Marcy replied helping up her team leader. "Yumi, get Ella and meet up with the Field Commander. Leslie and I will go ahead and get the doctor and his little male Pandora."
"Affirmative." Yumi responded as she ran over to Ella's body.
"You okay Leslie?" Marcy inquired as they entered the main building.
"I'm banged up, but I'm good to go."
"Okay, let's get those last targets."
Summer skidded to a halt when Kim gave them the signal to stop.
"What's wrong?" Pina asked as she and Kallie moved next to Summer and Adriana, anxious to learn what was going on the other side of the station.
"It's Maya," Kim replied, holding her earpiece. The four girls wanted to know more, but Kim hushed them as she listened to the rest of the report:
"…Ella is non-responsive and Leslie is injured. Litvinchuk is the only one left in the building and Oren is nowhere to be found. REPEAT, Oren is nowhere to be found. There's a high probability that he'll intercept you at your current location. Ella needs medical attention if she's going to survive. Abort the mission and proceed to the auxiliary rendezvous point. We'll have to get Oren another day."
Not relaying the entire message to her sophomores, Kim decided to follow her instincts one last time.
"Summer, go take your team and fall back to Leslie's position. They have wounded so they'll need your help. You're ordered to escort Alpha team to the auxiliary extraction point on the adjacent platform."
"Commander? What's going on? You want me to leave you behind?"
Kim smiled and nodded to the young woman as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine, trust me. Now, go assist Alpha team and escort them to the alternate extraction point. Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon." Summer sensed something strange, but obeyed her instructions.
As the four teammates ran from her position, Kim closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finding the calmness within her, she pulled several explosive charges from her satchel and discreetly placed them along the bridge and connecting platform cross-members leading to the upper deck platform.
The upper deck platforms extend twenty meters away from the main superstructure; suspended roughly fifty meters from the water. When Oren arrives at this position, her plan is to detonate the charges, thus trapping him so that the other Pandora can remain safe on the adjacent platform.
As she twisted the hang-clamp to the final charge, she thought she saw a glimpse of someone running along one of the top walkways. Hurriedly, she climbed the staircase and bridge up to the top platform. Unfortunately for her, he was already there. As she made it to the top, she felt a sharp stabbing pain as the slender blade pierced her Volt Texture, penetrating deep into her shoulder.
Fireballs were flying in all directions as the traditional army continued to pound the humanoid creatures with their heavy artillery. Scattered among the lanky monsters were several teams of valiant Pandora. Within the thunderous fury of the surface to surface bombardment, several of them were tragically blown apart by the explosive shells that landed in irregular patterns all around them. In the confusion, communication between Pandora and the traditional military forces had never been completely established.
Some 1st 2nd and 3rd Year Pandora had teamed up to repel the bulk of the N2's. Behind the front lines, the two hulking Type-S creatures moved slowly and gracefully, flinging their tentacles in a myriad of directions. Tanks and other heavy equipment were sliced to pieces alongside courageous Pandora who tried coordinating their attacks to break the chest armor and expose the cores of the giant aliens.
Larisa Tamm rolled under a swing by an advancing N2 as Davina jumped over her and stabbed the monster through the neck with her Pata. Flipping back up, the tall Pandora swung her Yari and smashed the unresponsive creature; breaking its body in half.
Glancing over at her teammate, she was upset by what she saw. "Corraine, this isn't a simulation; keep a tight formation with Brittany!" Corraine acknowledged as she roundhouse kicked another approaching creature. Running sideways, she passed by four freshmen who had their hands full with their own N2.
Bella Mayberry somersaulted away from a back-handed swing while Tamsin Caballo buried her Scythe into the N2's abdomen. Wendy Daehn and Bronwen Labarrie delivered the final blow with a combination of their Volt Weapons - with the creature falling hard to the ground. Wiping the dirt from her brow, Bella scanned the field of battle, and marvelled at the older Pandora effortlessly destroying each humanoid NOVA just meters away.
Larisa's team had successfully eliminated several creatures as they continued to repel the alien forces. Driven by rage, Larisa relentlessly swung Simargl around, striking as many humanoid monsters as she could. Ducking under another strike, she grabbed an alien by its throat and slammed it down to the ground. Twisting, Larisa finally heard the crunching sound, indicating its neck was broken and the NOVA stopped struggling.
As the battle raged on, Davina became separated from Larisa when two N2s attempted a flanking maneuver. Davina grabbed the arm of one of the aliens and flipped under it, driving her Pata up into its neck as the second creature grappled her. The slim sword fell to the ground while Davina used all her might to keep the alien from crushing her. Gradually, however, Davina's strength began to fade as the N2 dug its claws into her flesh. Unable to get to her in time, Larisa watched in horror as the alien overpowered her teammate.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a woman with grayish-blonde hair appeared. The long, flowing regal-red dress fluttered as she grappled with the alien. Gripping the monster's arms, she forced the humanoid to loosen its grip on the young Pandora. The stranger then shoulder-tossed the creature, which landed hard onto the ground several meters away. As the stunned enemy scrambled back to its feet, the older Pandora was already there, swinging her Volt Weapon in an awesome pattern, dismembering the monster. With a final twirl to the left, the single-bladed weapon took the alien's head off at the shoulder.
Davina's eyes went wide as she slowly got back to her feet. Larisa stood shocked from a few yards away at the older woman who had just saved Davina's life.
"Is it really you?" Davina exclaimed. "Field Major?"
Standing over the defeated alien, Satellizer el Bridget-Aoi clutched her chest as she took several labored breaths. She reached out her arm toward the young girl, "Can…you help me…for a moment?"
Davina ran over and helped the legendary Pandora steady herself. "Are you injured? Is everything okay? What's wrong?"
Satellizer closed her eyes and put an arm around Davina. "Just help me stand for a few moments would you?"
Larisa sprinted over and held Satellizer's other arm. "What happened to her?"
"I don't know, she defeated that N2 and then started to collapse."
Larisa finally recognized the older Pandora, "My God, it's…you! Field Major?"
"Just give me a chance will you two?" Satellizer seemed to be steadier, and was finally able to stand without help. "I've haven't felt this strong in a while so let me take a quick break." The two girls stood dumbfounded as the legendary Pandora began walking. But after only a few steps, she fell to one knee taking one more labored breath. Both girls went to grab her again, but the older Pandora shook her head. "Don't! I'm fine."
As more humanoid monsters fell, it began to look as though the teams of Pandora were succeeding in repelling the invading forces. Satellizer wearily looked across the battlefield at the remaining enemies. She got back to her feet, grimacing through the fatigue, and headed straight for the two Type-S NOVA that were less than a kilometer away.
I know what I have to do!
Kazuya spotted his wife walking toward the towering monsters. In a panic, he called to her, "No! Satella, you can't!" Ignoring her husband, she continued slowly advancing on the two creatures.
Nova Blood felt heavy in her hand as she trudged through the blood, bodies and broken military equipment. Executing several complex spin maneuvers, Satellizer dispatched four N2s as she continued toward the two massive creatures.
Kazuya, concerned for his wife's well-being, foolishly ran through the chaotic battlefield in an attempt to stop her. Standing in her way, he pleaded for her to disengage. "Satella, please! You are in no condition to take on those Type-Ss!"
"I must do this, sweetheart. I'm not going to fall back. I'm going to finish this!"
"Please! Don't do this to me!" Kazuya screamed.
Satellizer took a step closer and kissed her frantic husband. "I'll always love you Kazuya. Let me do what I was destined to do…one last time…"
"Satella, please! I can't bear to lose you!"
"Sweetheart, you are going to lose me regardless of what happens today. Let me do this one last thing. If I can stop at least one of those things, I can give these girls some time to regroup and re-engage; they might just have a chance to defeat the last of them."
"If…you are going to do this, then at least let me help you!" With tears in his eyes, Kazuya stood aside. Satellizer suddenly felt a rush of energy and power as her husband granted her with the abilities necessary to defeat the Type-S NOVA. Amidst the shimmering glow of Kazuya's Erienbar Set, she smiled one last time, touching his face and confessing how much she loved him. Finally, turning back towards the enemy, she gritted her teeth and unleashed her power. A thunderous crash of the sonic-boom echoed across the battlefield as Satellizer el Bridget-Aoi executed a Quadruple Accel. Propelling her body, she flung herself towards the approaching Type-S. She easily avoided the thrusts of each tentacle, flew through the air and buried Nova Blood directly into the chest plate of one of the monsters. The high-pitched cracking sound of the armor plating was followed directly by the muffled sound of tissue tearing from the central core of the alien. Satellizer had successfully penetrated the alien's body and exploded herself out through its back. The towering inter-dimensional being teetered then fell sideways exploding.
Landing on one knee, Satellizer kept her eyes closed; she told herself that she wouldn't look back at him in her final moments. Feeling her heart giving out, she smiled. I did it. One last time…for Kazuya, and for Summer…
Kazuya, Larisa and Davina watched as the older Pandora collapsed face down.
"No! Satella!" Kazuya cried as he tried to run towards her. Standing in his way, Larisa grabbed him and held the distraught man back from rushing to his fallen wife.
"It's still too dangerous, Steward!"
"Satella!"
"Kazuya, just wait here a moment! Don't worry, we'll get her back for you! Davina, get Corraine and Brittany…let's take out that last Type-S."
Kim tried not to cry out in pain as Oren twisted the blade in her shoulder.
"Where is the rest of your team? I know they're around here somewhere." He twisted the blade again as Kim huffed through the agony trying to control her breathing and deal with the pain.
"Is that the best you can do?" Kim challenged through the burning sensations, "And you say you're as strong as a Pandora?"
As he violently pulled the weapon from Kim's shoulder, blood began to pour from her wound, "What do you know about me?" He lunged forward to stab her one more time.
Sliding from his attack, Kim slapped the blade aside as she rolled backward evading his advance. She back-flipped onto the platform and as she landed, she materialized Hakarou and pointed it at the young man.
"A fighter to the end?" He inquired as he casually walked the rest of the suspended bridge to the platform.
Kim's right arm dangled uselessly as a steady stream of blood flowed down to her finger tips. Flipping the Dadao around with her left hand, she attempted to draw him closer to the center of the platform. As she focused on her adversary, something caught her attention in the distance behind him. Looking past Oren, Kim saw Summer and the eight Pandora moving to the opposite platform with Maya carrying the unconscious body of Dr. Litvinchuk over her shoulder. Smiling, Kim re-focused on Oren.
Noticing her momentary lapse of attention, he realized what had happened. "You sly little bitch!" He screamed as he turned to the people escaping to the other platform. "You sacrificed yourself so that your team could escape?"
"It's over Oren!" Struggling with every ounce of strength she had left, Kim slipped her bloody right hand into her pocket and pulled the tiny detonator and pressed the button. Instantly, half the walkway and the platform they were standing on erupted into a fiery explosion that rocked the drilling station.
From the safety of the adjacent platform, Maya and Summer watched Kim try to keep her balance as part of the platform collapsed, sending metal chunks of decking and framing crashing into the sea.
"Stupid bitch!" Oren cried as he charged toward her. At that moment, the platform rocked again, causing him to lose his footing. As more of the metal deck bent and twisted beneath his feet, he began to fall and in an instant, he had disappeared over the side of the collapsing deck.
"Kim!" Summer cried as the tiltjet approached their position. "Hold on! We're coming to get you!"
Kim waved her Dadao in reply, but she knew that they weren't going to make it in time. As the deck beneath her feet shuddered and groaned, she tried stepping to a different area that was more stable. Just as she placed her foot on a stable piece of decking, a hand gripped the edge of the metal. It was Oren, climbing back up, reaching for her.
"You aren't getting away!" He yelled.
Across the way, Summer watched helplessly as Oren attacked the injured Pandora, swinging his weapon wildly as he made a final attempt to destroy his adversary. Kim ducked under the assault and rolled to her right deflecting another uncoordinated strike. Pitching to her left, she swung her weapon sideways and caught the man on his upper thigh. Blocking another blow from his slender blade, she spun sideways and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his face sending him staggering backward.
Maya fastened Litvinchuk to the safety cable and sent him up to the tiltjet. Yumi and Marcy held onto the lifeless body of Ella as the three of them waited for the safety line to be lowered. Summer and her three teammates stood next to Maya as they watched Kim evade and block Oren's attacks.
"Can you get me over there?" Summer asked Maya.
"Negative, it's too dangerous!"
"But I can save her!"
"No! Get your team on board!"
Kim ducked under another swing, but the more she moved, the more difficult it was for her to maintain her balance. Oren finally landed a few blows to her body which drew steady streams of blood. Losing her footing, Kim fell and Oren, seizing the opportunity, delivered a back-hand to her face, driving her to the unstable floor.
"Kim!" Summer cried.
Standing back, he looked over at the adjacent platform and saw someone he didn't expect to see. Just out of reach was the one person he wanted to kill more than anyone else; Summer el Bridget-Aoi. As their eyes met, the platform groaned again as another section of it fell into the water.
Smashing his boot into Kim's head, he ripped the Dadao from her hand and forced it into her neck. "So this was your plan all along – to keep me here so that the daughter of Satellizer wouldn't have to face me?"
The tiltjet collected the last of the Pandora and slowly turned, moving to where Kim and Oren were fighting. The search lights from the aircraft pierced the night and illuminated the crumbling platform. From the open gangway door, Summer held her hand on the winch, ready to the lower the cable and save her instructor. Upfront in the cockpit, the pilot relayed the grim news to Maya that West Genetics was under attack by the NOVA.
Down on the platform, Kim looked directly at her adversary. "Yes, you bastard. I made a promise a long time ago, and now I'm going to be able to keep that promise!" As the platform broke apart again, the metal decking buckled and both fell onto the crumbling floor. With great difficulty, Oren attempted to get back on his feet, while the crumbling platform twisted and swayed with the sea swells. Oren screamed as he swung her weapon.
Meanwhile, Summer was yelling at the pilot to get them down closer to the platform.
Still on her knees, Kim looked up into the blinding search lights, unable to determine if Summer and Maya were there looking down at her. She knew that this was going to be her last battle, but somehow, she didn't mind it; her thoughts hearkened back to what Satellizer had told her just days earlier:
"Kim, I appreciated your promise to watch over my daughter. Please, protect her on this mission. She holds within her the key to the future of mankind. She has to survive at all costs. Watch over her, train her, prepare her…"
A reflection of light and a stinging sensation brought her out of her daydream. For a moment, there was a strange feeling around her neck and shoulders. She felt weightless as she kept her eyes trained on the aircraft. The white lights from the jet grew larger and brighter until it filled everything in her field of vision. Overcome with joy, Kim was relieved to know that she had kept her promise.
"NO!" Summer screamed as she watched one of the most gruesome sights she had ever witnessed, and which would haunt her dreams for months on end. As if in slow motion, Kim Okada's body, now having been decapitated, gradually fell into the depths of the sea below.
The second Type-S collapsed toward the ground. Larisa, Brittany and Davina jumped from the alien's body just before it exploded into a fireball of energy.
A gap in the enemy forces grew as the N2s continued to fall at the hands of the Pandora. Kazuya took the opportunity to run to his fallen wife. Satellizer's body felt light as he lifted her up.
"Why? Satella! Why did you leave me?" Holding her close, he noticed she was still breathing. Kazuya's voice cracked. "Satella? Satella, hang in there! MEDICS!" Carrying her toward the medical teams who had assembled along the second line of defense, he handed her off to the nurses and surgeons who immediately attached devices to her body.
As Larisa and her team regrouped, a third streak of light appeared in the sky. After the ear-shattering shock-wave, two more Type-S and an additional dozen N2 humanoids emerged from the temporal anomaly.
Facing this new threat, Kazuya stood motionless behind the remaining Pandora. His mind was a cloud of emotion and anger as a fresh invasion force of humanity's deadliest enemy emerged. His wife was barely alive, his daughter was half-way around the world and the remaining Pandora were dead, scattered or injured.
Suddenly he knew what must be done; focusing his rage, he thought of all the people that he loved. Using that focus, he extended a curtain of energy across the battlefield. He could feel all the young Pandora around him. He knew their names, their desires and their deepest thoughts. Removing their doubts and fear, he imprinted on each of them the feeling of love, determination and strength. As he looked through each of their eyes, he gifted them with the energy and power they needed to destroy the enemy. This was the supreme power of Kazuya Aoi.
In an instant, Larisa felt stronger than ever. "What is this feeling? Steward, what are you doing to me?" Davina, Corraine and all the other Pandora within the battlefield suddenly felt power they had never experienced before. Bella and the other freshmen clutched their chests as their bodies burned with energy. The sudden wave of calmness made the Pandora feel almost uncomfortable. Kazuya Aoi was peeling back the fabric of their very souls.
Raising his hand, he directed the Pandora to engage. Go, my Pandora! Defeat the transcendent beings! Show no mercy, destroy them all!
"No Summer! Wait! Stop!" Adriana screamed as the young Pandora impulsively jumped from the hovering tiltjet.
Landing on the top most edge of the crumbling platform, Summer materialized Virga and leveled it at her adversary's head; her octagonal eyes glowing a bright shade of blue. "Prepare to die, you bastard!"
"Do you really think you have it in you?" Oren teased as he leaped over the broken framing, landing on the opposite end of the platform; Kim's Hakarou fading from his hand as he readied himself to fight Summer el Bridget-Aoi.
"That stupid girl!" Maya exclaimed as she pushed past the others huddled around the gangway door. "How can I protect her if she keeps putting herself in harm's way?" Maya grabbed Leslie by the shoulders. "Listen to me! West Genetics is under attack by an actual NOVA invasion. We have to leave now! We need to retrieve GM870 and get back to Japan!"
Leslie couldn't believe her ears. "Affirmative commander! Suggestions?"
"NOVA are actually attacking the island?" Pina replied. "Right now? How's it possible?"
"Confirmed…" Kallie turned to the other Pandora as she held an earpiece to the side of her head. "The distress calls are on every frequency."
"Field Commander! Ella isn't going to survive if we don't get her to a triage station." Yumi interrupted.
"This isn't going according to the plan!" Maya screamed, frustrated over everything that was happening.
Summer twisted past a lunge as she blocked one of Oren's punches. Rolling sideways, she swung Virga sideways and connected with his slender sword. They exchanged lunges and parries as they moved up and down the ledge.
"I have a sword like yours now little girl!"
Summer ignored his taunts as she somersaulted over him and spun around delivering a kick to the back of his neck. Falling on all fours, Oren shook his head as he tried getting back to his feet. Suddenly the rest of the platform gave way as both of them slid down the decking toward the water. Piercing the metal deck with her sword, Summer clung to the side as more of the platform fell into the dark waters. Oren slipped past her as he slid further down the broken decking until a jagged piece of metal pierced him through his side. Screaming in agony, he desperately tried to reach up and grab onto Summer's boot but wasn't close enough to drag the young girl down.
Bracing the Koto, she pulled herself up to the top of the remaining platform decking. Satisfied, that her enemy was doomed, she raised a hand, signaling a rescue.
As the safety cable was within reach, she grabbed on; still staring down at him with dark empty eyes.
"Get down here!" Oren shrieked, "we're not done yet…You'll never be rid of me! I'll haunt your every dream until I see you in hell!"
The young Pandora kept her sullen expression as she was lifted up to the aircraft.
"Summer, look away!" Yumi called as she trained her tremendous Anti-NOVA weapon on the platform. Summer shut her eyes as Yumi's weapon unleashed a gigantic energy pulse that tore the drilling platform apart. The entire side of the Compliant Tower collapsed into the sea, taking with it Oren, one of the towering cranes and parts of the upper-level decks, superstructure and the main building.
A smile formed on Summer's face as she watched the destruction below. Rising above the fire and smoke, the jet rotated itself around and flew eastward at maximum velocity.
As Summer was hauled onboard, Maya grabbed her by the uniform and shoved her against the bulkhead. "That was the stupidest thing you could have done!" She reprimanded, "What the hell were you thinking? We already lost Kim, we couldn't afford to lose you too!"
"I'm sorry, I wanted to destroy him and I allowed those urges to take over." The other Pandora in the cabin looked on with strange expressions hearing what Summer disclosed to Maya.
"Soldier! You are too valuable to simply throw your life away like that. You need discipline!"
"I'm sorry again for my actions Commander."
"There are bigger problems going on right now!" Maya replied angrily as she made her way back to the front of the aircraft.
"What's happening?" Summer asked Adriana who had a sad look on her face.
"West Genetics is under attack by actual NOVA." she admitted. "There are distress calls on all the frequencies. The military has been overrun. The information is incomplete, but the reports are saying that there are numerous casualties." Adriana paused as Pina and Kallie stood on each side of her. "I have some additional news of a more personal nature for you…please stay calm when I tell you this."
Summer saw the look in Adriana's eyes. "Your parents were seen fighting on the battlefield. Their status is unknown at the moment."
Summer's legs gave out as she fell into one of the wall-mounted jump seats. "What? Wait…wait a minute. What do you mean my parents? That can't be right? They weren't on the island." She suddenly felt sick to her stomach as the thoughts of losing her parents swirled in her mind. "We have to get back…" She whispered.
The loss of Kim Okada was heart-breaking, but now hearing the loss of her parents was pushing her over the edge.
"We have to get back!" She exclaimed frantically.
Sensing the feeling of helplessness that must have been coming over Summer, Maya went over trying to comfort her, "Please try to calm down, Summer. There isn't anything we can do for them right now. We are nowhere close. I'm…I'm sorry."
Summer's eyes filled with tears. "Maya, I can't do this again…Kim, and now my parents. I can't! I can't! Why? All of it because of me?"
"I don't know Summer, I'm so very sorry."
Suddenly, everyone in the cabin was startled to hear a strange voice, seemingly out of nowhere. "Maybe I can help?" Everyone turned in the direction of the sound; they were amazed and startled as they beheld a brightly smiling ten-year old sitting in the back of the cabin. "Hello everyone, I'm Alexandra. I heard what happened, I can try to help if you want. Summer, please don't cry."
Maya materialized her Volt Weapon but was held back by Summer. "No, please! She's my friend!"
"Where did she come from? What the hell is going on?"
Summer got up and slowly walked over to the little girl. Falling to her knees, she cried, "Alexandra, the NOVA are attacking West Genetics."
Alexandra looked down at the distraught Pandora. "I know…I couldn't stop them."
"What? How do you know?"
"I know because…I am NOVA."
Shaking her head, Summer stared back with disgust. "The enemy…?" she whispered.
Alexandra's face flushed. "I'm not your enemy, I want to be your friend. My conjugate resides at your Ravensbourne Nucleotide."
"What? You mean Maria?"
"Summer, I don't have time to explain everything," She stood up and went over to Ella Henry. Everyone onboard watched in silence as the mysterious girl place her hand on Ella's forehead. After a moment, she turned to Leslie.
"She isn't dead, I stabilized her enough so that she'll make it home." Leslie sat wide-eyed as the little girl walked back over to Summer.
Reaching out a hand, "Summer, let me help you get home."
"How?" Pina asked as she peeked around Adriana.
"The same way the NOVA do, Pina Marigold, with an inter-dimensional portal."
Before anyone else could speak, the aircraft began to shudder. Closing her eyes, Alexandra smiled as the aircraft shook and buckled. A brilliant kaleidoscope of colors filtered through the cabin windows as the jet was flung through a dimensional anomaly. In a flash of light, the jet rocked as the pilot nervously checked his readouts. Looking out the window, Marcy saw the familiar island of West Genetics and the shorelines of Japan engulfed in flames and black smoke hovering around the bay area. Summer turned to acknowledge Alexandra, but she had already disappeared from the cabin. Banking the aircraft around, the pilot forced a landing as fast as he could.
Pandora of all ages were engaged with several waves of humanoid N2s as the tiltjet made its landing. Summer and the other girls rushed from the plane as Leslie personally carried Ella to the medic station with Maya following behind with Litvinchuk.
Looking over the battlefield, Summer noticed that each Pandora was acting strangely and performing feats of strength and abilities that seemed peculiar to the young woman.
Suddenly, she felt a familiar sensation, as if he was calling to her. Summer, you're here? She heard her father's voice in her mind.
Scanning the ravaged area, she found him, standing amid the foray; the remaining N2 creatures had converged on his position and were being repelled by a circle of Pandora.
"We need to help him!" she cried. In response, Pina equipped her Volt Weapons and furiously began to battle one of the seven N2 creatures that had breached Kazuya's defenses. Following Summer through the mounds of earth, bodies, wreckage and debris, Adriana, Kallie, Marcy and Yumi reached Kazuya's position.
In an instant, Wendy Daehn fell backward, victim of a grievous injury to her torso - the wound spraying blood onto the ground. Reaching for the stricken freshman, Pina noticed the tremendous blood loss as she attempted to drag her to safety before the monster could deal the fatal blow. Kazuya struggled to feed everyone energy, but the untrained freshmen fell one by one. Avoiding a large paw, Tamsin tripped sideways but was steadied by Davina and the other upperclassmen who arrived just in time to help. Larisa twirled through the air and delivered a hard punch to the head of the closest humanoid that had reached out for Kazuya. Turning, she flung the monster several meters away.
Despite his best efforts, Kazuya was exhausted. Just when he thought he couldn't go on, he felt her presence drawing near; his daughter was here and now within reach! As he turned his attention toward her, he felt excruciating pain, one of the monsters had sliced him across his stomach and blood was oozing down his side and leg. In agony, he dropped to one knee.
Suddenly, all the Pandora in the area began to lose their connection and became disorientated. Screaming in anger, Summer exploded into a Double Accel, creating a thunderous sound that reverberated through the battlefield. Within a millisecond, she was there, driving her Koto through the monster's chest, forcibly dragging it away from her injured father. Kazuya saw the intense look of rage on his daughter's face as she pulled her weapon upwards, cleaving the monster in two from the waist to the neck.
Looking around the battle area, Summer saw most of her friends and classmates falling as the NOVA continued their relentless attacks. Once more, the flood of emotion and anger took control of her aching heart. The loss of Kim Okada was still very raw and now her father was critically wounded. As she turned in a circle, she couldn't find her mother. Where is she? With tears in her eyes, she stared at the approaching monsters and the towering Type-Ss behind them.
This ends now…
Raising her right hand, Summer felt her body begin to pulsate with energy. Her light brown hair was flying in all directions by the rush of wind circulating around her body. As her Freezing effect took hold, all the humanoid monsters came to an abrupt halt as if caught in suspended animation.
Some of the injured Pandora struggled to stand as they watched Summer el Bridget-Aoi walk toward the group of frozen monsters. In the distance, the hulking figures of the Type-Ss immediately drew their attention toward her.
As she raised her left hand, the energy field tripled in intensity. All N2s on the battlefield began vibrating and shaking as she fed energy into their bodies. After a few more seconds, they began to move, but this time, the humanoids turned and sauntered toward the towering aliens who were closing in on Summer's position. She was now actually controlling each humanoid remotely, and instructed them to eliminate both Type-Ss. One by one, the N2s engaged the towering monsters. From the safety of the defensive perimeter, most of the remaining Pandora stood in awe at the sight of Summer el Bridget-Aoi controlling the enemy. Gradually, the tall monsters were forced to defend themselves against the onslaught of the humanoids.
Kazuya, still clutching his side, sat up and watched his daughter perform the impossible. Summer kept walking toward the aliens. When the last of the humanoid creatures had been torn apart, the Type-S turned its full attention back on her. Its razor-sharp tentacles lashed out at Summer although she was able to deflect them all away as if an invisible shield was blocking every attack.
Stopping just a few meters from the monstrous aliens, she looked up at them and smiled; her octagonal eyes changing from blue to orange. Then, the Type-S creatures moved aside and began to face each other. Next, their chest plates opened revealing their central cores. Incredibly, both aliens modulated their core structure and emitted piercing energy beams towards each other. The brilliant streams of energy began to melt through their insides. In a matter of minutes, their bodies began to crumble and collapse into piles of smoking matter. This was soon followed by a tremendous blast of light. As everyone on the battlefield witnessed the destruction, they cringed in terror as the lone individual turned her fiery orange eyes back at them.
Still feeling hate and rage, Summer started back toward the people she had just saved. She raised her right hand and all the Pandora in the area came to attention. One by one, they fell under her command; their eyes becoming glowing blue hexagons. Frightened, every non-implanted person who had witnessed this phenomenon solely began to back away from the women who obviously now exhibited signs of being under someone's control.
Summer called to each of them, asking to use their power to kill and destroy. The sensations Summer was feeling were awesome, the flow of energy touched every fabric of her being. She was unstoppable, a bringer of death to all who opposed her - the ultimate equalizer. Looking down at her arms and hands, her once fair complexion had changed to a light shade of orange; with patterns of octagons imprinted on her skin. Protrusions of dazzling transparent wings emerged from her shoulders, while small thin appendages grew from her lower back and legs as she began glowing with blinding energy.
As he observed the tremendous change that was overtaking Summer, Kazuya began to fear that his daughter was surrendering to the Stigma's corrosive effects. If she wasn't stopped immediately, she would succumb to NOVA Form. Having a Stigmatic body himself, he knew the deadly effects of tapping into his alien power. The individual develops an un-quenchable thirst for death and destruction. In that moment, Kazuya had an idea. Struggling against his daughter's effects, he got to his feet and limped to his wife's med-cot.
Summer's facial features had now become distorted and grotesque as her hatred and longing for chaos slowly devoured her remaining traces of humanity. Suddenly, she felt someone tugging on her smoking battle uniform. As her smoldering eyes looked down, it was Alexandra holding her back. With a look of sadness, the ten-year old looked up at the burning figure.
"Summer, please stop this. You have to fight the Transcendent Will - the desire to kill and destroy must be controlled. Please, don't do this."
The glowing figure that was once Summer el Bridget-Aoi, smirked at the little girl. Her pulsating eyes focused on Alexandra as she began to communicate telepathically.
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I WANT TO STOP? I HAVE THE POWER TO CONTROL EVERYTHING, NOBODY WILL EVER HURT ME OR MY FRIENDS AGAIN."
Alexandra tried restraining Summer's advances even more. "No! Fight it! You can't fall into the black depths, it will eventually kill you! Don't become the monster that you fear the most…"
"MONSTER? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I'M THE MONSTER? LOOK AROUND YOU; ALL THIS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. NOW, I CAN STOP EVERYONE FROM KILLING EACH OTHER! WITH MY NEW POWER, MY ENEMIES WILL FALL AT MY FEET! IF I HAVE TO BECOME A MONSTER TO SAVE EVERYONE, I WILL!"
Alexandra felt her energy fading. Soon, she would return to her inter-dimensional realm, and nobody would be able to control, let alone stop Summer from bringing about a new era of death and destruction to the earth. "Summer, look inside yourself! Don't do this, fight back! Don't give up! Don't…" Alexandra stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Kazuya Aoi carrying an unconscious woman towards them. Satellizer's arms dangled lifelessly as he struggled to bring her body to where Summer was standing.
"WHO ARE THESE CREATUES? I'll DESTORY YOU ALL!"
"Don't you recognize your mother and father?" Kazuya responded, trying to connect with his daughter.
"MOTHER? FATHER?"
"We are your parents Summer. You were born to us. Search within yourself, you'll remember."
"GET OUT OF MY WAY…"
"Summer! We're losing your mother right now! I don't want to lose you too. Come back to us! Your mother is dying, look inside your heart! Feel her life fading away."
"MOTHER? WHY IS SHE HERE?"
"Your mother insisted that we come here after Nightfall attacked West Genetics. She was worried about you and she knew something was going to happen. We were still on the island when the NOVA invaded.
"WHY? WHY DID YOU COME HERE? YOU BOTH COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! YOU, HELPED EVERYONE WHILE, I WAS AWAY DIDN'T YOU?"
"Yes, we are both here now trying to help you. Come back to us, stop this madness, you don't want this." The glowing figure in front of Kazuya stepped closer.
"FATHER? AM I SICK? I DON'T FEEL VERY GOOD. MY FRIENDS THINK THAT I'M A MONSTER, AND I HATE IT! I'M NOT A MONSTER, I JUST WANTED A NORMAL LIFE, BUT I WILL NEVER HAVE IT WILL I?"
"Sweetheart, we love you very much. Please come back. You have to fight it, please?"
Immediately, the glowing figure touched her smooth featureless face. "I'M AN UGLY MONSTER AREN'T I?"
Tears rolled down his cheek as he agreed with the gleaming NOVA form. "Sweetheart, you don't want to become a monster. Come back to us."
"DAD, PLEASE, I DON"T WANT TO BE LIKE THE NOVA. HELP ME."
"Then don't give up! Don't lose this fight!"
Summer's aura radiated as she stepped even closer to her father. He could feel the excessive heat from her body as she placed a hand on Satellizer's forehead. Sensing her mother's vitals, she quickly stepped back; the glyphs on her hands, arms and face immediately began to fade.
"SHE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION."
"I know, but you are stopping everyone from helping her and the other fallen Pandora." Summer looked up and surveyed the area. Groups of people were huddled together; every non-implanted human cringed in fear while every Pandora within the vicinity stood at perfect attention, like statues poised and unmoving - ready to attack on command.
"IF EVERYONE DIES, IT'S GOING TO BE MY FAULT?"
"Yes, please stop this. You have to save everyone!"
"YES, I HAVE TO SAVE... everyone…"
Kazuya watched with relief as the glow emanating from his daughter dissipated. Gradually beginning to recover from her ordeal, Summer morphed back into human form and collapsed to the ground. Immediately, every Pandora in the area became aware of her surroundings and returned to her normal state. They could be seen looking quizzically at each other, wondering what had happened. In time, as they talked among themselves, trying to process the day's events, none of them would have complete memories of what had occurred – no recall of being under Summer's influence, and limited short term memory of their fight against the NOVA.
As the medics ran up to take Satellizer back to triage, Kazuya helped the other medical personnel lift Summer's body onto a stretcher. He followed as they rushed her back to the main building for quarantine. Kazuya was heart-broken. He had almost lost his daughter, and now, he was about to lose his true love.
Sister Amelia stood by the entrance as the medics rushed past with Summer's portable med cot. She looked down at the unconscious girl and thought about how she had underestimated Summer's unpredictable power once again. And then her thoughts drifted to other matters:
It's obvious that conditions have gotten worse . . . What will be NOVA's next move? . . . How can I put an end to all the bloodshed? . . . What can I do to redeem myself? . . . Now, more than ever, the eyes of the world will be on GM870.
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.
