Pandora's Guns

Chapter 11: A Description and Spoons

Disclaimer: I own Pandora and the story! No one else!

They walked in silence until Marlene had closed the door of her dorm room. Marlene sat at her desk and Pandora sat by her bed. "Ok so what missions do they do?"

"Yeah, they never told me what types of missions they do." Marlene nodded solemnly.

"Yeah there's good reason for that. Pandora before I answer you question please answer mine. Even after I tell you what it is these boys do, will you still stay with them?" Pandora pondered the question then nodded. Marlene took a deep breathe.

"They hunt down the worst of the worst, the criminals of the world so crazy and so evil the united forces of the world won't stop them. The criminals they hunt are psychopaths beyond any help. You met Savio right?" Pandora nodded. "He's a cannibal; before the boys caught him he ate an entire village in Indonesia alive. He would travel the world hunting people he thought would be tasty and ate them. Skipper has Kowalski trying to figure out what is causing Savio to see other humans as food. So far, nothing has come up. There are others just as nuts if not more. Each penguin, you know that's their official group name right?"

"Yeah…" Pandora responded spacily.

"Well each penguin has been affected by one of these criminals in one way or another. Lost family to them, friends, and other loved ones. Even been their little experiments, when they met each other in high school they had either been running from them or fighting back weekly." Marlene stopped and watched Pandora who was still sitting there watching Marlene.

"How do you know?"

"Skipper and I were dating when he first started the group, I was the one to suggest that they became a group, he and Kowalski, Private Hadn't transferred to the school yet."

"What about Rico? Wasn't he with them?" Marlene shook her head.

"Rico just sort of showed up one day at school, Skipper and Kowalski stayed close to him making sure no one upset him and that he didn't upset anyone. Eventually he followed them and they started to disappear every other month or so. Then once we hit college the missions became less frequent but more intense. And skipper and I broke up." Marlene smiled sadly to Pandora. "You know those missions they go on aren't at all nice. They live in the streets and always come back slightly shaken. As Skipper put it "it's a nasty job, we walk on the edge of Insanity and normality everyday. From your first mission on your own that fine line ready to tip either way at any moment. However, we have to stay on that line. I f we don't know one will and more lives will be lost to those maniacs. Its hard and painful but someone has to do it." So Pandora are you going to leave them?" Marlene asked leaning foreward Pandora was stunned.

"I would understand if you don't want to stay in their group…"

"I'll stay." Marlene looked up surprised she had hoped she had convinced her otherwise.

"Why?"

"As Skipper said someone has to do it. Besides" Pandora looked up her eyes cloudy and dark. "I'm no stranger to that fine line. I've walked it to many times and if there's any chance I can keep anyone else from walking that line I will take it!"

Marlene was shocked by Pandora's grim tone. Marlene nodded weakly to Pandora who stood up.

"I need to go do homework. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you." Pandora nodded and left leaving Marlene to think.

Pandora walked briskly to the base as rain began to pour from the sky. She didn't look up once as she walked into the moldy dorm and down to the base. She unceremoniously dropped her bag on the couch and turned to the door to the training area. She hadn't ever thought of going in there before, but now she felt she needed to. Opening the door, she found a very large room with three little rooms separated by bulletproof glass. Just inside the door, Pandora saw a wall filled with traditional firearms and cold steel on the left. To her right were strange gadgets hanging from the wall. Pandora spied some dart like objects and scanned the room for a target. Pandora silently grabbed the dart-like objects and strode to the center room. It was an oblong room about 400 yards long with plexy-glass like material walls. At the other end was a target, about the size and shape of a human. Pandora gripped the tip of one of the darts and sizing up the target flung the dart as hard as she could. It came up short hitting the foot of the target. She walked forward, picked up the dart, and went back to her last position. Gripping the dart by the tip again, Pandora repeated the action landing the dart on the target's foot.

"Tch! Not good… more power behind the throw." Pandora muttered bitterly. Pandora's thoughts were swirling with anger and determination, and confusion. Normally Pandora would run away from the very idea of facing maniacs so nuts that not even the world's collective efforts could stop them. But something made Pandora want to fight now. The more she thought of it the more she only confused herself.

"Yes someone has to do it, but not me!" Pandora flung another dart hitting the foot again. Readying another one Pandora thought more.

"Why can't I convince myself to leave? I should just leave now!" throw, lands on the ankle.

"Why? As soon as I think of leaving I feel guilty about leaving them!" Throw lands on the knee.

"I want to run but I don't want to leave any of them!" Throw lands on the groin.

"I can't abandon them!" throws two they hit both armpits, and Pandora's vision begins to blur.

"They've been so kind to me!" Three more hit the target on the stomach rocking the target a little. Pandora's vision starts to become a watery mess of colors but she continues to throw.

"Those they hunt have hurt them so much their willing to risk insanity! If they are going to throw themselves into such a situation" Throws one hit's the elbow causing the target to rock more.

"I should be willing as well!" Throws one hit's the right lung. The target rocks more.

"They need someone to watch their Backs!" Throws the last dart hitting the neck, the darts backs open and spark. They send a shockwave through the target to the dart in the neck. Once the shockwave hit's the dart in the neck it flashes a light for a second before the target's head separates from the rest of the target. Pandora looses the last of her vision and running back to the wall searches silently for something else to throw. Searching the left wall Pandora found about ten small knives. Grabbing them, Pandora ran back to the target only this time standing a bit father back and began to throw. As she threw, her vision began to resurface only slightly different though she hardly noticed. All Pandora knew was her aim, and power was improving rapidly. Each knife stuck itself firmly in a vital area instead of bouncing off as they did only a few seconds before. Pandora continued to throw until she ran out of knives. She then ran back to the weapons and continued the cycle unaware of the rest of the world.

Rico walked into the base exaughsted. He had just spent the last to hours trying to avoid Shelly's incessant attempts to woo him. It exaughsted him every time but he refused to show it. He had learned that any sign of exaughstion meant weakness and pain. Setting down his Bag Rico noticed Pandora's things dropped carelessly on the floor, yet he saw no Pandora. Curious Rico went to her room to look for her. It was a mess, her clothes strewn on the floor and her books littered her bed. Not seeing her, Rico went to look elsewhere. As he passed the Training area, he heard a faint tapping sound like metal digging into wood. Slowly walking in Rico found Pandora throwing some form of metal star at the target. Rico walked forward to get a closer look. Pandora was at the edge of the target range, about 400 yards. What surprised Rico was not only the ferocity with which Pandora threw the weapons but the sheer amount of weapons stuck to the target! There were darts, knives, throwing stars, needles, pencils, pens, forks. Rico even spied a few spoons nuzzled in the array of projectiles that littered the target. Rico stood at the door as Pandora ran out of projectiles, the last one hitting the dead center of the target's 'heart'. Pandora turned to get more projectiles but ran into Rico who grabbed her by her wrists.

"Stop. No more. Room." Pandora just stared up at him her mind swirling yet relaxing.

"Th-their going to hunt a madman right?" Pandora began to cry her voice cracking. "One that's way too crazy to fix? One that would dissect them if given the chance?"

Rico watched her as Pandora began to cry, slightly surprised she had found out about who it was they hunted and at her emotional response. Normally a recruit found that out during their first mission briefing, and almost all of them dropped out before the mission started.

"And here I am unable to fight…" Pandora looked down. "It makes me feel pathetic. How can I help if I can't do anything but throw things? Put me up close to a guy and I would need to be rescued like some stupid damsel in distress!"

Pandora laughed bitterly and fell down to the ground wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I want to help you guys, someone has to have your guy's backs." Rico was slightly startled by the statement. Pandora was more worried about failing them then anything else. Pandora noticed her vision wasn't changing even as she calmed, though it was the same as when she cam into the base it was different somehow. She only just realized it but as she looked around the room, she noticed things she didn't before. Somewhat confused Pandora stood up and squinted at the door. As she did, little labels popped into her vision containing notes on the door. "Titanium alloy reinforced with a steel diamond mix, with a double encrypted security code and an old fashioned pad lock. Options for dismantling…."

Pandora read the labels in her vision in a whisper not realizing Rico was still there.

"Wah?" Pandora looked up to him the labels disappearing.

"The door, I looked at it and I saw this label pop out from it…." Rico watched her confused, and placed a hand on her head. She didn't have a fever but Rico wasn't convinced. "What are you… HEY!"

Rico picked up Pandora and walked out of the training area. Setting her down on the couch Rico pulled out his cell phone and pressing a button set it to his ear. Pandora watched confused. She tried to get up and leave but Rico just set her back down every time.

"Kowalski. Rico." Rico talked into the phone. "Pandora, saw label from door… Described it… Construct…. And locks… Dismantling. Uhuh…. Huh….."

Rico then sat down to Pandora and looked into her eyes.

"Cloudy… milky cloudy… Uhuh… UUUUHuh… Ok ok!" Rico paused for a bit before answering again. "Target range… Covered dummy in stuff."

Rico shrugged and continued.

"Uhhhhh, Darts, knives, stars, needles, pencils, pens, forks, a spoon." Pandora heard a loud laugh and some merriment from the phone. "Uhuh…. Yeahuh…ok ok…. Bye."

Rico hung up before turning to Pandora and placing a hand gently on her head. Pandora blushed and Rico nodded giving a small smile.

"Nanites. Woke up. Kowalski explain. When he. Gets back." Rico said simply before getting up and going to the living area. He stopped in the hallway just before the turn into the hall. "Your not useless."

Rico disappeared down the hall leaving Pandora still sitting on the couch blushing.