A/N: Chapter 20 of Freezing: The Lightning Girl. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Freezing belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers, I truly appreciate it.

Chapter 20: Difference

Arena...

"Anywhere you wish." There were whispers and muttering among the audience as they watched in wonder. Eva stood there without batting an eyelash, her arms out to the side with a serious expression on her face. Some of the researchers looked at Dr. Ohara in confusion but the woman just waited with anticipation.

"Are you...mocking me?" Amelia growled.

"Like I said, anywhere you wish." Eva repeated. "Unless you're too scared. I totally understand since it's normal human behavior."

"You just crossed the line," Her hand tightened around her weapon. "don't you dare look down on all the blood, sweat, and tears that we've put into this up until now!" She leaped forward and swung downward. A crisp sound like a whip told everyone that the weapon connected, not a breath could be heard as they watched with intent.

"Ahahaha...that hurts." Eva smiled as blood trickled down her forehead where it connected with the shaft of Amelia's weapon. Knowing full well that the blade could've sliced her in half, she took the risk and closed the distance making sure that her head connected with the shaft. If she had timed it wrong, chances were she might've lost a body part.

She took my volt weapon head on, literally. Amelia stood in surprise.

"The purpose of these mock battles is to assess the difference in our strengths. I simply believe it is my duty to give them the most accurate data possible. I'm definitely not looking down on you at all." Eva quickly distanced herself and got into a fighting pose. She blinked as she noticed that Amelia increased her speed, appearing as a blur to the naked eye. Accel...? Heehee this is really really fun!

"Her skills are quite polished. She's on another level compared to the last two." Chiffon praised, "How does she look to you as a fellow Accel type, Satellizer-san?"

"I think she's doing very well, even if you compare her to me..." Satellizer watched calmly with interest. By now the rest of the E-Pandoras were cheering their loudest. Hearing her comrades voices, Amelia raised the bar and moved into a Double Accel. As the distance between the two slimmed down, Eva braced herself and leaned forward like a runner would at the starting line.

"That chibi...I wonder what's going on in that thick skull of hers." Roxanne mused as she watched. Releasing a short breath, Eva dashed forward, moving so fast that she disappeared for a moment.

"Wha-!?" Amelia clenched her teeth in anger as her spear met the ground. "Where did she—?!" Her head snapped backwards from a jab. Kuh...a head-butt?! Shestumbled back, lifting a hand to stop her bleeding nose. Looking up she noticed her opponent with her right hand forward in a fist. Using speed to her advantage, Eva made it appear like she vanish out of thin air but she moved so fast that she left behind an after image; Amelia attacked an illusion. She quickly wiped the blood away and got ready for another attack.

"Your skin...!" Eva stood there in shock, there were these little marks on Amelia's skin that it looked similar to when the Pandoras go into Pandora Mode. "Are you exerting too much power? You can't use Accel anymore can you?"

"Even if I can't use Accel I'll continue to fight!" She responded and rushed forward just like before. Eva narrowed her eyes and balled her hand into a fist. This time she didn't hold back as she gave the punch one hundred percent power, aiming straight for the jawline.

"Why are you stopping?" Dr. Ohara had risen from her seat and stared down coldly. "Please continue, we still don't have enough data. Continue until she can't move."

Until she can't move...why do we have to go that far for a mock battle...? Eva looked at the scientist in confusion as she returned to her seat. She could tell by the expression that she really didn't want to add the extra time but for her to produce enough results was necessary.

"You...are a nice person aren't you?" Amelia's voice sounded strain as she managed a weak smile. "But can you tell...how much that kindness of yours...hurts me?"

"Idiot!" Eva roared, punching her with her left hand. This girl...is putting so much into this match...it's like her life depended on it. "You told me to not to look down upon your efforts up until now...how dare you say such words to me." Amelia looked at her in surprise. She didn't know that a limiter was capable of expressing sad emotions. She always thought that Pandoras and their limiters alike where just arrogant, superior beings, but she was witnessing her one opponent who was tearing up. "Don't you ever...ever...look down upon my feelings. You can hate me, beat me up, call me names all you want but treading upon someone's genuine feelings like that I won't forgive you."

"Feelings in battles are pointless...in a battle it's either kill or be killed."

"All right then," Eva got behind her opponent and held her in place, wrapping her arms like she was giving a hug. "see if you can withstand this one." Please forgive me! Her emo hair went bananas, sparks flying from the tips. The ceiling lights flickered on and off at the sudden surge of electricity. Eva channeled that electric energy into her opponent's body, causing the body to spasm out of control. This wasn't like the friendly shock she gave Roxanne, this was a full-blown lightning attack. The others had to duck if some of the sparks went out of hand. Amelia's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped forward. The little sparks died down and Eva stood there, looking at Amelia's unconscious body.

"Match over."

"I don't know you if you can hear me but I want to tell you something." She knelt down beside Amelia's head before continuing. "I was actually a normal human before I became a Limiter, a normal person just like you. I was sold into slavery by my parents at a young age and stayed at a prison for most of my childhood. I was picked on constantly for crying and they called me weak. The pain and the emotions, I know I don't really understand them all from your perspective but I think I have some sense of it." Noticing that the rest of the E-Pandoras were hesitant to approach her, she picked Amelia up and carried her to the other side. She was met with glares or worried looks but she placed her opponent on the stretcher. Grasping her hand tightly, she smiled, "Let's play again, Amelia Evans." As if responding, Amelia's hand twitched. Feeling that Eva placed the arm gently on its owner's stomach and stepped back, watching her being whisked away to the infirmary.

"What do you think Elizabeth?" Chiffon asked.

"Definitely different than what I had in mind but other than that," She smiled faintly when Eva returned, watched at she got bombarded by Rana and her friends. "Great job Eva."

The next morning...

The cafeteria was full of commotions as the Pandoras were in their own little world during breakfast. They were mainly concerned that the E-Pandora group were not as strong as they had hoped. Some of them shook their heads in pity while others looked as if this was just a pointless trip.

"There's nothing we can do about it...those girls used to be ordinary people after all..." Satellizer replied. Eva didn't talk much, picking at her food absentmindedly with her fork without an appetite.

"Honestly, I think the fact they were that strong is surprising...But..the fact that they were also much weaker bothers me..." Cassie said before taking a sip of her coffee. Unable to take all the chatter that were constantly bombarding her ears, Eva stood up with her tray much to their surprise.

"Excuse me...I'm gonna get some fresh air." Disposing her unfinished breakfast in the trash bin, she left for the rooftop. Meanwhile, the E-Pandora group huddled together in an empty locker room with gloomy expressions.

"The real Pandora's high end skills...were really strong..."

"Rattle!" She barked, noticing that one of her comrades was off on her own. "Why've you been eating this whole time!? Say something about all this!"

"H-hmm?" Rattle flinched at the tone, the bread still in her hands. "I-I really only thought that...the real Pandora are amazing..."

"Sheesh...is this really the time to be stuffing your mouth with bread..? The very existence of the E-Pandora is on the line here!"

"I...I'm sorry..." She bowed her head in shame.

"Stop it Gina, that kind of attitude is exactly why we're here and not the cafeteria..." Amelia spoke up, her body was wrapped in bandages. "I know that you know the reason Rattle became an E-Pandora was so she could avoid starving to death. So let her eat as much as she needs."

"Amelia...but it's so frustrating." Gina looked at the ground, "It's not just their ability. They're all from big rich families, too...they're different than us...in every possible way."

"No...not all of them." Amelia looked at her hand, noticing a tingly sensation every time she looked at it.

"That's right...that girl you fought. She was just a Limiter and..." Gina growled angrily. "Fuck! Why are they like that when we're all humans!? It's like...we're nothing more than some stupid show to them. It's not fair!"

"Let's stop focusing on what they have that we don't." Amelia placed her hands on Gina's shoulders. "That would be the same as hating...the parents and the world that you've lived in up until now..." She looked at everyone around her, "Someone came here to avoid starving...someone came here because her parents sold her off...and someone else came here to repent for her sins...But it's because we came here that we were able to meet each other; we each have our own things. We have friends who've shared the same hardships...We were able to become friends who can share their feelings with one another. We have to accept out past and continue to live on. We should be proud to be E-Pandora. We're warriors fighting for the future of humanity." Amelia looked around at the smiling faces, knowing that her words were calmly them down. "There still hasn't been any decision as to what we'll be doing from now on. Let's gracefully accept our loss this time. And then learn from them in the future. If we just think positively about it, I'm sure we can improve." Looking up, she noticed Eva walking right by their door, probably to the roof. She excused herself and followed the Limiter outside.

On the roof...

"Finally! Some air for once!" Eva proclaimed, stretching her arms way up high so that her fingertips could brush the clouds. "I never realized how stuffy it was down there. God, now I understand how a claustrophobic person feels."

That or you just had to get away from all that crap. Loveless hovered next to me. I strapped my guitar over my shoulders after the mock battle so she's been with me since morning. Honestly, I thought you were amazing out there. That was a great plan though, letting me give your hair some static.

"Mmmhmm. I still feel the sparks running through my follicles." I laughed as I ran my hand through my hair.

"Miss Faye?" Eva turned her head at the sound of her last name.

"Oh, it's you Amelia. How are you?" Eva leaned back against the railing and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm fine thanks." Amelia said. "I want to confirm something. Why did you join West Genetics? If I remember correctly you were once a normal human like us."

"So you were conscious, I'm glad." Eva smiled, "It's true that I was a normal human like you before they did the whole baptizing method. As to why I joined West Genetics it would appear that I was picked because they were short-handed."

"You didn't have a choice?"

"Well I mean I guess I didn't but all of my other options weren't the best in my predicament." Eva shrugged her shoulders before turning around, "I was sold into slavery by my parents and the sanctuary of the prison was an okay living space for me. The only companion I had was this fellow here."

"The guitar?"

"That's right. I use her as a medium. I channel my power through these strings thus performing skills that a regular Limiter can do."

"When you said that you didn't have a weapon because you weren't a Pandora, were you lying?"

"I apologize for not being truthful to you." Eva bowed slightly, "However I wasn't lying. Only Pandoras are capable to summon volt weapons. I cannot. To a normal person this is just a normal instrument, to me this is something much more. You could say we're joined at the hip!" She threw back her head with a chuckle.

"Amelia!" Gina barged in, only to look between the two girls in confusion. "Oh, did I interrupt something?"

"No, we're just about done." Amelia said.

"Good, there's an announcement down at the auditorium. C'mon, everyone's waiting for the two of you." The three of them ran into Elizabeth who waited for them in front of the door. They carefully weaved their way through the crowd and separated to their groups. The chattered died down as Scarlet cleared her throat.

"Starting today I will ask for your assistance in earnest. Now then, if you would please look at the monitor." A screen appeared with the words, Mission Synchro in bold. "As you have all guessed, this is a new project we will be initiating here at this laboratory starting today. To put it simply, this is a plan to raise the E-Pandora's abilities to the level of the originals." She then proceeded to explain how it would work, drawing some skeptical commentary from Roxanne.

"However, in order to protect against the overflow that can occur in a body not originally suited for handling stigmata...the committee has decided that the E-Pandora...will have a new medicine known as Mark IV administered to them as a precaution."

"Hey, Elizabeth-sempai..." Eva quietly tugged on her arm. "Doesn't the E-Pandora's look a bit uncomfortable?" She looked to where the said group looked with startled expressions.

"They do...I wonder..." Elizabeth murmured, her mind started grinding its gears. "Of course if you think about it rationally this is all very strange. Just putting stigmata into normal people should be a large strain as it is but even so they're going to try and forcibly raise their compatibility levels to the same as ours? Can their bodies really withstand that? In any case Eva...let us keep a close eye on the matter."

After the meeting...

Elizabeth continued to think about the matter as she walked with Chiffon and Roxanne. Eva waved good bye as she went off with Kazuya, Rana and Satellizer to do something fun.

"Why the long face Elizabeth? Worried about the Mark IV medicine?" Chiffon asked as if she could read minds.

"Heh, nothing can get past you Chiffon. Yes that medicine is what bothers me the most. Think about it. When we Pandora raise our stigmata density it creates an unbearable strain on our bodies. That's why every Pandora has a different number of stigmata implanted in them...yet here they are saying there's a medicine that can protect against that in their bodies that aren't even compatible with the stigmata...? I find it quite hard to believe."

"Yeah, I agree." Roxanne turned around and put on her thinking cap. "A project that, up until now had little funding and wasn't officially approved...no matter how you think about it, there's a lot of shady parts to it. Of course, most of the tings the government does are like that, but..."

"It's not something you have to worry about, Zombie woman."

"What?!" Roxanne snapped, turning to throw a retort at the voice.

"You're..." Elizabeth said as she recognized the newcomers. The petite woman with cream-colored hair that is short in the back with side-bangs was the Tempest prodigy Charles Bonaparte; a set of special headphones rested comfortably on her head. Her friend, a woman with medium-length dark indigo hair that was tied up in a ponytail with several bangs covering her forehead and a choker around her neck was Julia Munberk, the German Maverick.

"I was wondering who it'd be...what do you mean by that?" Roxanne smirked.

"We're all part of Genetics. It's our job to simply follow the orders we're given. The Chavalier are the ones who decide everything." Charles replied.

"Oh is that so Ms. Model Solder? How much did the Chevalier pay you to make you like that?" Roxanne laughed as she smacked her rump.

"As vulgar as always I see." She smirked, chuckling at Roxanne's antics. "I suppose it might be a tad too hard for a zombie to understand."

"Who're you callin' a zombie...?! My nickname is 'The Immortal', it's much cooler."

"I'm sure that you understand what I'm saying though, don't you...? You, the Unparalleled Monster, Chiffon Fairchild." Charles smiled as she gazed at the president. "We're an existence born as the cornerstone of humanity. We have to think about the whole rather than the individual. Being prepared to sacrifice the few to save the many is what it means to be a Pandora. Don't you think so? Ms. Monster of Japan West...?"

"You guys..." Chiffon spoke, her voice hinted that she was a bit upset. "Why do you always call me a monster?! Am I that scary?! I might not look it, but I do have some confidence in my looks you know!" That statement caused the others to fall over in laughter.

"You're a funny one. Of course, it's not like there'd be anyone normal gathered out at a place like this..." Charles stated as her laughter subsided. "Anyway, it's likely we'll both be watching each other's backs in battle one day. Keep up the good fight." Waving goodbye they left.

"If I'm not mistaken, those two were..." Elizabeth already had a hunch but she wanted to confirm her suspicion.

"Ah, you've heard of Julia and Charles right?" Roxanne smiled. "They're exactly how you saw 'em."

"But they're very strong, aren't they..."

"Well yeah, enough to be a part of the five strongest in the world..." She then pointed at herself and said, "Of course I'm one of those top five myself."

Yeah, yeah we know. No need to toot your own horn. Elizabeth and Chiffon both thought at the exact same time.

Scarlet Ohara's office...

The scientist sat at her desk, her eyes glued to the screen while her fingers tapped away on the keyboard. A beep from the phone captured her attention and she pressed a button to answer it.

"What is it?"

"Amelia Evans is here to see you." Came the voice.

"...Let her in please." This was bound to happen sooner or later... Ohara grimaced as her door opened.

"Ah," She said as she saw her professor rise from her desk. "I can come back later if you're busy..."

"It's fine, sit down." Scarlet replied as she walked over to pour herself a drink. "Coffee?"

"I'm fine." Amelia said as she took a seat. Scarlet just closed her eyes and enjoyed the aroma of the grounded beans in silence.

"The use of Mark IV was decided by the committee. It's going to happen no matter what."

"I didn't come here...to ask for something as selfish as not using it." Amelia admitted. "I was ready for anything when I agreed to be a part of this project." Ohara took a sip of coffee, deep in thought before speaking.

"So then what? What do you want to..."

"Is..." Amelia paused, steeling herself for the answer. "Is Mark IV...a revised version of the Mark III you used before?"

"That's right, this one has better stabilizing capabilities."

"Why?! That medicine was a total failure wasn't it?! It's nearly impossible to stabilize the stigmata with our current level of technology...! That's something I, who volunteered to use it before...know more than anyone else on this planet!"

"Mark IV is completely different than Mark III." Scarlet said after a brief pause. "It was created based on the original Pandora's official data we obtained. There's no need to worry about the intensity or any violent after effects anymore. It's so much safer and more effective than III. It's like a whole new medicine."

"But...it still poses a huge risk as time goes on and the stigmata fuse with our bodies doesn't it? Is it really safe to use...? Can you say that...our lives won't be an any danger?"

"Silence!" Scarlet snapped, "You agreed to this project knowing the risks! You all signed a contract, or am I wrong?! I am the one who decides if there's a risk or not! Your job is to do what I tell you and nothing more!"

"I know that...we all came here of our own free will...we have to accept any order we're given until the contract ends...but still, Mark III greatly traumatized us. The fear we could die...and pain great enough to make us nearly forget about that...that's why everyone is so worried..." Amelia was practically pleading now, pouring all of her emotions in hopes that Scarlet would understand. "Do we not even...have the right to fear death?!"

"No...you do not." Scarlet replied. "Even if your life is in danger, this project will not stop. That's the nature of the contract you signed."

"Even if that's true...it won't happen, right...? Something like that would never happen, right...?"

"Do you think I'd let any of you die so easily...? You are my precious researcher subjects..." Unknown to Amelia, Scarlet harbors a special place in her heart for her. She refuse to loose any of them during this trial, especially not Amelia.

"I understand..." The E-Pandora said with a tight lip. "I'll explain it to the rest of them. Thank you very much for hearing me out." She excused herself, heading towards the door when a though crossed her mind. "Professor." Amelia paused and turned around to flash Scarlet a genuine smile. "Let's make E-Pandora a success. No matter what" With that she left, the door closing behind her. The scientist stared at the door before biting her lip.

"God damn it!" She growled as she threw her cup on the ground, watching the coffee stain the tiles. As Amelia walked down the hall, she remembered what happened that day Mark III was administered to her. She remembered Ohara screaming for the process the stop, she remembered the pain. She thought she was gonna die.

We have to believe in her... Amelia thought, banishing the nightmare away. We must believe in our professor.