After almost a year, I'm back, I'm mad, and i'm not gonna take it anymore!
Disclaimer: I only own the OC's
Arnett had been antsy as she followed the woman through the halls of the medical center as she had demanded answers regarding her pupil's condition, the elevator ride with her was especially uncomfortable as the doctor from Marrakesh seemed insistent upon keeping the Slashing Trickster in the dark with whatever she was examining on her diagnostic pad.
"You know, for someone with a story to tell you're being awfully quiet." The Swiss-born Pandora would follow the Marrakesh scientist off the elevator as the woman continued to stay silent, only fueling her annoyance as they continued to walk down a featureless hallway. "I've had enough of this crap." She would summon Scythe Machina and hold it to the lavender-haired woman's throat, rather than seeing her would-be victim tense up in fear at the prospect of being decapitated she would simply remain calm and continue to type away at her pad.
"Why is it you people resort to violence instead of talking? You, that so-called Untouchable Queen, a feral dog trying to break off her chain and a bitch who's too stupid to accept that the Baptism is necessary to save a life." Parcé would calmly tuck her diagnostic pad back inside her lab coat, feeling Arnett's agitation at her words and deciding her next move with a wicked smile. "I'm not surprised though; Abel's always been attracting the wrong type of girl from the very moment he stepped through the doors of our nest."
Three years earlier
Parcé would watch the flood of new recruits being brought before the Senior Pandora with the same appraising gaze that was reserved for a judge in a prize pig contest, the ladies were no doubt doing much the same on the lower floor- except they were encouraged to paw at their future pets.
"Oh how I do enjoy Bonding Day, watching the fresh eyed little newbies prance and preen in an attempt to attempt their big sisters. Poor little bastards, they have no idea what kind of hell they're in for." The older woman would lick her lips as a few had already decided on their respective partners and were already guiding them back to their rooms to initiate the Baptism, it was something that was surprisingly less sacrosanct than its name suggested judging by the recordings she had watched and insisted a lesson on how integral sexual education was to both Pandora and Limiter alike. "So gentleman, are there any good picks down there among our ladies this year?" The lavender-haired scientist would remove her tablet from within her lab coat and open up a new document to take notes as various other scientists chimed in with the names of various Pandora who were excelling among the testing field, one name in particular was eliciting constant agreement from the men and women. "Hana Inazuka, West Genetics latest reject. Says she was banished for picking fights with her fellow Pandora outside of normal school hours, such a shame to waste all that pent up energy on hapless rookies." Parcé would look down at the woman in question as she found herself surrounded by many of the more boastful individuals in the pool of new Limiters, but her gaze seemed to be locked onto the one Limiter trying his hardest not to stand out.
"Isn't he the one from that one noble family?" One of the chattier of her fellow scientists would whisper this to one of the men behind her, causing the lavender-haired woman to furrow her brow as she followed Hana's line of sight. "Poor little guy, I almost feel sorry that he's been thrown in here."
"Ah, the welp from our little benefactor. Surely, he should know the benefits of being chosen as a Limiter, it's a goddamn blessing that a twerp like him to be chosen by our best." The head scientist would smirk triumphantly as Hana approached her prey, reaching for the scruff of his uniform to claim him as her own before watching him smack her hand away with a look of defiance before speaking to the aggressive Pandora. "Give me audio please." The technicians behind her would mumble before turning on the audio in the room, unlike last year there were no couples who were doing their Baptism on the testing floor like rabbits in heat.
"-little shit! You really think you have the right to say no to me!" Hana would make another grab for the young man in question, only for him to squirm in between her legs in a hasty retreat. By right, the Limiters had a say in which Pandora was to be their "Big Sister" and although uncommon, there were some young men who had said no. "Get your scrawny little ass back here worm, I'll make you respect me even if it means I gotta break your balls!" She would grab the poor little runt by the leg and begin dragging him back to her quarters despite him literally trying to claw away from her grip.
"No offense Director Ciel, but if we let her break him then our funding's gonna dry up faster than the Sahara." One of the male scientists would speak up as Hana reached back to drag her captive prey back by the hair, even as he continued to scratch and claw at the increasingly sadistic woman in a panic. "Director!"
Parcé would grit her teeth angrily as her entertainment was fundamentally ruined, not to mention that the funding from this benefactor was necessary if she was to finally surpass Gengo Aoi as the leading force in Pandora research. "Choose another boy." The crowd below her would stop what they were doing to look up at her, grateful that the technicians were smart enough to project her command to those outside of their observation room. "It seems pretty clear to me that the little runt can't handle what you're offering him, although I'm pretty sure one of these gentlemen would gladly take the challenge." As if she had queued them up herself, the Limiters would begin preening and displaying their physiques for her to fawn over in hopes of finally earning her favor. "Bring him to me!"
Present day
"Was there a point to that little spiel of yours lady, because I'm not the kind of girl who appreciates having her time wasted!" Arnett would keep the blade of her scythe near Parcé's throat as she gripped it tighter, her knuckles nearly bone white as she felt the tension in the room threatening to make her live up to her unofficial moniker as a Mad Dog.
"Only that Abel isn't as crafty and malefic as you think he is, you honestly believe that he refers to you as "Senpai" out of some archaic sense of obligation, don't you?" Parcé would hiss as she felt the point of Scythe Machina draw blood, she was certain it was nothing more than a scratch, but it stung like a dozen tiny cuts being delivered simultaneously. "He's a simple-minded idiot who never truly learned to stop hiding behind his sisters' skirts, everything he's accomplished so far was to make them see him as something better than the disgusting little urchin that was taken in by the head of the L Bridget family!" The lavender-haired woman knew she was taking a huge gamble by revealing her ward's true name to such an unstable individual like Arnett, but she was hoping that the woman's tunnel-vision toward the boy would be just enough that she could turn the situation in her favor.
"L Bridget, isn't that the name of the second-year brat that Elizabeth wants us to deal with?" The redhead would pull her scythe away from the scheming woman in front of her, knowing that she could probably get away with giving her a bump on the head at most without inciting political incident. "Keep talking, because I'm not seeing how A connects to B here lady." The Slashing Trickster would dismiss her weapon with a huff, keeping herself ready just in case the lab coat wearing devil decided to try and make a run for it.
"Of course, it's only fair that we both lay all our cards out on the table." The lavender-haired scientist would pull out her diagnostic pad and call up the available information she had on Abel, including his current physical diagnostic. "Abel L. Bridget is the adoptive son of Charles L. Bridget, he found the little lad as a street orphan and decided to bring him into the privileged life of a noble." She would highlight his current physical diagnostic; complete with the same red caution labels that she had shown Satellizer, smiling internally as she watched the red-haired woman's expression slowly go from fury to visible concern. "Yeah, you realize your little training sessions have sufficiently ruined any chance of him becoming a proper Pandora don't you?"
Arnett would grit her teeth angrily as she examined the diagnostic closely, her eyes keenly focused on the blatantly red areas around his legs. "This can't be right; I would've noticed something during our morning training." She would look at the lavender-haired scientist shrewdly, things about this diagnostic and her time around Abel weren't adding up and she needed to cut through the bullshit while she still had time. "Tell me what I'm looking at doc and spare me the technical mumbo jumbo."
Parcé would shake her head silently, dismissing the diagnostics and glaring at the Slashing Trickster with a look of disdain. "Not so fast there honey. I showed you mine, so it's only fair that you tell me just why a rabid dog like you gives two shits about my little guinea pig." The older woman would smile nonchalantly as she punched a few keys and brought up Arnett's file, ignoring the Pandora's reaction as she saw her own statistics being displayed before her like data points on a random spreadsheet. "It's quite confusing really. You're one of the highest ranking Pandora in this establishment, not to mention that you already have a Limiter you seem rather fond of, I wonder how Mr. Abebe would handle his Big Sister fretting over another boy..unless he actually enjoys seeing you with other men. Not that I'm the type to judge whatever gets you two off."
"You leave Morrison the FUCK OUTTA THIS!" Arnett would summon Scythe Machina to her side once more, intent on decapitating the scientist and thinking of various ways to dispose of her corpse. "He has nothing to do with this!" The red-haired Pandora would spin her scythe menacingly as the scientist simply snorted in defiance, simply stroking a few keys on her diagnostic pad and bringing up Abel's current condition again.
"You're fast. That is one thing I'll concede, but if you take one more step then I might have to hit the killswitch on Abel here." Her smile would widen upon seeing the Swiss-born Pandora hesitate, no doubt calculating whether she could take out Parcé before the scientist could hit the button before it was too late. "Now why don't you be a good dog and heel?"
"You wouldn't dare kill him! He has every bit of your precious scientific research, and you strike me as the kind of woman who values her reputation more than anything." Arnett would grit her teeth angrily as the scientist's expression remained as cool as a cucumber, at this point it was a metaphorical game of chicken and she wasn't about to turn and run. "So spare me the bluff lady, we both know you won't push that button!"
"Initiating Stigmata Shutdown Sequence." The lavender-haired scientist would smile smugly as emergency alarms went off throughout the medical center, watching as the color drained from the Slashing Trickster's face. "You were right about so much dearie: I do have pride in my reputation, and that the data that my guinea pig supplies to me is quite valuable, but if you think that I'm stupid enough to put all my eggs in one basket then you are sorely mistaken!"
"Code Blue! Code Blue! All emergency staff report to the Isolation Room immediately!"
Arnett would stare at the woman in front of her, the grip on her Scythe Machina was enough to turn her knuckles white as she felt the members of the medical staff rush past her as they made their way into the room behind them. "You're insane..you're ABSOLUTELY insane!" She would reach out for the woman's diagnostic pad, growling angrily as the woman simply backstepped away from her with a yawn. "Turn it back on! For the love of fuck, turn it back on you black-hearted witch!"
"Not until you agree to my terms, for I have a very important task that can only be handled by someone with your..particular bloodlust." Parcé would watch the diagnostic calmly, seeing his vitals steadily dropping to dangerous levels and keeping her finger near the keypad for Arnett's inevitable acquiescence. "Now, do we have a deal?"
"Alright! Goddammit I'll do whatever you want!" She would feel her body slump to the floor as the weight of his life finally hit her like a ton of bricks, her Scythe Machina disappearing from existence as the scientist let out a joyous laugh. "Please save him…"
"It's almost sad, to see such a bloodthirsty monster with such an obnoxiously obvious weakness. Although it's assuring to see that unlike the so-called Queen..this one actually gives a damn about Abel." Parcé would quickly punch in the fifteen digit override code and breathe a small sigh of relief as her Pandora's vitals began to climb, she had played a dangerous gambit and it nearly cost her every ounce of progress in her research. "He'll need some time to recover; in the meantime, we should find somewhere more private to continue our discussion.
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.
Rana Linchen would wait patiently inside of the room that belonged to her rival for Kazuya Aoi's affections- Satellizer L. Bridget, although that wasn't her only reason for standing against the Untouchable Queen.
"This madness has to end, if I allow someone like that woman to continue to dig her claws into Kazuya Aoi, or heaven forbid turn her sights on a fragile soul such as Abel then I would be doing Kunlun the greatest disservice by allowing such a precious gift to bring about the suffering of another." She would cross her ankles impatiently while thinking back on the events that had led her to this impending confrontation, how her Tears of Kunlun had reacted to Kazuya's freezing field had led to her trying to cement her relationship with him, only for Satellizer to continue to impede her progress at every turn. "She continues to keep Kazuya all to herself while denying him the right of Baptism! There's no end to her blasphemy against the Goddess Kunlun!"
The sounds of running water from the other side of the bathroom door would continue unabated, causing the azure-haired Pandora some irritation as she was once again forced to wait for the fight she so desperately hungered for.
"Oh Goddess Kunlun, please grant me the strength and focus required to defeat the enemy before me. The focus and clarity to properly choose the path to happiness after which I can-" The sound of a door opening would keep Rana from completing her prayer to the deity as she now found herself looking upon the object of her scorn, albeit the blonde-haired Pandora wore nothing but a towel as well as a look of surprise at the other woman's presence. "Surprised to see me, Satellizer L. Bridget?"
The blonde-haired woman simply shot Rana a look of annoyance, causing the Tibetan-born Pandora to smile knowingly as she calmly stood up from the chair.
"You and I have business that needs to be settled, I trust that a trip to the training center would suffice yes?" She would simply smile as the expression on Satellizer's face hardened into a look of grim determination, Rana nodding in agreement as she calmly made her way toward the windowsill. "I'm glad we could come to a mutual understanding, if only you could be this understanding when it comes to your relationship with Kazuya." She would leap down from the windowsill and leave the Untouchable Queen to change and prepare for their destined battle, hitting the ground with nary a sound as she looked up at the moon hanging overhead.
"Just a little longer, then my path will be clear."
The need for control always comes from someone that has lost it.
"So let me get this straight: Because your little science experiment has a few bugs in the system, my Little Frog- my friend, is going to slowly rot and wither away from the inside?!" Arnett had to keep herself from leaping across the conference table and strangling the life from her- admittedly well-proportioned body. "Not only that, but you're saying that the only way for me to save Abel, is to perform a BAPTISM- our most sacred experience as Pandora!?"
The lavender-haired woman would pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance at the Slashing Trickster's continued barrage of questions, she had basically given Arnett the same spiel that she had given the Untouchable Queen. "Where did I lose you pumpkin, was it the diagrams? Were they just too complicated for your animalistic brain?" The older woman would lean back as the edge of Scythe Machina once again reached for her neck; she was starting to grow tired from the constant threats from these women but had no way to counter their intimidation. "How much more obvious must I make this for you child, simply perform the Baptism with Abel and his suffering stops. You're his Senpai aren't you? Isn't it your responsibility to ensure that he becomes the proper Pandora the world so desperately needs?"
"But what you're asking me to do, it's like telling me to spit in the faces of everyone who helped me to become the person I am today." Arnett would ball her hands into fists as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, it was probably Attia calling her to check on her, she still had a job to preform for Elizabeth after all. "You can't expect me to make that kind of decision on a whim, it isn't just my life that'll be changed here! Morrison…Abel..they deserve to know the truth as well."
Parcé would sigh, dismissing the diagrams with a huff of disappointment as she stood up from her seat. "I expected that kind of sappy sentimentality from the Untouchable Queen, she's his sister so it's only obvious that she would refuse to do anything without Abel's input." She would calmly slide her diagnostic pad back into her lab coat, making her way toward the door with an arrogant stride. But you, you're his Senpai. You're in a position of authority over him, the only thing you should care about are the results."
Arnett would glare at the lavender-haired woman from Marrakesh with a renewed fury, the very mention of Satellizer's codename was enough to stir her need to kill into a frenzy. "You went to that bitch first, and she refused to help even knowing that her own brother would likely die?!"
Parcé would shrug nonchalantly as she placed her hand on the scan pad that allowed them access to the room, savoring the change in the air as the very room seemed to pulse with Arnett's killing intent. "Well, I can't really blame her. She really does live up to that "Untouchable" schtick, it seems she values her own well-being over all else." The woman would smile coyly as the door in front of her opened and she stepped out into the hallway and glanced back at the enraged Pandora. "It's actually quite sad, finding out that you can't even trust your own family to help you in such dire times."
Family.
That was something Arnett McMillan valued as much as her status as a Pandora, it was because of her father that she could even call herself such. It was a force that drove her onward despite her losses against Ticy Phenyl, the death of her friend Dolly Parnell, not to mention other setbacks that she had faced since joining West Genetics.
"I won't forgive her for abandoning Abel when he needed his family most, I swear as God as my witness I'll make that bitch suffer!" Arnett would take a few deep breaths to calm herself, finally acknowledging the fact that her phone was still vibrating before swiftly reaching in and answering it. "I'm on my way, I just had a bit of personal business to deal with." She would hang up the call without waiting for Attia's reply, she knew what awaited her and licked her lips in sadistic anticipation of what was to come.
"So she thinks she's "Untouchable" eh, well I'll make sure she never forgets the touch of my Scythe Machina, I'll carve the pain of rejection into her very bones!"
First off, I would like to deeply apologize for the long hiatus between chapters.
I'm gonna level with you guys: I got mad stuck on what to do with this chapter. I spent days writing out different ways to present this chapter and kept scrapping the results, eventually I got burned out and stopped writing in general, with the exception of the odd RWBY fic here and there.
It wasn't until recently when I was skimming through r/Freezing that I started to feel the itch to return to this story, reading that this wasn't the first hiatus for Freezing, seeing the price for the manga skyrocket on Amazon, it honestly rubbed me the wrong way.
This fandom has accepted me without question, even though my first few chapters were wonky as all get out. You guys deserve a Freezing story that has a triumphant ending, and I'll be busting my ass to give you such an ending.
Remember the poll on my profile page, leave a review if you want, I'm back, and I'm reading to keep pushing forward.
Thank you for reading.