Pandora's Gamble When Sally Rosa Redinger finally gained consciousness, she was surprised to find two things. One, not only was her leg restored, but there were no scars, nor any stains of blood on her boots. Whatever that guy in white did to her, he did it better than any surgeon could've. She didn't even feel pain, nor dizziness, which was actually pretty peculiar considering the amount of blood she must've lost. But she figured, why try and complain about something good? A little wiggle of her toes told her that her leg worked just fine. The second thing that surprised her was the shy presence of Sarah Neuss. Sally took a deep breath, wondering why she had this girl, of all people, as a visitor. "...To what do I owe this visit?" she asked calmly. Sarah was bashful, hanging her head and wringing her hands, still probably uncomfortable in front of the older woman. She barely squeaked—"Th...thanks." "That is...I want to...thank you...for saving Joyce yesterday." Sally blinked until she got the meaning behind Sarah's words. That's right, she had saved Joyce, but...yesterday? "Was I...out for a day?" "For awhile, yes. Everyone was really worried, especially Miss Weathers and Mr. McCray. I think they were both crying. Joyce was beside herself, and she looked really pale. I...guess the whole ordeal took a lot out of her." Sally sighed, and though she didn't feel tired, she rested her head back on the pillow. She couldn't blame the girl, not after everything that had happened. To catalogue it again would only make her sick. "I'm...sorry I'm no better use to you," she managed, to which Sarah snapped angrily. "Don't you say that! Look...I've been a jerk, okay? S-so I was mad at you, b-but...I had every reason to. My brother...was really my whole world. I didn't have anything else, except him and Kari. So...naturally, I was angry. But..." Sarah then started to cry, and reached out to hold Sally's sapphire hand. She whispered, "You're not a bad person. You've been good to both Joyce and me, and to everyone here. I can...tell...you didn't do...all that...because you're a mean person; you did it...to save others. I just wish I knew what was going through Akio's head when he agreed to work for those people." "...I'm sure he had your best interests at heart," Sally murmured. Sarah sniffled. "I'm really sorry," she wailed. "Saving Joyce like that, and getting hurt... I'm really sorry. Please, you don't have to serve me anymore. Just...saving her life was good enough. I'm really grateful for that, I really am. She means...so much to me..." Sally found herself hugging Sarah, letting the poor girl cry on her shoulder. She had not experienced a bad childhood, and except for her recent injury—which proved now to be cured—her life had been pretty good in general. She could not fathom how opposite situations would affect anyone, least of all a girl as young as Sarah Neuss. "I...forgive you," she managed. Sarah pulled back and smiled. "Thanks. So, feeling better?" "Yes, actually. What happened?" "Mr. White did his magic—that's what happened!!" Sally looked up and beamed as she saw her girlfriend (who had spoken) and Stevenson come through the door, a bouquet in their arms. Merry got first dibs and kissed Sally sweetly while Steve ruffled Sarah's hair, giving it the tiniest of jolts so it stood on end (she giggled and flattened it down again). After she thanked them for their gifts, Sally was filled in on everything she had missed, including the secret Kamaguchi had revealed. When it was all over, the blue in her skin seemed unnatural. "I'm going to be sick," she moaned. Merry laughed and ruffled her girlfriend's hair, then gave her another kiss. "No sweat, it's behind us, or most of us. We're just glad you're on the mend. Now Mr. White has you in his debt. How he hooked that leg of yours back up is a mystery. I'm guessing the guy has strange powers." "No kidding. So...does he still not know about you-know-who?" Merry turned grave, knowing exactly who Sally referred to. "Actually, no. Somehow that girl is keeping her identity very secret. I thought that guy knew everything, but it looks like even his clairvoyance is not perfect. So much the better, from what Amielle tells us." "You feel like you could eat something?" Steve offered. Sally smiled warmly. "Gosh, I'm hungry enough to eat a table. What's for breakfast?" "Uh, lunch, actually. You were out for awhile, but who could blame you? Merry and I both nearly fainted after seeing your leg cut off like that." "Let's not make her even more sick before she eats, Steve," muttered Merry playfully. "I'm just saying we were both worried." "Yeah, but I wasn't the one barfing in the bathroom." "Because you were too paralyzed with fear. You looked white as a sheet and wouldn't talk to anybody!" "Hey, my girlfriend got hurt! It's not every day you see the woman you love mutilated." "GUYS!!!" Merry and Steve stopped, looked at each other, and turned red. Whoops. "Sorry," they sang. "We'll get you some lunch right away." The two of them left Sarah in her care, who didn't know whether to laugh or gag at their antics. ...... The match that would "settle the differences" between Rin and Setsuka was just as it had been in the tournament, only with no judges and honor as the only rule. By that moment in their relationship, it could be said that they were pretty even: Rin had fairly beaten Setsuka once, had tied her in their next match, and was now indebted to her twice, although she did technically repay one debt by helping the older woman reunite with her daughter. It was agreed between the two warriors that this then would be the final deciding match, winner take all, and anything that happened between them after this would be based on friendly sparring. "I, the Ronin Rin Takamatsu, am hereby ready to challenge lady Setsuka ‘Snowblood' Hinomoto to a contest of fair combat, in which the victor shall be known forever as the superior warrior." "And I, the lady Snowblood, Setsuka Hinomoto, swear to battle my worthy adversary, the Ronin Rin Takamatsu, until a victor is claimed. May this honorable duel settle everything between us forevermore!" The two bowed in respect, drew their weapons, and smiled. "Well," said Rin, "now that we've dismissed with the formalities, let's get down to business, shall we?" "After you, my friend." Friend. Now there was a word Rin never thought she'd associate with Snowblood—but sure enough, she had been an excellent friend ever since the day they met, even during those confusing times when she still worked for the Crimson Blades. Rin held her ground and waited, but knew Snowblood well enough to know that the woman would never attack first. It would be up to her. "No quarter!" she screamed, charging after her rival and friend. Setsuka happily met the challenge and their wills clashed for one final round. Rin was still clearly the strongest of the two, but Setsuka had psychic powers to aide her, and a body slightly more adept to flexibility, not to mention a year's advantage in terms of age and experience. They fought to their heart's content, not needing to adhere to rules or overseers, knowing that there were no judges, no villains, and no daughters at stake—just a good clean honorable fight, the way those things were meant to be done. There were no witnesses to their friendly struggle save for the birds, so there was no point in chronicling their duel. The warriors simply fought as warriors and friends did, giving it all they had and not holding a thing back. Snowblood fought Rin like she had fought Kali; the Ronin fought Setsuka like she had fought Sashuo. They wounded each other, spilling blood and breaking flesh, hurling and punching and kicking and slashing and everything else, but these were blows of love and respect, not enmity. "You've...improved...drastically," said Snowblood, her breathing coming out harshly. Rin wasn't breathing so hard, but she had plenty of scars and bruises to worry about. Still, she grinned. "Well, ya know, being dead does give you a better understanding of your powers." "And yet you understand so little of my own." Takamatsu soon understood what her friend meant: before she knew it, Snowblood had performed a technique so secret and deadly, it froze her in place just to look at it. She rubbed her eyes—yes, there was no mistaking it! There were eight Snowbloods right in front of her! "The hell!!!" "This is my ultimate attack! Mugen no kensin, senko jin! The blade art that offers illusion. Which is the real me, Rin, and which is false? I must warn you, all of these copies can put up a fight." "That's a load of bull—" Rin was suddenly knocked down by one of the Snowblood clones, but when she turned to strike, she just swiped through empty air. "The hell!" Two others ganged up on her, bringing their swords down; Rin had to struggle to avoid being split in two. She pushed them back, but now every Snowblood copy was after her, suffocating her with their ghostly bodies! The wild Ronin screamed in pain and frustration, and swung wildly at anything that moved, all the while being mocked by her rival's laughter. "If you can't even hit the real me, then why bother moving around like that? You must look like a tree blowing in the wind." "Shuddup!" she roared. Rin decided to close her eyes, to see if thinking like her rival would do any good, and once she got her bearings, she did seem to get a slightly better "feel" of things. The Snowblood copies were only echoes of the real woman, so she followed the least-hollow voice to the real person and thrust herself forward with all her might. The feel of her connecting to skin and bone was quite satisfying. Even though Rin tagged the real Setsuka, the fight lasted another hour, until both opponents literally wore each other out. There was no way they could go on—they were drained, and could barely lift their weapons, much less stand. When they hoisted their bloody, dirty heads and looked at each other, they shared a great smile of respect, and started to laugh. "Again we are even!" exclaimed Setsuka. "It seems we're forever to be equals, then. I am glad, though, that this was the outcome of our fight." "Waitaminute, what about all that ‘fight to the finish' crap we talked about?" "Do you really want to continue fighting?" asked Snowblood, smiling warmly. Rin fought to contain her chuckle. "No, absolutely not. Don't wanna...ruin our relationship with some silly grudge. I'm willing to say we're even if you are." "Agreed." The two limped over and shook on it, and then, to Rin's surprise, Snowblood drew her in for a hug. "I thank you again, my friend. You've made me very happy. I only pray my daughter grows up adhering to such honor." "...Let's not turn me into a saint, now," said Rin humbly. "I'm just glad you're both okay and everything's...well, not normal, but pretty fair going." "Indeed..." Rin smiled—but soon screamed as she felt "somebody" reach down and squeeze her rear end. Her face turned very red very quick, and needless to say, she proved who could win in a verbal screaming match. "YOU TWISTED PERVERTED SAMISEN-PLAYING...BLIND WOMAN!! WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KINDA WEIRDO?!?!" Setsuka just laughed and followed Rin back inside the building once she calmed down. If her eyes were functioning, she most certainly would've been gazing at the round, wiggling shape of Rin's bottom all the way there. ......... Soma didn't know where the man in white was taking her, but anywhere was better than staying with all the other "freaks". She didn't know why she felt so sick when she gazed upon him for the first time—perhaps because his hidden powers were so fantastic, they seized up her immune system and threw it for a loop—but she was clearly over it, since she was following him—but where? "I have a special place I would like to take you," he said, wandering ahead of her. Soma noticed that he was no longer hiding the fact that his feet did not touch the ground: Mr. White was literally hovering above the earth. Soma might've been sick again if she weren't so curious about their destination. "And where is this ‘special place'?" "It is an apartment located in the city. Two of my servants live there together. I think it would be a benefit to speak with them." "Oh? Why? They anything like me?" "In a sense, all living beings are like every other living being. Even you and I have things in common, Soma von Zomren. However, if you are wondering whether they are specially gifted, the answer is yes." "Then I've just wasted my time," she stated, stopping right then and there. The man in white paused as well, turned, and focused his eerie smile on her. "Oh no, not in the least. As I said before, it will be a benefit to you." "How? You know I hate those people." "I do indeed. But these are, shall I say, monsters you could identify with. Give them a chance. Perhaps you will understand them better once you get to know them." "...Unlikely," she scoffed. "...But if there are only two of them, I could deal with it. Better than living in a place clogged with em'." "Good. Well, this way." "Hold on; you've obviously got powers, so why not just zip us there with teleportation or...whatever?" "Because it is a nice day." "Don't bullshit me, you...whatever the hell you are." Mr. White stopped again, turned around completely, and gazed at Pandora with such power that it made her wish she could vomit. "I am more than you can imagine. I am as beyond the whole lot of gifted individuals as they are beyond you. Do not put me into the same category as them, is that quite understood?" Pandora could only shiver, so he just kept his smile and continued walking. Eventually she snapped out of it, hugged herself from fear, then knelt down suddenly and began to retch. Mr. White didn't seem like the type to knock, but he did, and the door was opened by an average-looking girl (in terms of those with freakish abilities; she was really quite beautiful). She was slightly petite and light, had mannish brown hair and eyes as deep and penetrating and blue as the sky. She had on a beautiful purple sundress and performed a curtsey before removing a pale-blue glove, so Mr. White could take her naked hand and kiss it. "Hello, Namie," he said fondly. "It is good to see you in such excellent spirits. May I introduce Soma von Zomren, who I have asked to come here and speak with you and Shalis." "It's a pleasure," said Namie, curtseying again. Soma just snorted. "This one of the two freaks?" "Mind your tongue," muttered the man in white bitterly. "This lady here is a jewel, a person who deserves the love and respect of many. Come inside, will you, and mind your manners. I did not bring you here to insult my servants." "It's okay, I'm used to it," Namie sighed. "Shalis! We have company!" Nobody answered, so Namie asked her guests to sit down and make themselves comfortable. While she went to get her roommate, Soma couldn't help but ask who these two girls were, what powers they had, and why she had been asked to talk to them. "The one we met is Namie Ayako Chizuka, a nineteen year-old lady who I am well-acquainted with. She was born with the unfortunate curse of involuntarily secreting acidic fluids from her skin. I took her into my care and promised to give her a better life in exchange for her services. As you can see, I have already held up much of my bargain." "Acid secretion?" Soma made a face and shuddered. "How the hell does she walk around without corroding everything, including her clothes?" "With the help of a special acid-resistant bodysuit designed specifically for her." "So how come you could touch her?" He looked over and smiled, but this grin was sharp, like the fangs of a serpent. That seemed to be his answer; he changed the subject. "The other is Shalis Torth, a twenty-four year-old woman who I am also acquainted with. She is the one I hope you will befriend. She was born a normal woman, just as you were." "So she's not a freak?" "She is...gifted right now. Unlike most others who bear special powers, she was not born with it, but rather, infused with it. Have you ever heard of a company called Enteragon?" "Yeah, from the doc." Soma suddenly sat up as she realized where she had heard that name before. "Oh yeah, now I remember! Yohko told me about that. She was involved with this human restoration project. Something about Enteragon wanting to advance its research and using one of their employees to experiment on. That's her?" "It is the same woman," he answered. Soma shuddered again, feeling sicker than before. Oh yes, Yohko had entrusted her with that devilish secret, and she had felt ill the first time she heard it as well. She couldn't imagine what life would be like for a woman who had been normal one day, mostly dead the next, and revived as part-machine another day. If it had been her, she would've killed herself. "I was right," said he, noticing her grimace. "My decision to bring you here was well-founded. Ah, and it seems both our guests have arrived." He and Soma stood—though it had been strange to see Mr. White seated at all—and greeted the two guests. Pandora couldn't help but stare at Shalis, a woman made ugly by science and technology. Her throat had a scar, as did her eyes, and her arms were totally gone. A generator was bolted to her shoulder and collarbone, and energy generators stood as substitutes for her lost limbs. She had green hair, but this was the least of the surprises. "I apologize for Soma's reaction," said Mr. White, nodding to Shalis. "It seems even she is capable of being shocked. This woman has seen her fair share of surprises lately, have you not?" "...Sorry," she murmured. "I just...heard about you, is all, and I..." "You pity me?" Shalis snorted, and with Namie's help, sat down. "I suppose it's my lot in life to be pitied. Strange, too, that you know more about us than we know about you. Just why did you bring her here, sir?" "So she could get a better understanding of people with your skills—and your curses." "Well, we've got both in spades. What do you want to know?" ......... The one thing Pandora the Gambler had not wagered on was an understanding and empathy of Shalis and Namie. During their discourse, she was told horror story after horror story, where both women suffered countless days because of their affliction. Most people gifted with powers cherished them, or abused them, but either way they saw to it that other people were miserable. Namie and Shalis detested who they were, what they had been given and even how they were using it. Namie could never know the feel of a lover, and Shalis teetered on the boundary between woman and robot. Their tales made Soma change her perspective on the superhuman gene and those who bore it—but only a little. She especially sympathized with Shalis, one who had been made a monster by a company's thirst for advancement. Her emotions ragged, her humanity nearly lost, Shalis existed a half-life, and until she had been rescued by Mr. White (and later, by Namie), all she cared for was work, her work, the company's work—the work of the company that had almost killed her. Now, of course, she was leading a much better life, although (in Soma's opinion) she was still a horrifying monster, but not one to be hated. That Namie was deeply in love with her made the whole situation a little easier to bear. At least now she had somebody. Pandora the Gambler left their apartment with her body shaking and her mind reeling. These two women were not bad people, just victims of their own genetic affliction. She couldn't hate somebody that didn't deserve it, somebody that had never wished anybody harm—just a peaceful life, that's all. Whether her hatred for superhuman creatures in general faded or not was uncertain; she had a lot of thoughts to sift through. When she came back, few people hailed her return. Yohko was in her room, doing whatever she did in there, and nobody else liked Pandora enough to even say hello to her—except one. "Where have you been?" asked Alyssa Hunter. For once, Soma didn't feel like snapping at the copper-skinned freak. "Just out." "You don't look so well." Soma clutched her stomach. No, she definitely didn't feel well at all. "I've been a little sick. I vomited today. I'm not the kind to throw up." "Oh. Is there...anything I can do for you?" "You could get out of my way," she said quietly. "Your presence sickens me." "Oh." Strangely enough, Alyssa smiled and backed down. "Well, it looks like you're back to your old self again." "...Shut up." Later... Soma was meditating quietly by herself at a table when she noticed somebody coming up to her with a tea tray. It was Alyssa, dressed in another one of her strange suits. Pandora didn't feel like company, but neither was she in the mood to dismiss anybody. She felt sapped of energy and spirit—maybe because of her unusual illness, maybe because she had been in close proximity to two freaks and had felt no hatred for them. In any case, Alyssa joined her. "I thought you could use some tea," she said, setting the tray down. Soma watched as Alyssa poured hot tea from a kettle, and studied the steam for a few seconds as her "guest" sat down and sipped at her own cup. Alyssa chuckled. "It's not poisoned!" Soma wasn't thinking that, but now that Alyssa had brought it to mind... "God," she groaned after Soma finally got a taste, "I've never seen anybody drink tea with such sarcasm." "Shut up," mumbled the older woman. "Why are you here, anyway?" "I'm curious about you." "What's there to be curious about? I hate people with special powers." "But you have special powers." "Nope. I'm one hundred percent genuine human." "Then what about..." "Machines," she explained, motioning to her back (which was absent of its accessory). She pointed to her prosthetic eyeball and said, "See this? It determines the fate of the roulette wheel I carry around. Whole lot of nonsense involved, but basically how I get my so-called powers." "But if you hate superheroes so much..." "Why do I even have them? Simple—to prove that not only can normal people like me wield these gifts, but we can fight and beat the ones with ‘real' gifts. Basically it's a form of evolution I had created specifically for me. And I'm not the only one. The doc has modifications as well." "You mean Yohko?" said Siren with a gasp. Pandora smiled grimly. "Oh yeah, but you don't notice it. And I'm not gonna tell you what they are either. We're real close, see, the doc and I. We agree on a lot of things because we're both very normal people who have responded to great tragedy by modifying our bodies so we can match and destroy that which has ruined us." This information scared Siren more than anything else she had heard in the past few days. That Pandora was telling her this freely without any hesitation only made it worse. Once she got over the initial surprise and remembered to breathe, she had to ask why. "Why are you telling me this?" "No point in not doing it," she said, shrugging. "I figure sooner or later I'll kill you; you may as well hear why." "And why is that?" "Because I hate people with special powers." "But why? Aren't you becoming one yourself?" "Not me," she said deadpan, sipping her tea. "I remain completely human; the doc even tested me to see if I'd have the superhuman gene once I was ‘modified'. The results were...pleasing. As for why I hate them...it's a long story." "I've got time," offered Hunter. Soma scoffed. "Any more time spent around you and my skin will crawl, so I'll give you the short version. Basically, people with special powers took away somebody very precious to me, and I won't be able to sleep comfortably until I slaughter every single one and have my revenge." "But not everybody you hate did that!" insisted Alyssa. Pandora stood, grunting a little as her muscles propelled her from the chair. "No...and I know for a fact that you didn't kill him either. But it doesn't make any difference to me. You have unusual gifts, and that's enough to earn my revulsion." She tipped her hat and left Siren cold, wondering what could've been so painful to stir up such a sense of vengeance in the woman's heart. "Somebody very precious"? A family member? A lover? A close friend? It could've been anybody. Alyssa took a deep breath, but decided not to follow Soma. She just sat by herself, drinking tea, letting her thoughts settle in. ...... Sally was released from the medical ward later that day, and except for a bit of hunger, she felt no different than before. If Mr. White had really worked a miracle on her, he certainly did it better than Sally could've realized. She didn't even feel dizzy or sick, like one would expect to feel after surgery. Her leg was functioning like it hadn't been touched at all; she even tested it by running around and playing with Stevenson and Merry, who were both overjoyed to see her about. Sarah had quietly declined to join them; she tended to the garden that everyone still affectionately called Aura's own. Oftentimes, it is the calmest day which brings the most severe storms. As Sarah was tending the garden (with Joyce, Aura, and Haanz) and Merry, Stevenson, and Sally were playing, a great black shadow fell over most of the property. Those who were outside at the moment looked up, wondering if it was an eclipse—but this was far worse. A great bird-shaped creature was descending to the ground, so huge that it blotted out the sun, and created a shadow large enough to encompass the whole building and then some. Sarah recognized it as her brother's Roc, the great deity of avian creatures he sometimes called to his services. But Akio was not riding on it, like an angel come back from the dead: the host was nine strong, all maliciously wicked. When the bird landed, everyone flocked out to see their visitors, even Soma and Yohko. Most of them recognized their diabolical guests—they were the team of five men and two women called "The Seven", and among them was also the wizened, tall, wild-eyed man called Ezekiel, the Seeker, greatest of the Dead Zodiac. When he and Aura locked eyes, she couldn't help but cower. But even these eight were just slivers of a shade, compared to the black void, the "dark star", the cultist leader known only as Omega. He and the man in white stared at each other, and together, the two otherworldly creatures understood what was about to transpire. Next chapter: The Incarnation of the Devil
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