Chapter 2: Fighting against Fate

Aile and Pandora came back to the Guardians Base. Everyone was acting like normal, probably by Prairie's petition but in the end they were nervous since the Reploid has been a grave threat during the last two incidents taking a major role in them with her brother Prometheus. The Commander's voice could be heard. No one did pay attention since Aile has Pandora's W-Wand on her hands.

Alouette: "Aile, Pandora. Come to the Bridge, I would like to see what can we do."

Pandora: "So she was serious about it. Not any kind of joke or trap."

Aile: "Stop thinking like that, no one is going to harm you unless we want or you ask for it, understood? However, I don't blame you after living under a tyrant and having us as enemies."

Pandora: "I'll try, but I can't promise anything, Aile. You did say it, once you are used to think like this the habits will always come out."

The brown-haired maverick hunter pats Pandora's head showing her characteristic wide smile.

Aile: "We'll work on it when that annoying countdown is removed! Now, come with me!"

Pandora reacts with some suspicion, but doesn't stop Aile since she seems to like the gesture in the end. That's why she won't show it. As a reply, the Reploid sighs.

Pandora: "Understood..."

Once in the designated place, Prairie is there with Dr. Fleuve waiting for the two girls.

Alouette: "Welcome aboard, Pandora. I've heard about your situation and... we'll try to stop the last of Albert's evil deeds remaining as hard as we can. In fact, Dr. Fleuve has come ready to hack your limited life countdown program."

Dr. Fleuve: "We can't tolerate such a monstruosity."

Aile: "That's it! Too many lifes ruined already, don't you think? You didn't have even a first chance to decide what do you want to do with your life. That's not fair, you only did kill under the threat of that maniac."

Pandora was surprised, for a long time she did make an explicit expression of surprise. She wasn't used to hear that kind of words for her or to see anything but Prometheus being nice. Bows her head feeling a lump in the throat.

Pandora: "I-I don't know... what to say about this. Nothing did prepare me... for this. Do I even deserve it?"

Alouette: "Once you pay for your crimes working with us, you'll be up to go wherever you want. But I'm not tolerating this. And you already know Aile, she's even more stubborn than me."

Aile: "The Commander's right! I'll be like your shadow until the problem is solved!"

Dr. Fleuve: "I can see a strange answer, this girl was so used to be mistreated that when we show her some kindness she doesn't even know how to express herself. Very well, Pandora. You'll have to come by the Laboratory. I'll examine your body and deactivate the countdown sequence for good."

Pandora: "Alright, but... It won't be easy. Prometheus and I did try before."

Dr. Fleuve: "Impossible is a word that just make illusory barriers, if you ignore that concept... you can actually surpass what appears to be Reality."

Pandora looks at Aile into the eyes.

Pandora: "Perhaps you are right, she was so weak and pathetic at first and now I don't stand a chance against her."

Aile: "Hey, I did hear you! Watch your mouth, Pandora!"

Exclaims inflating her cheeks. Pandora giggles in response, as she has recovered from the previous sensation with that small teasing.

Pandora: "That's more like you."

Answers smiling to her before going with the doctor.

Alouette: "You two would get along very well, Aile."

Aile: "What's the meaning of that, Alouette? Just a moment ago she was our enemy. I plan to help her but later she will have to pay her debts... hmph."

Alouette: "Her eyes and her smile told me that she appreciates you. Maybe you are another important person to her and not just Prometheus. After all, the rival relationship with you is the only thing she has left. The expression was sincere, if she was lying I would have detected it."

Aile: "Y-yeah... look, this is already a crazy night. We can't even take a rest. And now all of this."

Prairie gazes directly into Aile's eyes with a playful grin.

Alouette: "Aile, are you blushed?"

Aile: "WHAT?! No! It's just... I'm embarrased!"

Alouette: "That's what everyone says. Hehehe..."

Aile: "Great, now I have two Pandoras coming after me."

Answers making an acted facepalm.

Alouette: "Take a rest, you are like another big sis to me. I need you to be okay, leave Pandora to us for now. You are dismissed."

Aile: "Understood, but don't be too late to sleep again."

Alouette: "You work so hard that I feel I must do the same."

Replies taking a hand to the chest. Aile gets near from her to pat her head as a sign of appreciation.

Aile: "Who are the most stubborn of us, eh?"

Prairie giggles and embraces her.

Alouette: "I won't apologize for that, it's for your own good."

Aile: "Call me when you have news, okay? I'll keep her weapon under my sight, without this W-Model fragment she's not a threat to anyone."

Meanwhile, at Fleuve's laboratory, Pandora is inside a capsule for Reploids. The room was filled with computers, machines and all kind of instruments, chips, energy subtanks and any necessary supply to maintain reploids. The room was only illuminated by the screens and the female reploid was on hybernation process, half disassembled.

Dr. Fleuve: "This program is too evil. Not even hybernation can pause the countdown... and its security is insane. If I make a single mistake, her time could be lowered or even reduced to zero. This must be the last resort when every other possible solution is out of sight. But... what else could we... you must think, Fleuve... you must... if Albert, who was the only one able to safely manipulate the software is dead, we could try to access if we had data or DNA. THAT'S IT!"

Exclaims on loud voice, snapping fingers.

Dr. Fleuve: "I have a plan, but first I should re-assemble Pandora."

When he's done, turns on Pandora. The reploid open her ruby eyes and looks to the doctor before going out of the capsule with her usual idle expression.

Pandora: "Do you have any news?"

Dr. Fleuve: "I have one which is bad, and another one which is good. What would you like to hear first?"

Pandora: "It doesn't matter."

Dr. Fleuve: "First of all, I could try deactivating the sequence but it's too risky for you, that should be the last possible solution. And secondly, to perform an alternative method... do you know if your former master had some data stored, or even DNA? If by any chance you remember anything that could help us to avoid your death.

Pandora: "Somewhere... perhaps we could try at Legion HQ. Albert had a secret underground office there now that you mention it. But I don't know how to even reach the entrance or where is it."

Dr. Fleuve: "Sounds like a possibility to me. For now have a rest in the Capsule. Tomorrow, go tell Aile about it."

Pandora: "Sure. If I have to spend my remaining time with someone... she's the most close person to me right now even if we are rivals. Don't tell this to her."

Dr. Fleuve: "You'll have time to speak if you get out of this. You seem to trust her."

Pandora: "She could beat me after all."

Dr. Fleuve: "Get into the capsule if you want to sleep. I'll leave the room open for you, good night."

Pandora: "Good night..."

Without more words, she gets back into the machine. The entire room except the hybernation device turns off.

At Morning, Pandora and Aile meet again on the Bridge with Prairie there.

Alouette: "Aile, Pandora. I did call for you because we have a new mission related to the countdown program. We have two days left and we can't just sit to wait."

Aile: "The doc couldn't just hack it?"

Pandora: "He didn't try since the risk was too high. That's our last card."

Aile: "Geez, give me a break."

Alouette: "Pandora is aware of what we should do next but I would like to give you details, Aile. According to the information we have from her, on the surroundings of Legion HQ there's an underground secret office where Albert possibly did store important data. We need you two to find that place and retrieve any possible documment to analyze it and find if we have another way out of the problem."

Aile: "Roger! After all we still have a chance!"

Pandora: "I would like to go with you, Aile. But give me back my W-Model. I would like to be able to defend myself. We don't know what we will find there."

Aile: "... I guess it's fair since I did ask you to trust us."

Prairie nods to Aile's statement and the brown-haired girl gives the W-Wand back to Pandora who gets it maintaining the idle look.

Pandora: "Nice. I'm ready to depart."

Aile: "Off we go then. To Legion HQ."

They used the base Trans-server to teleport, appearing in some sort of military facility. The Mavericks disappeared after the fall of Ouroboros. Aile transforms into ZX Model, ready for any fight.

Aile: "Any clue about where to begin?"

Pandora: "Prometheus once did tell me something faint about that place... the very few he could grasp, if it's Underground... what about causing an Earthquake? There's no one at this abandoned place now."

Aile: "An Earthquake sounds cool to make our entrance. But how we would cause it?"

Pandora giggles in response with an expression of excitement for destroying things.

Pandora: "I knew that you would like the idea. Use your saber at maximum power, I will overcharge it."

Without words, Aile performs a double jump and rolls in the air, sinking the Z-Saber on the ground as deep as she could. Pandora then would use her wand to cause a powerful source of electricity, her armor did change to a golden tone to manipulate lighting element. Aile's weapon did reach a critical energy overcharge and an explosion caused the ground to fall apart. Then, Pandora would make the lightsaber levitate back to Aile's hand while everything in front of them was crumbling to the ground with a great noise. Aile's Z-Saber was charged with powerful lightinings, shining more than normal.

Pandora: "Take care with that, your toy is now more dangerous than ever if I use my elemental power on it."

Aile: "This could come handy if we face something down below!"

They look each other for few seconds with her eyes shining, then direct the look away to not be too evident.

Pandora: "Don't get used to it."

Aile: "That goes for you too, you hear me? Alright, I'll look for any suspicious entrance."

The Guardian starts making quick dashes to destroy any rubble with precise slashes of her saber, her dexterity has been increased through the multiple battles to death she did experience to a point of mastering the use of her weapons.

Aile: "I don't see a damn thing. Was this for nothing?"

Meanwhile, Pandora was searching for her side, until her W-Model fragment did react to the powerful energy that they unleashed.

Pandora: "My W-Wand... it must be here."

There's a small hole hidden in the ground with some sort of device. The reploid approaches the W-Model fragment and some static electricity makes the mechanism react. A greater hole opens next to Aile.

Aile: "Hidden gates, so well hidden that they were out of any possible sight. How did you fool the defense system? Oh I get it, your wand did overcharge it."

Pandora: "Precisely. It seems like we have some luck."

Changes to Ice Element making her armor turn into blue color and creates a Snowman that charges against the Mechanism, causing it to break.

Pandora: "Bye-bye, electric supply. No alarms now."

Aile: "Let's go below, Pandora. We have to inspect everything until retrieving everything that's relevant."

Jumps into the hole first and Pandora follows her sitting over her wand and levitating. Nothing could be seen undergrond. Not even a glint of light to illuminate anything, just the Z-Saber's shine. The brown-haired woman would get the ZX-Buster to make a prepare a charged shot and see how long is the way.

Aile: "This is a corridor. Can you illuminate us somehow?"

Pandora: "Not a difficult task, but you should still proceed with caution, Aile. Classified areas tend to have more than just one defense system or alarms."

Aile: "Yeah, it's like when you think you are done something comes to annoy you. I'm used to it."

The Reploid changes into Fire Element, her armor turns into a reddish color and her wand is lighted with a big flame. They walked to the end of the long corridor looking to their surroundings with the weapons ready. Some sort of storage room was there, with many metallic boxes stacked and organizated.

Aile: "So... is here? It has been too easy, don't you think?"

Pandora: "Agreed, I have a bad omen. Stay alert, because this is not usual."

Aile: "I'll transfer the boxes to the Base with the portable Trans-server. Then, we'll go back. It hasn't much energy left but it must be enough."

After she started transfering data, an alarm started to sound.

System: INTRUDER DETECTED, COMMENCING EXTERMINATION PROTOCOL. SEALING THE EXIT. DEPLOYING THE NEO EINHERJAR.(1)

Aile: "Here we go again."

Pandora: "Yes, it's showtime."

Aile: "Damn it! It will take some time until the trans-server makes it with all this data, like ten minutes, then we should need five more minutes to recharge it and escape!"

Pandora: "Our priority is to defend the portable trans-server until then."

(1): The 8 regular bosses from Mega Man Zero 4, Dr. Weil's warriors.

An intense howl is heared approaching fast from the corridors. Some sort of Maverick which resembles an enormous bipede ice wolf with two edges on its arms appears. But instead of being blue like the original design this was dark purple.

NEO Fenri Lunaedge: "Awooo! I recognize that blade! Zeroooo!"

It launches against Aile mistaking her with another individual making a ice drill whirlwind slash, Pandora gets in the way and makes a Fire Wall in front of her.

Pandora: "I get it now, they are a copy of the eight warriors that fought at Dr. Weil's side some centuries ago. That's why it did call you Zero."

NEO Fenri Lunaedge: "It's me... Fenri Lunaedge! I just wanted to fight you again, and this time Fire won't stop meee! AWOOOO!"

Cuts down the fire barrier, Aile reacts in time launching a double slash to repel the attack against Pandora.

Aile: "I see... well, if a fight against Zero is what you want... I'll give it to you!"

System: DEPLOYING SOL TITANION.

Suddenly a femenine giggle is heard on the corridor.

NEO Sol Titanion: "Bad guys that go against Weil must be punished and reduced to ashes! You won't steal anything from here, hahaha!"

A solar beam is launched targeting the trans-server. The one who did it was some sort of red Moth reploid with a design sightly different from the original. Pandora could deflect it changing to Lighting Element and launching a powerful electric beam from the Wand. She has on the face the same calmed look of a psycho before causing a slaughter.

Pandora: "The wolf is yours, and the moth is mine. I shall crush her."

Aile was forcing her Z-Saber against Fenri Lunaedge trying to read his moves with success for now and Pandora went into the corridor protecting the trans-server with an electric barrier to avoid heat energy from Sol Titanion. The brown-haired girl nods, it was incredible to see two former enemies cooperating with each other.

Aile: "You can have two blades, doggy. But you did pick the wrong fight. Your companion will soon learn that messing with us is not a good idea. Now... since you have one more blade than me, what about balancing the things? Hehehe. You did meet Zero, but I bet for your look that you have yet to met X!"

With a sassy smile prepares a ZX Buster charged shot and lands a hit on the wolf''s face. That was a risky move since Aile was exposed enough to receive a cut on her left arm. Enduring the bleeding pain gnashing teeth, uses a small opening on the wolf reploid to decapitate it with the Z-Saber.

Aile: "Tch... no big deal at all. At least the trans-server is okay for now."

Pandora was fighting Sol Titanion, their fire and lighting beams were colliding. Both of them were making their best to win.

NEO Sol Titanion: "Fenri, no! You will burn, and then your girlfriend will be the next one!"

Pandora's look turned into a more sadistic one, maintaining an icicle-cold aura on her aparent idleness, her voice did turn more threatening even if it remains calmed.

Pandora: "You'll be reduced to a mountain of ashes before laying one of your disgusting limbs on her."

An explosion ocurred, leaving some damages on Pandora's armor. She was a bit burned but Sol Titanion ended desintegrated. The reploid starts laughing while tries to ignore the severe sunburn on her body.

Aile: "Pandora! Are you ok?"

Pandora: "Don't worry about me. She was just another insect to smash. Worry about your arm, if you die here, I won't forgive you."

Aile: "We need just... some more minutes, half of the data has been transfered!"

System: DEPLOYING POPLA COCAPETRI.

Suddenly, some sort of cockatrice reploid appeared on the corridor. Aile was in position to keep fighting and prepared another charged ZX Buster shot to release one big energy projectile against the enemy.

Aile: "How many of them are?"

Pandora: "Eight, we have finished two of them."

Aile: "That little thing? Take this!"

NEO Popla Cocapetri: "WHAT?! YOU DID CALL ME SHORT?! CALL ME SHORT AGAIN AFTER THIS!"

Popla stopped time for some seconds and spawned some bombs above the two girls.

Pandora: "Tch... damn."

Gets Aile and uses her Ice Element power to create a snowman in front of her, shielding the Guardian with her own body. The Snowman did take the majority of the big explosion but Pandora ended with moderate wounds. Aile was surprised by what was happening.

Aile: "Pandora... did you just... protected me again?"

Pandora: "If you trust me... I'll have no choice but to trust you."

Answers, gnashing teeth with difficulties to stand up. Uses her ice powers to enchant Aile's Saber. The blade turns blue.

Pandora: "Destroy it. It's payback time."

Aile: "You got that right. Hey shortie! What about if I transform you into frozen chicken fragments for touching her!"

Performs a quick rolling attack trying to not give Popla enough time to react. Her opponent ends frozen and broken in two halves after a strong rolling slash. The last thing heard from the Cockatrice is an annoying scream.

Aile: "Heh... you did just get even shorter."

System: DEPLOYING NOBLE MANDRAGO.

From the ground the head of some sort of mandrake plant appears next to the portable trans-server in a desperate attempt to deny Aile and Pandora's plan to retrieve the data and escape.

NEO Noble Mandrago: "Your efforts are futile."

Pandora: "Do you think so?"

Pandora in reply counters negatting the electric barrier and freezing the ground to make the plant have a more difficult escape. Suddenly, Aile jumps from behind after returning to the room with stealthy dashes ready to ambush and cut the enemy in half.

Aile: "Think about it again!"

NEO Noble Mandrago: "Too predictable."

The mandrake starts using her drill to shot ice fragments into Aile. Some small stalagmites and rocks did land repelling the offensive and causing severe damage to ZX Armor. Then, Noble Mandrago prepared some roots to perfore her chest.

NEO Noble Mandrago: "You deserve to die, scum."

Pandora quickly changes to Electric Element to prevent it, uses static electricity to control her enemy's body.

Pandora: "You are the scum here."

Says to the mandrake's face before making her crush against the walls launching her repeteadly on the direction where her wand points. Aile did stand up the best she could.

System: DEPLOYING MINO MAGNUS, TECH KRAKEN, PEGASOLTA ECLAIR, HEAT GENBLEM.

Aile: "The other four... at once?! Hell, I'm barely on my feet!"

Trans-server: "Operation complete, ready to transfer!"

Pandora: "Aile! We have to go!"

Aile: "Yeah, no way those jerks aren't coming in time!"

Barely alive, they make it to the trans-server and give the order of being transported back to base once the Classified Data Storage Room was empty. The two girls were wounded, but managed to return with everything and alive.

Aile: "Wow... am I rusty or that was intense?"

Pandora: "There are eight of them, of course that we were at a disadvantage. But we managed to dismantle four. They can't go out with the Extermination Protocol active so they'll just rot in there I hope."

They took some seconds to breath and gasp to release all the tension from the battle. Then, Aile helped Pandora to stand up, but she couldn't.

Pandora: "My legs are damaged... so I can't."

Aile: "There's a solution for it! Come on!"

The brown-haired woman carries the reploid on her back. She faintly blushes looking for a moment.

Pandora: "You aren't serious right? This is embarrasing."

Aile: "Yes, I'm dead serious. Or am I going to just leave you there?"

Pandora: "You... you could. But I have no choice."

Aile: "That's it! So let's go, first to the laboratory. You need to be healed."

Pandora: "You too. You don't have to prioritize me."

Aile: "I can wait. There's much to talk about all of those data!"

When Aile carried Pandora to the Laboratory under the look of every Guardian that did pass by, Dr. Fleuve started the maintaining of her to heal her wounds. Then, Aile went inmediately to report the mission to Prairie. Would be this enough to put an end to Pandora's life countdown once for all? Would be less than two days enough time to remove it?

TO BE CONTINUED.