Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 75: "The Real Pandora"
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The air in the vault felt unnatural, like time had stopped holding its breath.
Selene's eyes glistened with twisted triumph as the clone took her first step forward — a perfect mirror of Kara, but stripped of warmth. Her skin was pale, flawless, almost porcelain. But her eyes… they were wrong. Void of memory. Void of mercy.
"This is Pandora," Selene whispered to Dr. Vane. "The one we always meant to create. No guilt. No rebellion. No love."
Pandora tilted her head. "Target?"
Selene smiled. "Kara Elric."
"No hesitation?" Vane asked.
"None," Pandora replied.
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Back at the Safe House
Kara stared at the flickering flame of the heater, the file still clutched in her trembling hands. Her whole life—every heartbeat, every tear—was manufactured. Yet somehow, every emotion she felt was more real than the steel walls that once held her captive.
Adrian sat beside her, quiet, watching her process.
"You don't have to carry this alone," he said.
She shook her head. "But I do. Because if I was made to feel grief... then I'll weaponize it."
Tessa barged in, phone clutched to her ear. "You need to hear this."
She tossed the phone to Kara, who held it to her ear.
A voice crackled on the other end: "They've activated her. Project Pandora. She's hunting you now."
Kara's blood ran cold. "She?"
"Your mirror. But not your equal."
The call ended.
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The Storm Gathers
Ronan loaded his rifle. "If there's a copy of you out there, it means Selene's going full rogue. This isn't about control anymore—it's revenge."
Tessa nodded. "And she's sending the clone to destroy you from the inside out. This thing won't just come after you physically. It'll play with your mind, make you doubt everything."
Kara stood up. "Then we end it before it begins. We take the fight to them."
Adrian hesitated. "You're not ready."
"No," she said. "I'm finally ready. For all of it."
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The Trap Is Set
That night, the team descended into the ruins of Sector 9 — the suspected base where Pandora had last been tracked.
The tunnels were dark, echoing with forgotten screams.
"I hate this place," Ronan muttered.
"Good," Kara replied. "Means we're in the right hell."
Tessa's tracker pinged.
"Movement — 20 meters ahead."
Suddenly, the lights died.
And the whisper came.
"I know how you think… Kara."
Pandora's voice.
The team spun in every direction. Kara's pulse raced.
"You're not me," Kara said aloud.
"I'm the better you," the voice replied. "The one without flaws. The one who never needed love to be strong."
Adrian fired a flare into the darkness, casting light on the narrow corridor ahead.
And there she was.
Pandora.
Expressionless. Calm. Deadly.
"You made me weak," Pandora said. "Now I erase the failure."
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The Clash of Mirrors
Kara lunged first, blades drawn. The clone moved with chilling precision, countering her moves like a shadow trained in her exact rhythm.
Their blades clashed — metal screeching, sparks flying. But while Kara fought with passion, Pandora fought with programming.
Adrian tried to intervene but was tossed aside with brutal strength.
"You never loved him," Pandora hissed, driving Kara against a wall. "It was just data. A chemical echo."
Kara gritted her teeth, pain flaring through her side. "That's where you're wrong."
She looked past Pandora to Adrian — bleeding, struggling to rise — and felt something deep, ancient, and unstoppable surge inside her.
"I love him. And that makes me real."
With a final scream, Kara reversed Pandora's grip and drove her blade into the clone's chest.
The lights flickered.
Pandora gasped.
"You shouldn't… exist…"
And then collapsed in a heap.
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Aftermath
Adrian crawled to Kara's side. "You okay?"
She nodded, breathless. "No. But I will be."
Tessa and Ronan emerged from the tunnel, bruised but alive.
"She's gone?" Tessa asked.
Kara nodded. "That version of me… yes."
But deep inside, she knew this wasn't over.
Selene had created something even more terrifying than Pandora — the illusion that Kara was replaceable.
Now she had to prove she wasn't.
Not just to them.
But to herself.
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To be continued…
🔥 What's real cannot
be replicated. What burns cannot be replaced.
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The fire still rages — and the war is just beginning.