[Fanfiction] Instinct

[Kalenath]

Dust

 

He moved through the night, a deadly mobile piece of shadow. His form was indistinct even in the best of light, due to the dark colors that his warframe had been coated with. Not black, that actually stood out in many more situations that it hid. Dark browns, dark grays, dark reds in some places to keep the silhouette from being recognizable, to lessen shine and break up the outline. Even during the day it would take most beings two or more looks to see his humanoid shape. The ancient art of camouflage was not lost on Tenno. Indeed, they kept many ancient arts alive.

 

Tenno were not ninja despite some people’s claims. They had some similarity to ancient Earth spies and assassins, but little in common with the shinobi of ancient Japan. Whereas the shinobi tried very hard never to be seen, using disguises, misdirection and every other possible trick to keep their enemies guessing, Tenno did not bother for the most part. Oh, they stayed out of sight until it was time to strike, no question. But where an ancient shinobi would steal a uniform to walk through enemy lines unremarked, a Tenno would either sneak through or blow a hole through the same lines depending on personal preference. Also, when historical shinobi were discovered, if they found themselves in a straight fight with large numbers of their enemies, they were generally doomed. Tenno? Not even close.

 

He paused in his stalk, his heightened awareness of his surroundings notifying him of an enemy even before his warframe sensors did. Reflexively, he checked his weapons. Some might call his Braton Mk-1 rifle, Lato pistol and Skana sword simple, or even mediocre. But they did not understand. He had other, more powerful weapons in his personal arsenal. An Ogris rocket launcher could make a mess of virtually any enemy he had encountered, but it was…inelegant. A Glaive could –and did- render enemies down to parts but it was not controllable in flight. At least not by him. An Acrid could –depending on which poison was used- make an enemy sicken and die slowly, or kill them quickly. Any of these might be more powerful than the basic weapons that he carried for this mission. But he was an artist, not a butcher no matter how some might paint him. He also wasn’t stupid. His gear might look basic, but the mods that his gear was equipped with were anything but.

 

His rifle was in hand as he waited for the enemy to show themselves. He didn’t have to wait long. Mars had been terraformed long, long ago. Habitats existed on its surface that held plants transplanted form Earth after the first wave of colonization. Civilization had flourished on this, the fourth planet out from the Sun that given light to humanity. But then… The Collapse. The massive greenhouse he waited in now had become overgrown with plants of all kinds, some of the trees rubbing the ceiling fifty meters up.

 

He didn’t remember a lot. Injuries had taken their toll on his mortal form and his warframe had struggled to keep him standing, other needs –such as long term memory- had fallen by the wayside. He had flashes at times of things that he almost remembered. Bit and pieces. Faces. But with no context, he had no way of ever finding out what –or who- he had been. It didn’t really matter now. Since he had woken from cryo-sleep and been rushed into battle almost right out of the pod, he had heard a name used for him. Dust.

 

He wore an Ash warframe, so he guessed that was as good a name as any. He fought hard and well against the enemies who fought him. His missions were endless, but this was what he did. He had no family that he knew of. He had no other purpose. He was a weapon. He had been given a target. And unless he very much missed his guess… His target was coming.

 

His rifle was up and ready as a pair of hideous shapes loped out of the green shadows and nosed about. Infested Chargers. These were unfortunate souls who had been transformed by the Technocyte virus into cannon fodder for the Infested horde. Chargers were fast and mobile, allowing them to come to grips with enemies quickly. Unfortunately for them, that left little protection on their misshapen frames. Dust’s Braton could easily sweep both away, but they were not his target. Between his immobility and his camouflage, the Chargers did not detect him. If they had, he could use one of his powers to evade or attack. But it would be much better if…

 

There! A huge form shambled into view from the side. Dust wasn’t sure why these Infested were called Ancients. If he had ever known, he had forgotten. Most of them seemed to be on the verge of rotting away or falling apart. But they were tougher than they looked, he knew that. He also knew that the green mist around the Ancient that was his target was a particularly vile corrosive poison. If he tried to get close to the Ancient, his warframe could not protect him from the effects. But he didn’t have to, the mods on his Braton MK-1 would…

 

WHAM!

 

Dust found himself, to his complete shock, lying on the ground in front of the Ancient, staring at the long metal rod that had impaled his arm and spun him out of his cover. An arrow. Stalker!

 

Why didn’t the crazy kinslayer taunt me?

 

Dust immediately spun into motion, his Invisibility activating as he darted for higher ground. Another arrow pinned the ground where he had been. The only thing that saved him was that the Infested seemed to be just as shocked by his sudden appearance as he had been. He pulled the arrow out and paused. This wasn’t one of Stalker’s blade headed arrows! This was… a Tenno arrow. He dodged to the side, throwing the arrow away as the Infested behind him started to scream as they pursued him. The pain in his arm faded as his warframe repaired the damage but he was angry now.

 

I am going to find whoever fired that arrow and I am going to hurt them. Kin or not. But first…

 

The Chargers tore out of the undergrowth to meet two quick shots. Neither even saw what killed them as Dust reactivated his Invisibility and waited. But then, something changed and he jerked to the side. Another arrow passed through where he had been. His scans of the area were… There! He spotted a flash of movement in the trees and a hurrying figure. About ten meters up in a tree. He keyed for a teleport, his rifle coming up to point at the face of… A human girl? Maybe twenty years old. The Tenno froze as his quarry did. The bow in her hands was… It was a Cernos. Tenno in origin, but it looked as if it had seen hard use. She wore an odd garment that seemed to be alive. It went from her neck to her feet and covered her hands, allowing her to manipulate the energy string of the bow. She snarled and pulled an arrow out of her quiver, only to freeze again as Dust took a hand from his Braton and grabbed the long metal piece out of her hand! She snarled again, this time swinging at him with the bow. He blocked it with ease. But… This was… Something was very wrong. She knew what he was. She had to, right? So why was she…?

 

The tree the two were in suddenly jerked and Dust looked down to see the Ancient, stymied from a direct attack, slam the trunk of the tree again with its not inconsiderable mass. The girl, not as sure of her balance as he was in his warframe, slipped and fell. She caught hold of the branch that they had been standing on, the bow falling. Dust dropped the arrow and grabbed for her. She snarled at him again and… let go!

 

“No!” Dust’s frantic denial jerked past his ironclad control as the girl fell towards the ground ten meters below and the waiting Ancient. But, instead of either letting her hit the ground or hitting her in flight, the Ancient seemed to arc. It’s green miasma faded as the girl fell and Dust’s eyes went wide under his helmet as the girl slid down the Ancient’s length to land on her feet, snarling up at the Tenno. The Ancient moved away as the girl picked up the bow that had landed nearby, drew another arrow and aimed. Dust dodged and the arrow cleaved the tree trunk where he had been standing. He could kill her fairly easily. But… She wasn’t his target. Instead, he took aim at the Ancient as it tried to batter the tree down again and opened fire. Each shot hammered into the Ancient with deadly effect, forcing it back until it fell. Arrow after arrow came sizzling up at him, but he dodged them with ease.

 

Good work, Tenno. The Lotus congratulated him. He won’t be bothering us anymore. Get to extraction.

 

But Dust didn’t move. A keen split the air. The human girl had dropped her bow and was kneeling beside the still Ancient, tears falling. The Ancient’s tentacle seemed to move, just a little and the girl cradled it to her chest, her scream of rage and pain was loud as it went still. She was…grieving?

 

This is… not right… Dust said to himself. A human grieving for an Infested? Then he jerked. Howls had started all around. Other infested were coming. He came to a quick decision and keyed for a teleport again. The girl shrieked in fear as he appeared beside her, but a quick careful blow sent her sprawling. She snarled at him, no intelligence in her eyes as he raised his hand.

 

Something seemed to twist inside Dust as his warframe systems digitized the girl, her drawn out scream of agony seeming to last forever. But then, it was gone. The Tenno swept up the bow as well and took to his heels as the first new Infested Runners and Chargers leapt at him.

 

This time, speed was his ally, not stealth. He ran through the habitat, through greenhouses like the one the Infested target had been in. He ran through empty landing bays bright with the red dust that pervaded Mars. Then, he paused. A huge form had appeared in the near distance in front of him.

 

Aw no…

 

Dust altered his path, cloaking himself again as Phorid moved to pursue. Other Infested were hemming him in now, all kinds of infested. Despite his invisibility he knew he was detectable. But… why wasn’t Phorid screaming? The massive Infested’s sonic attack could draw even invisible Tenno close enough for the huge monster to pounce on. So why was it… pacing him? It knew where he was, that was obvious. Why wasn’t it attacking?

 

Then he saw them striding towards him. Humans, half a dozen of them, all with weapons. Rifles, pistols, a couple of shotguns. The Infested, instead of attacking, made way for them! Dust’s eyes narrowed as he realized that they all wore the same kind of odd garments that the girl had.

 

What the FU-…?

 

“Tenno.” One of the humans, an older male, said sharply. “Give me my daughter!”

 

The ring around Dust was closing. The Infested with Phorid anchoring one side were closing in in a semi-circle. The humans held the other part of the ring, their weapons steady. Could they see him too? He scooped up a rock and tossed it. Two of the humans pointed their weapons at where it landed and he had his answer. No. But Phorid could, the massive Infested did not change course. Either it could see through Dust’s Invisibility or sense him another way. Somehow.

 

“You are not leaving with her.” The human said in a hard voice. “We will kill you if you try.”

 

You will kill me either way. Dust thought sarcastically. But then…something new entered the mix.

 

“…” The speech, or lack of it, was not audible. But from the Infested’s reaction, they all felt it.

 

“No!” The human shouted, “Take cover!” He screamed as a recognizable form jumped from a high perch to land in the middle of the circle, its sensors fixed on Dust. The Corpus scum called it Zanuka. The Tenno called it Harvester or horror almost beyond imagining. It…didn’t seem to see the Infested. Oops.

 

 

“This is for your own good, Tenno. Help me, help you.”That was all its master Alad V managed to say before Phorid slammed into it from behind and pinned the Corpus robot to the ground. Pieces of bot went flying as the Zanuka machine tried to fight back, but other Infested closed in and the mechanical monstrosity was quickly overwhelmed by biological ones.

 

While everyone’s attention was on the Corpus bot, Dust saw a distant figure and teleported to it. The human wore a similar garment as the others and his eye was on the bulky scope of his sniper rifle. He never even saw the Tenno appear in a puff of smoke behind him. Before he could even realize that Dust was there, the human was unconscious and Dust lowered him back down to the ground gently. He did not kill humans. Not if he could help it

 

A scream of tortured metal came from below, and Dust looked down to see Phorid toss the shattered remnants of the Zanuka proxy away. All eyes were looking up at him.

 

You will not take what is ours.

 

The inhuman voice was nowhere and everywhere. Sonic power surrounded Dust and pulled him towards the ledge, but he fought back with every fiber of his being. He was Tenno, not some horrid mix of warframe and robotics like that poor benighted proxy had been. He would not submit. He jerked forward until he found a door. As soon as he passed the door, it closed, the sonic barrage cut off and he ran again. He could hear Infested behind him as he darted up, then over. Then he was slammed to the ground by something. He rolled and the Leaper gave a cry as his Skana came up. The cry cut off, but something else hit him. His initial response of removing his second attacker’s head with his Skana like the first was shelved as he saw a wild eyed human woman trying to beat her way into his warframe.

 

 

“Give me back my daughter!” She screamed as she hit him with her bare hands.

 

He didn’t want to hurt her and he could hear pursuit closing behind him, so he hit his Smoke Screen again and jumped over her, sheathing his Skana again. She did not pursue. Instead, she gave a shrill cry and knelt, crying. The sound…hurt him more than Phorid’s sonic attack had, but he had to get away. He had to report this!

 

This is wrong. Dust thought to himself as he saw the landing grid ahead where his ship would meet him. Humans, fighting beside Infested? This is wrong!

 

Behind him, he could hear more and more pursuit, but he jumped up and grabbed hold of one of the large power lines that ran between the landing pads. As long as he did not ground himself on anything, he was fine using it as an improvised zipline. If he did, well, he wouldn’t feel a thing. He would be dead before he could feel anything. But he had used such improvised ziplines hundreds if not thousands of times. He released his grip on the line at just the right time and landed easily on the open pad. His small ship rose up to meet him, the alcove that served as an airlock to its interior facing him. He turned around and stepped backwards into it. As he did, he saw humans and Infested on the landing pad above.

 

It was too far even to shout, but one of the humans made a throat cutting gesture at Dust that the others mimicked. But then the voice of Phorid came again.

 

You will not keep what is ours.

 

Dust did not reply and his ship quickly boosted for the sky, leaving him time to ponder as the airlock pulled closed and he was settled into his ship, his home. His one true refuge from everything. But suddenly, it felt cold, dark and alone. He checked his passenger, but she slept in her electronic limbo. Getting her out would not be fun. But for now, she was safe.

 

But why had she shot at him? Why had that ancient saved her when she fell? Why did those other humans act as they had? None of this made any sense to the veteran Tenno. Protecting humans was what he did. What the Tenno who followed the Lotus tried to do. So… He shook his head.

 

I need to call this in. Dust told himself with a sigh. I hope my warframes recorders worked right or I might wind up in a small padded room beside this girl. I can’t do the padded room…again… Against his will, he shivered.

 

Somehow, he didn’t think it was insanity. It couldn’t be anything so simple or benign. Not if Infested were involved…

Edited January 9, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

Wow, another all ready? You spoil us Kal.

Great start.

[Valeren91]

As always you know how to get people waiting for your chapters you're maginfico, man.

[RCOAS]

Addicted.

[UnworthySeraph]

This just got interesting... in the first chapter...

Edited January 4, 2014 by JustDylan14

[ViralN9]

My favorite faction and a Ash that has the name that I gave my Ash? I'm hooked already.

[Kalenath]

Interrogation

 

“Thank you for being so prompt, and for your cooperation.” The white clad doctor said calmly as Dust entered the room.

 

“Did I have a choice?” Dust asked mildly, looking at the armed guard who came in right behind him. Dust wore robes. His warfare was currently being scrutinized. But that did not make him less lethal. Far from it. If anything, his vulnerability would make him more dangerous, as he would attempt to resolve any problems quickly, before his opponents could react. That usually meant lethal force. “I wasn’t aware I had a choice.” Dust said as he waited.

 

The guards hadn’t been stupid. But they also hadn’t been particularly polite. As soon as Dust had stepped out of his ship at the colony landing bay, he had come face to face with a dozen rifle muzzles. Since he wasn’t really interested in killing other Tenno, even rude ones, he hadn’t resisted when ordered to exit his warframe. They had been insistent and he had complied with their instructions, allowing them to decontaminate him twice, for whatever good that would do. Then they had given him a fresh pair of robes and escorted him to this room. He glanced around idly as he waited for the doc to respond

 

The doctor sat behind a table which, unless Dust missed his guess, had a force shield emitter in it. The door behind him had clicked after shutting, locked. The guard beside him carried a Burston rifle as if he knew how to use it. Another chair sat in front of the table. Dust ignored it, seeing a wall that had a huge mirror on it, likely two way. He knew without seeing that he was under observation by many forms of sensor and being recorded.

 

“Ah, yes…” The doctor said after a moment. “I do apologize for the discourtesy. But you have to realize… What you told us in your report seems…farfetched.”

 

“Farfetched?” Dust asked with a snort. “Doc, that situation was so far beyond farfetched that is simply isn’t funny. You have seen what is left of the wound.” He held up his arm slightly, prompting a cough from the guard. Dust looked at him, looked him up and down and then looked back at the doc who had paled. “Have you looked at the warframe records?”

 

“Well…No.” The doctor said quietly. “You didn’t extract as ordered.”

 

“Doc…” Dust said, shaking his head. “I had an unknown situation. A human girl who was shooting at me with a Tenno bow. Who shot me with said bow.” He flexed his arm again. “What was I supposed to do? Leave her there?”

 

“Your mission was accomplished.” The doc said with a shake of his head. “Why did you stay?”

 

“I was trying to figure out why the girl shot me.” Dust said with a shrug. The guard coughed again and Dust snorted. “You might want to have that cough checked, pal. It sounds serious.”

 

“You might want to-“Whatever else the guard was going to say was cut off as the doc raised a hand.

 

“We are all friends here.” The doc said quietly. “Please…” He indicated the chair. “Take a seat, Tenno.”

 

“If it is all the same to you, I will stand.” Dust said, still mild. “Nothing against you, doc. But coughing boy here does not inspire trust.” The guard bristled, but wisely remained silent.

 

“I am afraid I am going to have to insist.” The doc said, a touch of heat in his tone.

 

“Then I am afraid I am going to have to tell you and you faithful minion here…” Dust said as he slowly raised his right leg to cross behind the left knee, still standing upright. “…what you can do with yourselves. Want to clue me in why you are treating me like this?” His voice was still mild, but the guard snarled.

 

“Then I am going to-…” He moved to prod Dust with the barrel of his rifle, but then it wasn’t in his hands! Before the man’s eyes, Dust field stripped the rifle, tossing pieces of it around the room. Parts hit the shield over the table, but none even came close to where the doc sat, his face impassive. Dust had a grin on his face as he tossed the stripped receiver back to the guard. He hadn’t moved from his stance!

 

“You are gonna what, coughing boy?” Dust said with a hint of malice in his tone and the guard bobbled the catch and stumbled as he finally caught it. “Try to put your rifle back together?”

 

“Tenno Dust.” The doctor said with a sigh of exasperation. “We are trying to understand what you did and why. Why you digitized a human without orders.”

“And you didn’t bother to read my warframe’s records.” Dust said with a shrug. “So you just decided I had to be nuts. Fair enough.” He said with a shrug. “I am.”

 

“You admit it?” The guard demanded, obviously trying to decide if he should go for his sidearm. The holster was designed to keep weapons from being taken by prisoners, but if he drew it…

 

“Well, duh.” Dust said with a snort. “And if you want me to disassemble your Lex, go ahead and draw it. It’s been a while since I did fieldstripping on one of those.”

 

“Guard.” The doctor said flatly. “Back up and do not draw your weapon. That is a direct order.” Dust nodded and the doc paused. “You approve?”

 

“Well, since that is the first smart thing anyone has said since I arrived.” Dust said with a shrug. “Yeah. I approve. But no, I am not going to sit in a chair set up to restrain and sedate me so you can lock me in a little padded room and forget about me. Sorry.” There was precious little apology in his tone.

 

“We wouldn’t do that without cause.” The doc protested. “We just want to talk.”

 

“Bullmalarkey.” Dust said without rancor. “You all made your judgment before I arrived. I am unstable, dangerous.” His voice changed to a mocking, wheedling tone. “Evil. Horrible… just plain wrong…” He shook his head and spoke normally. “So… Gas? Electricity or are you gonna have this idiot try and hit me with something else?” The guard glared but did not move. “And I do stress the word ‘try’.”

 

“Look, we want to help.” The doc said quietly.

 

“No.” Dust said, his tone turning mild again as he let down his right leg and raised his left in a mirror of what he had been doing. “You want to lock me in a little tiny padded room. Again.” Suddenly the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. “And then forget about me. Again.” Menace sang in his tone, but then it vanished. “Of course, I am not your problem.”

 

“No?” The doc asked. “Why not?”

 

“Because that poor sweet innocent victim that you are so hard at work trying to help?” Dust said, still mild. “She tried to kill me in my warframe. I doubt she is going to care about such niceties as oh, being nice to quacks.”

 

“I have had about as much as I am going to take of your insolence, Tenno Dust.” The doc said quietly. “We can make this easy. Or hard.”

 

“Hard?” Dust asked, incredulous. “No… I don’t think you could manage to get it hard, even with coughing boy over there.”

 

“You don’t seem to…” The doc broke off as Dust suddenly dropped his left foot to the ground.

 

“No.” Dust said, his tone still mild as the guard froze in place, his hand on his pistol, but it not drawn. “It is you who does not understand. Hard? You have no idea what hard is. Hard is not killing every single moron in a white coat I see. Hard is keeping the rage that I feel at what you all did to me and others from boiling to the fore every single time I see you. Hard is not laughing my &#! off at your attempts to ‘be my friend’ when you couldn’t care less about me.”

 

“Look, you-!” The guard pulled his pistol, then he was on the floor, clutching a wrist that was bent the wrong way. His pistol was in Dust’s hand.

 

“You didn’t even gene lock it?” Dust asked, incredulous. “You want me to kill you!” He shook his head and fieldstripped the pistol. “I won’t. No matter how hard you morons push me, I will not kill kin. You people pushed me way too close the last time I was in your tender care. Never again.” This time, he didn’t toss the pieces, he was… assembling something.

 

“What are you doing?” The doc demanded as he tapped keys. A hissing sounded, but Dust ignored it. He could hold his breath longer than any doc.

 

“Shorting out your shield.” Dust said calmly as he threw the thing he had made at the doc. The odd device slammed into the shield which…collapsed in a shower of sparks. Before the doc could move, Dust was beside him, a hand on the man’s arm. “Now doc… Am I crazy, or just angry?”

 

“Neither.” A new voice had Dust freezing. A door behind the doc opened and an Ember warframe stood there, her posture amused. “You are playing, Dust.” She said with a sour laugh.

 

“Jasmina.” Dust said slowly. This was an entirely different thing. The Ember warframe was fully armed and he could see other armored forms behind her. “A delay?” He asked slowly. “Dangerous ploy.”

 

“They wanted proof.” Jasmina said with a sigh. “The Elders.”

 

“Proof?” Dust asked, confused. “Of what? That I am angry and crazy?”

 

“No, Dust.” Jasmina said with sigh. “That despite the horrible treatment you got from idiots dressed like him…” Jasmina nodded at the frozen doc in Dust’s grip. “That you won’t kill kin without cause. That you are not crazy.”

 

“Are you sure?” Dust asked, then paused as Jasmina stepped back, holding the door open. “Okay, I am not crazy, you are!”

 

“Lots of people have said that, brother.” Jasmina said with sigh. “Come on, we need to talk.” Dust dropped the doc’s arm and walked to the door.

 

“The hissing?” Dust asked softly as the door shut behind them. They started walking, the other armored forms, guards, nodded to them, but did not follow.

 

“Oxygen.” Jasmina said with a snort that Dust shared. “And yes, the doc and guard were both volunteers.”

 

“I…” Dust swallowed. “Jasmina, I…”

 

“Dust, no one blames you for being angry.” Jasmina said quietly. “We all are. Those morons in the secure psyche unit caused more problems even than Serene did in her breakout. You are handling it very well.” She said as she walked.

 

“I stay away from kin as much as I can.” Dust said with a shrug. “Lots of opportunity to use violence out there on beings who actually deserve it.” Old shame sang deep in his voice.

 

“Dust.” Jsmaina’s voice held worry now. “It wasn’t your fault. What happened.”

 

“It was my rifle.” Dust said quietly. “My responsibility.”

 

“I stepped in front of you!” Jasmina snapped. “My own stupid fault I got shot in the back! Geez, you are aggravating!”

 

“Guilty as charged, sister.” Dust said with a shrug. “Where are we going?”

 

“They pulled her out. Moved her to a buffer. They will pull her out completely in a few minutes.” Jasmina said quietly. “We did look at your warframe records. That was part of the delay. We didn’t believe what we saw any more than you did. But she was definitely trying to kill you. Then the rest.”

 

“Her first shot came close.” Dust said, raising his arm and looking at it. “I bet my camo fooled her a little. Jasmina, she wasn’t… She wasn’t all there.”

 

“I saw.” Jasmina said with a shudder that was apparent even through her warframe. “The others were… at least lucid. She wasn’t.”

 

“I don’t know, Jasmina.” Dust said quietly. “They were… It was like they were working with the Infested, which makes no sense at all.”

 

“Actually… it does.” Jasmina said with a sigh. “And that information stays close.” She said with a sidelong glance. Dust stiffened but nodded. “We have heard a number of reports of… more sapient acting Infested for some time. Karl’s people have run into them more than most, but other clans too.”

 

“How is that big lunk?” Dust asked with a grin. He liked Karl.

 

“As secretive as ever.” Jasmina said with a sigh, but neither really minded. Operational security was a must in their daily lives. Knowing too much could get a Tenno killed just as dead as knowing too little. The difference was when a Tenno knew too much, more than just their lives were at risk. “Most of what he does now is on the ‘Top Secret’ list. As in, I know he is out there, and sometimes a general area, but no one knows what he is doing except maybe the Lotus.”

 

“Karl would not go rogue.” Dust said quietly. “Not a chance in hell.”

 

“I know.” Jasmina agreed. “So whatever he is doing is for us all. He can be infuriating, especially his absconding with Serene the way he did.”

 

“What?” Dust demanded. “What about Serene?” Jasmina looked at him and he shrugged. “I have been… out of the loop.”

 

“Serene was fading.” Jasmina said with a shrug of her own. “Iriana, the tower, Sara and Iriana’s daughter Mishka were trying, but Serene was sleeping way too much. Karl showed up out of nowhere, somehow convinced Iriana and Serene to let Serene go, and then Serene, Sara and Mishka just vanished. Even Iriana doesn’t know where they went.” Dust’s eyes went wide at that. “No one has seen them for weeks.”

 

“And Karl says nothing.” Dust’s words were not a question.

 

“I haven’t worked up the guts to ask.” Jasmina admitted. “Karl would not endanger Serene, you know this.”

 

“I do.” Dust agreed. His memories might be full of holes, but he did remember the recent mess with Serene and Karl. He hadn’t been with Jasmina when her clan went into help Karl take care of the Nicholas’ renegades, but he had heard all about it. “So… what are we doing?”

 

“We are point on this.” Jasmina said with a nod as they came to a door. It opened and Dust paused as he saw his warframe with it’s weapons just inside. “Go on, get suited up. We are on short time.” Jasmina said.

 

“You want me running around a colony in a warframe?” Dust asked, concerned. “Jasmina, I am not sure of my own reactions. If I see a white coat, I might toss a Shuriken or two before I can stop myself.”

 

“You keep saying things like that.” Jasmina said quietly. “But even when pressed, you don’t kill. I trust you.” Her simple words brought him up short.

 

Dust stared at Jasmina for a moment and then sighed. He opened his warframe and paused. He reached in and extracted a small dead Koi fish. His face was amused as he tossed the aquatic carcass towards the Ember who caught it.

 

“A fish, Jasmina?” Dust asked as he stepped into the warframe. “Couldn’t you have thought of anything…nastier?” He asked sourly as his warframe sealed. “And isn’t killing a Koi supposed to be bad luck?”

 

“If that fish were my work, it would have died of natural causes.” Jasmina said primly as the fish in her gauntlet vanished in a puff of fire. “But I have no idea what you are talking about.”

 

“Oh, I dunno.” Dust said as he ran diagnostics and then stiffened. A grinning skull and crossbones had appeared on his visor. “Like a short run virus that pops an image up on my HUD?” He asked sourly as he purged his systems and the display vanished.

 

“Oh, like the one you hit me with during that run to Ceres?” Jasmina asked innocently. “I have no idea how that might have gotten in there.”

 

“Point to you.” Dust said with a grin as his systems came online again. “But I will get you back.”

 

“In your dreams, silly boy.” Jasmina said with a laugh. “In your dreams.”

 

Dust chuckled and then he sobered. He checked his weapons in reflex, they were the same ones he had used on his last mission. His warframe reported servicing and records downloaded as he checked his own, special telltales. No one had tried to access the core systems. He trusted Jasmina as far as he trusted anyone, but… That trust only went so far.

 

“Ready.” Dust said as he took a step forward, his warframe a second skin. “Where to?”

 

“The girl will be unshipped in Secure Holding Five.” Jasmina said with a nod. “Iriana is coming. She wants to talk to you.”

 

“Iriana is here?” Dust said with a start. “Wow. This is big.”

 

“Not here yet but… Yeah.” Jasmina agreed as the pair of warframes started down the hall. “It’s big and if I do not miss my guess, this is going to be a really big mess.”

 

“Well, good thing were have an industrial strength incinerator along for the ride.” Dust said with aplomb. “Just the thing for big messes.”

 

“You are cruisin’ for a bruisin’, brother.” Jasmina said mildly. But he could see her tension.

 

“Least I could do, Hot Stuff.” Dust said with a snort as he danced away from her swat. “Too slow!” He caroled. “Oh come on, Jasmina. Don’t get hot!”

 

“You can stop anytime.” Jasmina said with a groan. “You made your point. You are sick.”

 

“Why would I do that?” Dust asked with a snort as they walked, but kept his eyes out for Jasmina’s vengeance. She would find a way. She always did. He did like her. “Baiting you is fun.”

 

“You have an odd definition of fun, Dust.” The unexpected voice had Dust freezing in mid stride. A black Banshee warframe strode from a cross corridor to join the pair. “But it is good to see you.”

 

“Ah…” Dust said with a swallow. “Two? You, Jasmina and me… isn’t this overkill?”

 

“I hope so.” The Tenno known as Two said quietly. “I really do. But the way things have been going lately? No.”

 

“I see.” Dust said with a gulp. Then he grinned under his warframe. “Ah the possibilities. Hot sound, fire and…” He paused as a light pressure on his warframe made him look down. Two had a Dark Dagger poised at a very uncomfortable angle for a guy. “Or… maybe I’ll just shut up now.”

 

“Bets on how long that lasts?” Two asked Jasmina as she sheathed her dagger.

 

“Ten minutes.” Jasmina said quickly. "He will keep his mouth shut for ten minutes."

 

“You are on.” Two replied. “Five minutes.”

 

Dust opened his mouth, but then closed it. He would bide his time. He could be patient. But he knew this was going to be a long day.

 

And not a fun one.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Kalenath

[DJSeraph]

Ahhh... A good laugh. Just what a guy needs after losing 3 hard drives to an undiagnosed cascading failure, while on-the-clock. You know, I think Dust will fit in just fine, he has that special mix of "broken", "issues", stubborness and strong personality.

[buuli]

And yet again, I'm simply amazed. By reading Kal's stories, I got my playing mood back!

[UnworthySeraph]

I feel like Dust would get along great with Ric. Please set that up

[Kalenath]

Let no one say that Dust doesn't have a sense of humor. He needed it before and he WILL need it again. Soon.

[UnworthySeraph]

Let no one say that Dust doesn't have a sense of humor. He needed it before and he WILL need it again. Soon™.

Fixed

[ViralN9]

And your Dust is a sarcastic &#! like my Dust, I think the only thing that will make them different is possibly Warframe designs and that my Dust IS a little psycho.

Edited January 5, 2014 by ViralN9

[Kalenath]

And your Dust is a sarcastic &#! like my Dust, I think the only thing that will make them different is possibly Warframe designs and that my Dust IS a little psycho.

 

Um... you DID see that part about him being locked in a padded cell... right?

Edited January 6, 2014 by Kalenath

[ViralN9]

Um... you DID see that part about him being locked in a padded cell... right?

True, I guess the only difference will be warframe design then.

 

EDIT: And weapon preference, can't believe i forgot about that.

Edited January 6, 2014 by ViralN9

[Kalenath]

Feral

 

It wasn’t as bad as Dust had feared. It was worse. He tried to remain dispassionate as the girl on the screen writhed in the bonds she had been confined to. Her screams had tapered off, but not from calming down. No, she was simply exhausted from snarling, spitting and trying to bite the personnel who were around her. All wore biohazard suits, not quite warframes exoskeletons that provided a great deal of protection from almost all known pathogens. The Technocyte virus was a noted exception. Dust didn’t like docs, and he had his reasons. But he did not doubt the courage of the four medics who were tending the girl, cleaning her, scanning her, trying to find answers without hurting her. The restraints kept her from hurting them, but could not help hurting her as she struggled.

 

“The garment is alive.” A voice said over a speaker as Dust, Two and Jasmina all waited in an observation room. It had lots of monitors connected to various sensors. “It is not anything we have seen before. It acts as protection, hydration and appears to have limited camouflage abilities as well.”

 

“She was concealed in the trees.” Dust said quietly. “That is why I didn’t see her. If her first shot had hit square… I wouldn’t be here.”

 

“Almost a warframe.” Two said, worry in her voice.

 

“Not quite.” Jasmina said, her own voice neutral. “But worrisome. Composition?” She asked the air. A display of elements appeared on a screen nearby and Jasmina scrutinized it before relaxing. “All natural elements that would be found on Mars. None of the exotics.”

 

“This isn’t something humans can make.” Two said quietly. “Is it?”

 

“No.” Dust replied absently as he watched a nurse carefully wash the girls’ matted and filthy hair careful to stay away from the gnashing teeth. “Wait…” He said sharply. “Focus on that. Just above the right ear.” The display he was watching split, showing his selected site and he inhaled. “Jasmina…”

 

“I see it.” Jasmina said with a gulp that Two shared as both looked at a mass of flesh growing from the girl’s skull. It was not human flesh. “She is infested. Damn it.”

 

“Is she?” Dust asked, absently checking another scan. “The growth seems to be purely surface, no penetration of the skull apparent.” All three Tenno scrutinized the readings. The tiny growth seemed to just be hanging from her skin.

 

“We are reading odd residue on her skin near that spot.” One of the medics reported. “It is similar to what was found with Tenno Michelle when she was found in an Infested pod.” The girl renewed her thrashing and he sighed. “We may have to sedate.”

 

“Do what you need to do, medic.” Jasmina said quietly. “We don’t want to hurt her.”

 

“And don’t let her hurt you.” Dust found himself saying. The other warrior Tenno looked at him and he shrugged. “Despite my feelings… We break things. They fix them. Neither of us is as useful without the other.”

 

“We will need to run a full series of scans.” The medic said diffidently. “Do you want us to try and remove the growth?” The Three Tenno looked at each other again and Jasmina shook her head.

 

“Not yet. We need answers. I am keying a new scan series focusing on that.” The Ember said as she started typing on a holographic keyboard that appeared in midair. “Any sign that she is calming at all?”

 

“None.” The medic replied. “She tired herself out, but then she began thrashing again. Tenno, I recommend we sedate and remove that growth.” He paused. “At the very least we can determine its composition.”

 

“Anything on the other side of her head?” Two asked. The medics paused and checked, but nothing showed. The girl’s struggles did not hinder the scan in any way, but she was obviously hurting herself. “Jasmina?”

 

“Sedate her.” Jasmina said sadly. “More specialists will be arriving shortly. We should be able to… NO!” She screamed as the girl on the monitor managed to get a hold of the arm of one of the nurses. The girl twisted, trying to hold, as the nurse retreated quickly. But the bio hazard suit that the Tenno nurse wore… tore. “Full quarantine! Now!” Jasmina commanded and seals all around the area clunked as doors closed and a hissing of pressure was felt. That would keep any airborne pathogens from getting free of the quarantined room.

 

“Aw crap!” The nurse said quickly, backing to the wall as the other medics retreated. “Full quarantine acknowledged.” The girl hissed in triumph and continued her fruitless struggles, disregarding the abraded and bleeding skin she was now showing.

 

“Did she break the skin?” Two demanded. The nurse held up her arm and everyone relaxed a little as they saw unbroken skin under the torn material. “Thank the ancestors. You are in for a nasty stay in decontamination, but it should be okay.”

 

“’Should’ is not good enough with this virus, Ma’am.” The nurse declared. “Do what you have to.”

 

“We are not going to kill you on a ‘maybe’ nurse.” Jasmina snapped. “Stand down. We will find out soon if anyone has been exposed.”

 

“If I… change…” The nurse said, swallowing heavily. “Please… don’t let my husband know.”

 

“Don’t borrow trouble, nurse.” Jasmina snapped. “Until we know for sure, we cannot act precipitously. If we do find out… I will handle it. Until we do, we do our jobs, yes?”

 

“Yes, Ma’am.” The nurse said, straightening. “I just… I have never been so scared in my life.”

 

“You are doing fine, Nurse.” Someone said with Dust’s voice. “It’s a horror.” The other warframes looked at him, but refrained from comment. “She is going wild. Can you sedate her like that?” The male Tenno asked, worried.

 

“I don’t…” The medic in charge in the room looked at the girl who was struggling for all she was worth. “Our normal sedatives won’t work if she is that excited. She will metabolize them too quickly. A hypo spray will just hit her skin, not penetrate. Also… any really powerful sedatives may have… unpredictable reactions. That is if the covering doesn’t interfere.”

 

“Gas?” Jasmina asked. “We really need to scan her completely.”

 

“Even the anesthetic gas from a warframe might have…unpredictable effects in her state, Ma’am.” The doctor said with a visible wince. “I am not sure what we can do.”

 

“Calm her down.” Dust said slowly. “We have to calm her down.”

 

“I am open to suggestions.” Jasmina said sharply.

 

“She is acting like an animal.” Dust said softly. “Treat her like one.”

 

“Are you out of your mind?” Two demanded. “This isn’t an animal! It’s a human woman!”

 

“Who is acting like an animal.” Dust replied easily. “Animals have certain basic responses. She is hurting. She is lashing out at what is hurting her. She can’t reach it, or what she sees as her tormentors.”

 

“So… what do we do?” The doc asked. “This is… If she keeps thrashing, she will hurt herself badly.”

 

“Let me think…” Dust said quietly. “I don’t quite remember, but I think I dealt with animals before somewhere. If an animal was hurt, first thing to do was gain trust. Ease the hurts.”

 

“We can’t get close!” The doc said sharply. “If we do, she struggles harder.”

 

“You can’t.” Dust agreed. “Step back.”

 

“Dust!” Jasmina snapped, but it was too late, he had keyed for a teleport.

 

Dust appeared in the room beside the thrashing girl, who froze in mid motion on the exam table, her eyes wide. She was quivering in fear and shock as he slowly reached down and unstrapped her right arm. She didn’t move as he raised it, then her eyes went very wide as the nurse she had grabbed stepped forward to spray an organic bandage over her wounds. She stared, first at the Ash and then at the nurse, then at her arm. She made an odd noise, almost a mewl. Then she relaxed. Dust did not. He laid her hand back down and she did not struggle as he restrained it again.

 

“She knows we are trying to help. She realizes that the pain is gone and it came when I touched her. ” Dust said quietly as he moved around the table to unbind her other wrist. The woman did not react as Dust held it up to be treated. “She knows she cannot fight right now. She is marshalling her strength to try and escape.” He rebound the girl’s wrist and then did the same as before with both ankles. One at a time, the damaged skin was treated and the medical personnel withdrew. The woman did not resist, but did not help either, her eyes never leaving the Ash. “She remembers me.”

 

“Dust…” Jasmina said with a snarl almost as good as the human woman’s. “That was dumb.”

 

“You would have argued for an hour.” Dust said reasonably. “How much worse would she be hurt?” He moved up to stand beside the woman on the table again and held out his hand. He paused as she gave a low mewl of fear. “Easy, honey…” Dust said in a crooning, gentle voice. “No pain this time.” She jerked as green mist started to fall from his hand, but relaxed when it touched her and soothed the rest of her injuries. She stared at him, uncomprehending, then jerked a breath and fell asleep. “Good girl.” He said sadly, smoothing her hair.

 

“Dust.” Jasmina said and then let out a long suffering sigh. “You done?”

 

“For now.” Dust said softly. “She isn’t acting like a human, Jasmina. She is feral.” He paused. “You know… That is exactly it. She isn’t like other humans we have seen. She was…”

 

“An animal.” The doc said, cautiously scanning the girl as Dust stepped away from the table. “At the bare bones, basic level, humans and Tenno are the same. Animals.” Dust looked at him and the doc shrugged. “Bio-mechanical armor or not, you feel. You think. But at the heart… you react to instinctive stimulus.”

 

“True.” Dust said with a nod. “Pain, fear, anger, hunger. All these and more.” He mused. He shook his head. “Love and grief…”

 

“You really think she was grieving for the Ancient you killed?” Two asked, her tone painfully neutral.

 

“I don’t know.” Dust admitted. “We need more information. The medics can’t control her. I can.”

 

“Dust…” Jasmina said with a groan.

 

“Yes, I don’t like her in pain.” Dust said mildly. “No, I am not empathizing with her. She tried to kill me, Jasmina. I want answers.” He stepped away as the medics brought a gurney close and started transferring the unconscious human to it. “I’ll stay close until we know if she is contagious.” He said, his faceplate turned to the nurse with the torn suit. She nodded a little. “I can keep her under control, Jasmina.”

 

“By terrifying her.” Jasmina protested.

 

“Actually…” Two said quietly. “She wasn’t scared. Or, she was. But it wasn’t terror on the monitors so much as…” She paused and now her voice held incredulity. “Respect?” She asked.

 

“Figured.” Dust said as the gurney started off and he kept pace with it. “Most animals have a hierarchy. They do not understand complex concepts like civilization. Something hurts, they snap at it. Something soothes a hurt and they want it to continue. Someone feeds them…” He shrugged as both Two and Jasmina inhaled sharply.

 

“It can’t be that simple.” Jasmina said with a sigh. “But… between the scans, they can sample her stomach contents. See if the gunk Michelle described is there. You will stay?”

 

“I’ll stay.” Dust said as the docs eased the gurney under a set of scanners and backed away. Dust himself retreated to the wall as energy started bombarding the sleeping human woman. “Let me know of anything else strange.”

 

For several minutes, he stood impassive as the scanners worked, then he jerked as the woman on the gurney did. “She is vomiting!”

 

“She will aspirate!” The doc snapped. “Stop the scans and we can…” He trailed off as Dust reached the gurney, picked the whole thing up and held the whole mass on its side, allowing the woman to spew the contents of her stomach onto the floor. The scanner shut down. “Ah…”

 

“Get samples.” Dust said mildly as he held the mass without a trace of effort. The nurses did as instructed, gathering some of the nastiness into sample containers and cleaning up the rest. Then he laid the gurney back on its wheels and stepped back. “What caused that?” He asked as he returned to his place at the wall.

 

“I am not sure.” The doc said quietly, checking the readouts. “She… Ah crap. She is sensitive to third spectrum scan beams. Probably fourth and fifth too.”

 

“So if you go any further…” Dust said softly, inviting the doc to speak and the medical Tenno did.

 

“She keeps barfing. Or worse.” The doc said with a sigh. “I don’t think it’s natural.”
 

“Joy.” Dust said with feeling. “So what can we do?”

 

“We go old school.” The doc said with a sigh. “We have to physically look. Take physical samples of the various areas affected to study in detail.”

 

“As in cut her open?” Dust asked, incredulous.

 

“A small incision, a laparoscopic camera.” The doc said with a nod. “But essentially… yes.”

 

“That is not gonna fly with anyone, doc.” Dust said with a groan. “She is a human. We are supposed to protect humans.”

 

“All I am saying, Tenno Dust…” The doc said with sigh. “…is that this may be the only way to find out what was done to her.”

 

“I have a better idea.” Dust said quietly. “Doc, you and your people leave the room and lock the door.”

 

“Wha-?” The doc stammered, then spun to see the girl staring at him and Dust with undisguised rage in her eyes. “That is not possible. She cannot be awake already!”

 

“She is.” Dust said quietly. “Get out.” He said softly as the girl growled and twisted on the bed. “She is about to get loose.” The gurney wasn’t as strongly built as the exam table had been and creaked.

 

“Go!” The doctor commanded and his staff fled. Dust did not move. “Tenno?”

 

“Close the door behind you and lock it.” Dust said as a breaking sound came from the gurney and the tough material of the bed the human woman was lying in flexed and cracked.

 

“Dust!” Jasmina’s voice was sharp. “What are you doing?”

 

“Attempting communication.” Dust said mildly as he watched the girl struggle to free herself from the bed. “Keep the area locked down, Jasmina. I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Don’t hurt her!” Two cried.

 

“I am more worried about her hurting herself.” Dust retorted quietly as the girl finally snapped the restrains off the gurney and sat up, her eyes a mass of hate. “Intentionally or no.” Dust stepped to block the only door as the girl slid out of the bed, pieces of tough plastic dangling from her wrists and ankles. “You do not want to do this, girl.” Dust said aloud, his tone calm and quiet. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

 

The girl hissed and spat, her spittle landing halfway between the two. She growled, a sound of hate and fear and her teeth were all showing. Dust shook his head slowly.

 

“You don’t need to fear me, girl.” Dust said quietly. “You hurt me, I hurt you. I am sorry.” He said with a sigh. “You are bleeding again.” He said, his tone still mild. The girl hissed again, setting herself. “Okay.” Dust said sadly. “The hard way it is…”

 

She charged and Dust danced to the side. The girl had a moment to see him move, then she gave a cry as she was lifted from the ground, but… She landed on her rump. She scrambled to her feet and stared. At Dust. Then at the wrist that had been encumbered a moment before with broken plastic. Dust held out the broken restraint, then tossed it to the side and crouched as she charged again. Again, he restrained her just long enough to remove the other partially broken wrist restraint, then he released her. She jumped at him and grabbed hold of his warframe, beating on it impotently, until she realized he wasn’t fighting back. She gave a shrill yip of shock as both of her ankles were suddenly unburdened of broken plastic. Then she went still as he set her on her feet and stepped back. He crouched, blocking the door, but placing himself lower than her deliberately.

 

“Dust.” He said, putting hand to his chest. He pointed at her and she hissed. “Well, I can’t just call you ‘girl’.” He shook his head as he scrutinized her. Under the matting and filth, her hair was dark brown. “I will call you ‘Brownie’ until I hear otherwise.”

 

“Brownie?” Jasmina asked over the link, dumbfounded.

 

“Hush.” Dust said, still keeping his voice calm. “I hurt you, Brownie.” His tone was gentle now, gentle and soothing. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to. But I did. You hurt me, but… I don’t blame you. You were defending your territory. I don’t get why you and your people were working with Infested, but…” he shrugged. “I won’t hurt you again.”

 

The girl hissed at him again and retreated across the room until she curled up underneath a small desk that held medical supplies.

 

“Jasmina.” Dust said with a sigh. “Do we have anything she can eat? She isn’t bleeding badly, a couple of scrapes. But she is going to be hungry and thirsty very soon.”

 

“Dust…” Jasmina said sternly, then sighed. “How long are you planning to stay with her?”

 

“As long as it takes.” Dust said quietly, not moving from his spot.

 

“Okay…” Jasmina replied just as quietly. “You realize that trying to gain her trust may be impossible.”

 

“I want to try.” Dust said softly. “I have confused her. She knows I could have hurt her and didn’t. So… She isn’t sure what is going on right now. She is going to be hungry, thirsty and… Ew…” He said as it became clear that the girl's garment did not handle waste. She had made a mess under the desk.

 

“Aw man…” Jasmina gagged as well. “We can’t leave her to lie in her own filth.”

 

“We won’t.” Dust said quietly. “Get me something she can eat and keep down. Water too.”

 

“Dust…?” Two protested.

 

“Two, she is a scared animal.” Dust said, not moving. “But she is also hungry and thirsty. And I bet she shares one thing with all the other humans we know.”

 

“Which is?” Two asked.

 

“Curiosity.”

Edited January 6, 2014 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

((Lo and behold, I got ahead of myself! Yay! Enjoy!))

 

Curiosity

 

Dust didn’t move, but watched in silence as the female human in the corner watched him warily. When the food and water he had requested had arrived, he had put them in the middle of the floor. He…disliked putting the food and water in dishes. But the woman was likely incapable of handling a water bottle. She had curled further under the desk as he had put the food and water down in the middle of the wrecked scanner room and then retreated to block the door. Then he had sat and waited. He could hear her stomach growling, but she didn’t move.

 

“Are we sure there is no communication from here to the Infested?” Dust asked after a moment longer.

 

“We cannot be a hundred percent sure.” The voice of Healer Iriana answered him, her tone calm and unhurried. “The structures on her body prevent proper scanning and some Infested operate on some wavelengths that have never been fully explored. But the sensors don’t pick up any communication. Hunger, thirst, loneliness…” The healer’s voice broke for a moment. She had arrived an hour before and taken charge, the two warrior Tenno grateful for her presence.

 

Every type of passive sensor that the Tenno had was now aimed at this room. Specifically calibrated to filter Dust and his warframe out, the sophisticated sensors could literally read the human woman’s upper conscious mind from her brainwaves.

 

“How long?” Dust asked, worried. “She is hurting. If she dehydrates further… That garment may not be able to help her.”

 

“It shouldn’t be long.” Iriana said quietly. “There, see?” She asked as the girl slid a hand out of her sanctuary. “I have never seen this particular behavior before, but I did read up on feral disorders on the way here. She will test her environment.”

 

“Right.” Dust agreed. “She will see if I react, ready to bolt back into her hideaway if I do. I’ll wait right here.” The hand that the girl had extended remained where it was, then the rest of the girl’s body slowly followed, her gaze never leaving Dust. He keyed his external speaker and crooned softly. “That’s it, Brownie. That’s it…” The girl froze at his words, but then hesitantly crept further towards the food and water when he didn’t make a move. “Good food. Good water. None of it is drugged, girl.” He promised. “At least… it better not be.” He qualified.

 

“It’s not.” Iriana promised him. “There were… words exchanged between some of the docs and Jasmina, but it is not.”

 

“Good.” Dust said, his tone still moderated to soothe and calm. The girl edged slowly toward the food, her gaze never wavering from the warframe. Dust stared at her as well. “Is it just me, or does that garment look…ragged?” It was hanging loose in places and looked painfully tight in others. It had lost its camouflage at some point as well and looked… patchy.

 

“It does.” Iriana said, her tone worried. “We can’t get a good scan on it. We need to get it off her. That is what caused her reaction to the scanners. Any longer and she likely would have gone into cardiac arrest.”

 

“An Infested security protocol.” Dust said, working to keep worry from his voice. “I like that about as much as I like the rest of this insane situation. I don’t know how we can get it off of her without hurting her. That’s a good girl…” He crooned as she reached the plate and dipped a finger in the water to pull it back and taste. Then she had her head down over the water dish. She took a drink and recoiled, looking at Dust who hadn’t moved. “Good food.” He crooned. “Good water. Eat and drink, Brownie. You need it.”

 

“That she does.” Iriana said in his ear. “She is underweight for her height. Not sure about the dehydration but that cannot be helping.” Apparently sure that Dust would not move, the girl buried her face in the water dish, taking long sips, but alternating them with looks at Dust who remained still.

 

“What is she feeling now?” Dust asked as the girl changed dishes with only a bare glance his way. She started wolfing down food.

 

“Her thirst has abated.” Iriana said quietly. “Her hunger is…No!” She said sharply as the girl gagged and fell. “She is choking! Dust!”

 

“On it!” Dust said quietly as he swept forward The girl, her face contorting, tried to recoil, but could not resist as he picked her up, turned her over and gave a short, sharp rap to her stomach just below the sternum. The girl coughed in his arms and a half eaten bit of food fell out of her mouth. She gasped in Dust’s hands and then froze. She didn’t move at all as he sat her back down and retreated a step. She stared at him, uncomprehending, then she snarled a bit and he stepped back again. Only when he was out of reach did she relax at all, sniffing the food again. Dust shook his head as he retreated another step to the wall. “Eat all you want, Brownie, we have more. Just take it slow. I know you do not trust me and I don’t blame you.”

 

“Just in case…” Iriana said quietly, recovering from the shock of the girl’s brush with death. “I am having a bottle made up and a spoon sent in.”

 

“You don’t want much, do you, Healer?” Dust said with a sardonic snort as he sat again, watching the girl eat more carefully. She wasn’t eating carefully, he realized, just alternating bites between looking at him. “She likely doesn’t know what just happened.”

 

“Probably not.” Iriana agreed. “But it did hurt and you did help her, so…” She sighed. “She is relaxing. Still tense, but less.” Then she gave a sob as the girl fell over, he limbs flailing. “Terror, pain. She can’t move. She is trying to get back to her hidey hole, but she can’t. She is too weak. Dust…”

 

“On it.” Dust said quietly as he rose a little. The girl hissed at him and he nodded to her, his voice pitched low and gentle. “It’s okay, Brownie. It’s okay. I am here to help.” She hissed at him, but could do no more as he came to her side. She was heaving in effort as he stepped past her. She stared at him as he moved to her hidey hole and started pulling yuckiness out to toss into a disposal chute. “The bedding?”

 

“At the door with a bottle and a spoon.” Iriana replied. The girl jerked as the door opened just far enough for a small package to be pushed in, then closed again. The human stared from the door to where Dust was working, then back, confused. “She won’t be conscious much longer.”

 

“Probably for the best.” Dust said with a sigh as he finished cleaning. Then he moved past the quivering girl to the pile and pulled the bedding he had requested, basically a thick and warm absorbent pad, and took it across the room to lay it under the desk. “Doc? How is she?” He asked as he finished laying the pad.

 

“Nearly asleep.” Iriana replied. “You want to carry her? If she bites your warframe…”

 

“I have an idea.” Dust sank back on his heels and started singing softly. ((To the tune of March of Cambreadth but…slightly different.

))

 

Rambo Frog travels by the moon, Meets with Mr Red Raccoon-
Soon they're joined by Tortoise & Hare,
To make sure the animals all play fair-
A fight's broke out near the water hole, The natives have all lost control-
Froggy's boys come from on high,
"HOW MANY OF YOU CAN CATCH A FLY?"
 

The girl stared at him, her eyes slowly lidding.

The fight goes on, a cry is heard, Rambo Frog's caught by a bird-
But don't you fret and don't you frown,
Red Raccoon's gonna bring him down!
The dust is up and we hear a wail, Froggy's pluckin' Birdie's tail!
Boot that bird butt to the sky,
"HOW MANY OF YOU CAN CATCH A FLY?"

Dawn is broke, it's time to roam, All of the animals wander home-
They've paid the price and had a ball, Can't wait for the next big brawl-
Rambo Frog whistles up a tune, Joined by Mr Red Raccoon-
Tortise and Hare wave them good-bye,
"HOW MANY OF YOU CAN CATCH A FLY?"

“What were you singing?” Iriana asked, incredulous. “That was no lullaby.” But the girl gave a sigh and fell asleep where she was.

 

“No, it’s called the Hap'n Frog of Cambreadth.” Dust replied very quietly as he moved to pick the girl up. “She doesn’t understand the words. It’s the tone, the cadence. She fully out?”

 

“Like a light.” Iriana said approvingly.

 

Dust picked her up, moved her to the bedding and laid her out on it gently. Then, prodded by an ancient instinct or fragment of memory, he rubbed her hair, almost petting it. She sighed in her sleep and relaxed further as Dust moved to block the door again and sat. He set the bottle and spoon down beside him.

 

“Do you think she took in enough nourishment?” Dust asked carefully after making sure his external speakers were off.

 

“I don’t think so.” Iriana said sadly. “We shall see when she wakes up. If she can get to the food, all well and good. If not…”

 

“If not, I will feed her.” Dust replied. “She is my responsibility.”

 

“How long can you keep going?” Iriana asked. “You will need to meditate I assume.”

 

“It’s been…” Dust checked his chrono and sighed. “Nine hours… I am good for another fifteen or so. Then I will need to rest a bit. How long do you think she will sleep?”

 

“I don’t know.” Iriana admitted. “I am on duty. I am good for ten or so hours myself. Then I will get relief. Do you want to be pulled out to meditate?”

 

“No.” Dust said after a moment’s thought. “I will do it now, while she is asleep. I’ll set it to wake me if she comes close or someone calls my name.”

 

“Okay, rest well.” Iriana had a smile in her voice. “I’ll try to catch some too.”

 

“Right.” Dust said to himself as he let his mind fall into trained patterns. Tenno did not normally sleep. Instead, they meditated, resting their bodies and minds far more thoroughly and completely than any natural sleep. He had a moment to wish the girl pleasant dreams and then he was out.

 

It seemed only a moment later that Iriana was saying his name. “Dust?” Her voice held worry.

 

“What is happening?” Dust asked as he checked his chrono. He had been meditating for five hours, fairly standard. He looked at the girl, whose posture hadn’t changed, but her face was contorted. “Nightmare?”

 

“I am not sure.” Iriana said with a trace of confusion. “There are none of the normal signs. Her respiration, heart rate and all are normal. But her brain waves are going crazy.” Then she hissed. “Dust…”

 

“I see it.” The Tenno said softly as he saw tears start to fall down the sleeping girl’s face. “Suggestions?”

 

“Comfort her?” The healer said somewhat dubiously. “No… If she wakes and you are standing over her…”

 

“She will not react well.” Dust agreed. “Any reading on her garment?”

 

“It seems to be falling apart.” Iriana said quietly. “Our best guess is that it needs some trace materials that are only found where you found her. Without a more in depth analysis though…” Her shrug was clear even over a com.

 

“How about the risk of infection?” Dust asked carefully. “Did you get anything on the toxicology?”

 

“According to everything we have determined…” Iriana said with a gulp. “She is negative for the Technocyte Virus.”

 

“That is not possible.” Dust recoiled slightly. “She was touching an Infested. With her hands!”

 

“We cannot be sure.” Iriana said quietly. “But the nurse she attacked shows no sign of infection. The garment as well is clean. Until we can check her…”

 

“And to get her to allow that…” Dust said quietly. “I need to gain her trust.” He shook his head and rose form his seated position.

 

“Be careful.” Iriana said quickly.

 

“I am more worried about hurting her.” Dust said with a grunt as he slowly crossed the room to where the girl lay under the desk. “Or her hurting herself.” He slowly reached down to touch the girl’s arm and recoiled. “Iriana, her temperature is high. Too high!”

 

“It is reading in human norms.” Iriana said, puzzled. “What are your readings?”

 

“I am reading 39 degrees!” Dust said quickly. “That is too high! She is burning up!”

 

“Damn!” Iriana snapped. “The covering must be interfering with the temperature sensors. Can you…?”

 

“I got her.” Dust said quietly as he pulled the girl up into his arms. She made a mewling noise, but did not wake. “What do I do? We can’t break quarantine.”

 

“We need to cool her down.” Iriana said as orders were snapped in the background. “Can you get the garment off her? It’s messing up all the readings, not just temperature.”

 

“I will hurt her.” Dust said, dubiously examining the odd covering. It had no seams or attachment points. “I can get it off, but…” He laid the girl down on the floor and spread her out carefully.

 

“I am sending in some gear. Get the garment off and the docs can work.” Iriana ordered.

 

“Okay…” Dust said, bracing himself. His right forearm blade slid out of it’s housing and with a quick cut, he sliced through the tough covering of her arm. It parted easier than Infested skin. The blade vanished. “She is not bleeding, so it is not part of her, but…” His gentle tug to try and roll the flap of the garment back did not work. “It’s stuck to her somehow.”

 

“They are going to have to remove it carefully.” Iriana said with a growl. “They will be a couple of minutes. Can you get some fluids into her?”

 

“I’ll try.” Dust said, moving to the door and picking up the bottle. He sat beside the girl, cradling her head and putting the end of the bottle between her teeth. “Come on, girl. Take a drink.”

 

For a moment, he despaired. But then she gripped the bottle between her teeth and started drinking greedily. He maintained that pose until the door opened and docs bustled in, their arms laden with gear.

 

***

 

Dust sank back on his haunches as the docs finished up and left. He sighed. They had managed to remove the girl’s covering and, after some debate, also removed the growth that was above her ear. They had managed to stabilize and then lower her body temperature. Now she was back on her pad, covered by a Tenno patient gown. They had managed to get more fluids into her, but she was still badly dehydrated. So, he had a refilled bottle of water. He would…

 

A sharp cry had Dust jerk upright. He stared at the girl, who was sitting upright, her whole posture one of shock and fear. The girl was rubbing her body where her odd garment had been, keening in loss.

 

“Easy, girl.” He crooned as she stared wildly around herself, then focusing on him. Her cries turned angry, but… they were different. Confused. But then she snarled and coiled herself.

 

“Dust…” Iriana warned.

 

“I know.” Dust said with a sigh. “She is going to try and attack me. I’ll be careful and try to get more fluids into her.” He held up a slow hand as the girl snarled again. “It’s okay, Brownie. It’s okay. I am sorry we took your clothes, but they were hurting you.”

 

The girl snarled one more time and then sprang, her hands forward to grab, her teeth bared to bite. The snarl turned to a yip of astonishment as Dust simply dodged her attack. One moment, he was there, sitting with his hand up, the next he was halfway across the room, standing, his posture unthreatening.

 

“Come on, Brownie.” Dust said in that same calm and gentle voice, sinking back to his haunches as she rose to her full height. “You are scared. I understand. You feel sick. I can help.” He said quietly, but sighed again as she readied herself. “Okay. Your way it is.”

 

This time when the girl charged him, he let her come. She growled in triumph as her hands closed on him, but then she gave a sharp cry as both of her hands were suddenly pinned by a hand that was far, far stronger than even the strongest human. She tried to kick and he let her. She gave another cry as her bare feet hit his warframe. She suddenly wilted in his grip. He released her immediately and retreated again.

 

“Easy, girl.” Dust said as he sat carefully, one hand up in an empty palm gesture. His free hand grabbed the bottle that had rolled nearby and he held it up. “Thirsty?” He asked, waving at the water dish nearby.

 

The girl stared at him, her eyes wide. Then she seemed to wilt again and collapsed to the floor. She was crying and rocking herself on the floor. She was in reach.

 

“Shhh…” Dust crooned as he slowly reached out with his free hand to touch her shoulder. She jerked away, but did not move from where she sat. “Shhh… Easy, girl. It’s okay.” He petted her shoulder gently and this time, she did not retreat. Instead, she lay down on the floor, her tears falling freely. “I won’t hurt you.” He promised as he held out the water bottle to her. “Drink?”

 

She stared at it, uncomprehending. He laid it down by her hand and sat back. He pointed at the dish of water and then at the bottle. “Water.” She just sat and he sighed. “Iriana?”

 

“Yes, Dust?” The healer sounded subdued now.

 

“How bad is it?” He hadn’t asked what they had found while using portable scanners. They docs had been…upset, but their technical jargon meant little to him. “I know the docs didn’t like what they found. How bad?”

 

“There is a long winded technical explanation.” Iriana sounded nearly in tears. “Essentially… Her brain apparently did not develop past a certain stage. She is literally not capable of higher thought.”

 

“I was afraid of that.” Dust slumped. The girl stared at him, not privy to the conversation with Iriana. “Is there anything we can do?”

 

“Maybe.” Iriana sad with a gulp. “I will need to look into some things. Can you…stay with her?”

 

“Of course.” Dust said, confused. “But for how long?”

 

“I… I don’t know.” Iriana said sadly. For the first time since he had heard her voice, she sounded unsure.  “This isn’t something that we have dealt with. No one has. Not for a long, long time. It was corrected genetically a long time ago. Bred out of humanity. I don’t know if this was engineered or if she was born with it. Either way… we might be able to do something. But… I just don’t know.”

 

“What is it?” Dust asked, dreading the answer. “What is wrong with her?”

 

“If it is what I think… Then nothing is wrong with her, she just didn't develop as normal humans do. Whatever is wrong with her is much like an ancient disorder called 'Feral Autism'.”

Edited January 6, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

Two stories in one day? You spoil us Kal.

[Kalenath]

This won't happen that often. Just got a bit ahead of myself.

[UnworthySeraph]

Two stories in one day? You spoil us Kal.

Spoiled rotten. But as long as Kal is happy to do so, I won't complain :)

[Kalenath]

Discussions

 

“No.”

 

The word came out cold and hard. Brownie did not hear the word, since Dust’s external speaker was deactivated, but she could read his body language and tensed when he did. He patted her shoulder a little and she relaxed and went back to drinking. She needed to drink a lot. This made her messy. After the third time that Dust had cleaned up for her, she had found one spot to do her business and had let him touch her to clean her. She took a great deal of comfort from contact. She was incredibly tactile. She had spent almost an hour running her hands over the surface of his warframe while he had remained still. He had let her, then she had retreated a bit. But after that, she had relaxed some. She had even let him brush her hair a little. She didn’t totally trust him, but she did relax a bit.

 

“Dust.” Jasmina’s voice was worried. “It may the best choice. For her. They can take care of her.”

 

“I am not letting them lock her up, Jasmina.” Dust said with a snarl. “I am not letting them put her in one of those little rooms and forget about her.” Brownie shied away from Dust and he let her go.

 

“Dust, she is not going to get better!” Jasmina snapped. “And they wouldn’t forget about her.”

 

“You don’t know that. Either one.” Dust said quietly, moving to sit away from where Brownie was playing with a piece of what had been the gurney. It was not sharp and too big for her to put in her mouth, so he wasn’t worried. Much. He did keep part of his awareness on her though. “Even Iriana doesn’t know if she will get better.”

 

“No, we don’t.” Jasmina agreed. “But the records we have found don’t look good.”

 

“We don’t know if that is what she is. This ‘autism’ thing. We don’t know if it was congenital or imposed.” Dust said, holding his temper close as Brownie finished drinking, curled up on her pad again, sighed and fell asleep. She was still weak, but getting better. It was out from under the desk now but still a ways away from where Dust sat. “I won’t let them do to her what they did to me.”

 

“Dust.” Jasmina’s voice gentled. “It’s not the same. She is not there, Dust. She is not a human. Not…really.”

 

“Yes, she is.” Dust said flatly. “She has difficulty. But she is human. She is aware. Treating her otherwise is wrong, Jasmina.”

 

“You are emotional.” Jasmine said quietly. “I am pulling you out.”

 

“Don’t you dare!” Dust said with a snap, but then he was elsewhere, back in the monitor room. “Damn it, Jasmina!” Dust snapped as the teleport released him. Jasmina and Two stood nearby, both in ready stances. “I won’t fight kin, you stupid woman!” Dust snapped. “But that girl is hurt, scared and alone! I am the only thing she knows and even halfway trusts right now. You cannot send regular docs or nurses in.”

 

“We are not.” A new voice sounded and Dust froze in place. “Hello Dust.” Dust turned slowly to see a Loki that he didn’t know and an Oberon that he had prayed never to see again. “Dust…” The Oberon said cautiously as Dust slowly sank into a combat crouch. Dust ignored him.

 

“If you have any shred of decency left, Tenno Jasmina.” Dust spoke slowly and carefully to the two frozen female Tenno. “You will keep the lying sack of Infested pus named Redi away from that poor girl. The Tenno named Redi will hurt her.”

 

“Dust, please…” The Oberon held out a hand in entreaty.

 

“If the Tenno known as Redi touches me, Tenno Jasmina, my oath holds!” Dust said, focused on Jasmina. He was trembling in rage. “Only one of our kin will I kill. Only one.” He grated out through clenched teeth. The need, the hunger to draw his blades and rend the Oberon was strong. So strong.

 

“I want to help!” The Oberon begged. “I…”

 

“Redi, shut up as you said you would!” Jasmina snapped. “Go. Now.” She said sharply as he balked. “Now!” She said with command as he started to protest. He nodded and left the room. The Loki remained. “That was rude, Dust.” She said, calming.

 

“And lying about my mental state to get me imprisoned in the psyche ward wasn’t? Breaking his sworn word of honor wasn’t? Disclosing things told in private to a clinical psychologist –things that were only revealed on the condition that client patient privilege would be respected- wasn’t? ” Dust asked, not relaxing at all. “If the Tenno named Redi is here, I am not leaving that girl alone. That Tenno is not capable of tending hurt beings. Nor is that Tenno empathic at all to the needs of those that Tenno was supposedly sworn to heal.”

 

“Dust.” Jasmina said softly. “What he did was wrong. He admits it. He wants to…”

 

“If the Tenno named Redi touches me, he dies.” Dust said softly. “That was my sworn oath when he got me locked up. That is my oath now. If the Tenno known as Redi is allowed near that girl, that Tenno will destroy any trust we have fostered with her. It is what that Tenno does. Medical ethics are meaningless to such as that Tenno. The girl is fragile, too fragile to be trusted to such a fool and charlatan.”

 

“Dust.” Jasmina said in warning. “Calm down. He has experience with animals.”

 

“I will say this only once, Tenno Jasmina.” Dust said softly. “If you let the Tenno known as Redi near that girl, he will hurt her. She is innocent. She trusts me. A little. If you wish to destroy her, then by all means, drop her in a little room alone and leave her there for the rest of her life! Or worse, let that scum have her!”

 

“Dust, they can care for her.” Two said sadly. “We can’t. It’s done.” Dust stiffened at her words and then spun back to where the monitors showed… an empty room. He went so completely still that everyone in the room froze. Two spoke after a moment. “Dust.” The Ash didn’t move, didn’t speak, indeed, didn’t do anything. He couldn’t. The feelings… the pain… the rage… “Dust, they can tend her, remotely. They can scan her, if they…” Two trailed off as Dust gave vent to his feelings. A horrible howl erupted from the Ash. “Dust!” She cried.

 

“You…. Idiots!” The Ash managed to get out. Then he vanished from sight and ran.

 

“Dust!” Jasmina shouted, but he was gone.

 

***

 

Every Tenno colony had a collection of Zen gardens. Some had sand, some had water with small fish, some were rocky, and some were plain steel with painted walls. Dust was in a garden that held a small grove of bonsai trees. He knelt near them, tracing one of the branches with his eyes. It helped, some.

 

He was aware of scrutiny, but he ignored it. He was kneeling in seiza, trembling slightly as he tried to move past his emotions. Finally after an eternity, he was calm and still again. He spoke aloud.

 

“Thank you, brother. For letting me calm myself.” Dust said, his tone far calmer than he felt. The Loki from before shimmered into view and nodded to him. “I do not believe I know you. If I do, I do not remember.”

 

“I know anger.” The Loki said calmly. “My name is Aeron.” Dust jerked a little. Aeron, the sniper of Karl’s clan? That Aeron?

 

“Aeron? Then yes, you do.” Dust said with a nod. He bowed his head. “I must leave. Go back into the field. I cannot remain here.”

 

“Why?” Aeron asked, his posture still.

 

“Because if I run into the Tenno known as Redi, I will kill him.” Dust said quietly. “So I swore. So I will do. I cannot help the girl. I wish to, but if I remain, I will encounter the one whose death I swore and he will die. Then I will. I can help no one if I am dead.”

 

“I do not know what happened between you two and it is none of my business.” Aeron said calmly. “But that girl is important.”

 

“No question.” Dust said with a nod. “But now she is imprisoned in the secure psyche unit. There is no way to get her out.”

 

“You got out.” Aeron said quietly. “We can get her out.”

 

“Did I get out?” Dust asked slowly. “Did I really? Part of me is still in that little room. Screaming. Begging for contact of any kind. Begging for death.” He shook his head. “No. No, I never left that room.”

 

“I beg to differ.” Iriana’s sad voice preceded her into view. “Sorry, Dust. I didn’t know he was here. They…shut me out too. I am compromised.”

 

“You feel for your patients.” Dust said softly. “Of course you are compromised. Psyche people need to be detached, sterile. AIs make the best ones, as I know too well.”

 

“You are wrong.” Iriana said with a sigh. “It isn’t supposed to be that way. We are supposed to help, not hurt. We do, occasionally. We mess up and we try to fix things.”

 

“Not that one.” Dust said flatly.

 

“Agreed.” Iriana said quietly. “He has the empathy of a rock. Animals…fegh!” She actually spat.

 

“I can see the point of view.” Dust said slowly. “She is feral. But she is not dangerous unless we make her so.”

 

“She shot you.” Iriana said dubiously.

 

“I violated her territory.” Dust said with a shrug. “I was setting up to hurt beings with which she had some kind of bond. What would you do if I came in and started aiming a rifle at people you like?” He paused as Iriana blanched. Dust sighed. “I apologize, Healer. I had no right to bring up what happened at the Tower.”

 

The incident with rogue Tenno assaulting the last fully operational Orokin tower was a sore spot for many, but Iriana had been there. Had been abused by Nicholas and his scum before they had been stopped permanently by Karl and Jasmina. ((See What Price Honor))

 

“I have problems with what happened.” Iriana said quietly. “But I am working on them. I took no offense, Tenno Dust. To that anyway. That… That… quack…”

 

“Iriana.” Aeron said quietly. “Karl wants me to find out about the girl. Have you found out anything else?”

 

“It wasn’t congenital.” Iriana said softly. Both Dust and Aeron stiffened. “It was done to her. But why? Or how, we have no idea. It…didn’t seem like Infestation. Are you sure those humans were not controlled?”

 

“I can’t be.” Dust said with a shrug. “I didn’t get a good look at any of them. I was too busy trying to escape. The records are not clear?”

 

“We saw faces.” Iriana said with a wince. “There is a distinct resemblance between the girl and the ones claiming to be her parents. But that in and of itself doesn’t mean much.”

 

“What about the garment?” Aeron asked. “Or that odd growth?”

 

“They are still doing analysis.” Iriana said with a scowl. “And I have been dis-invited to participate.”

 

“Rude.” Dust said softly. Then he and the others froze as Jasmina and Two appeared nearby, a quartet of armed security guards with them. “Jasmina?”

 

“Where is she, Dust?” Jasmina snapped without preamble.

 

“What?” Dust asked, confused. “Who?”

 

“Don’t play with me, Dust!” Jasmina nearly shouted. “Where is the girl?”

 

“You lost the girl?” Dust asked, incredulous. “Oh boy.” He looked at the guards, all had weapons in hand and all stayed well out of even warframe reach.

 

“I am not in the mood for games now, Dust.” Jasmina said with a snarl worthy of Brownie. “She vanished from the secure psyche unit. Where did you put her?”

 

“Jasmina.” Dust said softly, not moving. “I have been right here, trying to get my temper under control. What happened?” He was not prepared for her to shout.

 

“Don’t lie to me, Dust!” Jasmina said with dreadful force. “This is not a joking matter! The Council has ordered her euthanized.” Dust went still at that. It was Iriana who shouted.

 

“What?” The healer actually screamed. “Those ignorant little quacks…” She started for Jasmina, but stopped when Aeron put a hand up in front of her. “I am going to have words with some people…”

 

“We need to find out what was done to her brain, healer.” Two said sadly. “That cannot be done humanely while she…”

 

“You can say it!” Iriana screamed at Two, who recoiled. “You cannot dissect her while she is alive! While she is aware! While she is still a living, breathing human with a disability!” She was shaking with fury. “You…”

 

“Healer…” Dust said softly, but there was something in his words. Something…dangerous. “Not. Yet.”

 

“Where is she, Dust?” Jasmina demanded again.

 

“I have been right here, Jasmina.” Dust said quietly. But that quiet was…wrong. Off. “Ask Aeron.” Two looked at the Loki who nodded.

 

“He came right here, sat down and started calming himself. He has been here ever since he left the secure holding area.” Aeron said with a sigh. “You have been played.” Iriana stared at him, then her face went from red to white in an instant.

 

“Oh no…” Two breathed.

 

“Find Redi.” Dust said, his tone dead. “And I bet you find your lost victim.”

 

“She is…” Jasmina started, then trailed off as Dust rose in a single sinuous movement to stand with Iriana. Aeron moved to stand with them.

 

“Have you forgotten, Jasmina?” Dust asked softly, sadly. “Have you forgotten our primary function? Have you become so inured to death and destruction that you have forgotten what it is we serve? What we strive for? Who we protect?” He asked. No one spoke and he shook his head. “Who do we protect?” He demanded, his voice taut with grief and rage.

 

“Humans…” Jasmina said bowing her head. “I… I had forgotten.” She shook herself and spoke evenly. “I have been fooled, we all were. Redi?”

 

“Probably.” Dust said with a snarl. “Find him and maybe we can find the girl.” He bowed his head. “Pray we are in time.”

 

“He wouldn’t…” Iriana said, stumbling a bit. Aeron caught her and held her until she regained her balance.

 

“You forget.” Dust said, his tone dead. “He lied about my dreams. The dreams I had after shooting you in the back, Jasmina. He said they were paranoid delusions that required seclusion. He probably planned me never to come out of there, or to be insane when they did release me. After all, who can survive two hundred years of solitary confinement?”

 

“You did. Dust…” Jasmina held out her hand to the Ash. “I am sorry. I just… You were very upset.”

 

“Jasmina, you have seen me very upset once in my life.” Dust said, taking her hand and holding it before releasing it. “Pray you never do again. I was emotional, yes. That girl tugs on the heartstrings of all of us. I was upset. When ambushed by the one I am sworn to kill, and that girl under my protection vanished? Yes, I was very upset.” He turned to Aeron. “If I howl like that again, Aeron. Shoot me. And make it clean. You won’t get a second shot.” Aeron nodded.

 

“Dust…” Two and Jasmina both recoiled at that.

 

“You have no idea how close you came to meeting my Bladestorm, Jasmina.” Dust said softly. “Which is why he left with no further argument, I think.” All the Tenno winced at that. “He wants me insane, because I am the last witness to what he did. If the enemy don’t kill me, then kin will. I am as much animal as Tenno, now. I focus it on our enemies, but…” he shrugged. “We need to find him.”

 

“An alert went out.” Jasmina said after a moment. “His ship is still here, so he hasn’t left. Where could he take her that he wouldn’t be…?” She trailed off as Dust winced. “No…” She breathed, horrified.

 

“There are labs…down there…” Dust said, swallowing hard. “I… I know where they are. They… Before I went to solitary… they were… I… I can show…” He shook himself, aghast at his inability to form a coherent sentence.

 

“No!” Jasmina snapped. “Dust, you are too close to the edge. Let us search. Please…” She begged him. “We need you. If… If Brownie is alive, she will need you.” Dust stared at her, but… She was right.

 

“Go.” Dust said, sinking back to seiza.

 

Jasmina, Two and Aeron all vanished at warframe speeds, the guards following. Iriana knelt beside Dust, her hand finding his arm. He slumped in place and tasted salt. Then, somehow, his helmet was open, he was crying and she was holding him despite his warframe.

 

“I thought I was past this.” Dust said after a moment. “I really did.”

 

“It’s part of you.” Iriana said softly. “Part of what makes you who you are. A horrible part, but part. If… If we did excise the memories, you would still have the feelings.” He laid a gentle arm around her and offered support as she started to cry. “That girl… I…”

 

“We cannot save everyone, Healer.” Dust said sadly. “No matter how hard we try. To… To try… That way lies true madness.”

 

“She was innocent. She was starting to trust.” Iriana said softly.

 

“Part was an act, Healer.” Dust said with a sigh. “She was going to try to escape again. She is not stupid, she is just… not all there.” He jerked as his helmet come chimed. “Yes?”

 

“We need you and Iriana in Medical.” Jasmina said in a soft, worried tone. “We found her. She is alive, but… hurt.”

 

“On our way.” Dust said, rising and helping Iriana to rise. They moved out together, neither looking back.

[Spikey844]

Redi... That bastard.

[buuli]

Such powerful writing. I almost wanted to throw my nokia to the wall! Thank you Kal, yet again.

[UnworthySeraph]

Redi... That bastard.

Why is he an Oberon anyway?

Such powerful writing. I almost wanted to throw my nokia to the wall! Thank you Kal, yet again.

Powerful writing indeed. I found myself snarling along with them as I read it.

[Kalenath]

Ignorance

 

Dust managed to maintain his composure when they arrived in Medical. Iriana let out a gasp, but then her mien became professional as Aeron met them and guided them to where Brownie lay on her side on an exam table, surrounded by Medical personnel. The docs moved to block the table, but both Dust and Iriana had seen.

 

“Tell me you caught him.” Iriana grated out with a savagery totally unlike the kind and generous healer.

 

“Two is tracking him through the ducts. She is… angry. She found the poor girl in the first medical ward we went into.” Jasmina said with a snarl that Brownie herself wouldn’t have been able to better. “The colony is locked down. He isn’t getting out of this. If it takes us years, we will ferret him out of his ratholes.” Her quiet voice was a feral promise.

 

Dust barely heard them as he made his slow way to the table. Everyone made way for him. Even Jasmina stepped aside as he came close, his hand slowly moving down to touch the still human woman’s cheek. He was careful to avoid her scalp. What was left of it. Her hair had been shorn off and… Her skull lay open in three places, covered in clear bio plastic, but it was easy to see the deep indentions that had been made into her brain matter. He bowed his head slowly.

 

“How bad?” Someone asked in Dust’s voice. That couldn’t be his voice. It couldn’t. No one could be that calm, looking at the tubes that been run into the woman’s mouth and…other places. Iriana stepped forward and the other medics melted from her path as well. She perused the readouts for a moment and then sighed.

 

“The…sampling didn’t touch the portions of her brain that handle life support.” Iriana said, rage surging and receding in her tone. “She is comatose. An induced coma. There are no nerve endings inside the brain, so… If we heal the damage quickly, she won’t have any pain when she wakes.”

 

“Healer.” One of the doctors said softly. “Our orders are to…”

 

“You touch her and one of these Warriors will kill you. I won’t stop them.” Iriana said just as quietly, but suddenly the room was silent. “What are we?” Iriana asked, tears starting to fall. “What are we? If we can hurt an innocent such as this poor woman… because we can? Are we no better than the Corpus?” She demanded. “This is the kind of thing they would do! Taking what is wanted with no worry about the cost to others.” She said, slumping and stepping back. “Are we Tenno or Corpus?” She asked through her tears.

 

“We need to…” The doc took a step forward, but froze as Dust interposed himself between the doctor and Iriana, and thus between the doctor and the table. The Ash did not draw any of his weapons, did not make any threatening moves, but the doctor slowly retreated. Aeron moved to stand beside him and Jasmina as well. None of them went for weapons, but the thought was obvious. The only way to the hurt woman was through the warframe clad Warriors. Something no one sane wanted to try.

 

“This is our responsibility.” Jasmina said softly. “The Warriors are responsible for bringing this poor woman here. If you want to kill her, you have to go through us first.”

 

“She is suffering!” The doctor said with a snap. “Isn’t it merciful to end that?”

 

“She wasn’t.” Dust countered. “Not until she was taken and put into a cage. Then abducted and experimented on.” His voice did not change inflection, did not make any moves at all, but every medical person took a step back from him. “Iriana?” He asked.

“She is… stable.” Iriana said softly. “The tubes are… maintenance. Feeding, air, water, waste.” Her glare swept the room again. “She wasn’t intended to move from wherever you found her, Jasmina.”

 

“We found her in a surgical suite in the lower levels, the ones that were sealed off after Serene’s… escapades.” Jasmina snorted, a sound that held little amusement. “Place hadn’t been cleaned in a while. Only clean spot was the table we found her on.”

 

“We need to get her out of here.” Iriana said softly. “Somewhere safe.”

 

“Look, we have our orders…” The doctor started again, but was interrupted.

 

“Get in there!” An irate female voice sounded and a battered Oberon warframe flew into the room. Literally flew. He hit the ground with a crash and stayed down. Wise of him as all three other warframes had drawn weapons when Redi had appeared. A Banshee followed him in. A furious Banshee. “Show everyone how tough and strong you are, you filthy piece of crap!” Two did not scream. The sheer force of her voice was worse than any scream. She had a weapon in hand, her Paris was drawn and an arrow nocked. “You are not torturing a human now! Please! Please show me how tough you are!” She demanded, her bow steady at full extension. The Oberon didn’t move. Wise of him. If he did, he would die.

 

“Two?” Jasmina asked, the muzzle of her Soma not moving from it’s target. “Where did you find him?” Her tone was mild. Kind of. The same way a cobra’s hiss was mild.

 

“He was trying to get to a ship.” Two said with a sour snort of amusement. “I am afraid his sample case took a Kunai.” The regret in her words was mocking.

 

“Those samples were…” Redi started, then screamed as Two let fly. The arrow transfixed the Oberon’s arm, pinning it to the floor. Before his scream had finished echoing, she had another arrow ready. “I can explain!” He screamed again as Two kicked him on arm where the arrow protruded.

 

“Whatever he has to say will be a lie.” Dust said into the sudden silence that fell when Redi stopped screaming. “A half-truth, an evasion or a lie. It is what he does. We need to get Brownie somewhere safe.”

 

“I can…” Redi started to say and Two kicked him, hard enough that his warframe groaned at the impact.

 

“Shut. Up.” Two commanded.

 

“Right.” Jasmina said with a nod. “Aeron?”

 

“Transport is available.” The sniper said coldly, focused on the Oberon. The Snipetron should have seemed unwieldy at close quarters. There was no sign of it in Aeron’s stance. “What about him?”

 

“Dust?” Jasmina asked after a moment. “Your call.” The Oberon made a soft noise of fear, but Dust wasn’t looking at him.

 

“My call?” Dust asked, looking at Jasmina. “No. Not mine. Disable him so he cannot follow. Leave him. He hasn’t touched me.” Now the Ash’s gaze fell to the stricken Oberon and his voice turned vicious. “Unfortunately, he is not that stupid. He knew I would refuse his touch. He knows I do not want to kill kin. Even him. He knows all of my old weaknesses.” He turned his back on the Oberon and nodded to Iriana. “Can we move her?”

 

“Yes.” Iriana said with a sigh. “It’s all self-contained. I will get a blanket. I am coming.” One of the nurses, the one whose suit Brownie had torn Dust noticed, opened a locker and pulled a blanket out to give to Iriana. The nurse’s eyes were glistening as she stepped back.

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jasmina said with a nod. She sighed as Redi tried to pull the arrow out of his arm. “Two? Disable this scum.”

 

“Gladly.” Two said as she aimed. Redi barely had time to scream as she shot one, two more arrows. Both went through his warframe, pinning his thighs to the ground. He wouldn’t die, not with the innate regeneration of his warframe. But he was not moving any time soon. “And just so all you medics know…” Two said in a far more normal tone that she had since she had arrived. “My arrows will remain until we are away and I have telltales set, so don’t even try to help him until we are gone.”

 

“What are you doing?” An authoritative voice demanded. All eyes turned to the door that Redi and flown through and the robed form that entered through it more sedately than the Oberon had. The bearded Tenno Elder blanched at the scene. Four guards followed the elder, but all had their weapons holstered. Wise of them. “What is going on here?”

 

“Did you vote to euthanize this poor woman, Elder Mavri?” Iriana asked, hurt and betrayal in her voice as she carefully wrapped the blanket around the still form on the table. “This hurt human woman?”

 

“The report said she was suffering.” The Tenno Elder said slowly, not moving at all. None of the weapons drawn in the room were aimed at him, but several were ready. “It seemed the merciful thing to do. What has…? What happened? I heard of a security alert, then nothing except weapons drawn here.”

 

“This one…” Jasmina kicked the shaking Oberon on the floor, eliciting a small cry as he fell over and the arrows twisted in his flesh. “…tortured the woman that our colleague Dust brought in.” Elder Mavri gasped, staring at the still form and then at the Oberon. “He hurt her. Perhaps we cannot save her. But that does not mean we shouldn’t try. Our first duty, Elder…” Jasmina bowed her head. “As Dust reminded me… is to protect the remnants of humanity. We failed her and she has paid the price for our failure. We will not fail her again.” Dust, Aeron, Two and Iriana all nodded with Jasmina’s words.

 

“What did he do?” Mavri asked, stunned.

 

“He took bits of her brain matter out.” Iriana said with a growl. “I can only guess why. As Dust says, we cannot trust anything he says.”

 

“Elder!” Redi screamed. “I thought…” He squealed a horrible sound of pain as Two stepped on the spot where his legs met his torso and dug in her heel. All of the males in the room except Dust and Aeron winced at that.

 

“I don’t care what he thought.” Jasmina said as the stricken Oberon’s squeals tapered off. “He had no right to do that. Sequester her, yes. Maybe euthanize her if all of the Elders and all of the healers agreed. Iriana was not consulted by the way. But… Experiment on her? He kidnapped her, put her in a coma. Did this.”

 

“Is that true?”Mavri asked Iriana, his face going white. “I was… told you agreed.”

 

“I might have, eventually, Elder.” Iriana said with a sigh. “This poor woman has suffered enough. But… I was not consulted. Indeed, I was barred from assisting. I was told that I was… compromised.” She made the last word an epithet.

 

“Compromised…” Mavri said with a wince. Then he cursed as well, a vile curse more suited to a dockhand than a Tenno Elder. Then… he bowed to Jasmina. “You will ward and tend her?” Jasmina nodded gravely. “You have my blessing to go then. Not that you need it, but let’s not have Karl’s people…ah… forcibly extract anyone today.” He glanced at Aeron who nodded.

 

“We are keeping it low key.” Aeron said with a nod as Iriana finished wrapping the sleeping woman. “Want me to…?” He trailed off as Dust picked up the still form and moved to the door. “Never mind.” He said with a snort as Jasmina and Iriana moved with him to follow. Two remained for a moment.

 

“Elder…” Two sounded sad and sick. “That woman is hurt. By whatever was done to her before and by one of ours now.” The Elder nodded and the gaze he leveled on the slumped Oberon was fulminating. “What have we come to, Elder Mavri?” Two begged. “Using a human as a lab rat. I thought we were better than this.”

 

“So did I.” Mavri said, then turned on his heel and waved for Two to come with him. “So did I, Two.” They both ignored the sick sounds of pain coming from behind them. “I will investigate, you have my word.”

 

“I trust you, Elder Mavri.” Two said sadly. “I saw her… like that and I… I never wanted kin dead before, Elder. I understand Dust’s feeling now. There was no malice. No… emotion at all in what was done. It was meticulously planned and clinically executed to draw suspicion away until he could do what he did to her. It was… planned.” Mavri tensed and Two nodded. “We have to be better than that.” She begged. “We have to.”

 

“I will find out what happened, Two.” Mavri promised. “And when I do, Karl will be the first to know.”

 

“It’s something to do with Dust.” Two said in an undertone, glancing to where Dust strode with his burden. “What happened to Dust. I would bet on it. Redi expected Dust to find and attack him. Not me. He was…surprised to see me.”

 

“How badly did you hurt him?” Mavri asked with a grunt.

 

“Arrows in the arm and both thighs.” Two said with a nod. “Before? I bounced him off a few walls with Sonic Booms after I disabled his weapons with Kunai.” Mavri looked at her sidelong and she shrugged. “Not hard to do if you strike from ambush and keep him knocked down. I was…irritated.”

 

“Maybe not hard for you.” Mavri said, a small amount of humor surfacing. “I will find out what I can. I swear it, Tenno Two. As Jasmina says, we are supposed to protect humans, not experiment on them.”

 

“I don’t think he saw her as human, Elder.” Iriana said with a sigh. “Some of the other medics were… remarkably…” She trailed off as the Elder looked at her.

 

“What, Healer?” Elder Mavri asked quietly. “Some of the other medics were… what?”

 

“Contemptuous of her.” Iriana said with a wince. “I heard a couple say she was stupid, another said she was brain dead. Useless. One… made a comment asking if any humans were not brain dead.” Mavri winced at that and Iriana nodded. “I… it seemed like idle talk, but… I don’t know.”

 

“Most of the med staff are good people as you well know, Healer.” Iriana nodded to Mavri’s words. “But we do share number of traits with humans. Unfortunately, bigotry seems to be one of them.”

 

“She is different.” Iriana said with a snarl. “Not sick. Not broken. Not brain dead. Different. She was… She was opening up a bit. I am betting that is done.”

 

“Can you… make her forget?” Mavri asked. Iriana glanced at him and he flushed. “It is a valid question.”

 

“On a normal human?” Iriana said with a grimace. “Probably. On her? Even before that scum messed up her brain? I wouldn’t know where to start. We will be running a lot of scans. If… If it will help her, I will consider it. We owe her any ease we can give her.”

 

“Healer.” Mavri asked slowly. “If it was imposed... Who did it?” Iriana did not want to answer him. “Healer?” He pressed.

 

“We don’t have enough information, Elder.” Iriana said with a shrug. “But our techniques could do it.” Mavri and Two both stiffened. “We will be looking for traces. Corpus could, but their ways are cruder, we would have seen traces even on the basic scans. If the Infested can… we have massive problems.”

 

“Agreed.” Mavri said with a sigh. “Keep me informed. Just me.” He said with a snap. “I will be cleaning house and…talking to Redi.”

 

“One thing, Elder.” Two said as the others neared the portal that led to the landing bay. “Iriana, I’ll be right along.” Iriana nodded and hurried her steps. Elder Mavri looked at Two who nodded. “When I caught him, Redi said something about Tenno being a ‘Master Race’.” Mavri stilled and Two nodded. “I am not sure exactly what he meant by that. I have records of what he said. I… um…” She shrugged. “I was… rather angry.”

 

“What –exactly- did he say, Two?” Mavri asked, worried. Two paused and pulled up her video files.

 

“He said ‘You will not stand in the way of the Master Race’, Elder.” Two said with a gulp. “Then, ‘The Tenno will find their true calling.’” She shook her head. “That makes me very nervous, not sure why.”

 

“You may not remember. It is ancient history that should have stayed buried.” Mavri said with a stony look. “I do. We will not let it happen again.” He keyed his com, ordering Redi’s arrest, confinement and the removal of the Tenno’s warframe. The cavalcade of warriors had arrived at a ship now and Aeron entered, the others paused as they waited for him to get things ready. Mavri nodded to the others. “Tenno Jasmina, Tenno Dust… You heard?”

 

“Please tell me that is not what it sounds like.” Jasmina said softly. “I studied Earth history. It was…my passion.”

 

“I hope not.” Mavri said sadly. “But where there is bigotry, there is ignorance and the low minded can flourish. All it would take is one charismatic leader to…repeat past mistakes.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Iriana asked, confused and worried.

 

“Let’s just say that there are portions of human history that should never be revisited.” Mavri said with a sigh. Jasmina nodded in emphatic agreement. “I will run a full investigation and I will keep Karl and you in the loop, Jasmina.”

 

“I will be running my own.” Jasmina said with a sigh. “I hope it is just madness speaking. But we cannot count on that.”

 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Dust said, shaking his head. “I don’t…remember if I knew. But the Tenno known as Redi lies as easily as breathing. Be very careful, Elder Mavri.”

 

“I will.” Mavri said with a nod. “Take care of her.”

 

“I will.” Dust promised as Aeron reappeared and led the way into the ship. Iriana followed close as Aeron guided Dust to an alcove that had been reset for a sleeping human. Dust laid Brownie down and Iriana bustled close to help as they secured her for flight. “How long will she sleep?”

 

“Until we wake her or her body fails.” Iriana said sadly, gently rubbing the sleeping human woman’s forehead. “We need to get her wounds healed before we wake her.”

 

“Amelia is apprised, Healer.” Aeron said with a nod. Jasmina and Two entered the ship and a rumble sounded as it powered up. “Let’s go.” He said as they all found secured positions. Iriana had a seat, the warframes moved to alcoves where they could be secured for transit.  

 

“Do I want to know?” Iriana asked. “Master Race?”

 

“No.” Jasmina said flatly “You don’t.”