To Be The Darkness

[Kalenath]

Darkness

 

I am the darkness.

 

She slid through the depths of the Corpus starship. There were security mechs in plenty all around the area. None took notice of the odd shadow as they passed it. It didn't conform to any of their threat recognition parameters, so they ignored it. There were guards everywhere, distinctive in their boxy helmets. None saw her. Fortunately for them. The female shadow wore oddly shaped black armor, but moved fluidly and soundlessly in it. The wide fluted helmet and the distinctive shoulder pauldron proclaimed what she was. She was a Tenno. One of the ghosts of the solar system, one of the warrior spies and assassins who fought the Grinneer and Corpus anywhere and everywhere they found them. Like the ancient shinobi of Earth, they disdained open warfare for the most part, striking from ambush to vanish as quickly as they appeared. She moved through the ship, her senses stretched out, as taut as the string of her bow. She could hear the enemy long before she could see them and she barely needed the image that her warframe's on board computer projected on her heads up display.

 

Finally she paused. The guards had moved off, but there was an open area ahead. Across the way, she saw her destination. A set of archways that led to a staircase. She had never been on this particular space craft, but Corpus ships were generally similar. Some of her kin joked that the Corpus and Grinner had the same interior designer. She wondered for half a moment if the enemy even noticed the similarities. And if so, what they made of them. Then she focused again and started across the open area.

 

For most of the way, there was nothing. She had a bad moment as a security mech came around a corner and paused, but her sentinel had detected it first and the Shade cloaked her before the mech could register her as a threat. She moved out of its line of sight and drew an arrow with the speed and silence of long, unrelenting practice. She nocked it and drew back her bowstring, ready. But then the sound of metal footsteps sounded and the mech moved off. She let out the breath she had been holding and moved.

 

I am the night.

 

Stealth wasn't about being invisible, although it helped on occasion. Even a Loki warframe's Invisibility power had it's drawbacks. For one thing, it used a lot of juice from the warframe's systems. For another, it had very limited duration unless one used precious space in the warfame to upgrade it. It also did nothing to hide the sound of the user running. Tenno were trained to run quietly, but there were limits. Invisibility was useful, she had to admit that. But for her, stealth was more about timing than actually being invisible. The sensors that most enemies had were incredibly sensitive. One whiff of her presence and generally everyone would know where she was and what she was doing. At least these were not Infested she was facing, They had a group mind of some kind. When one died, all knew what had happened and generally where. Trying to stealth past them was a nightmare. She had done it on occasion, but most Tenno didn't bother. She came to the foot of the stair she had seen and paused. There was a guard patrolling in front of her. He wasn't very alert, that was obvious from his posture. But if he saw her...

 

She made a snap decision as  the guard turned away. She checked her HUD display of enemy positions and bit back a curse. There were more enemies up top. She had to take guard out fast and silently. She slung her bow and readied her melee weapon as the guard made his circuit and turned back towards her. He stepped closer and closer, then turned to continue his patrol. Before he could, she struck. She danced forward, her feet soundless on the metal deck as her preferred weapon sang through the air. The guard heard something. He started to turn but she was on him.

 

I am Death

 

"Wha-?" He had time to say but nothing else as the curved blade on the end of her staff stabbed deep into his back. It was harder to hide with a long weapon that if she carried a dagger or two, but it was worth it on occasion. His armor might have turned a lesser weapon but not hers. He convulsed, his spine and heart severed by the fantastically sharp blade. Then he collapsed. She caught him as he fell and eased his cooling corpse into the shadows. The body vanished as the energy it contained was absorbed by her warframe to help power it's systems. She was still, listening carefully for any sound of alarm. There was nothing.

 

She nodded as she started up the stairs. The holographic icons of the guards at the top hadn't moved. They were still unaware of her presence. Too late for them now. She slung her naginata and readied her bow. An arrow was quickly nocked and another was in hand. She took a deep breath and peered out of the stairway to see the guards. Both were looking away from her. She had maybe seconds. She didn't hesitate. She didn't need more. She drew and released in one fast motion, the second arrow nocked and drawing before the first had hit it's target. Luck was with her. The first target folded in on himself without a sound, dead before he hit the floor. The second guard didn't even realize his ally had died before a long metal rod tipped with glowing energy ended whatever thoughts he had been perusing when he should have been on watch. She nodded as both started to disintegrate. Her arrows were performing as designed, removing the evidence of her stealthy kills. The bodies would have been a huge sign advertising her presence as much as the arrows would have been. So her arrows disintegrated after a  few seconds taking the bodies of her victims with them. But she didn't have a lot of time now. Sooner or later -probably sooner- someone would wonder why three guards were not reporting in. They would either investigate or sound an alarm. Either would be bad for her. Her target was close.

 

She ghosted to the next door, naginata ready in hand as it hissed open at her approach. Her scanner was unclear, so she wasn't sure how many were in the room with her target. At least one other. She took a  deep breath, steeling herself, and then cast Silence. The power would keep any enemies in the surrounding areas from hearing the clash or weapons and screams. Before the power had finished settling around her, she was running for the door, hyperaware of everything in the odd soundlessness that accompanied the power.

 

The door sensed her approach and she was inside the small control room. The bank of computers in the middle of it obscured who was behind it. But the two Corpus crewmen who stood at the computer terminals had their backs to her. One was starting to turn as she closed, obviously wondering why the door had opened.

 

Before he could finish his turn, she spun her naginata and the blade licked out, quick as thought. The strike wasn't clean, but it sufficed. The blade cut deep into the man's side, arching up through the abdomen to cleave vital organs. He was dead, but it would take a while to happen. He was out of the fight though as his guts fell out of the rent in his armor. The crewman went down, obviously screaming soundlessly in the field that still surrounded her. The other one hadn't noticed anything. The Corpus troop was absorbed in his or her work and she dispatched that one with a quick slash to the neck that severed the spine. Then she moved to the side of the control panel. A tingle told her that the silence field was down and she could hear whimpers as the first crewman she had struck bled out. A startled voice sounded.

 

"What is going on?" The voice was female. The banshee straightened herself and strode around the control panel to see a young looking female human in Corpus attire standing there. Her helmet was open, showing close cropped blonde hair and piercing green eyes. She was pretty. Not beautiful, but pretty, if you discounted the coldness in her eyes. She was also obviously confused. She saw the banshee and went stiff. "No..." She begged, recoiling from the black armored form.

 

"Doctor. You will come with me." The banshee said quietly, speaking for the first time since she had arrived. She made sure her jammer was on first though. She didn't want any Corpus eavesdroppers.

 

"Tenno... I..." The woman shook her head violently. "Help!" She screamed, reaching for the laser pistol at her hip. The banshee reached out and slapped the woman's hand away, confiscating the pistol before the woman could get it all the way out. The banshee tossed the pistol far away, her cold gaze never leaving the human's face."Don't hurt me..." The woman begged.

 

"How many of your victims have begged you not to hurt them?" The banshee asked coldly as she released one hand from the haft of her weapon and raised it.

 

"No..." The woman cringed away, then spun and tried to run. Silly that. She had nowhere to run to. "No!" She screamed again as the Banshee neatly tripped her with the butt end of the naginata. She went down in a heap and rolled onto her back, staring at the now glowing palm of the banshee's gauntlet. "No! Please!" She begged. "Don't..." Her pleas tapered off into a long drawn out scream of agony as she was slowly turned into electronic particles to be stored in the warframe's  secondary buffer until she could be released to interrogation. Of course, seeing as how the doctor was a Corpus specialist in interrogation... Oh well. Not her problem. The banshee nodded to herself. Mission accomplished. Now the hard part. Getting in was usually easier than getting out. Case in point...

 

"Doctor?" A loud Corpus voice called from nearby. The banshee looked around, but saw no one. A hidden speak. Time to leave. "Doctor Priosa?" The voice queried again. "We lost your vital signs downlink. Doctor, are you there?" The banshee made for the door and paused as an alarm started to wail.

 

Crap... The banshee sighed. The circle is never going to let me hear the end of this...But.. ok... Loud it is...

 

The sound of metal feet on decks came from the stairs she had used. Loud voices sounded as well as organic guards started to converge. She saw an avalanche of red dots appear on her HUD and waited. The first set of guards actually ran right by her, crouched as she was. But the mech that followed them was not fooled by her warframe's on board ECM and stopped sort, it's boxy weapon head turning to look at her. Before it could do more than look, she laid both hands on the floor and pushed.

 

It always amazed and humbled her how powerful sound could actually be. People took sound for granted but... Audible sounds were one thing. The power that she pulsed into the deckplates was sound but it acted like something totally different. It moved like water. The waves of coherent sound traveled along the metal floor until they encountered something of less resistance to the wavelengths. In this case, the legs of Corpus troops and mechs. In less than a second, the sound had reached critical mass and each and every enemy in the area was convulsing as their insides were pummeled by sound that would have cut through steel. It was her most powerful ability. She had less than perfect control over it though and was careful not to carve holes in the floor. It was wasteful and she had done that more than once.

 

"Tenno!" One of the guards had time to scream before he fell dead. Then there was silence as enemies fell where they had been frozen. Robotic or organic, all had vital pieces that were very vulnerable to sound weapons. Every red dot on her HUD had winked out and she smiled under her helmet as she drew her bow and started off. The alarms changed in number as the entire ship was alerted. The banshee sighed again.

 

They are never going to let me hear the end of this...

 

Her clan -Takeshi Circle- was small and very tightly knit. They relied on stealth and secrecy more than brute force like some other clans she had dealt with. They were also inveterate pranksters and jokers, since war was a very dirty business, they had to find ways to keep themselves sane. She gave as good as she got. But, in the end, Tenno were what they were. Weapons. Stealthy or no, they were still weapons. As the Corpus reinforcements who were now appearing on her HUD were going to find out.

 

I am death and I am coming for you...

 

She walked out of cover and drew her Paris to full extension, releasing even before the Corpus crewman was completely visible. She drew and fired as she walked, unhurried, towards the hatch and her ship. The crewman barely had time to scream as a half meter of razor tipped metal impaled him to the wall where he hung feebly twitching. The next suffered the same fate. Then the next, and the next...

 

This is going to be a long walk... The Banshee who called herself Serene said to herself as she walked and killed another Corpus. But it's not like I have anything better to do.

[PseudoExis]

I must say.... this was quite good.

Keep up the good work.

Edited May 8, 2013 by PseudoExis

[nzzero]

I had a good laugh at this.

 

Good job, +1

[Avarcaness]

Banshee's don't have perfect stealth. Good writing though.

[Kalenath]

Banshee's don't have perfect stealth. Good writing though.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

She is good. Not perfect, but good. And I HAVE played through a few missions on my Banshee without raising any alarms so it can be done. Is it EASY? No. But fun to accomplish. Hope to have a video of one sometime. She has the Enemy Radar artifact equipped btw. I have done it on a Rhino. But that was INSANELY hard to pull of.

 

FYI-

 

Her Shade hid her from the MOA until she could break Line of Sight..

 

First kill, she was out of his line of sight. I may edit that to make it more clear. She attacked just as he turned his back. Second and third kills she got with the Paris. I have done it. Again, not easy, but feasible. Third and fourth kills she had silence on, and hit a charged attack with a weapon that isn't in game yet. We can HOPE for a naginata/spear type weapon at some point. Fourth kill was a classic backstab.

 

Then her stealth was compromised. And as she said, she went loud. Literally :P

Edited May 8, 2013 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

Visions

 

It was getting beyond tiresome. Was there no end to these Corpus scum? They used brainwashing to indoctrinate their recruits, not cloning like the Grinneer did to reproduce, but still... Serene sighed and sent yet another arrow to end another Corpus life. He fell and she checked her quiver. She had started the battle with a full load of 72 arrows. Now she had twenty and was...

 

She spun, her naginata in hand as she looked for the close movement that had drawn her attention. There had been something there! But a slow scan of the area showed nothing. No sound, no movement. Nothing. What the-? Was she jumping at shadows now? She had been ambushed a bunch of times in her career and had learned early on to listen to the small inner voice when it started screaming 'Danger' at her.  She had been bushwhacked once by the mysterious almost Tenno called Stalker and had only been saved from death by her companions. But... There was nothing there.

 

Was her passenger affecting her somehow? It shouldn't have been possible, but she checked anyway. The Corpus doctor slept in her electronic prison. The human's brain activity showed she was dreaming, but nothing more. But Serene could not shake the feeling she was under observation.

 

This is...weird... Serene thought with a shiver as she slung her naginata again. I guess I need some down time. I'll ask for some R&R when I get back. Last thing HQ wants is to have another one of us going buggy.

 

Just the thought of a Tenno going insane gave her the chills. It happened. Tenno were, at the basic level, still human. They had human emotions and human failings.  She knew of two Tenno who had taken their own lives for various reasons. Another had gone quietly insane and the docs had been forced to confine him to keep him from harming himself or others as the voices in his head commanded his to. Serene snorted at that thought. She heard voices in her head too on occasion, but the Lotus was real and Stalker had been a bit too real.

 

There it was again! A shadow, just at the edge of her perceptions. She spun in place, slowly, carefully. Her hand gripped her weapon, but did not draw it. She waited, but nothing happened. She checked her sensors. Nothing. She shook herself.

 

Jumping at shadows. I know the clan won't ever let me forget this...

 

She paused. The clan. Could this be a prank? Some of her battle kin were a bit...off at times. But no. Not in the middle of a battle. Which she still was, even though no new Corpus had shown up. The clan would and did tolerate a lot, but not endangering each other. Could this be some new Corpus weapon? She had no idea. They had a lot of tech that no one else did. The idiots were even trying to reverse engineer Orokin technology for their own use. They had managed to get a new MOA unit out and send it into battle. The Fusion MOAs had been a bit of a shock, but the Tenno had regrouped and slaughtered almost all of the Corpus forces that had laid siege to Europa. The battles hadn't been all one sided and Serene and her clan had mourned more than one fallen brother before it was over. But the Corpus had retreated, their mechanical tails between their legs.

 

Serene shook her head. She had to exfiltrate. Time to think when she was clear, once her passenger was safely on her way to the remainder of her life. The Tenno would not be cruel to her, but they also would never let her leave her prison. There were not enough Tenno to guard prisons set up for the subjects they caught, and in the end, why bother? The electronic limbo that they inhabited kept them-

 

There it was again! She shook her head silently. She still couldn't get a good look at whatever was causing it. She snarled and slung her bow. She unholstered her bolto and started off again. She actually snarled in relief as she found more enemies.  Fighting she understood just fine. Phantasms were an complete unknown. Her fire was just as precise as before. The crewmen and MOAs she faced had no chance. They tried anyway, their blue bolts of energy streaking the corridors that she strode through, a dark angel of death. Two or three shots of her highly customized weapon made a mockery of any kind of defense that these Corpus had available. She was...

 

What the hell?

 

She suddenly found herself standing in the midst of a large group of Corpus bodies, with no idea how she had gotten there. They lay as they had fallen, slowly dissipating as residual energy dissolved their still forms. All around her, nothing moved. She checked her warframe's integrity and shuddered. She had taken a lot of damage. Her sentinel was gone. She was completely out of power. And... She inhaled in shock. She was a long ways from where her ship still waited. She recognized the area. This was where she had infiltrated the ship! She had gone the whole length of the ship away from her exit.

 

This is...wrong... Serene bit back a vile curse as she started off again, checking her ammunition levels. She paused as she saw her arrows full again. I restocked? Or looted some resources to make more?

 

Her warframe could take standard ammunition and make arrows from it. It wasn't as efficient as the fabricator on her ship, but it was available. She put her bolto away and took up her bow gain, striding off slowly and carefully. But nothing moved. Indeed, there was no sound. Even the alarm claxons had stopped. Which made no sense at all. As long as there were crewmen alive on the ship, the alarms would...keep- Her thoughts broke off and she blanched under her helmet. Had she killed them all? Had she gone berserk and killed them all? Not many would miss a ship full of Corpus goons, but if she had...

 

As she walked, she saw signs of battle. Bolts from her pistol hung in places. There were three or four of the small armor piercing projectiles in a cluster. She nodded slowly. Whatever had happened, her aim hadn't been affected. She moved slowly and carefully. Without power, she could do little but run if the Corpus showed up in force again. But there was nothing. Even the omnipresent security cameras hung still and silent, a single bolt showing their fates. She had...killed...everything. She was shaking a little as she retracted her steps cautiously. But even the MOA fabricators were dark. The oblong devices were the bane of anyone trying to get in -or out of- a Corpus facility. What had she done? Something had gone very wrong.

 

She paused as she finally heard something. At first it didn't click. The sound didn't fit. It wasn't Corpus, or mechanical, or even the voice of the AI that all starships in the Sol system seemed to have installed. It was downright weird having the same voice on Grinneer, Corpus and Infested ships but this wasn't the automated female warning to use guardrails or anything like that. This was... Someone was crying. Someone... young. It sounded female to Serene's trained ears. She paused and turned slowly in place, seeking the source. It was coming from a vent nearby. She moved to the vent and peered inside. A little human girl was curled up inside the vent, sobbing.  She was maybe ten years old. She wore... What was she wearing? It was odd. Not a dress, more a smock of some kind and it was colored brightly. Her blonde hair was short and... Why was Serene suddenly afraid? This made no sense. The little girl looked up through tear streaked hazel eyes and stared at the Tenno.

 

"Don't hurt me." The little girl begged. Serene shook her head.

 

"I won't." Serene said simply.

 

"You... You killed them all. Everyone..." The girl said, hugging herself tight. "They just... They tried to fight and you killed them. They screamed and fell. They tried to run and you chased them down and killed them all. I saw you do it. You killed them all!" She screamed, recoiling a bit, but relaxing as Serene did not move.

 

"I... what?" Serene asked, dumbfounded. She shook her head in amazement. "Why are the lights off?"

 

"You destroyed the reactor." The girl said sadly. "The ship is doomed. You... You monster! What are you?" She demanded.

 

"I am Tenno, girl." Serene said calmly. "Killing is what I do, but... this is wrong." She couldn't shake the feeling of unease. It wasn't from the girl, whatever it was. She focused on why she was afraid and it... wasn't right. It wasn't the girl who was causing it. It came from inside her own mind. She shut the feeling away to deal with later.

 

"You are a murderer!" The girl declared. "Go away! Leave me alone! Monster!"

 

"With no reactor, the life support on this ship will fail." Serene said slowly. "You will die."

 

"What do you care?" The girl snapped, tears falling again. "Do you want to kill me too?"

 

"No." Serene replied. "I don't want to kill you. I think... I think I have done enough killing today." The girl stared at her and Serene nodded. "You can't stay here." She said gently.

 

"Nowhere to go." The girl said sadly. "Mom was all I had. She is gone. I don't know where. She wasn't where she promised she would be!" The girl started crying again. Serene went stiff. Mom? She had only seen one other female on the ship. The Corpus doctor who still slept in stasis in Serene's warframe.

 

"What is your name, child?" Serene asked gently.

 

"I am not supposed to talk to strangers." The girl said, uncertain. "And you... killed..."

 

"I don't know what happened." Serene said honestly. "But... My name is Serene. You can't stay here." She said quietly, but urgently. "Please, let me help you."

 

"If... if mom comes back and I am not here..." The girl said slowly. "She... She will be upset..."

 

"If you run out of air and die, I think she will be even more upset, don't you?" Serene tried to keep her voice calm, but this girl was getting on her nerves. What was it with humans being silly? A Tenno child would obey orders. Then again, a Tenno child would not be in this position to begin with. Serene focused her mind and then forced herself to relax. She spoke carefully. "Please, child. I want to help. I don't know what happened. I need to find out and you can't stay here."

 

"I have to stay." The girl declared, backing further into the vent. "I have to wait for mom."

 

"I know where your mother is." Serene said quietly. "I can take you to her." All true actually. Serene knew exactly where the girl's mother was.  But... Serene found herself not wanting to put this hurt, crying girl in electronic limbo. She knew it hurt going in and coming out. She slung her bow and held out  a slow hand to the girl. "My name is Serene, what is yours?"

 

"I..." The girl shook her head but sidled closer, obviously ready to bolt if Serene acted aggressively. "Sara. Sara Priosa."

 

"Sara." Serene said with a nod. "Well met. Let's get out of here, shall we?" She made sure to put a smile in her voice. She stood and waited while the girl thought. If she had to grab the girl and haul her out kicking and screaming, she would. But it would be so much easier if the girl came on her own.

 

"You...aren't going to kill me?" Sara asked slowly. Serene shook her head and Sara swallowed heavily. "Are you going to hurt me?"

 

"I would rather not." Serene said gently. "Are you my enemy?" She asked. Sara stared at her and shook her head. "If you are not my enemy, then I don't have to fight you."

 

"You could just grab me." The girl said, obviously confused. "I wouldn't be able to fight you."

 

"I could." Serene agreed. "But why would I? It would be rude." The girl actually cracked a smile at Serene's wry tone of voice. It was a small thing, that smile and very hesitant. But it was a smile.

 

"Where is my mom?" Sara asked as she came out of the vent. Serene moved off A bit to let the girl feel a bit more secure.

 

"Your mom is in a lot of trouble, Sara." Serene said gently. "It may take some time for me to get you to her."

 

"Is someone hurting her?" Sara demanded, her face scared.

 

"Do you know what your mom did?" Serene asked carefully. Sara stared at her and the girl seemed to close up. Serene nodded with a sigh. "You do."

 

"They made me watch! She didn't want to!" Sara cried. "The bad men! They took me! They hurt me! They made her do those awful things to people! They made her cry! It wasn't her fault!"

 

"Sara..." Serene said sadly. "I don't know what is going to happen. What I do know is this. I need to take you off the ship. To do that, you need to be asleep." Little girl on a tiny starship equaled big trouble. Way too many ways for her to cause problems even without meaning to.

 

"Will it hurt?" Sara asked, fear coming back to the fore.

 

"No." Serene said gently. "I can make you sleep without hurting you." Part of every Tenno's kit was an anesthetic gas. It was used for a number of things. In large does it could repair warframes that had been heavily damaged. In small doses, it could be used as a tranquilizer, something very useful for stealth operatives. Serene dialed  her palm dispenser to deliver a dose appropriate to the girl's mass and age. She held out her hand to the girl. " A green mist will come out of my hand. It will make you sleep."

 

"Will I dream?" Sara asked slowly. "I don't like my dreams."

 

"I don't know." Serene said with a shrug. "But if your dreams have any sense whatsoever, they will flee from me." Sara smiled at that and then stepped closer.  Her hand was shaking as she reached out to take Serene's.

 

"You are nice." Sara said softly, unsure. "Are... Is this a trick?"

 

"If it was, I would lie to you." The Tenno replied calmly, not moving. "You wouldn't be able to tell. But... I am not nice, Sara. There are some things even I won't do. Leaving you to suffocate in the dark, alone, is one of those."

 

"What do I do?" Sara asked, obviously steeling herself.

 

"Relax and when the mist surrounds you, take a deep breath." Serene said gently as she activated the first aid systems on her warframe. The girl nodded and the green vapor flowed around her for a second. She shook herself and then took a deep breath. Then she smiled and collapsed. Serene caught her.

 

Poor kid. What the heck am I doing? Serene asked herself sourly. I can't leave her, but I can't take her to her mom either...If that is her mom. There didn't seem to be any resemblance.  Jeez, what a mess... Ah, no matter what, I can't leave her to die. I am cold, but... there are limits. If it is some kind of trap, we will figure it out.

 

She shuddered to think what the Elders would have to say to her about this. But... She shook her head as she hefted the girl easily in one arm, the other drawing her bolto. Time to get the heck out of here.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

Dreams

Serene was falling. She knew that. But she was standing still. She was wearing her warframe, but she when she raised her hands to her face, she could see bare, pale skin. Cloth rippled around her. A dress? She hated dresses! When she had to wear something other than her warframe, she wore robes. She looked at the dress and shuddered. It was a shapeless thing.

 

This is...wrong...I am asleep. I am dreaming.

 

She fought her way back as she had been taught. Years, decades even of unremitting practice and then centuries of warfare had taught her how to use her mind and body was a well honed weapon. She thought back. She had placed the little girl -Sara- in a travel pod. The pod would keep the girl alive no matter what happened to the ship as long as it wasn't totally destroyed or vented to space. It wasn't the most pleasant way to travel, the girl would need a good long bath and a maybe great deal of medical care when she was removed from it. But it beat dying. Serene had made a full report, stating for the record that she believed she had gone berserk.

 

That was bad. Very bad. Tenno who went berserk, well... As living weapons, Tenno were dangerous enough as it was. The thought of someone like, well, Serene herself with no target control had Serene literally quaking in her warframe. Orders had come for her and she had complied. She had deactivated all of her weapons, set the ship to autopilot and then had knelt in the middle of the small cabin to go into rest mode. To go to sleep. But now... She was dreaming. Or was she? This wasn't her usual dreams.

 

Dreams were successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occurred involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. They were pulled from the memory centers of the brain, so... They tended to be things that the person who was dreaming recognized. This was not something she recognized.

 

Ordinarily when she dreamed, Serene could control where she went and how. It took time and discipline, but Tenno had both. Normally, when she realized she was dreaming, she stood on a featureless plain with nothing as far as her eyes could see. Now, she stood on a ship. Corpus by the logos that she could see around her. She stiffened as a voice sounded from nearby.

 

"Where is my daughter, you slimy bastards!" The voice of the Corpus doctor Serene had abducted was slurred, as if she was drugged, or drunk.

 

"You will see her soon enough." A cold male voice replied. It sounded like a Corpus crewman. Serene looked for the speakers, but there was no one visible. "You know what you have to do."

 

"I won't do it!" The doctor screamed. "I won't. It's wrong!"

 

"Do you know how much of your daughter we can amputate and leave her alive?" The male voice said snidely. Suddenly, figures appeared nearby. A Corpus crewman stood with the doctor the Tenno had seen and snatched near a table where a still form lay. "You do." The man said snidely as the woman gasped. "Cooperate doctor and everything will be fine. Disobey and your daughter may have an...accident."

 

"No!" The woman screamed. "Leave Sara alone, you scum!"

 

Wait a sec... Serene paused, dumbfounded. I am not in MY memories...I am in HERS. This is not possible. How the heck?

 

She went still as a new figure appeared nearby. The new crewman carried a still form in his hands. He set the form down in a chair nearby. Sara's head lolled forward as she mumbled in her sleep.  The crewman stepped back without a word, taking a place by the wall as the woman stared at her daughter.

 

"What have you done to her, you bastards?" The woman demanded.

 

"We have shown her the way." The cold male voice that had spoken first came from the one nearest the table. "She is a bit young, so the programming won't take. It hurt her, but all pain is passing as you well know."

 

"Sara!" The woman screamed, running to the chair and grabbing the still form, pulling it up and hugging it tight. "No..." She moaned. "No... Her father hurt her and now you hurt her. Go to hell you bastards! I won't help you!"

 

"I am sorry you feel that way, doctor." The Corpus who seemed to be in charge said sadly. "So be it. Crewman, take the child to phase two." The female human held the girl tight and snarled as the crewman approached. "It won't kill her, doctor. But it will make you more compliant."

 

"You heartless scum!" Doctor Priosa said with a snarl. "I... I can't...I can't do what you want me to. It can't be done."

 

"You don't know that." The Corpus replied coldly. "And you just need some incentive." The crewman pulled a shock prod from his belt and lightly snapped it across the doctor's shoulder blades. She screamed and collapsed, convulsing as the electricity in the prod seared through her nerves. Serene's nerves jolted in sympathy. She had been hit by more of those than she could count, but she had always been armored. To take it unarmored... "There there, doctor...We won't hurt her. She will be our sister." The man said, his voice oozing fake sympathy. "All you have to do is get us the information we need. We don't care if the subject is coherent after."

 

"No!" The woman tried to hold onto the child, but the other crewman grabbed the girl and without even trying, pulled the little one from her desperate grasp. "No!" She begged as the crewman vanished with his burden. "No..."

 

Serene shook her head. This wasn't supposed to be possible. The woman was asleep. How could she be projecting her dreams or memories into Serene? Then she stiffened. The woman on the floor was looking at her!

 

"Help Sara. Please..." The woman begged. "My life I know is forfeit, but Sara is blameless! Please!" She begged.

 

"What have you done?" Serene heard herself ask.

 

"Something horrible." The doctor replied. "I am sorry. I didn't know what they wanted until it was too late. And Sara..."

 

"Is she your daughter?" Serene asked calmly.

 

"In every way that matters, she is. I bore her and I gave birth to her." The doctor said sadly. "Her father disagrees, but he is a jerk. I didn't know he was Corpus. I didn't know." Serene went stiff and the woman nodded.

 

"What have you done?" The Tenno asked coldly. The Lotus had told her to grab teh woman and bring her back, not why or what had caused the human woman to be added to the Tenno's 'acquire' list.

 

"I..." Doctor Priosa seemed to wilt. "I pulled information from the mind of a captive. Information on something called Orokin. I have no idea what that is. But from the descriptions, it was bad."

 

"It is." Serene said quietly. "Sara lives." She said quietly. The woman perked up but then wilted again.

 

"She... she doesn't understand." The doctor said sadly. "They messed with her head. I tried to help her, but they messed with her head. I could protect myself from their mental programming, but not her." Defeat sang through every pore. "Don't... Don't let them win, Serene." Serene went stiff.

 

"How do you know my name?" Serene asked, her voice about as warm as an ice cube.

 

"I didn't know what Tenno were." The woman said as if she hadn't heard Serene's question. "I had no idea the strength of will required. I... I didn't know." She wailed.

 

"How do you know my name?" Serene demanded.

 

"I..." The woman seemed to wilt. "You don't remember? I was worried you wouldn't remember."

 

"Remember what?" Serene demanded. Then she froze as the environment changed. Suddenly she stood in a training dojo. She still wore the flimsy dress, and she was unarmed. Facing her was a figure garbed all in black. The female Tenno bowed to her and Serene bowed back automatically. The other Tenno drew a Skana and Serene paused. What the hell? If this was a duel, it should have been a fair fight. No weapons, so... She froze. The only time one had  weapon and the other did not was... Not a duel. An execution. Her execution.

 

"And you to be my death?" Serene asked calmly, her hands clasped in front of her. The other Tenno bowed again. "May I know my crime?" The black garbed Tenno shook her head and Serene snarled. "I will not submit mindlessly to any, not even kin."

 

"Your fate is ordained." The voice of the other was familiar but...not. She didn't know this woman, did she? "Meet your death with dignity, Tenno."

 

"I have the right to see who will kill me." Serene said calmly. "To know who will bear the shame of killing a kindred." The other female stiffened. Then she took a hand from her sword hilt to raise it to her face. The hood came away, revealing.... Herself. Serene stared at her own face and screamed.

 

***

 

Serene jerked awake to the sound of screaming. But it wasn't her own screams.

 

"Serene! Help me!" Sara cried. Serene looked up and froze. The business end of a Boar shotgun was inches from her face. There was literally no way she could dodge the hail of shot that thing could put out at this range. She still wore her warframe, but it was powered down and she held no weapons.  "Let me go, you monsters!" Sara screamed again, in rage and pain. The sound of struggles was heard.

 

"Don't move, Serene." The Tenno who held the shotgun said easily. He wore a Loki warframe and Serene wasn't sure if she knew him or not. She didn't move. Instead she spoke softly.

 

"Let me speak to her." Serene said calmly as the loud cries intensified. "She is a victim, not a threat, brother."

 

"That remains to be seen." The Loki replied. He did step a little to the side, his shotgun not wavering. She saw where Sara was struggling with a figure who wore a medical envirosuit instead of a warframe. Sara was half in, half out of the travel pod. But another warframe loomed large nearby, a pair of swords in hand. That one was an Ember. The swords were overkill. A thought and the entire compartment would fill with fire. The small stateroom was positively crowded.

 

"Sara." Serene said with force. "Be calm."

 

"Serene!" The waif shouted, hysterical in relief as she tried to keep the medic from holding her in place. "Let me go!" She shouted. She was dirty, looked tired and worn, but alive and aware. And very angry.

 

"Sara." Serene said calmly, but again with quiet force. "Be calm. Your mom wouldn't like you carrying on like that, would she?"

 

"They are pointing guns at you, Serene." Sara protested.

 

"I scared them, Sara." Serene said with a small shrug. "Just like I scared you. Can you blame them?" She asked, a comic lilt to her voice. Sara actually smiled a bit. "My kin can help you, Sara. Be calm." Serene said in a kind voice. She saw the medic pull a hypo from a belt pouch and stiffened as Sara went crazy.

 

"No!" The girl screamed, slamming away from the medic with enough force that even across the small room, Serene heard at least one bone break. Before anyone could move, Serene's shout cut through the growing hubbub like a knife.

 

"Sara!" Serene snapped. Sara froze in place, her face a rictus of rage and terror. The medic tried to inject the girl and she deftly twisted away, a cry of pain sounding as the girl managed somehow to dart from the pod and into the middle of the mess. Everything stopped as she bodily threw herself at Serene who didn't want to move, but caught the girl carefully. "No!" Serene called as the Ember raised her swords and the Loki aimed. "Sara... Please... Calm down..." She begged the girl.

 

"They were going to knock me out again." Sara said as she tried to burrow into Serene's warframe. "Every time someone does that, my brain goes all funny. It hurts! Mom isn't here to make it better!" Everything stopped at the girl's terrified words. Serene slowly laid her arms around the sobbing girl and hugged her gently.

 

"Sara..." The kneeling Tenno said sadly. "We don't want to hurt you. But you hurt yourself, didn't you?" Sara winced as Serene's gentle grip took hold and Serene moved her grip to avoid the arm that Sara was now favoring. "Oh Sara." Serene said sadly. "The Corpus brainwashers used hypos on you, didn't they?" The medic stared at Serene, his face ashen through his suit's clear faceplate. She nodded to him and he swallowed, obviously beyond angry as he put the hypo away.

 

"I hate those things." Sara sobbed into Serene's shoulder. "I hate them. They don't hurt, but that makes it worse. You just go to sleep and you wake up fuzzy with people telling you things in your head, evil things. I don't wanna do evil things!" She screamed.

 

"Sara, you are hurt." Serene said gently. "Not just your arm. In your head." Serene said in a whisper soft voice. "I can't help you. The medics can. Please, Sara." She begged the girl. "They didn't mean to scare you so badly. Come on girl." Serene encouraged her as she nodded to the medic. He nodded and spoke quietly.

 

"Sara, my name is Michael." The medic said in a calm, reasoned voice. "I am sorry. I didn't know your history. You have a right to your fear. But we will not hurt you. Serene said you were hurt by the Corpus. Do you know what they did?"

 

"No." Sara said as she hugged Serene even tighter. "They put things on my head, they played lights in my eyes. They made me feel funny. They made my mind fuzzy. Mom freaked. She did...things to try and help, but then the guy with the hypo came back. Again and again he came and took me." Sara was relaxing a little then she stiffened again. "Then he hurt me while she couldn't do anything. He hurt me to make her cry." Sara said sobbing again.

 

"Sara, we need to find out what they did to you." Michael said calmly. "From what you describe, they were programming you to obey them. We know how they do it, we can undo it. But it will not be quick or pleasant for you."

 

"Serene..." Sara asked. "Is my mom okay?" Serene checked her warframe's systems and the passenger in the interior buffer hadn't been affected by the loss of power to the main suit.

 

"As okay as she can be." Serene replied sadly. "She loves you, Sara. She wouldn't want to see you in pain any more than I do. Sara, please." Serene begged.

 

"What do I do?" Sara asked after a moment.

 

"I used the suit's anesthetic to put her to sleep before." Serene said to the medic who nodded. "She didn't seem to have the same problem." He nodded again and started fiddling with a control panel. "You need to sleep again, Sara. So they can find out what was done to you and fix your arm. Can you do that? For your mom and me?"

 

"Scared." Sara said, hugging Serene tight enough to be felt through the warframe.

 

"So am I, Sara." Serene admitted. Both of the other warframes stared at her and she shrugged. "I am. Both for Sara and of whatever I did."

 

"Still no memory of what happened?" The Loki asked. She noted his shotgun muzzle hadn't moved at all.

 

"No." Serene admitted. "And that bothers me a lot." The medic stepped forward, a hand up and Serene nodded. "Sara... Just like before. Green mist. A deep breath. A nice little snooze. No pain when you wake. Less dirty this time I think." Sara smiled as she looked at the faceplate of Serene's warframe and then nodded jerkily as the mist flowed around her from the medic's hand. Sara took a deep breath and then crumpled in Serene's arms. She held the girl gently, but opened her grip so the medic could take hold. "She broke her left arm. I can't tell how badly it's broken."

 

"Thanks. We will take care of her. And we will be gentle." The medic replied calmly as he took Sara's sleeping form in a gentle grip and carried her from the ship. Serene relaxed as the pair vanished.

 

"Okay." Serene said slowly. "Now what?" She asked the two Tenno who remained.

 

"I never met you, Serene, but that was totally out of character for the woman I have heard about." The Loki said uneasily. She approved of the fact that his aim hadn't ever wavered, despite the raw emotion that had swamped the ship. He was well trained.

 

"You only heard stories. She was never really the ice cold witch people said she was. She has a heart, even if it has been jaded by so long walking in dark places." A familiar voice sounded from the Ember. "Hello Serene." She said with a nod as Serene looked at her. The Ember was Jasmina, a fellow member of Serene's clan. A scarily competent Tenno with a penchant for lighting enemies on fire in job lots. A sister and a friend.

 

"Are you going to knock me out to get me out of my warframe?" Serene asked. Jasmina nodded and Serene bowed her head. "Sara's mom was my target." Both other Tenno nodded. "She doesn't know what I did, just that her mom is our 'guest'. Be gentle getting her out, she may be the only one with answers here. I don't know what was done to me, if anything was. I hope the frame's records will show something. I recorded everything I remember, which isn't much. But I will not be threat to our kin, sister." She bowed her head further until her neck was bared, an age old symbol of submission.

 

"I know. We will find out what happened, sister." Jasmina said gently. "Sleep now, Serene." Something heavy hit the back of her head and she knew no more.

[thatsleepyguy]

Jesus Christ, guy.

[Kalenath]

((It gets worse...))

 

To heal a soul

 

This time, there were no dreams. Serene woke from her impromptu nap lying on something soft. Nothing hurt, but when she tried to move, she couldn't. She couldn't move even a fingertip. She tried to open her eyes and she couldn't. At least when she opened her mouth, it worked.

 

"Aw, come on..." Serene complained. "Isn't this  a bit much?"

 

"For you?" A familiar voice had Serene smiling. Jasmina was just as much of a joker as any other member of the clan. "No. Why are you complaining? You get waited on hand and foot while we have to slave over hot stoves all day, every day..." Serene couldn't help it, she laughed.

 

"And walk to school..." Serene said with a grin.

 

"Uphill both ways..." Jasmina continued the ancient joke.

 

"...in the snow!" They chorused, both women laughing at the joke that now really had no meaning. But it was funny.

 

"Geez, I needed that." Serene said after a moment. She felt something constricting her chest. Indeed, whatever was holding her in place seemed to be everywhere except her face. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it also wasn't something she was going to be able to break. She could hear medical type machinery all around her and various tugs on her anatomy said she had tubes in and monitors attached to her as well. "I know I am a mess, but like I say... Geez..."

 

"Ready for some breakfast?" Jasmina asked, then she giggled a bit as Serene made a face.

 

"If you try to spoon feed me or give me a bottle, I will kick your tail when I get out of this bed." Serene said sternly. "See if I don't." Something touched Serene's arm and she paused. Whatever was over her skin felt slick, but she could feel the touch through it and the touch felt...worried.

 

"Serene..." Suddenly, Jasmina's voice was not humorous at all. It was sad. "It's not when you get out of that bed, it's if you do."

 

"If?" Serene said, suddenly very afraid.

 

"Yes." Jasmina sounded sick now. "The docs have found a number of oddities in your brain. More than usual for you. Much more. Things that were not there on your last checkup. They don't know what to make of them." Serene slumped in her restraints and a gentle touch rubbed her cheek. Jasmina must have removed her own warframe gauntlet so she could physically touch, could offer reassurance. Serene appreciated it. "Oh, Serene, I am sorry." Jasmina sounded almost in tears now.

 

"Not your fault, sister." Serene said quietly. "I don't know what happened either. Oh. Sara? Her mom?"

 

"Sara is... a mess." Jasmina said with a sigh. "She is cooperating, and she is trying to be good. Mostly." A sour chuckle care from the other Tenno and Serene smiled.

 

"She is human and only ten years old, sister." Serene said with a sigh, only to pause as Jasmina made a noise of dismay. "What?"

 

"They asked me to help go over your warframe's records. I saw everything you did. When you found Sara crying in the vent... You never asked her age." Jasmina said slowly. "How do you know that?"

 

"It was a guess, Jasmina!" Serene snapped. "Is she ten? I didn't know. I guessed she looked about ten when I saw her. Am I in trouble for guessing now?"

 

"That didn't sound like a guess." Jasmina said slowly, her voice worried. "You sounded certain, Serene."

 

"Dang it, Jasmina..." Serene said softly and then forced herself to relax and speak calmly. "I am sorry. I am scared. I shouldn't take my fear out on you. No, I didn't know how old she was. She looked about ten so I said that." Serene paused. "She is ten?" She asked, incredulous.

 

"She is. She is also a handful, but is trying to be good." Jasmina said with a smile in her voice now. "Ready for your meal? It's soup and there is a straw." Serene smiled at that.

 

"You are just afraid of my wrath." Serene quipped, but then she paused. "I... Jasmina, you say you did look over my suit records. Did I go berserk?"

 

"I don't know, Serene." Jasmina said, her tone clear and honest. "It's not like any of the other records we have of kin who did. It's...weird. The brain readings are all over the place. You saw things. You said you saw things that were not there?"

 

"Yeah." Serene said, her voice small. "I guess I was bound to go bonkers sometime. Too much time alone I think."

 

"I would have said anyone would have cracked before you, Serene." The gentle touch was back on her cheek. She appreciated Jasmina's kindness. She couldn't feel any other skin contact. "You are one tough cookie." Serene sighed and Jasmina growled. "Oh come on, I left myself wide open for that joke! You are not going to take advantage? Serene..." Suddenly the touch at her cheek was a tickle.

 

"Jasmina!" Serene snapped. "When I get out of here...!"

 

"I know, I know..." The other female Tenno said with a smirk in her voice. "You will hunt me down, hurt me and generally do horrible things to me. It's what you do, girl."

 

"I..." Suddenly Serene felt pain inside her head. Something changed. The pain increased exponentially and she screamed.

 

"Serene!" Jasmina cried in alarm. "What's wrong?"

 

"H- Hurts..." Serene managed to gasp out as waves of pain scoured her skull from the inside.

 

"Where?" Jasmina asked, calming slightly. "Keep talking, Serene. The docs are coming." The gentle touch was back on her cheek and Serene focused on that, trying to ignore the waves of pain that kept coming.

 

"Head." Serene gasped. "Inside. Hurts..." She groaned as the pain shattered her control and suddenly she was shaking. "Help!" She begged through the waved of pain that were now eroding her very being.

 

She couldn't do anything. She couldn't move anything. All she could do was lie there and let the pain flow through her, She tried to ignore it. She tried to pass beyond it, but it was as if all her lessons, all her training had faded from her mind and all that was left, was pain. After an eternity, it finally ended and all she could do was lie there, sobbing.

 

"What happened?" Jasmina's voice was taut with fear and anger.

 

"We don't know." The voice of what had to be a doctor sounded nearby. "There is NO cause we can determine, but this... This is odd." He said softly. "Nurse, scan quadrant thirty six beta." A whir sounded and Serene swallowed heavily.

 

"Jasmina..." Serene pleaded.

 

"I am here, Serene." Jasmina's voice was close at hand and something soft  wiped the sweat that had accumulated off her face.

 

"Kill me, Jasmina!" Serene begged. "Please! I can't take that. Not... Not again...If I wasn't crazy before I will be if I go through that again without being able to move."

 

"I can't do that, Serene." Jasmina said sadly. "Not when there is still hope."

 

"Hope?" Serene said, her voice rising. "What hope? I have lost it! I am losing it! Jasmina, stop me now!"

 

"Doc!" Jasmina pleaded. "She needs help."

 

"Serene..." The voice of the doctor came closer. "We don't know what happened or why it did. But the results are clear. We can keep it from happening again."

 

"Promise?" Serene hated the whining tone that entered her voice but she was powerless to keep it out. She was shaking in reaction and fear.

 

"I promise we will get to the bottom of this, Serene." The doctor said gently. "But since none of our scans have shown anything untoward, this level of restraint is unnecessary. We will move you to a regular room."

 

"No!" Serene snapped. "I am a threat!"

 

"You will be under observation and guard, Serene." The doctor said quietly. "We won't take any chances."

 

"Good." Serene said sadly. "Jasmina."

 

"I am here, Serene." The other warrior Tenno replied evenly.

 

"I need your word you won't let me become a threat, Jasmina." Serene said softly. "Or as soon as I can. I am ending my life."

 

"Serene!" Jasmina snapped, shocked. "We can't let you do that!"

 

"You are not in your right mind, Serene. You are hurt and scared." The doctor said gently. A warm feeling slowly travelled up Serene's body and she was drifting. "Rest now, sister. We will fix this." She nodded off to the sound of mutters and to soft singing. Jasmina had a gorgeous voice. Why... didn't she sing...... more........

 

***

 

Everything was quiet and peaceful. Then it wasn't.

 

Something slammed into Serene and she responded with her training, rolling as she took the blow, absorbing little of the energy and redirecting most of it away from herself. She rolled to her feet and came up ready to fight... Herself. The other Serene wore black robes but no hood this time and her face was intent as she raised her long weapon again.

 

"Oh, not this dream again!" Serene snapped as she slipped into a ready stance. A small corner of her mind noted she wore the same dress she had worn in the dream before. Odd. "You are not me!"

 

"No." The other Serene said calmly as she swung her Bo staff in  a lazy arc. "But soon I will be. You have locked me in this dark place long enough." Her voice was calm, but her posture was as taut as a coiled spring.

 

Serene snarled a vile curse and focused herself. This was all in the mind, so... The Hek shotgun she tried to summon didn't appear so she tried again. A spear appeared in her hand, a good counter for the reach of the staff. She began to circle her opponent who also began to move, looking for holes in Serene's defenses. Serene was watching and her smile was feral as she waited for an opening. The staff was primarily a defensive weapon, although in the hands of a master -which the other her was acting like- it could be offensive as well. Finally, the black garbed Serene stopped pacing and set her stance, daring Serene to attack. Serene didn't move. Something...

 

"Wait." Serene paused. The other Serene didn't move and Serene shook her head, careful not to take her eyes off her enemy. "Did YOU cause the pain in my head?" The other her shook her head and Serene's eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"

 

"You don't remember." The black grabbed Serene said slowly, her face suddenly sad. "I... I am sorry, but I have to do this."

 

"Do what? Remember what?" Serene snapped. "You are the SECOND person to say that to me!" The other Serene stared at her and then Serene gasped as something seemed to yank her from inside her head.

 

How had she gotten on the ground? Where was her weapon? What? Why was the black garbed version of her holding Serene gently and crying?

 

"I am sorry." The other her said sadly. "I tried to make you remember. I don't... I don't know what I am doing. Instinct only takes it so far. I tried to be gentle. I tried to be as easy as I could. It didn't work. I wasn't trying to hurt you, just make you remember."

 

"What have you done?" Serene heard her voice slur.

 

"You will sleep." The other her said gently. "It is restful here. I will make sure they help you. Somehow. I have no idea how."

 

"What are you talking about?" Serene asked, dazed. "No..." She begged as the figure's hands started to glow. "No!" She begged harder as her body went limp, drained of energy.

 

"It's all right, Serene. This is all in the mind, so it won't hurt." The black garbed figure said gently. "But I owe you an explanation at the very least. You are Serene and so am I." Serene went stiff and the figure nodded. "Do you remember being captured by the Corpus? It was...some time ago." It had been... about a year actually, Serene remembered. She had been one of the first woken by the Lotus and had been busy doing recon work. She had been overwhelmed and taken prisoner.

 

"I woke up in a cell and escaped." Serene said slowly. "They didn't have me very long."

 

"Long enough." The other her said sadly. "They kept you asleep while they did their evil. While they made Doctor Priosa take information from your mind. While they made sure they could control her." Serene couldn't move, but she gasped and the other her nodded. "Yeah, the Tenno who was interrogated, who gave the Corpus the basic information on how to access Orokin facilities was you."

 

"That is not possible!" Serene said flatly. "I would remember!"

 

"Doctor Priosa's techniques are quite advanced. They were originally intended to help victims of Post Traumatic Stress. The Corpus warped that just like they warp everything." The other Serene said softly. "She was gentle and kind. But very, very thorough. Are you ready to sleep now, sister?" Serene managed to get her head to shake a little. "I am sorry, Serene." The other her said, a hand coming down to cup the side of her head. "I have no choice. I have to help Sara."

 

"Sara?" Serene managed to snap. "What?"

 

"Rest, sister." The black garbed Tenno said and energy started to pour from her hand, but she paused as a shout was heard.

 

"Stop!" Serene's eyes went very wide as Doctor Priosa appeared nearby. "Don't! You will kill her! And yourself!"

 

"What the?" Both Serenes said in unison. They stared at each other and then at the doc. Finally, the black garbed Serene spoke.

 

"What is going on?" The sitting Tenno asked carefully.

 

"You only have half the information.' Doctor Priosa said slowly, carefully. She waved a slow hand to where Serene lay, stunned. "She has the other half. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know I as breaking your soul in half, Serene, I am sorry..." She said, her face turning abject. "I didn't know. Thank god you saved Sara."

 

"Couldn't just leave her to die." Serene managed to say. "She is a good kid, your daughter."

 

"Our daughter." Doctor Priosa corrected her. Both Serenes went stiff at that.

 

"That is impossible." Serene managed to find her voice first. But the other her, the one in black bowed her head. "Isn't it?" She demanded.

 

"I didn't want to say." The other her said softly. "I didn't want to tell the Tenno that the reason I took control from you... the reason I killed everyone on that ship..." She was crying now and Serene found herself sitting up to take hold of the other her. "I knew who she was the moment I saw her. She wasn't just human. That Corpus scum had her, was beating her with his shock stick... I... I couldn't..."

 

"What a mess." Serene said slowly. "And you?" She asked the doctor. "How are you here?"

 

"They can't wake you." Doctor Priosa said sadly. "I offered my assistance as soon as they woke me from my prison. I don't understand all of what happened, but this I do know. You two are two halves of the same being. If one of the you kills the other, both will die."

 

"Ami, can you help us?" The black garbed Serene asked quietly.

 

"Ami?" Serene asked, incredulous. The other her actually squirmed a little.

 

"My name is Amelia." The doctor said uneasily. "And... yes... There is a lot you don't remember."

 

"Why should I trust you?" Serene said finally. "Either of you?" The black garbed form stiffened, but didn't speak.

 

"I know it is asking a lot, Serene. But as to why? Because I love you, Serene." Amelia said sadly. "And I am trying to help you heal your soul. We shared a horrific experience and those Corpus scum made Sara from us both. It bonded us. We never shared a bed, but..." She shook her head. "Even now I can't believe I was so stupid as to tell you 'no'."

 

"You weren't ready." The black garbed form said gently. "And I was... a mess. Serene..." She looked at the other her who was staring from one to the other in shock. "Don't judge her. She was stuck in an awful situation. They couldn't brainwash her so..."

 

"Sara." Serene's face turned horrified as realization dawned. "They took my DNA, used it to make a child. She isn't ten!"

 

"They mixed your DNA and mine." Amelia said sadly. "They flash grew her, and... then implanted her in me and made me give birth without painkillers." The remembered agony in the woman's voice had Serene struggling to her feet. The other her helped her to stand and both staggered to where Amelia stood, tears falling. "They accelerated her growth, she grew years worth in days. She was so beautiful. And then they hurt her! I tried to keep the information from them, what I learned from you. But I couldn't... I am sorry." Both Serene's embraced the doctor as she wept.

 

"Did you get them all?" Serene asked her other self. The black garbed form shook her head and Serene snarled. "Fine. When this is done, we hunt." The two women with the same face shared the same feral look and then turned back to the doctor. "What do we do?"

Edited May 12, 2013 by Kalenath

[BearlyKoalified]

Awesome story, it's given me some ideas of my own to utilize on my own Warframe Fanfic.

:D

Edited May 12, 2013 by BearlyKoalified

[Bibliothekar]

Absolutely amazing. Hope to read more of Serene soon. :)

[Kalenath]

Questions

 

"I don't see how this is going to work." Serene protested as she sat. "If we are...two different people now..." She nodded to where the black robed figure with her face was helping Amelia Priosa sit. Just looking at them, it was easy to see the affection between them. She shook her head. "I don't understand."

 

"Well, Serene..." Amelia paused and scowled. "It feels...weird talking to you both. I mean... I know you, Serene..." She nodded with a smile to the black robed one and then nodded to the other who looked uncomfortable. "But not you, Serene." She shook her head.

 

"How do you think I feel?" The black garbed Serene asked with a smile. "If it helps, call me 'Two', Amie. I was the second after all." She moved to sit beside the doctor, but Amelia waved her off.

 

"We need to be equidistant, Se- Uh, Two." The doctor corrected herself sheepishly. "I have only ever done this with one other person, but the theory is sound. And it does work." The black garbed version of Serene nodded and knelt when Amelia indicated.

 

"What exactly are you going to do?" Serene tried to keep suspicion from her voice, but it came through anyway. She flushed a bit, but Amelia waved at her.

 

"No. Do not apologize. You are who you are, Serene." Amelia said kindly. "Your training and paranoia have kept you alive in places that anyone else would have simply died. Probably including some Tenno."

 

"If they were lucky, they would have died." The black garbed Tenno said softly. Serene nodded soberly. There were far worse things than death out there.

 

"I don't want to know." Amelia said with a shudder. "What little I managed to pull out of your mind before was horrifying enough." She swallowed heavily. "Normally, my patient and I join hands and we do the meditation that way."

 

"Meditation?" Serene asked as Two reached out to take Amelia's hand on one of her own, holding the other out to Serene. Serene took it slowly, ready to jerk back. The other her's hand was warm in her grasp and Two didn't react as Serene clasped the hand gingerly. "I am confused. Did you know who I was when I came for you on the Corpus ship?"

 

"No." Amelia said with a wince. "You took me completely by surprise. Just as well, I am not a good actress. If they had realized it was you..." She shivered a bit. "I never would have been able to convince you of the truth anyway. I knew what you were going to do the moment I saw you and... I freaked. I never saw her in her armor." She smiled at Two who smiled back. "You are scary!" she shuddered dramatically and then smiled again. "Well, for the best I think. As far as the Corpus are concerned, both Sara and I are gone." She smiled a bit forlornly. "Still hurt like hell, but worth it."

 

"I am sorry." Serene said with a sigh. "It's the fastest and easiest way of carrying a prisoner out of enemy territory."

 

"Don't be. You saved me and you saved Sara. I am grateful." Amelia said gently, holding out her hand to Serene who took it gingerly. "Okay, we will need to look back, far back. Back to when you both separated."

 

"I don't remember that." Serene said slowly.

 

"I do." Two replied stoically. Serene looked at her twin and Two swallowed. "I... don't like remembering it, but... I do."

 

"What was it like?" Serene asked carefully. "I mean... You say I left you in darkness? I didn't mean to."

 

"I know that, Serene." Two reassured her twin. "I slept a lot. I was asleep when you snatched Amelia. I woke up when I felt her mind pass through the warframe. It was familiar."

 

"So... The odd flashes I saw..." Serene mused and Two nodded.

 

"I was trying to get your attention, shouting as it were." Two grimaced. "Didn't do much good until you happened to look through that viewport and saw Sara being beaten. I...well.. I freaked. I hurt you. I didn't mean to, but I hurt you. I am glad you don't remember me taking control."

 

"How did you know who she was?" Serene asked, relaxing her mind and body.

 

"I am not..entirely sure. I felt a connection. She was calling for her mom. Screaming for Amelia." Two bowed her head, her face sad. "That Corpus troop had no idea I was there. I was sneaking up on him to help the kid when he called her by name. Sara Priosa. As soon as I heard that... Like I said, I flipped. Sara... She didn't take what I did very well. She was curled up on the floor crying when I stalked off after the others who came when the guy beating her died."

 

"No, she didn't." Serene agreed. "But she is tough."

 

"Mama Bear." Amelia said with a smile. Both Serenes looked at her and Amelia shrugged. "Back on old Earth, there was an animal called a 'bear'. There were different kinds, but all shared one characteristic. They were solitary except during mating season and when a mother bear had cubs. The stories say that the one thing no one in their right mind did was threaten a mother bear's cubs. Bad things happened." Amelia said with a nod.

 

"Well..." Two made a face. "Yeah. What do I do?"

 

"I need you to remember, to show us what you remember." Amelia said, her voice turning lyrical. "With that as a guide, I can make what is asunder whole again."

 

"Wait." Serene said. Something in the woman's voice... "What do you mean?"

 

"I did this." Amelia said sadly. "I caused...this..." She waved a hand to where the two Serenes sat. "My interrogation of you broke you in two. It is my responsibility to put you back together."

 

"Amie..." The black garbed Sereen said slowly. "What are you going to do?" She demanded.

 

"I will be the bridge between you two." Amelia said quietly. "And when you link... Part of me will remain here." Both Serenes stared at her, dumbfounded. "I know you and your kin will take care of Sara and I owe you."

 

"No." Two said, her tone horrified. "Ami! No!" She jerked away, her face ashen. She rose and backed up a few steps, hear hands up in a warding gesture.

 

"Two... 'Rene..." Ami said, her tone turning tender. "It's the only way."

 

"'Rene?" Serene wasn't sure if she was intrigued or horrified by the nickname. Her eyes went wide as Two actually blushed.

 

"Well..." Two shook her head. "I... Uh..." She shook her head but stayed where she was. "I won't let you kill yourself for me, Amie." She declared.

 

"Come on, 'Rene." Amelia said calmly. "Think it through. The Tenno need you. You are far more important than me."

 

"No, I am not!" The black garbed Serene screamed. She burst into tears and stood there, crying. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Amie! Don't... Please..." Serene looked at Amelia who sighed and seemed to wilt a little.

 

"What hurt me?" Serene asked softly.

 

"When I was pulled from the prison, I was... linked to you." Amelia said with a wince. "It didn't hurt me. But I knew it should have. I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up. Then they told me what happened to you. Somehow, you took the pain that I should have felt and it hit you like a hammer."

 

"And they just let you...enter my mind?" Serene asked dubiously.

 

"No." Amelia admitted. "I asked, begged, pleaded and they replied 'We will see.'" Serene stiffened. "So I meditated. I used the link. I found where we were connected and used it to enter your mind. A breach of courtesy, but... I am glad I got here when I did." Two shook her head, as stunned as Serene.

 

"Amie..." Two said, her tone small. "They will kill you for that."

 

"They will kill me for pulling the information on how to access Orokin facilities from your mind." Amelia replied evenly. "But I owe you. And Sara will be taken care of. That is all I ask, that I help you and that my daughter be safe." She held out a hand to Two who stared at it as if the appendage were venomous. "Please, 'Rene..." She jumped as Serene spoke.

 

"No." Serene said softly. "This isn't right. We can be hard, we Tenno. But we do know right from wrong." Amelia stared at her and Serene continued. "I don't trust you doctor, but she does." She nodded to Two who was also staring at Serene, dumbfounded. "You may have brainwashed her into trusting you, but I like to think I am a reasonable judge of character." Serene shook her head before continuing. "All this..." She made an arc with her head to encompass the entire crazy situation. "...to help me? You are not Corpus."

 

"It... It could be a trick..." Amelia said, hesitant. "I mean... I could be lying to you..."

 

"You could be, yes." Serene said with a nod. "But what would you gain? Where is your benefit? You may be naive, but your heart is in the right place."

 

"I..." Amelia choked suddenly, her face falling. "You are so much a better person than me, Serene!" She declared as she started to cry again. Serene gave the human's hand a squeeze before turning to her double.

 

"Can you take control of my body where it is?" Serene asked Two carefully.

 

"I can..." Two replied just as carefully. "But If I do, the docs will know instantly. They will not take it kindly, I don't think." She shuddered bit. "I don't know what they might do."

 

"We need to explain to everyone." Serene was feeling her way through this. "And... Who knows? Maybe the docs know something that will keep Amelia from having to immolate herself."

 

"But... I..." Amelia protested through her tears.

 

"Amelia, hush." Two said sternly. "What do you want me to do, Serene?"

 

"If I know Jasmina, she hasn't left the bedside." Serene said fondly. "She is a good friend, they will have to physically toss her out before she will leave."

 

"They have you on full support, Serene." Amelia said slowly. "She won't be able to speak."

 

"I won't need to." Two said with a smile. "What message?"

 

"Gathering Intel. Need backup." Serene said with a nod. Two nodded back and vanished.

 

"What are you... Oh." Amelia paused. "You use hand signals don't you? In combat?"

 

"How much did you pull from my mind?" Serene asked incredulously.

 

"I didn't pull anything." Amelia protested. "I looked at a bunch of stuff. But the only bits I looked at closely were the ones that I could tell were that weird Orokin tech related." She grimaced. "Just remembering that is bad enough. How can you handle that?"

 

"We can't always." Serene said sadly. "It can be rough even with all of our training and mental conditioning. Speaking of... If Sara was flash grown, how is she so coherent?" She paused as Amelia smiled.

 

"I taught her." Amelia said with pride. "Every time I managed to link to her mind. Every time they let me touch her, I taught her more. History, mathematics, languages..." Serene stiffened and Amelia nodded. "Yes, I worried they would be able to read her, but the blocks I put in held them out. I checked carefully every time.  And I was careful never to tell her any of the nasty stuff I learned. So it dies with me."

 

"You are not going to die if I have anything to say about it." Serene said sharply. "But one thing I have to ask. Amie? 'Rene?" She demanded incredulous.

 

"We were both a mess." Amelia said with a swallow. "It wasn't something we planned. She was conscious, and talking to me. Her hate..." Amelia sighed. "Her totally justified hate of me... I wanted her to kill me. I tried to free her and the guards beat me. When I regained consciousness, she had slipped her bonds somehow and was holding me while I cried. I asked her to kill me and she refused. It floored me. I... I don't know why I did what I did then... It made no sense and it still doesn't make any sense."

 

"You kissed her." Serene's voice was flat.

 

"I did." Amelia said softly. "I mean... I was never into women. She said she wasn't... But it worked for us. Please don't hate us, Serene." Amelia begged.

 

"You haven't looked at all of my memories then." Serene said with a smile. "What happens on the mission, stays on the mission." Amelia's eyes went wide and Serene smiled gently. "I can't guarantee that I will feel the same way she does, but..." She shrugged. "I am not going to yell at you for finding comfort in a horrid situation any way you could. It would be a little hypocritical of me."

 

"Do I want to know?" Amelia asked softly, but her eyes were curious.

 

"Let's just say that when someone wears a Mag warframe, they are capable of manipulation on the large scale, and the small." Serene said with a grin. Amelia stared at her and then the human's eyes went wide. "Yep. Aren't magnetic fields fun?" Serene asked with a devilish twinkle in her eye. "And then the Volt..."

 

"I don't know whether to be amazed or scared." Amelia said with a swallow. Serene opened her mouth and Amelia shook her head quickly. "No! Don't! Too much information! WAY too much information!" Serene gave the hand that she still held a squeeze.

 

"You need to understand, Amelia." Serene said gently. "We can't let you go now. But we do not have to be nasty to you. We can be gentle. If you let us. But..."

 

"The little I learned was horrifying enough." Amelia agreed. "I tried to keep it back, Serene. I swear I tried not to tell them. I tried..." She said, tears welling again. "As soon as ...you... explained... I... I tried!" She was sobbing as Serene pulled her into an awkward embrace and held the crying human close.

 

"It's all right, Amelia." Serene said gently as she soothed the crying woman. "It's all right." Two reappeared nearby, staring and Serene nodded. "She tried not to betray you. They hurt her."

 

"I saw some of it." Two said sadly. "Then I heard them talk about the kid. Couldn't move. Then she linked to me and we... Well..." Two sighed. "as soon as she saw what the Corpus wanted, she freaked and tried to keep from telling them. But it was only a matter of time until she broke. Well, time and how much they hurt her or Sara."

 

"I understand." Serene said quietly as she made space for Two to hold Amelia, then let the human sag into her twin's embrace. "Did Jasmina get the message?"

 

"She cursed loud and long." Two said with a shrug. "So I guess she did."

 

"I did. What the hell? Two of you?" A sharp voice sounded as an Ember warframe appeared nearby. The twin Furis pistols in her hands did not waver from either Serene. "Who is going to explain?"

 

"Uh..." Serene sagged back, not moving and careful to keep her hands in plain sight. "I guess that would be me. Hi Jasmina..."

Edited May 12, 2013 by Kalenath

[UnworthySeraph]

This is glorious Kalenath. I'm proud to say I read the whole thing. Although I'll admit, got a little wierd at the end there and I'm still not entirely sure what happened.... Hoping I'll understand more when the next chapter comes, Nevertheless, once again amazing work here. Being a writer myself, I'm inspired. Keep writing! I know positive feedback always pushes me further!

[Kalenath]

Explanations

 

"You wanna do what?" Finally, after Serene stopped explaining what she had found out, Jasmina lowered her dual Furis pistols "And how the hell are you here?" She demanded of Amelia who had remained silent while Serene had spoke. Neither Two or Amelia had moved. The mental projection had changed from a  featureless plain to a simple dojo.

 

"You knew, didn't you, Jasmina?" Serene said calmly to Jasmina's outburst. The Ember looked at her and she shrugged. "You knew it was me who was interrogated, didn't you? Who told the Corpus about the entry to Orokin."

 

"I was sworn to silence, Serene." Jasmina said quietly. "I couldn't tell you."

 

"For fear that I would seek vengeance?" Serene asked, her face worried. "I mean... Sending me after her..." She waved at Doctor Priosa who shivered a bit in Two's grasp. "That reeks, Jasmina." Serene said flatly. "They had to know who she was, where she was, all that. Did they expect me to kill her? Kill Sara?"

 

"I don't know." Jasmian shrugged. "You walked alone for so long Serene, no one knew if you were still...well..." She broke off.

 

"Sane." Serene said quietly.

 

"Well, yeah." Jasmina had the grace to nod. "You have to admit, Serene, you solo a lot. You walk a very dark road, sister."

 

"I don't trust easily, Jasmina. You know this." Serene said softly. "I never did."

 

"And you trust her?" Jasmina demanded, waving a pistol at Amelia who flinched.

 

"Not entirely." Serene said with a nod to the Ember. "But she did just throw her life away for me. Well, for me and Two here. She knew her life was forfeit, both for what she did before and for what she did to get into my mind, but she came anyway. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help me. That counts for something, sister."

 

"I... see..." Jasmina looked at the odd trio and sighed. "What did you want me for?" She asked, finally relaxing.

 

"A witness." Serene said quietly. "The other Tenno won't understand. Heck, I barely understand everything that has happened. But Amelia thinks he can reassemble me, as it were. Unfortunately, what she plans will cost her life." Jasmina looked at her and Serene snarled. "No, I am not going to orphan Sara unless I have no other choice."

 

"There may not be another choice, Serene." Amelia said diffidently from where she sat. "I am ready."

 

"Well, I am not." Serene said with a snap. "Jasmina, did the docs have any idea what was wrong with me?"

 

"They were talking electrolytes and neurotransmitters." Jasmina said with a groan. "Gobbeldy gook to me."

 

"Neurotransmitters?" Amelia asked slowly. Then she paled. "They are not going to try shocking her, are they?"

 

"Shocking?" Serene asked slowly. "As in electricity?"

 

"No." Amelia said slowly, her face worried. "As in using an overdose of the chemicals that make up network of neurons in your brain to stimulate brain activity. They can't! That will kill her for sure!" She said sharply. "Both of them! You can't!"

 

"And what am I supposed to tell them?" Jasmina asked sourly. "That my sister's doppelganger and the woman who made her doppelganger both believe that a medical procedure that they have worked out will not do what it is supposed to?" Two jerked, but then subsided when Amelia shook her head. "They won't believe me any more than they believed you." The female Tenno in the warfame said sourly. "I am not sure I believe you, but Serene does."

 

"Then we need to fix this now." Amelia said slowly. "Serene... Two... Please..." She begged. "We have to do it now."

 

"No!" Serene snapped. "I will not orphan Sara."

 

"Serene!" Amelia snapped right back. "They are going to kill you! Accidentally. But it will." She left one arm encircling Two and reached out to Serene. "Serene, please!"

 

"No." Serene stepped away from the others, steeling herself. Then she lashed out, not at the others, but at the wall of the dojo. It stood firm for a moment, then it wavered. This was all in the mind, and Two's mind was an almost exact copy of Serene's. It stood to reason that Two wouldn't be able to hold Serene for long unless Serene was taken completely by surprise. Serene hit the wall as hard as he could. Again and again she did that until finally a crack appeared.

 

There! Serene snapped herself forward into the tiny slit that had appeared and felt herself shrink to infinity.

 

"Serene! No!" Amelia cried, as Serene managed to break the walls that Two had placed around her mind and she felt the world slip away.

 

***

 

"..and we are ready to proceed." The voice of the doctor came to Serene's ears. She couldn't open her eyes, and she felt many of the same sensations she had before. She wasn't restrained, just unable to move. Her body felt...off. She felt  tube down her throat, just as Amelia had said. She couldn't move much, but after a moment she managed to close her fist once, twice. Again and again, she opened and closed her fist, praying that the doc or someone would see.

 

"Doctor!" The voice of what had to be a female nurse came from nearby. "Her hand!"

 

"What the...?" The man's voice was startled, and then it turned worried. "Serene?" Serene made the hand gesture for 'Yes'. "You can understand what I say?" Serene made the 'Yes' gesture again and then a gesture for 'Trouble, more information'.

 

"More information?" The nurse asked, incredulous. "She needs more or has more?"

 

"Ah...The gestures are not good at conveying anything complex." The doctor paused and then spoke slowly. "You need more information, Serene?"

 

"No." Jasmina's voice was sharp from nearby. "She says you need more information. That was dumb Serene. You scared us all out of a year's growth, girl."

 

"Jasmina?" The doctor exclaimed. "You managed to make contact? Did that Corpus doc hurt her?"

 

"In order..." Jasmina sounded tired. "Yes and no. I made contact and Amelia, the doc, was trying to help her. It's complicated."

 

"How can you be sure?" The nurse asked sourly. "Corpus lie, it is what they do!"

 

"I can't be sure." Jasmina said quietly. "But from what I saw, that doc is ready to die for Serene." The nurse actually gasped at that and Jasmina sighed. "Yeah, that is hard to fake mind to mind."

 

"Okay..." The doctor said slowly. Serene felt relief and relaxed a little. She sighed into the tube in her mouth. "Easy, Serene." Something moved around her head. "Lets get the machinery put away and then we can figure this out." The sound of movement came from nearby and then a soft voice was close at hand.

 

"You are crazy, Serene." Jasmina said sourly. "You scared the hell out of me. Don't do that." There wasn't hand gesture for 'Sorry' so Serene made do with 'Not right'. Jasmina sighed. "I know, Serene, but this is going to upset a lot of people." Serene snorted intot he tube in her mouth.

 

Well, duh

 

"We can take the ventilator tube out, Serene." The doctor's voice came back. "We don't want to uncover your eyes just yet. They dried a bit and we want them to be moisturized. Okay?" Serene made the 'Yes' gesture again and relaxed as best she could. Someone took hold of her jaw and then the tube was sliding out of her mouth. It was over in moments and the nasty feeling was gone.

 

"I..." Serene gasped. "Sara... I need to..."

 

"Serene." The doc said sharply. "Do not push too hard. I will sedate you if you do not relax."

 

"Doc, there is no time." Serene said sharply. "Amelia cannot stay in there too long. If she does, she will die. Or she will try to heal me and that will kill her."

 

"Good riddance." The nurse snapped. "She is Corpus."

 

"No, she isn't!" Serene snapped right back. "She is a victim! She hurt me, yes. Because they hurt her kid!" She paused. "Doc, have you done a gene sequencing on Sara?" He inhaled and she nodded. "You have."

 

"What do you know about her?" The doc asked slowly.

 

"The Corpus made her from Amelia and me." Serene said softly. "They put the fetus in Amelia and made her give birth. She says they didn't use painkillers." The nurse gasped again. "Amelia is not Tenno, but she tried to keep the information she took from my mind from the scum who had her. They kept hurting her and Sara to break her. She knew the moment that she told them, her life was forfeit. She doesn't care!" Serene felt herself fading, but fought the feelings back. "Doc, she is trying to protect her kid! Our... kid..." Serene said sadly.

 

"You believe this madness, Serene?" The doctor asked neutrally. Serene froze. He didn't believe her. "Serene, Tenno cannot be cloned, you know this." Something in his voice...

 

"Where is Sara?" Serene said quietly.

 

"Serene, you need rest." The doctor said carefully, only to freeze as she screamed at him.

 

"Where is Sara?" She jerked up, her hand coming to her face to slap the covering off it. The moist cloth went flying and she blinked in the harsh light of the medical ward. A nurse stood petrified nearby and the doctor... Serene jerked her arm away as he tried to inject her with something. She sat up, ignoring the increased beeping from the medical machinery nearby. She spoke calmly and clearly. "I am not berserk. I did not go berserk! But I am about to. Where. Is. Sara?" She demanded.

 

"Jasmina!" The doc snapped. "Stop her!" Instead of engaging Serene, who was pulling other medical gear off of herself, Jasmina backed up against the wall and folded her arms.

 

"I know better than to get between a mother and her kid." The Ember said softly. "And you might want to answer her. Now." Threat sang in her tone. Jasmina winced along with the female nurse as Serene pulled the catheter clean out with yank. Jasmian sounded slightly sick. "Ah, Serene.. That is gonna hurt when you come down."

 

"Where? Is? Sara?" Serene choked out.

 

"She was sent for full genetic scanning." The doctor said quietly. Both Serene and Jasmina froze at that. "She is a Corpus clone. We need to know how they did it. How they made a half Tenno."

 

"She is a child!" Serene screamed. "You know how much that scan hurts! Damn you! If you kill her, you are dead, doc! I swear it!" She swung her legs off the bed. She staggered bit as she stood, but then started off.

 

"Serene..." Jasmina said slowly. "You might want to put some clothes on." Serene snarled at her and stalked off. Jasmina sighed. "Okay." Jasmina followed as Serene started off, her steps growing more sure as she walked. "You know this is going to cause problems."

 

Serene ignored her and Jasmina sighed again. She paced the staggering female Tenno as Serene stalked through the medical facility, her steps unerringly towards a sign marked 'Scanner Ward'. Then Serene froze. A sound was heard. Sobbing. Serene broke into a trot and then a shambling run towards the door. She slammed the door open to see a pair of hooded techs with uncovered faced bent over a control console and s still form strapped to a table under a massive scanner device that was playing energy over... Sara was weeping softly, her voice rough from screaming and tears had been falling long enough to pool beside her head.

 

The genetic scanner was a marvel of Orokin technology. Rare and impossible to duplicate, it allowed for much more indepth scanning of a person's genetic structure than any other known system. Unfortunately, the energy that was used also reacted...badly to organic tissue. The feelings that it evoked in sentients ranged from 'I have a sunburn' to 'I am on fire!' and every little bit of nastiness in between.

 

"No!" Serene screamed, then ran forward. "Sara!"

 

"What the?" One of the techs turned, startled. "You can't be- Urk!" His words broke off as she hit him. He went down in a heap, clutching his throat.  She hadn't hit him hard, just enough to keep him out of trouble for a while. His partner spun, and froze, seeing Serene. The female tech had been crying, but she just stood, staring at Serene.

 

"Get her out of that. Now." Serene said calmly and slowly.

 

"I have to have..." The female tech froze as Serene shook her head. "Ma'am... I have to have a doctor's orders. And I don't know if I can..."

 

"If you don't turn that torture machine off and get my daughter out of that contraption, right now..." Serene said in a soft and dangerous voice. The tech froze at the words 'my daughter'. "I am going to break your precious machine into about a million pieces. Do you understand me?" The tech shook her head, dumbfounded and Serene snarled. "I know it is irreplaceable and you know what? I don't care!"

 

"Do what she says, Tech." Jasmina said softly from nearby. "You do not want her any angrier than she already is. Trust me on that." The tech swallowed and spun to her control panel, but then slumped and turned back.

 

"I... I can't..." The tech said slowly. "Its begun the sequence. Once the sequence starts, it has to run it's cycle..." She blanched as Sara screamed. Serene screamed as well, an animal sound of rage and pain.

 

"Move!" Jasmine screamed. The tech dove to the floor as Serene ran towards the machine. "Serene! No! " The Ember screamed again as Serene bodily threw herself over Sara, covering the girl's body with her own. The pain began immediately. Sara opened her eyes. They were red and streaked with tears, but clear.

 

"Se-...Serene...?" Sara's voice was small, weak and scared. Serene looked down at Sara's flushed face and smiled. Sara smiled back up at her and then the waves of pain dragged Serene under.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Kalenath

[UnworthySeraph]

Another fine addition! You have a regular fan. *Thumbs up

[Kalenath]

No greater love

 

Serene was floating. She was calm. Nothing hurt anymore. She looked down and saw. The scanning machine was still functioning. It was still playing energy across the table where Sara lay, still strapped down. But all of the energy of the machine was pouring into the back of the still woman who lay covering Sara. Her. Sara was crying, Jasmina was trying to get the female tech to release Sara, and the tech that Serene had hit was still on the floor, clutching his throat.

 

"I hope Two and Amelia can survive this." Serene said softly. "Wasn't thinking..."

 

Tenno

 

Serene froze, which shouldn't have been possible. She wasn't in her body. Her body was busy...dying. She had thrown herself between Sara and the energy that was hurting Sara without any protection at all. Sara wore a special garment that allowed the scanner to read her without damaging her. It did nothing for the pain however. Serene's body wore nothing but some wires. She was dead, but it would take a few minutes for the energy to cause nerve damage and then decay and death. At least it would be gentle, the pain had rendered her unconscious. But... Who was talking to her?

 

Why did you do that, Tenno? The voice was calm, and cool. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. She is not one of your kin.

 

"Yes, she is. She is my daughter." Serene said slowly. "I didn't bear her, but they made her from me."

 

That is...clear. Now.  The voice said slowly. The genetics are unique. She is unique. She may not survive, Tenno. And even if she does, she will be sterile, unable to reproduce.

 

"I don't care." Serene said sadly. "She is a child. My child."

 

Ah The voice turned solemn. You sacrificed yourself for her? You love her?

"I barely know her." Serene said softly. "But... yes. I love her. She is a good kid." Serene felt herself start to cry. "Ah, Sara... I am sorry... I wanted to get to know you, let you heal. But I brought you to my kin and they hurt you. This is my fault."

 

No Tenno. The voice said gently. It is not. Change is rarely easy, even for such as you who have to adapt every time you wake from your long slumbers. Some will always cling to their mistrust. Easy to understand, with their trust being violated so many times. And you, you Tenno go on. You Tenno have our eternal admiration, do you know that, Serene?

 

"I..." Serene paused. "Who are you?"

 

We cannot say, Tenno, but know this. We are not your enemies. And... The voice turned wry. Since we know better than to get between a mother and her hurt child...

 

Serene was suddenly falling towards where her body lay. She didn't even have time to scream.

 

***

 

Serene slammed awake, aware of Jasmina cursing. Of the female tech speaking quietly, of the male tech groaning. But all that paled as she looked at the girl who lay underneath her. Sara was staring at Serene with wide eyes that were full of tears.

 

"Serene?" Sara asked, her face brightening as she saw Serene looking at her. "They... They said you were dead!"

 

"I..." Serene shifted a little and winced. "Part of me wishes I was. Ow..." She groaned and everything stopped in the room.

 

"Serene!" Jasmina moved up into her field of view. "What? How?" A gentle gauntleted hand touched her shoulder. "How do you feel?"

 

"Like I got run over by a mag train." Serene said slowly with a grimace. She did not move from covering Sara. "Is the machine still going? It doesn't hurt now."

 

"It...stopped." The tech that Serene had spoken to before sounded incredulous from where she was fiddling with things. The male was still on the floor, clutching his throat. But he was alive. He should count himself lucky. "I... I don't understand. It can't just stop... It has to finish the cycle then power down. But nothing seems to be wrong. It just...stopped." She sounded utterly confused. "And... the scans are done? This makes no sense." She declared. "Scans take twenty minutes, no more, no less. This is... I would say it's impossible. But it happened."

 

"Don't move, Serene." Jasmina said softly as Serene raised her head. "Medics are coming."

 

"If that doc comes anywhere near Sara again..." Serene snapped and then grimaced as her body protested. "I want him kept away from her."

 

"Serene..." Jasmina said softly, but in warning. She was removing the restraints that held Sara to the table.

 

"He had no right!" Serene said sharply. "She is not an enemy!" She froze as Sara reached up and hugged her as soon as Jasmina undid the arm bindings.

 

"I wanna go home, Serene." Sara said as she pillowed her head against Serene's shoulder. "They told me it was gonna hurt, but..." The little girl started crying again. Jasmina finished undoing the restraints and stepped back, obviously till cursing under her breath.

 

"It's okay, Sara." Serene said gently, holding herself so she wasn't crushing Sara. "It's okay, honey... it's all right... It will be all right." She levered herself up, despite Jasmina's warning hiss and eased Sara up to sit on her lap. Sara was crying hard as Serene held her. "I am sorry I wasn't here, Sara." She said, hugging the sobbing girl tight. "I am sorry." She slumped a bit and looked up to see Jasmina scrutinizing her. "I guess I am in worse trouble now. That...wasn't rational." She snorted a laugh. "Even for me."

 

"Ya think?" Jasmina asked sourly. "But no one will have any question as to why you did what you did. A mother whose child is in pain rarely acts rationally."

 

"I..." Sara stiffened and looked up at Serene, her eyes still streaming. "What?"

 

"The Corpus created you Sara." Serene said gently. "To hurt your mom." Sara nodded. "They created you from me." Sara's eyes went wide at that and Serene smiled gently. "It will be okay, Sara. I will make it okay."

 

"But I am not Tenno." Sara said softly, disbelieving. "We look a bit alike, but..." She shook her head. "I am not Tenno." She repeated.

 

"Yes, you are." All eyes turned to where the female tech was stepping away from her equipment, a sick look on her face."Sara, I apologize."

 

"You were nice. You said there was risk but you were going to keep it from killing me. You said it was going to hurt. You did all those things to make it hurt less." Sara said softly. "But I had no idea..." She buried her face in Serene's shoulder again, tears falling harder. Serene crooned softly to her.

 

"There was no way you could have, Sara." Jasmina said sadly. "I thought they were going to wait until Serene was functional again, to sit with you. If not, I would have been here. I had no idea they had pushed the time up."

 

"What have you done?" A harsh voice demanded form the doorway. Serene looked up to see the doctor from before standing there with two security troops. Both had weapons out but lowered them as Jasmina moved to block their view of Serene and Sara. Serene sighed and spoke evenly.

 

"Jasmina." The Ember did not move and Serene continued. "If he sets a foot in this room, I am going to kill him. He had no right to do that to a Tenno child. No right at all to do it without her parents' consent or presence."

 

"She is not a Tenno child..." The doctor protested and started to come into the room, only to pause as both Jasmina and the female tech strode to block his way. "Move! She is a danger! She will be placed in restraint again! And that 'thing' will be examined completely."

 

"This says otherwise, doctor." The tech held out a datapad and the doctor snatched it from her. "You ordered an extremely traumatizing procedure on a Tenno minor without the parent's consent. She is Tenno." Both security guards suddenly looked very wary. "If she were my child, I would see you up on charges at the very least." Jasmina growled in conjunction with the tech's hostility. She did a very good growl.

 

"She is a Corpus experiment!" The doctor protested. "This proves nothing! That thing that looks like a human girl has less than fifty percent of Serene's DNA." Serene went cold at that, but then her blood boiled. Jasmina moved subtly between her and the doctor and Sara whimpered a little, so Serene subsided.

 

"And we count how much DNA a being has as to whether they are of us or not?" The tech asked coldly. "That is funny, doctor. I thought the Code said that if they followed our ways, then they were us. If not, then Excalibur is not one of us, is he? He has none of our DNA. We haven't given her a chance yet, just done things to her." Her snarl was almost as good as Jasmina's. Everything went still.

 

Serene smiled at that. Excalibur was a Tenno who had started as human. ((See Duty Endures https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/29980-fanfiction-duty-endures/?hl=%2Bduty+%2Bendures)) He had called himself Excalibur for a very long time because he had lost parts of his memory. He had trained, fought and worked hard to be Tenno and now was admired as much for his determination and dedication to his duty as for his fighting ability. No one cared where he had come from.

 

"Serene...?" Sara's soft voice broke the silence.

 

"Yes, Sara?" Serene asked, holding Sara gently. "What is it, honey?"

 

"I need the bathroom." Sara said sheepishly. Serene looked at her and then chuckled.

 

"Well, we can't have you having an accident, now can we?" Serene said with a smile, then looked at the female tech. "Tech...um... I didn't get your name." Serene said with a grimace. Things had been a little intense.

 

"My name is Iriana, Serene." The tech replied with a smile. "I will lead you to the bathroom. And I can help with the suit." She smiled at Sara who smiled hesitantly back. "My little girl is only a little older than you, Sara. I am sorry." She repeated sadly as Serene rose, holding Sara close. "Everything checked out. Everything was as ordered."

 

"Not your fault." Sara said, snuggling close to Serene. "Um... Serene...? Why are you not wearing anything?" The girl asked, unsure.

 

"I was in a hurry." Serene said with a grin that faded as the doctor blocked the door. Before she could speak, Jasmina was there, moving into his personal space. Nothing said 'Move' quite like an angry Tenno in an Ember warframe. He wasn't totally insane. He moved aside and Serene followed Iriana from the room.

 

"This isn't over." The doctor growled at Serene as she passed. Sara shivered in Serene's arms but Serene just smiled at him. It was not a nice smile.

 

"I know." She replied evenly. "But if you touch Sara again without my consent or Amelia's, I will kill you." Sara shivered in Serene's arms and then relaxed. She followed the tech who did not look back. She felt Jasmina following and the stares of the security guys on her, but she ignored them. Her daughter needed her. Nothing else mattered.

 

Iriana led Serene to a small bathroom and came in to help Sara get out of the suit. The girl didn't have a clue how to unfasten the hold tights. While Sara did her business, Iriana left for a moment, coming back with two patient gowns. Serene put the large one on gratefully and passed the other to Sara. The two women stood quietly until Sara came out.

 

"All done?" Serene asked with a smile.

 

"Serene?" Sara asked as she stepped out, smoothing the gown. "Where is...um... My other mom?"

 

"Ah... I don't actually know. Iriana?" Serene asked slowly. "I am out of the loop."

 

"Sara." Iriana knelt down to look Sara in the eye. "Your mom is asleep and has been for a while. We don't know why."

 

"Actually..." Serene said slowly. "I do." Iriana stiffened and looked at her. "And um... I need your help." She nodded to both Iriana and Sara. "Both of you."

 

"Me?" Sara asked, incredulous. "What can I do?"

 

"Be yourself." Serene said with a smile as she pulled Sara into a hug. Sara froze for a moment and then hugged her back.

 

"You are pretty." Sara said slowly after a moment. "I never saw you outside of your armor." She smoothed Serene's close cropped blonde hair with a slow hand. "Are you... really...?" She shook her head, confused.

 

"Yeah." Serene said with a smile a she ruffled Sara's blonde hair. "The Corpus used my DNA to make you. To hurt your mom, to try and make her tell them something she got from me. So technically, I am responsible for everything bad that has happened to you." Serene said sadly. Sara stared at her and then hugged her again.

 

"No, you are not." Sara said softly. "You are nice, no matter what you say. What do you need me to do?" She asked calmly.

 

"Iriana?" Serene asked softly. "Are you trained in cross mind linking?" The tech stared at her and then nodded slowly. "Amelia is in my mind... And there is a massive cognitive dissonance. One that was created by Amelia, and took on a life of her own."

 

"Cognitive...?" Iriana paused and then gasped. "You mean?"

 

"Yeah." Serene said with a sigh. Sara stared at her, confused and Serene shook her head. "I need your help Sara, but it is going to be a little...weird."

 

"Please tell me it isn't going to hurt." Sara begged with a whimper, hugging Serene again.

 

"It won't." Serene said with a smile, hugging the girl back. "Especially with help..." She looked at Iriana and the other woman nodded, a smile on her face. "Come on, it's past time Sara saw her mom again..."

 

Serene led the way from the bathroom, hand in hand with the small girl she loved.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

Home is where the heart is

 

"How is that, Sara?" Iriana asked kindly as she finished placing the headband around Sara's head. "Too tight?" She had taken the hood off her jumpsuit for this and she had a gorgeous shock of thick brown hair. Her brown eyes were kind as she waited for Sara to adjust to the device the tech had just placed on Sara's head.

 

Sara shook her head slowly and sank back into her kneeling stance. The band of metal was cool against her skin, but not uncomfortable. It glowed faintly blue in the soft light of the room. Serene smiled at her as she knelt back as well. Sara hadn't know what to think when they told her she would have to kneel for this, but the stance didn't hurt to hold for long periods of time. And she was a quick study. Serene knelt a few feet away from Sara, close enough to comfort, not close enough to intrude.

 

"No." Sara said, her voice small. "But this... I feel strange, Serene." She fidgeted, smoothing the leg of the jumpsuit she wore. She and Serene had traded their gowns for neutral colored jumpsuits. Then she placed her hands on her knees as she had been instructed.

 

"I know, Sara." Serene said, laying a hand on the quivering girl's closest one. She wore a glowing headband just like Sara's. "But this is the best way to do this. Your mother's mind is in mine. Jasmina will keep anything from happening to us while we are under." The Ember who stood by the door nodded. "But Sara..." Serene said quietly and waited until Sara met her eyes. "This has to be your choice. We cannot force this. If we try, it will fail." Sara looked frightened, but Iriana was there, crouched down, patting her other hand.

 

"Even if it fails, it won't hurt, Sara." The tech said in a soft voice. "And I will be right here with you, okay?" Iriana asked with a smile. "You are not alone."

 

"This reminds me of what the Corpus did. They put things on my head." Sara said in a tiny voice. "You all are so much nicer, but... I feel helpless."

 

"There is something I can do about that, Sara." Serene said softly. "Jasmina?" The female Tenno stepped forward, pulling a wrapped bundle from her back. Serene smiled and nodded. Sara looked curious and when Serene spoke again, it was oddly formal. "If you had been raised among us, Sara, you would have this already. But you were not." Sara looked sad, but Serene smiled gently at her. "Jasmina?"

 

"Sara." The Ember said quietly. "Our way is hard. We train for battle our entire lives. Not all of us are fighters,..." She nodded to Iriana who nodded back. "...but we are all brothers and sisters. Bound by our code and by our heritage. You are one of us, Sara." Jasmina said quietly, holding the bundle out to Sara who looked at Serene before taking it.

 

"It's heavy..." Sara said, surprised.

 

"Open it." Jasmina said quietly.

 

Sara unwrapped the bundle and gasped as she saw what lay within. A long piece of metal, sharp on one side. A sword. And obviously not a show piece either. This was a weapon, not a toy.  It was plain and unadorned. It was pure function in metal and its sole function was to cut. It was shorter than any of the sword Serene carried now. The older Tenno had picked up basic gear, more to soothe her own worries than any real need for protection.

 

"I don't know anything about swords." Sara said slowly. "I know you all carry them, but..." She shook her head. "Should I even have this...?" She asked, concerned.

 

"Yes." All three of the older female Tenno said in unison. Serene looked at the others and then continued.

 

"Sara, you are one of us." Serene said gently. "Even if you choose to go a different way, you will always have kin among the Tenno." Sara stared at Serene, tears welling. "Hey." Serene continued in the same gentle voice. "We are not kicking you out. We are giving you options."

 

"I don't know what to say." Sara said looking at the sword, her hand coming close, but not quite touching it. "I don't know anything about swords." She repeated. "And I know they are dangerous."

 

"Swords are tools, Sara." Jasmina corrected her gently. "Tools by themselves are not dangerous. It is the one using said tools that makes them dangerous, to themselves or others. We can teach you." Jasmina promised. "If you wish." She nodded to Iriana and the tech spoke up.

 

"You do not have to choose the path of the fighter, Sara." Iriana said soberly. "There are other paths among the Tenno. I walk one of them myself, but there are others still." She smiled as she knelt facing Sara and Serene, close enough to touch.

 

"What is it called?" Sara asked softly, staring at the smooth curves of the blade, still not touching it.

 

"It is called a 'Skana', Sara." Serene said softly. "That is yours now. Go ahead, pick it up." She encouraged the girl. Sara took a grip on the hilt and lifted the blade, her eyes wondering as she lifted it. "Be careful, it is very sharp."

 

"Yeah..." Sara said, lost in wonder as she stared at the blade. "Does it have a name?"

 

"Naming swords..." Serene paused and spoke slowly. "Some do. I don't." Sara looked at her and Serene shrugged. "As I say, to me and many of our kin a sword or other weapon is a tool, not a figure from some legend or story." She smiled a bit wistfully. "I always thought that the reason people named swords in stories was to make them more memorable so people remembered the stories. I never needed a name to remember my sword." She nodded to Sara. "It is your Skana, you can call it what you wish."

 

"I..." Sara shook her head. "I will need to think on that." She paused. "There is no scabbard or sheathe or anything..."

 

"Carefully swing it around your back, Sara." Serene said patiently. "Even our robes and jumpsuits have attachment points for weapons. As soon as it nears the proper place, it will..." Sara gave a yelp as the blade nearly leaped out of her hand. Suddenly it adhered to her back. Sara froze, but Serene smiled. "That is how it is supposed to work." Serene reached for her own sword. "There is one thing you need to learn, before we go any further, Sara." Sara looked at her and Serene smiled. "Draw your sword. Grasp the hilt and pull straight up and to the side." She demonstrated in slow motion and Sara did as instructed, her Skana coming easily to her hand.

 

"This is..." Sara shook her head. "I have no words..." She stared at the blade, her face intent.

 

"There are words. They are ancient and wise. You will learn this and much more, Sara." Serene said gently. "Hold your Skana like this, carefully." She lowered her Skana until it was horizontal in front of her, one hand on the grip, the other under the blade. Sara followed suit, careful to avoid the edge. "Repeat after me, Sara. This is an ancient language called English."

 

Sara barely noticed when Iriana drew her short Skana and Jasmina drew a pair of dangerous looking crystal bladed daggers.  Both Tenno held the blades  in front of themselves the same way that Sara and Serene held their Skanas, Iriana mimicking Sara and Serene and Jasmina's daggers horizontal and pointing at each other at chest level. Serene spoke softly and Sara repeated the words, garbling a few to bright blushes but no one commented. The other two spoke softly, following along.

 

This is my skana. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

 

My skana is my best friend. It is my life and my soul. I must master it as I must master my life.

 

My skana, without me, is useless. Without my skana, I am useless. I will strike true with my skana. I must strike faster and harder than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I will kill him before he kills me. I will be the metal of my skana. I will be the edge that cuts, the point that pierces, the guard that parries. I will be my skana.

 

My skana is my life. My duty is laid on the edge of the skana, and is exposed for all to see.

 

I am Tenno. This is my skana.

 

"This is my Skana." Sara said after a moment of silence when the mantra ended. "I... I feel..."

 

"Yes, Sara?" Serene asked kindly.

 

"Are you sure I am one of you?" Sara asked, staring at the blade. "I mean..."

 

"Sara." Serene said gently, but firmly. "You are one of us. You were created by horrible people, for a horrible purpose. But that is not all you are." Serene had tears falling as she looked at Sara. "My daughter, I am proud of you." She said as she put her weapon away. Iriana and Jasmina did likewise.

 

"I... I haven't done anything." Sara said, still staring at the sword.

 

"You have been so brave." Serene said softly. "People like us scare you and you stay strong. People like that doctor distrust you and you stay cheerful. People like the Corpus hurt you and you stay at your mother's side. You did the best you could. Now... You are not alone." Sara slowly raised the sword and  placed it on her back, flinching again as the hold tights snapped it in place.

 

"I feel like  a freak." Sara said in a monotone as she lowered her hands back to her knees. "I was made. I am just a thing." She paused as Serene leaned over and tapped her cheek with a long finger.

 

"You are not a freak, Sara." Serene said sternly. "And I expressly forbid you to call yourself that. If I hear you calling yourself that, I will punish you." She reached under Sara's chin and gave the girl a tickle. "Like this." Sara had been bracing herself and now she gave a squeak and glared at Serene, who laughed. Serene met her glare with a smile. "Don't make me punish you again, young lady." She waved a finger at Sara who smothered a laugh. Iriana was covering her mouth with her hand and Jasmina was fighting laughter from the quivers of her warframe. "Better?" She asked Sara.

 

"You are all so nice." Sara said softly. "I... I don't feel worthy of all this."

 

"You will learn, Sara." Serene said, her jovial tone turning serious. "It's a hard life we Tenno lead. But, no matter what else... We are, in the end, a family." Iriana and Jasmina both nodded. "You have a home, here, no matter what else happens. You have people who can and will treasure you for who and what you are, not what you were made to be."

 

"I..." Sara swallowed heavily. "You won't ever be able to let Mom go, will you?" Serene shook her head.

 

"Sara, the information she has, that she took from my mind..." Serene sighed. "It cannot get out. The dangers are..." Serene swallowed hard as well, drawing a look from Sara. "We will be kind, Sara, but she is vulnerable. Bad people want the information she has and will do anything to get it. Which is why we will protect you as well. Until you are trained, you are vulnerable as well."

 

"We will protect you, sister." Jasmina said kindly when Sara looked pale. Iriana nodded as well.

 

"Sister?" Sara asked slowly, not sure about this.

 

"You just gained a big and often exasperating  family, Sara." Iriana said with a smile as she settled a headband exactly the same as Sara's and Serene's on her own head and knelt down lower. "Are we ready?"

 

"Sister Jasmina." Serene said formally. "I entrust us to you."

 

"I will not fail your trust, sister Serene." Jasmina replied just as formally, moving to the door and drawing her Braton. Sara winced and Jasmina unbent for a moment. "It's formality, Sara. But we are going to take no chances with you, sister." Sara paused as Iriana laughed a bit sourly. She stared at the tech, and Iriana nodded.

 

"Yeah, you haven't seen overprotective kin until you have seen Tenno acting that way." Iriana said with a grin. "I thought I wasn't going to be able to move while I was pregnant, with all the people hovering around me. Making sure I was careful, that I didn't take any risks, gah..." She groaned good naturedly. Sara smiled at that and relaxed a bit. "We can be a bit much, Sara."

 

"If you are all you really have..." Sara said sadly. "Then I understand."

 

"Oh, I understood just fine." Iriana said with a grimace. "But it was still a pain in the butt. Ready?" She asked kindly.

 

"Yes." Sara said with a smile. Iriana's small talk had calmed her, which had been the idea. Serene smiled at her and nodded as well.

 

"Okay." Iriana said, taking charge. "Sara, Serene, close your eyes and breathe with me. Breathe in for four counts, hold it for four counts, then let it out for four counts? Okay, Sara? It won't take long for our minds to mesh and then enter Serene's." Sara nodded as she closed her eyes. "When it happens, it will happen fast." Iriana said between breaths. "Don't be afraid, Sara. I am here. Serene is here. We are with you."

 

"I am not afraid." Sara said as she exhaled. She took another slow breath and then spoke when she exhaled again. "I am home."

 

Then, between one breath and another, they were away.

[Kalenath]

Dissonance

 

Serene, Sara and Iriana all appeared at the same time in the mental room that Serene remembered. But something had changed. The other Serene -Two- and Amelia both lay on the ground. It was easy to see what had been happening from their shocked expressions. At least they both still had their clothes on.

 

"Mom!" Sara exclaimed, mortified. Serene just shook her head. Iriana was trying not to stare.

 

"What happens on the mission, stays on the mission, but... sheesh..." Serene said with a grin as Two and Amelia both jumped up to stand slightly apart, their faces red. "Iriana, this is Serene, um... Two and Amelia Priosa, Sara's mom. I doubt you met Amelia before." Sara stared from the Serene at her side to the Serene beside her mom and back, her face a mask of confusion. "Two, Amelia, this is Iriana, she has come to help."

 

"You said it was going to be weird, Serene..." Sara said in a dumbfounded voice. "But..." Serene patted her shoulder and Sara subsided a little, glaring at her mom. For her part, Iriana was studying the other Serene with open curiosity. Two still wore black robes instead of Serene's neutral color ones, but otherwise looked exactly like the Serene standing beside Iriana.

 

"I honestly wasn't sure you knew what you were talking about when you said a cognitive dissonance..." Irinia said quietly. "But you were right." Amelia perked up.

 

"Yes..." The human woman said sadly. "A massive dissonance that created a rip in the mental substrata. I caused it accidentally when I linked to Serene's mind. I didn't mean to. I didn't understand what I had done at first, then she started talking to me like two different people and I...well... I freaked." She said sadly. "I need to fix it."

 

"She thinks that she has to die to fix it." Serene clarified. Iriana stared from Amelia to the other Serene and then shook her head. "I hope you can figure out another way. One that does not involve either of these two vanishing."

 

"What -exactly- did you do?" Iriana asked, stepping away from the group and beckoning Amelia to her. Amelia sighed and moved to stand by the med tech. They began speaking in low tones.

 

"Uh,..." Sara stared from where her mom was speaking earnestly to the med tech to the black clad Serene and swallowed. "You...are Serene...too?"

 

"Yeah." Two said quietly. "For clarity's sake I am calling myself 'Two' to differentiate myself from Serene. I am sorry, Sara. I didn't mean to scare you on the Corpus ship. But that guy was hitting you and..." She broke off and slumped a bit. "I knew you were special, but I had no idea how special."

 

"She..." Sara waved at Serene who stood quietly. "She doesn't remember that. You..." Sara shook her head. "You were running her... um... Your body?" Sara laughed a little. "You were right, Serene. This is weird."
 

"Yes it is, and... I was." Two said sadly. "I have had time to think about it. I go did go berserk, Serene. I had to protect Sara, even if I didn't know exactly why."

 

"You were protecting a child. Our child." Serene said gently. "I don't think this is a standard situation, if there is such  a thing." Two smiled a little forlornly at Serene and then stared at Sara, no, at the sword on Sara's back.

 

"You gave her a Skana?" Two asked carefully.

 

"Yes." Serene said with a nod. "She is kin. One of the docs hurt her, thinking she was just a Corpus experiment." Two's eyes flashed and her face went hard, but she relaxed as Serene smiled grimly. "I think Jasmina and I...um... 'dissuaded' him for a while."

 

"She nearly died." Sara said sadly, turning to Serene with a stricken look. "She was protecting me."

 

"What?" Two asked, concerned. "Things flickered in here... That was when Amelia and I embraced and...well..." She blushed again. "What happened?" She pressed when Serene sighed.

 

"They had her in the Orokin scanner." Serene said softly. Two froze and her face turned stricken. She stepped towards Sara, her hand coming up.

 

"Oh, Sara..." Two's heart shone in her words. "I... I didn't think they would do that to you..."

 

"Neither did I." Serene said with a snap. "He won't touch her again. I told him I would kill him if he did." Two nodded, her face savage.

 

"They warned me it was going to hurt. Iriana was nice, she tried to help me between sessions. But then Serene came. She covered me. Kept me from hurting any more." Sara said softly. "But... They said she had terminal life signs. Then.. she didn't..." Two froze, staring from Sara to Serene and her face was a mask of shock.

 

"Serene?" Two asked cautiously. "What happened?"

 

"I don't know." Serene said with a shrug. "I remember seeing Sara look at me. Then it hurt... Then I..." She paused and blinked. "I...was talking to someone?" She said slowly, confused. "But... there was no one there." She shook herself hard. "It doesn't make any sense. But then I woke up on Sara." She smiled at Sara who smiled back. "So I guess I didn't die."

 

"Our body was engineered to be a weapon." Two mused. "I know the revive systems work sometimes."

 

"It wasn't that." Serene said with a shrug. "I wasn't in my warframe."

 

"She wasn't wearing anything at all." Sara said with a smirk. Serene smacked her gently and nodded at Two's dumbfounded expression.

 

"I was in a hurry." Serene said with aplomb. Sara made a 'naughty, naughty' gesture at Serene and Serene stuck her tongue out at Sara, causing the girl to giggle. Two looked like she had swallowed a bug as she fought to keep from laughing.

 

"You two are nuts." Two said with a smile. "What have I done introducing you?" Then she paused and turned serious."Sara... I... Me and your mom... We..." She broke off as Sara smiled gently.

 

"Mom taught me about relationships." Sara said softly. "It was all subjective. She certainly didn't want me falling for any of the Corpus goons. She said she had loved once. You?" Sara asked carefully. Two nodded slowly. Then Two froze as Sara stepped forward and threw her arms around the black clad Tenno. She gave Two a squeeze and then retreated. "If Mom loves you, how can I not at least try to?"

 

"Sara..." Two said huskily as she tried not to cry. "I may well be gone when Amelia and your new friend do whatever they do." All three looked to where Amelia was gesturing something to Iriana who was nodding. "If so, you need to be strong for your mom. Serene may be different too."

 

"We don't know that, Two." Serene said with a sigh as Sara looked scared. "No matter what, Sara, your place among our kin is secured. Even if I don't feel the same way I do now when they get done, you are one of us. Nothing will change that. And even if I do not act the same, know that I do love you."

 

"Thank you, Serene." Sara said as she embraced Two again. This time, the black clad Tenno slowly returned the embrace.

 

"Sara...One thing." Serena said after a moment. Sara looked at her but did not release Two who looked uncomfortable, but did not move. "Amelia said something about a Corpus who tricked her into helping." Serene paused as a new look crossed Sara's face. Rage. "Sara?"

 

"He said he was my dad. He said he owned me." Sara said with a snarl that Jasmina likely couldn't have improved. "He... He said..." She stammered, her face falling. "He said that they were going to use me when Mom was done. When Mom... When she..." Sara heaved, tears starting to fall.

 

"Oh Sara, I am sorry." Serene said sadly as she stepped up. Two released the girl into Serene's hands and stepped back.  Serene held Sara as she sobbed. "I have seen what the Corpus do."

 

"They... They talked about it as if I wasn't there. They hurt me, they did things to me and then they talked." Sara sobbed into Serene's shoulder. "They were going to take out my brain, put it in something called a 'MOA Controller." Serene went stiff at that and so did Two. "Was so scared... They said it was going to be soon. Something about 'Phase 2' or...something."

 

"We need to report this." Two said slowly. Serene nodded, but Sara scowled.

 

"Who is going to believe me?" Sara asked. "You have no proof. Just the word of a scared girl."

 

"Sara." Serene said gently. "Where are we?"

 

"Oh." Sara said slowly. "We are in your mind. You could do this with me?" She asked, not all that sure about the idea.

 

"We can. We can go in and look at your memories. That was what we planned to do to your mom at first. Now? I don't know." Serene said quietly. "But we will wait until you have settled a bit. You have had far too many shocks recently. Do you remember anything else?"

 

"No." Sara said softly. "Just that I was being sent to surgery when the alarms went off. Mom told me to find her if that ever happened. So I jerked free of the guard and ran. I tried to find her. But the guard chased me down and..." She swallowed.

 

"Two interrupted him." Serene said with a nod. "So... Whatever Phase 2 is, it was ready." She mused. "Not good."

 

"We need to report this, Serene." Two prodded her.

 

"We need to get this fixed first." Serene cautioned her. "Then we can act."

 

"It needs to be soon." Iriana said from nearby. All three looked to where Iriana stood with Amelia. Amelia was downcast, her face sorrowful. "Amelia did the best she could."

 

"I was stupid." Amelia said sadly. "I thought you were just a variant of human, Serene. I didn't know what you were. Tenno are different."

 

"Mom?" Sara asked,. She looked at Serene and Serene let her go. Sara ran to her mom and hugged Amelia tight. Amelia returned it.

 

"The good news is..." Iriana said softly. "I know what happened and it will not require Amelia's death to fix."

 

"Good." Serene and Two chorused. "And the bad news?" They said in unison, stared at each other and laughed in unison. "That is creepy." They said at the same time and winced.

 

"The bad news, Serene... Two..." Iriana said slowly. "...is that the dissonance is too great. The two of you cannot be merged. The only fix as it were, is a wipe to before the dissonance began." Everything seemed to stop. "Anything else I could try would drive you mad."

 

"Oh." Serene said softly. "I see." Two looked poleaxed. They looked at each other and nodded. Serene spoke. "Iriana... I ask this formally, under recording from the brainwave scanners you have hooked us to. You are a mother. Will you take Sara in? Protect her, guide her and help her face her future?" Sara stared at Serene, her face slowly paling.

 

"Serene..." Sara stammered. "No..."

 

"Sara, you are strong." Serene said gently. "Stronger than me. Iriana?" She asked. The tech bowed her head.

 

"I do not want this, Serene." Iriana said sadly. "But I accept this charge."

 

"No!" Sara screamed, running towards Serene. "Serene! No!"

 

"Sara. Stop." Serene commanded. The girl slithered to a halt a few paces away. "Sara..." Serene said, her tone sick. "Iriana is a professional. She knows what she is talking about. Two..." She waved to her twin who stepped to Amelia who was crying. The pair embraced. "Sara, I am sorry. But if I go mad...You saw it, on the ship. I cannot do that kind of thing among my kin, Sara. I cannot."

 

"But..." Sara was crying hard. "Serene... No... I have to... I can..."

 

"Sara..." Serene said sadly. "Come here." She opened her arms and Sara swarmed into them. The girl hugged her tight enough to hurt, but Serene just hugged her back. She leaned close and inhaled the scent of the girl's hair. It smelled...heavenly. "I was afraid of this from the very beginning, Sara. I have walked too long in dark places."

 

"No..." Sara cried as she hugged Serene. "Don't go, Serene."

 

"It will take time to set up." Iriana said slowly from where she stood. "And I need authorization to do what must be done."

 

"Then we go face the Elders. As soon as possible." Serene said softly. "Iriana, take Sara and wake Amelia." Iriana nodded. "Take care of them, please." She asked as she gently extricated herself from Sara who was sobbing and clutching her.

 

She held out the struggling form to Iriana who stepped forward to take Sara in her arms, hugging the now howling girl tight. Two kissed Amelia and then stepped away from her. Iriana stepped to where Amelia was standing, looking lost, then all three of them vanished.

 

"Well..." Serene said with a sigh. "This is another fine mess, huh?"

 

"This is going to go over with the Elders like a MOA trying to swim." Two said crossly. Serene bit back a laugh at that and Two sighed. "Tell me I lie, Serene."

 

"You don't." Serene said with a sigh. "Well, now we can set it so you can testify too."

 

"Thanks." Two said sourly. "Serene... I..."

 

"I know." Serene said sadly. "I wish it could be different too. But... The risks are too great. I do not want to wake up surrounded by dead kin." Two hugged her and she returned it.

 

"Me neither." Two agreed. "So... No time like the present?" Serene nodded and willed herself to return to consciousness.

 

But what greeted her on waking was not the scene she had left. Jasmina lay in a heap, her armor smoldering. Iriana lay on her side and Sara was nowhere to be seen! Serene jerked to her feet, checking Iriana first. The tech lived, her headband showing her mind was still elsewhere. Jasmina jerked, seeing Serene moving.

 

"Jasmina!" Serene snapped, running to her stricken sister's side.  "What happened?"

 

"Ambush." Jasmina gasped. "Doc came in, told me to move. Told him to 'F*** off'. He had a Rhino with him, blindsided me. Took Sara." Serene's scream was piercing, but then her eyes turned cold and hard and her scream changed. Jasmina tensed as the hunting cry of a banshee sounded from Serene's throat. It sounded different than she did in her warframe, but recognizable. "Serene..." She begged as Serene checked her, setting auto-repair systems in action.

 

"Where is my warframe?" Serene asked coldly.

 

"Diagnostic bay three..." Jasmina said slowly. "Serene... Don't... He won't be alone... My systems will be back up shortly. Other clanmates are coming. I sent out an SOS."

 

"Every moment I wait, he will hurt Sara." Serene said calmly. "This ends now." She bowed her head to the fallen Ember and then it came up with a snap. Then, fast as a clap of thunder, she was gone.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

When Banshees Rage

 

Serene stalked into the wide open bay, ignoring the smiles and nods of the various Tenno who greeted her. They all stared at her, unnerved. She made her way unerring towards where a familiar set of armor hung in a rack, festooned with wires. Her Banshee warframe. She only stopped when another warframe stepped out of the shadows, an arrow drawn and aimed at Serene's heart. The frame was very familiar, except the helmet wasn't the wide flanged one that Serene wore. Instead this one had a long fin in back and a sharp spike protruding from the forehead. The frame's colors were a dazzling white and silver finish instead of Serene's unrelieved black. Of course, Serene knew her. Most of the Tenno who wore Banshee warframes knew each other.

 

"Serene. Stop." The other banshee said calmly.

 

"Go ahead, Greta." Serene said as she slowly started taking off her jumpsuit. "Kill me if that is what you want."

 

"I don't want to hurt you, Serene." Greta said quietly. "But you are a danger. Tell me I lie." The banshee did not relax her aim. "Stand down, it's okay sister." She said gently. "We will make it okay."

 

"You can't. But have no fear, sister. The only person I am a danger to is the doc who I warned away from Sara." Serene said as she started slipping on a clean bodysuit that was lying near the warframe. "No one else, Greta."

 

"I can't let you don the 'frame, sister." Great said sadly. "You are a threat to everyone. Clear the bay!" She snapped. All the other Tenno who had been staring at them bolted for the exits.

 

"The only person I am going to kill is the doc who took Sara, Greta." Serene said quietly, fastening her hood on and slipping the covers over her eyes. She half expected Greta to fire as soon as she was distracted, but the Banshee didn't. "I warned him." She started switching weapons from her jumpsuit to the hard points of the warframe. Skana sword to the back, Braton rifle to the back, Lato pistol to the side. It was one of the hardest thing she had ever done, to ignore the arrow pointed at her, but she managed. "He attacked Jasmina."

 

"You are unbalanced, sister." Greta said gently. "We can help you."

 

"No, you can't." Serene said sadly. "I found out what happened." She bowed her head. "When Amelia, the human doc, entered my mind, it created a cognitive dissonance. That dissonance resulted in an alternate personality. She is me, but she is not. She is Tenno, with loyalty to our kind. But... She is just as &!$$ed as I am right now. Tech Iriana confirmed it."

 

"Tech Iriana has been infected with whatever that girl brought with her." Greta said with a sigh. "She is also unbalanced. Jasmina was too. We will help them."

 

"Infected?" Serene asked, incredulous. " Is that what that A****** told you? That Sara somehow infects people into caring for her? Greta!" She said with a chiding sigh. "You know better!"

 

"No, I don't. I don't know what is going on." Greta admitted. "All I know is that one of the people I admire is suddenly acting unbalanced. Get away from the warframe, Serene." Greta warned her.

 

"The only way you are going to stop me from helping my daughter is to kill me, Greta." Serene said calmly. She turned to present her profile to the Banshee. "Go ahead, be a mindless drone." She waved at her chest. "Go ahead, Greta! Shoot me! That is the only way you are stopping me." A wave of coherent sound slammed into Serene, knocking her off her feet and into the wall but she had been expecting it and managed to flip herself so she landed on her feet. She strode back towards the racked frame, her steps measured and slow. "You want to help him kill a little girl, Greta? One who trusted us? One who is kin despite his claims?" Serene demanded. "Go ahead!" She snapped again. "What are you waiting for? Shoot me!" She made for her warframe again.

 

"Serene!" Greta warned. She sounded as if she was crying. Then the bowstring hummed and Serene jerked as an arrow appeared in her upper right arm. "Stand. Down." Greta begged as she drew another arrow. "My next one goes in your heart!"

 

"F*** you!" Serene snarled as she grabbed the arrow and yanked it from her arm. The suit covered the wound instantly as it was designed to. "Do it or get the hell out of my way!"

 

She threw the arrow aside and stepped to the back of the warframe. Sensing it's authorized user, it opened. She placed her feet in the proper positions and then stepped forward. She expected an arrow in the back, but none came. The warframe sealed around her and she sighed in relief as her world dimmed and then expanded exponentially as many different sensor systems came online. The pain in her arm ebbed and died as her warframe instituted repair functions. But when she looked to where Greta stood, the other Banshee's bow was down and muted sobs came from her.

 

"I am sorry, Serene..." Greta cried. "I can't do it. I can't stop you."

 

"Greta." Serene said softly. "Look at me. Look at my 'frame's telemetry." She clicked a mental switch and sent a data packet to the other banshee. Greta's head came up and she seemed to freeze. "My mind spilt in two, Greta. Amelia didn't intend it to happen, but it did. She tried to fix her mistake. She tried to keep the information she took from me from the Corpus scum who had her. They made Sara from me, Greta." Greta choked and Serene continued. "I didn't bear her, but Sara is my daughter. I am sending that data packet of what we discovered to the Elders now. My life is forfeit, or it will be when I kill the doc." Greta was shaking her head but Serene continued. "I swore his death, sister." She sighed as she stepped from the diagnostic rack. "By blood and by steel, his life is mine for insult and injury to my kith and kin. He hurt Sara for no reasons except his paranoia. I will kill him as I swore it."

 

"Serene..." Greta's voice was stunned. She had likely scanned the entire record in the seconds that Serene had been talking. Tenno could do that, multitasking came early. "I..."

 

"I am sorry, Greta." Serene said sadly. "You have my word that I will not harm any of the others. Even if they attack me, I will not harm them. But he hurt my daughter and is likely hurting her again. He dies." She unslung her rifle, checking it as she started for the door.

 

"Serene..." Greta said softly. "Wait." But...She was pleading. But... what the? She was moving out of Serene's way as well.

 

"I can't." But she stopped short as Greta held out her bow to the other Banshee. Her bow and one arrow. Enough for one life. Serene paused, then laid her rifle on the floor, taking the bow with reverent hands. It was immaculate. The arrow likewise.

 

"Be valkyrja, my sister." Greta said sadly. "Choose your slain well. I am sorry I doubted. He said you were insane."

 

"I am insane, Greta. A split personality." Serene said sadly. "And when this is done, if I survive, I go for a  mind wipe." Greta hissed in disbelief. "Back to when I woke from cryo. It's the only way."

 

"I..." Greta was crying hard now. "Go. Medical ward 4. They are there. Zidis is there with doctor Vas. He won't understand."

 

"Zidis isn't the brightest of bulbs. He is brave and loyal, but... Not the brightest of bulbs." Serene said with sigh. "I give you my word, I won't hurt him. Just... please... Talk to Sara if...If she survives and is sane after this. She is going to need help. Lots of it. Her mom is a prisoner for the rest of her life and... I..."

 

Serene choked off whatever she was going to say as Greta laid a hand on her shoulder. The hand fell away. Greta bowed to Serene and stepped completely out of the way. Serene nodded to her sister and then ran lightly from the room. Her warframe was as she had left it, but it's systems had been fully recharged. A quick look and a quicker pulse of sonar showed no hostiles anywhere nearby. The tracker that Jasmina had thoughtfully placed on Sara's skana showed it was in the medical ward that Greta had pointed Serene to. A trap? Maybe. It didn't matter.

 

Zidis... Two spoke softly in the recess of Serene's mind. Was he the Rhino who attacked Jasmina?

 

Probably. Serene replied silently. He was probably told the same drek Greta was. He will think I am infested or worse.

 

He will attack as soon as he sees you, Serene. Two said, her tone worried. What are you going to do?

 

He will probably try to subdue me nonlethally. Serene said with a shiver. If he goes all out, he can squash me like a bug. If he sees me... Serene mused, then an evil smile crossed her face. I am the Darkness.

 

Serene... Two's voice cautioned her. Be careful. They have to know you are coming. And you don't have a sentinel.

 

So much the better. Serene said, her mind slowing as she focused. Two, I am sorry I got you into this.

 

I am not.  A mental caress soothed Serene's jangled nerves as Two withdrew a bit to let Serene do what she did best.

 

Serene paused at the entryway that led to the medical ward. The door ahead marked '4' was closed and the orange icon on the keypad showed it was locked. Serene pulsed her sonar and was glad not to see any other signs of life. She slung Greta's bow and crept forward carefully. Each second she wasted seemed an hour to her, but she knew she would only get one chance at this. She stopped just outside the door to medical ward 4 and smiled grimly as she focused on the ceiling.

 

I may not want to hurt any of our kin, but no one said anything about property damage. Serene felt Two's sudden understanding and feral acknowledgment. No one sane angers a banshee... and here is why!

 

She cast her hands up and power flowed from them. Normally when she cast Sound Quake, she hit the ground and the sound flowed from her hands like water. Now, she threw her hands up and the power slammed out of them with the subtlety of an out of control starship. The coherent sound hit the ceiling and spread out, hitting light fixtures, sensor clusters and security cameras, vibrating everything in it's path. None of even Tenno equipment was designed to shed such energy in close proximity and suddenly the entire corridor was plunged into darkness. Serene kept the power flowing as emergency lights came on. Those disintegrated as well, plunging the corridor even deeper into gloom. She lowered her hands and melted to the side as the door opened and a hulking form stepped out of the lit room. The huge Tenno had a Latron rifle in hand and a Scindo axe sheathed on his back. She put her back to the wall and stilled. Her warframe's ECM would hide her from anything but visual detection but movement would give her away.

 

"I know you are here, Serene." The voice of the Rhino was deep and mellow, but sad. "You are sick, sister. You need help." He didn't move from the door. Serene focused herself and threw her voice. She was proud of that skill. Ordinarily she used it to make small noises to distract organic and mechanical guards from patrol paths, but this worked. She also made ready to cast silence around herself.

 

"I am sick, Zidis. Just not the way he said." Serene made her voice come from the far side of the corridor, and when Zidis shone his rifle light there, she had moved it. "Come on, Zidis. You can't catch me in the dark. I am the Night." She moved the sound staying just ahead of his light beam. "I am here for my daughter, Zidis. Stay out of my way."

 

"She is not your kid, Serene." Zidis said calmly. "She is a Corpus proxy."

 

"He told you that?" Serene couldn't keep the disbelief out of her voice, but still managed to keep the sound ahead of the Rhino's light. "Have you even looked at her? She has more limbs than a MOA and she is too small to be a Jackal or a Hyena. He told Greta she infected people like an infested, and tells you she is a Corpus proxy? What will he say next? She is a Grinneer? Zidis... Zidis...He is lying through his teeth!" She chided, still throwing her voice.

 

"He is a doc, Serene. You are sick." The Rhino said stolidly. "Come on, sis. Surrender. We can help you."

 

"I am not sick Zidis, I am &!$$ed. He hurt my little girl." Serene's voice turned flat. "He has done it again, hasn't he?" Zidis didn't respond and Serene snarled. "He has." Now her voice turned deadly. "Move, Zidis. I don't want to hurt you."

 

"You can't hurt me, Serene." Zidis said softly.

 

"Wanna bet?" Serene snapped. Suddenly he froze as she painted him with her sonar, identifying a weak spot in his massive armor. His warframe's sensors couldn't find her from the echoes the corridor was too cramped, and they were bouncing everywhere.  "You really wanna bet?" She asked snidely.

 

"Serene..." The Rhino said warily. He knew what she was capable of. "Don't..."

 

"You stand between me and someone I am sworn to protect, Zidis. Between me and someone I am sworn to kill. I don't want to hurt you, but..." Serene made her voice move away as he spun towards the sound. He didn't move and Serene sighed. "So be it. I am sorry, Zidis. I won't kill you." She promised.

 

"Serene!" The Rhino protested, but she was done talking.

 

The silence field she cast on herself settled around her as she pulled her Lato pistol and threw it with all her might across the corridor. It sparked against something there and the Rhino spun in place, his rifle light seeking her, but as soon as he turned, she dove between the massive tree trunks that were his armored legs and slid into the room, slapping the hatch closed in passing and driving a small blade deep into the innards of the panel in the same motion. Even a Rhino would take a few minutes to break through that door. Enough time.

 

The silence field had held. The doctor was unaware of her presence as she rose to her feet, drawing her bow from her back. The arrow she had kept in her left hand through all her activities in the corridor slipped into place and she drew to full extension. He stood over a small, still form on an operating table, muttering to himself. She felt the field dissipate and then heard a thud from the door behind her. The doctor spun with an oath, only to freeze as he saw Serene with her bow drawn.

 

"What's up, doc?" Serene said coldly as she took two slow steps into the room. "Step away from her." If she hit low, the fully charged arrow could pass through the unarmored doctor and hit Sara.

 

"No..." The doctor said, blanching. "Serene, don't..."

 

"What did I tell you, doc?" Serene asked coldly. "Step. Away. From. Her."

 

"I almost have the proof I need!" The doctor protested, moving to stand in front of Sara. If Serene fired, she would likely hurt or kill Sara as well as the doc. "Tissue samples are done! The analysis is almost done! She didn't even feel it!"

 

"What did I tell you?" Serene demanded softly. "After you hurt her last time?"

 

"I didn't hurt her!" The doctor protested as another thud sounded from the door. Then the thuds started coming in rhythmic intervals. It wouldn't hold an angry Rhino out for long.

 

"I said 'If you touch her', doc, not 'If you hurt her'." Serene said in a silky voice. "You heard my oath. You decided not to abide by it. So be it." She crouched low to aim up with her bow and he gasped.

 

Suddenly Serene screamed as pain erupted across her back. She rolled from the impact despite the pain in her back and side. But her body wasn't working right. All she could do was flop on her side. Then she saw her attacker. An Ash warframe stood behind her, a plasma sword in hand. A quick glance at her HUD showed he had cut her across the back at kidney level, severing her spine and slashing deep into her kidneys and intestines. Her warframe could heal even that terrible wound, given time. But the Ash was moving in. He kicked her bow far away from her scrabbling fingers. Then he screamed as she cut loose with the power she had available, focusing all of her rage and hate into a stream of sound that arced across her front. He went flying. She didn't have long though. He would recover and come again quickly, She turned to see the doctor looking at her over the sights of a Lex pistol. The powerful handgun would punch a hole in her warframe and maybe the floor beneath it.

 

"Kill me or look over your shoulder for the rest of your short life!" Serene snapped. "I am Death and I am coming for you!" She threw the arrow that she still had in hand at him like a javelin just as he fired. The impact threw her back to the floor, but she saw the unarmored doc clutch the arrow that had impaled his chest. The side of his chest. She had missed the heart, but he was hurt. She was... She was...

 

***

 

"Damn it, doc!" The irate young male voice snapped, pulling Serene back to consciousness. "You said we wouldn't hurt anyone! You didn't need to shoot her! She was down! If you had just moved, that arrow wouldn't have hit you!" Serene tried to move and she couldn't. She tried to access her warframe's systems, but it wasn't functioning. The rhythmic thudding on the door was continuing, so she couldn't have been unconscious long.

 

"Thanks for the first aid. She is insane. Throwing a freaking arrow of all things." The doc's voice was low and filled with pain. "That Corpus thing did something to her."

 

"Be glad it wasn't a knife! I wouldn't have missed, you son of a $#*(@..." Serene snapped as she focused every ounce of power she had left. It seeped out of her uselessly. "I am not insane! She is my daughter!" Serene screamed and then lay back, coughing. A wet cough. Not a good sign.

 

Serene! Two's voice was frantic. Don't move! You are hemorrhaging! Your warframe's first aid systems are down!

 

"It's almost done." The doc said, sighing. "Soon I will have the proof I need from the thing's brain tissue. Proof to show everyone."

 

Sara... Gotta... Serene managed to roll, but found her feet and hands tied together with plastic cuffs. She struggled, but they were well beyond her ability to break in her current condition. "No!" She screamed. "Leave Sara alone!"

 

"I thought you said she was restrained?" The doctor snapped. "How can she move?"

 

"Her warframe is disabled." The voice of what had to be the Ash was sour. "She is restrained. What more do you want? She is... bleeding." The voice turned shocked, scared. "Oh my god... Serene! Don't move!" Hands suddenly were on her easing her into back a prone position. "Doc, she is bleeding! Inside!" The hands that held her down were oddly gentle as Serene felt calm descend. She had done all she could. Win or lose, she was done.

 

"Almost..." The doc breathed.

 

"Doc!" The Ash screamed. "She is dying! You got her lung and its hemorrhaging! Her frame is offline! It healed her back, but now it's disabled!"

 

"She will keep." The doc said coldly. "And if she doesn't? Well, she is insane. It was self defense." A beeping sounded and the doc spoke again. "Finally. Proof..."

 

"Doc...?" The Ash demanded. "I need you." Serene managed to groan as pain tore through her chest, but could do nothing else.

 

Two, save yourself! She begged. Go to Sara's mind, Iriana's, Amelia's even. Get away....

 

I am not leaving you! The other her snapped right back. I am going to try something...

 

"What the...?" The doctor suddenly sounded faint. "This... This cannot be. It isn't possible..."

 

"Doc!" The Ash shouted as Serene fell into red tinged darkness. But... Two screamed in Serene's head.

 

Serene! Stay awake! Your daughter needs you! Something hit Serene with the subtlety of a Fragor hammer and she knew no more.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

Coming back

 

Serene as at peace. Nothing hurt and she was floating. Dimly she wondered what had happened and why, but it didn't seem important. Nothing did. Then something slammed into her chest. She screamed, but no sound came as whatever was hitting her did it again and again. Suddenly she hurt, every bit of her hurt and she was sobbing as pain pulled her... back.

 

She woke to the sound of crying.

 

"Serene?" The soft, scared voice was young. Was that her name? Yes, her name was Serene, but everything else was fuzzy, indistinct. The voice wasn't someone Serene knew, was it? It sounded like a child. "Please, Serene, don't leave me, us." Soft movement sounded all around. Soft voices were speaking all around.

 

Serene took stock. Nothing hurt now, but everything was numb. She was lying on a hard surface and...

 

Serene? The soft, scared voice was in her head! Her eyes shot open, but... She couldn't see!

 

Serene tried to speak aloud, but it wouldn't come so she responded the same way she had been addressed. What? Who are you?

 

Serene! I knew Iriana could bring you back! I just knew it! The voice in her head was jubilant, but then it seemed to freeze. What? You don't know me?

 

I don't...  Serene seemed to fade a little. Nothing is...clear... I...The other voice cursed and then it was kind.

 

Easy, Serene. Let me see... Something seemed to touch Serene's mind and the voice sighed. Ah, some kind of block. Did I do this? I don't know. I am sorry. This is going to hurt, Serene.

 

Wait... Serene said and then pain erupted inside her head. She felt her body twitch and she screamed loud and long but no sound came out.

 

"Serene!" The young female voice from before shouted. "What is happening?" She demanded of someone. Serene could only writhe in the waves of agony that poured through her. Finally it ended and she lay, gasping. She barely reacted when her mouth opened and another voice sounded from it.

 

"Serene is awake and aware, but she cannot make herself understood. She can't access her speech center. She can't see and she can't access her memories either. There is a block. I don't know where it came from. I can't get through it." The voice sounded familiar. "At least I have access to her speech centers. Iriana? Can you do anything?"

 

"I don't know, Two." A sad voice sounded from close at hand. "The damage was extreme. She bled out. We got here moments later, soon enough to stave off complete brain death, but... I don't know."

 

"I can help." A male voice sounded from nearby. It sounded...defeated.

 

"If he touches her, I am killing him!" The young female voice snapped from nearby and a steely hiss had Serene stiffening. Someone had drawn a sword. "You have done enough, doc!"

 

"Sara." Another male voice, this one more authoritative, spoke. "Stand down. He will face judgment for what he did to you and her. But not by your sword. You are angry, Sara, with reason, but this is not the time or place. Please, Sara, stand down." The voice begged her.

 

"I..." Sara sounded in tears but the sound of a sword being placed back in it's resting position had Serene relaxing a bit. "Don't let him hurt her again, Elder Mavri." She begged. "He killed her. He didn't care!"

 

"I know, girl." The older male voice sounded sick. "I know. Healer Iriana?"

 

"I am only a tech, Elder." The other female voice said dubiously. Serene seemed to remember that the title 'Healer' was an honor, a special one.

 

"Not anymore. You have shown more dedication, skill and sheer sense in the last few hours than any two full doctors I know." What had to be one of the Elders of the Tenno said calmly. "This block that the other Serene says is preventing access to memories, can you break it?"

 

"Maybe." The healer said without conviction. "But she is awfully weak. Not here." She said with a bit more authority. "We need her on support, give her more fluids and make sure the damage is completely fixed. If she goes into cardiac arrest again... We won't be able to get her back without a lot more than we have available here. I have a gurney coming. Jasmina?"

 

Serene stiffened. What were they talking about? Suddenly she was moving and she reacted, struggling weakly against the arms that held her.

 

"Healer?" Another familiar female voice asked, worried. "She is trying to struggle. She will hurt herself!"

 

"I don't want to sedate her, but we may not have a choice if she can't understand what is going on." The healer replied uneasily. "Two, can you talk to her?"

 

"I will try." The voice that came from her lips wasn't hers, but... It was. Serene... The gentle voice in her head spoke gain. They are trying to help, okay? Easy, girl. Easy... It's all right.

 

Not... Right... Serene managed to get the mental words out but the effort exhausted her. She barely felt it when she was laid on something soft.

 

It's all right, Serene. The voice said gently. I have got you. You are safe. Sara is safe. Sleep. Waves of lethargy swept through her and she did as instructed.

 

<Later>

 

"Get. Out." The soft words that woke Serene from a troubled sleep were a command. The voice was the female who had been called Iriana.

 

"Iriana... I apologize." The male voice had Serene's hackles rising. She opened her eyes, but everything was still black. "I was wrong. I want to help."

 

"If Sara catches you in here, you are a dead man, law or no law. No Tenno will gainsay her that right after what you did to her and Serene." Iriana said coldly. "Jasmina? Toss this sorry excuse for a medical professional out on his butt." A abrupt sound was followed by an exclamation but then silence. Iriana sighed. "He is going to keep pushing."

 

"Fool has a death wish." Another tantalizingly familiar voice said quietly. Was this Jasmina? "But his life is Serene's. Not mine, not Sara's. Any change?" Hope warred with despair in the female's voice.

 

"She is awake." Something soft brushed Serene's forehead. "Serene, can you hear me?" Serene tried to reply and the words wouldn't come. She panicked. "Dang it!" The healer's voice was sharp. "Serene easy... Easy..." The gentleness and kindness were palpable and soothed Serene's fear. "You can't talk. The speech centers of your brain got hit hard by the loss of blood. Can you see?" Serene shook her head the little she could and Iriana sighed. "We have repaired the damage, but the block is still there. We are going to try some other things. Two?" For a moment, Serene wasn't sure who the healer was speaking to then the kind voice that was like her and not sounded inside her head.

 

Serene? The woman who called herself Two asked gently. Can you talk to me now?

 

I... Serene made a soft noise of despair. What is wrong with me? I feel so...strange. She was there, but...not.

 

You were shot. Two said calmly. You lost a lot of blood, and your warframe was disabled. It couldn't heal you.

 

How bad? Serene asked, dazed.

 

You died, Serene. Two said sadly. I did what I could, but... I swear I did what I could. They got there just a few minutes after you went down. They had to blast the door open, you and Zidis messed it up good. They had a full trauma team, but... You were hurt very badly. Between a bad sword wound and a gunshot wound...  Iriana pulled me out and I thought you were gone, but Iriana brought you back. The sorrow in the woman's voice was palpable.

 

I don't remember... Serene said uneasily.

 

Yes, you do, Serene. You still have the memories. I can access them. Two said softly. But you are blocked from your memories somehow. None of us have a clue why but now that you are awake we can try to get past the block.

 

Will it hurt? Serene asked fearfully. Like before?

 

Yes. Two said in a quiet voice. Serene winced and Two was quick to reassure her. But it will make you better. I am here, sister. I am not leaving you.

 

I am scared. Serene felt small with that admission, but the gentle mental caress was back.

 

I know. The woman called Two said quietly. Serene felt her jaw move and the woman's voice came from her mouth. "She is calmer, Iriana. Should we wait until she is stronger?"

 

"The longer we wait, the stronger the block will get, Two." Iriana said soberly. Something soft rubbed Serene's forehead and a sharp smell followed it. Odd feeling things were pressed against her skin and stuck to it. "Serene, this is going to feel very strange and then it will hurt. The pain should not last long, but I don't know for sure. Hopefully as soon as I break the block you will be able to speak and see again. We are not going to strap you down, but I am going to put something in your mouth for you to bite down on, okay?"

 

Serene tried to protest, tried to say 'No', but nothing came out. Finally she just sighed in surrender. The hands were back on her head, holding her jaw as something soft but firm was placed between her teeth and her mouth closed on it. Someone's hands were on either side of her head as she braced herself for whatever was coming.

 

"Okay." Iriana said quietly. "Two, hold on to your lunch." Serene was shaking as power suddenly flared from the hands on either side of her head. It didn't hurt. Far from it. It felt... heavenly. Suddenly the entire universe seemed to explode inside her head and she could only take it for a moment before passing out.

 

***

 

Serene woke, aware of something odd. A large mass was leaning against her side. A warm, breathing mass. She opened her eyes and froze. She could see! She smiled as she looked around slowly. She couldn't seem to move any faster. She was lying on a hospital bed in a medical ward and she was festooned with medical equipment. A familiar blonde head was nestled up against hers.

 

Sara was asleep. The girl had been crying, but in sleep, her face had eased. She looked so young and vulnerable. Serene felt her guts clench as she saw the telltale red marks of surgical scars on Sara's skull. The girl's hair was cut very short, probably to help disguise the shaved patches on her skull where the scars were. Serene moved her arm to slowly cover Sara.

 

Serene? Two's voice was soft, worried.

 

How long was I out, Two? Serene asked as she held Sara. The girl murmured in her sleep and nestled closer to Serene. I remember now. You were trying to help. I... I was confused...

 

A little confusion can be excused, Serene. Two said gently. You died.

 

They brought me back. Serene said softly. And I was...She grunted bit as something hurt. She looked at herself and saw organic bandages over much of her chest. How long?

 

Two days. Two said softly. They had to put your lung back together. The bullet went completely through you, but it shattered several ribs on the way and the fragments did a lot of damage. You were in surgery for almost eight hours, and then in recovery. Only then were you strong enough to survive when Iriana broke the block.

 

Thank you. Serene said sadly as she gently stroked Sara's arm. For everything. I guess... I guess we will go for the wipe soon.

 

Things have changed, Serene. Two said kindly. I have talked with the Elders, while you were out. Serene stiffened, but Two had a smile in her voice now. I expected to be called an abomination, or at least a demon or something. They didn't. They asked a number of questions and want the healers to do a series of scans when you are stronger.

 

Two... I... Serene shook her head. I don't understand.

 

I know. Two's voice turned wry. I barely understand it myself, but the docs seem to think what happened to you may have some benefits. Serene blinked and thought about that. Then she froze.

 

The doc.  Serene said flatly. I didn't get him.

 

He surrendered. Two said, her tone painfully neutral. He tried to bring you back, he was setting you up for revival when Jasmina and the clan broke down the door. They were...unhappy. If Mavri hadn't been with them...

 

My oath stands. Serene said flatly. She stared at Sara's head and she felt her eyes burn. What did he do to her?

 

Jasmina warned Iriana. Two said quietly. She didn't send Sara back to her body until the clan found you. The doc... took Sara and put her under anesthesia. Then he took samples of her brain tissue to analyze. He took very small samples and apparently did his best to keep the damage minimal. I think you scared him.

 

I was going to kill him before. Serene snapped in her mind. Now I am going to enjoy it!

 

Serene. Two warned her. Calm down. Sara is alive. He didn't hurt her. He could have done far worse to her, you know this.

 

Don't tell me you are on his side? Serene asked incredulous.

 

You know me better than that, sis. Two said with a growl.  I just want you to relax before you blast your blood pressure through the roof and bring Iriana in here to scold. I think she has gotten an hour or two of sleep in the last few days. Anyway... The doc. His life is yours Serene. The Elders are unanimous.

 

Unanimous? Serene felt faint but then paused. Sara was waking. "Morning, sleepy head." Serene said kindly.

 

"Serene?" Sara asked, blinking away sleep. Then her eyes went wide. "Serene!" She exclaimed and threw her arms around Serene to hug her. She froze as Serene groaned.

 

"Not...so... tight..." Serene gasped as Sara recoiled. But then she stiffened as Sara burst into tears.

 

"When they woke me, you were lying there in a pool of blood." Sara sobbed as she held Serene gently. "He killed you." She buried her face in Sere's unbandaged shoulder and cried. "He killed you."

 

"I got better." Serene said gently. "Oh, Sara... It's okay. It's okay... Easy..." She soothed the crying girl.

 

"I am not a fighter, Serene." Sara said after a moment. "I can't do that kind of thing."

 

"You would be amazed at what you can do when you put your mind to it." Serene continued caressing Sara's head and shoulders and the girl relaxed. "The choice is yours. No one will push you into doing something you don't want. Just..." She sighed. "If you don't... We may not see each other again." Sara froze.

 

"What?" Sara asked, scared again.

 

"Sara, I am unstable." Serene said quietly. Sara shook her head and opened her mouth but Serene shushed her with a finger across the girl's lips. "I am." Two made a soft noise of disagreement and Serene sighed. "Two... You know better. I wanted to kill everyone I saw between where I woke up with Jasmina down and Sara gone and the medical bay. I wanted to kill Greta and Zidis." Now Serene was crying. "I came so close... I came so close to killing them, Sara. After Greta gave me her bow, I nearly turned it on her. And when I dove past Zidis, his vulnerable spot was wide open, I so wanted to drive my blade in and watch him squirm as he bled out..."

 

"You didn't." Sara said softly. Two spoke the same words, but the mental voice was less confident.

 

"Sara..." Serene hugged the girl gently. "I need you to understand. This is going to hurt you, very badly. But I cannot do that. I cannot see kin as targets to be eliminated. I cannot." Sara looked away, her eyes streaming. "And I did, Sara. That scares me more than anything else I have ever faced." Two's mental touch faded as she too digested that information.

 

"Iriana and I...talked... After Jasmina warned her. After mom was back in her body. We had time while she and the clan ran to help you." Sara said quietly. "She taught me a lot about the Tenno. I know how little I know now, Serene." Serene smiled at Sara, but the smile was sad.

 

"The more you learn, Sara, the less you know." Serene said with a nod. "You will find  this is true about almost everything." Sara nodded. She looked up as a soft voice sounded from nearby.

 

"What the?" Iriana stood in the doorway to the small room, her face study of shock. She looked awful, she had obviously slept in her clothes and her face was lined from stress and worry, but her eyes were alive. She was not happy. "Sara? You said you were going to sit with her, not sleep with her."

 

"I don't mind, Iriana. It soothed her and me." Serene paused and spoke with deep respect "Healer."

 

"Don't start." Iriana said with a snap. "If I had possessed a clue about the increase in paperwork involved I would have told the Elder to shove it." But she was smiling.

 

"You heard." Serene said with a sigh Iriana nodded, her face neutral. "Iriana... Please...Can you save Two? Pull her out?"

 

No! The other Serene snapped. I am not leaving you!

 

Two, please... Serene begged. I don't want to kill any kin and you are kin. Two had no counter for that, Indeed, the mental voice was crying. Iriana waited until she was sure Serene had finished her mental argument before speaking.

 

"I can." Iriana said softly. "It will hurt you and her."

 

No... Serene... No... Two was sobbing.

 

"The doc who hurt Sara." Serene said slowly. "I remember his voice. He was..." She paused. "He was pushing for something."

 

"He wants to apologize." Iriana said in a painfully neutral voice.

 

"He knew my oath." Serene said calmly. "...and he chose to disregard it. He knows what I am going to do."

 

Does he? Two asked, suddenly and Serene kept her face blank as the mental voice paused. What are you keeping from me?

 

You will see. Serene reassured her twin. "I want the judgment public and soon." Iriana bowed her head and Serene turned to Sara. "You were hurt as well. You want his life?"

 

"I was angry. I had just woken up and found you..." Sara said softly. Then she shook his head. "No. He hurt me, yes. But he broke your oath. The Elder awaits your call with the prisoner."

 

"You have taught her well, Iriana." Serene complimented the healer and Iriana nodded in response. "When?"

 

"As soon as you are ready." Iriana said calmly. "I have a pistol for you. The one he shot you with. It seemed appropriate."

 

"My arm feels like a wet noodle. Don't know how steady I will be able to hold a Lex." Serene said, raising her shooting arm slowly and then lowering it. But then she sighed. "I will meet the Elder and the doctor. Let's get this done."

[Kalenath]

Judgment

 

Serene was shaking as Iriana and a strong orderly helped her into a wheeled chair. Indeed, she needed the help. Her body was weaker than she ever remembered it being, even after other bad injuries. There was little pain, mainly ghosts of memory in her back and side, but she didn't have the strength to walk at all. At least they head helped her into a jumpsuit. The thought of facing all of her kin, including her clan in a patient gown was...daunting. Oh the jokes and pranks would be endless...

 

"You could have done this in the room, Serene." Iriana said in disapproval as she finished fastening monitors and other lines. "No one would have cared."

 

"And get blood all over your nice clean floor?" Serene asked with a smile that faded as something hurt. "Ow." Iriana stiffened and then moved a line that had pinched Serene's leg. "Thanks."

 

"I know you want it public, Serene." Iriana said with a sigh as she checked the firm support she had wrapped around Serene's chest. It wasn't -quite- a cast, but it was close. "But if you start to feel bad at all, tell me." She slumped a bit as she moved a bag and strapped it to the side of the wheelchair. "And don't pull this catheter out! You tore all kinds of things last time." She said with a snap.

 

"Yes, mother!" Serene snapped right back and was immediately apologetic. "I am sorry, Iriana... I am scared."

 

"So am I." Iriana said with a sigh. "Everything was recorded and all the eyewitnesses agree. Tenno do not kill each other, but... He did. He shot you and ignored a plea for help. Tenno do not torture each other, but he did. He hurt Sara and knew full well it would hurt her when he did it. Tenno do not disregard the sworn public oaths of other Tenno, but..."  She shook her head and Serene nodded.

 

"He did." Serene agreed. She looked off into nothingness and spoke softly. "He who battle monsters must take care not to become a monster. Stare too long into the abyss and the abyss stares back." She shivered a bit and smiled as Iriana laid a blanket over her. "Thank you. Are you sure you can pull Two out?" She jerked as the mental voice inside her snarled.

 

I am not going! You have to stay! Two's voice was somewhere between rage and abject sadness. You can't leave me. Iriana looked at Serene as if she knew what Two had said, maybe not exactly, but the gist.

 

"She won't cooperate." Iriana said softly. "If she won't, then no. If I try, I will only get parts of her. Not enough to keep her whole and sane."

 

"I'll try and convince her." Serene said sadly. "It is the least I can do, for her and Amelia."

 

Fat fricking chance of that!" Two snapped, peeved. I am you, remember? You know how stubborn I can be. You are not leaving me.

 

So you would condemn Amelia to life in prison alone? Sara will be barred from her. The knowledge that Amelia took from me is too horrible for Sara to face until Sara is fully trained. You know this. That may take longer than Amelia's lifespan.  Serene asked softly. Two bit back a sob and Serene continued in a kind voice. Two, please...For Amelia and for Sara. At least consider it, please? She smoothed the blanket over herself and nodded to Iriana. "I am ready."

 

What about you? Two demanded. Don't you get any consideration? I know this scares you!

 

Yes. Serene admitted as Iriana started the chair off. The orderly followed behind, a bag of medical supplies in hand, just in case. I don't want to forget everything that has happened since I woke from cryosleep. But... Two, you are not unstable, I am. You know I am. You can feel it as well as I can. She begged the other her. You are my sister. Don't...Don't let me hurt you. Please... She blinked back tears as Two sobbed.

 

Sister... I... Two said sadly. I don't want to lose you. I hated you and now I love you and... I don't want to lose you.

 

I locked you away, in the dark, sister. Serene said softly. It is time you came into the light again... Serene.

 

My name is Two. The other her said in a tone that ended the conversation. Serene sighed and Iriana looked at her.

 

"She is you, Serene." The healer said quietly. "Small wonder she is stubborn."

 

"I don't want to be the cause of her death, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "She deserves better."

 

"Serene..." Iriana shook her head with a frown. "In the end, it is her choice. I don't have the right to force her to do anything. If I even could. If she wants to...go with you, I can't stop her." Serene slumped in the chair, but a pain told her to sit up straight and she did. "Pain?" Iriana asked.

 

"A bit." Serene said with a nod. "More an ache than actual pain. You do good work." She said with a smile.

 

"I did very little besides pulling Two from your mind. I wasn't sure it would work, but I was desperate." Iriana said with a shrug. "The revival apparatus was set up properly. All I had to do was turn it on. I wasn't sure what it would do to Two and she was... incoherent for a bit. I pulled her clear and did what I could for her, then put her back in when your heart was restarted." A wordless feeling of thanks fluttered to Serene from Two and she nodded her own thanks to the healer.

 

"I bet." Serene said softly as Iriana pushed her through the strangely still corridors of the medical facility. Of course, most of the Tenno present were distracted by what was about to happen. It wasn't every day one of their own was slated for execution after all. "I don't know if I have said this enough, Iriana..." Serene said with a smile as the healer looked at her. "Thank you. Two said you did the surgery on my lung?"

 

"I am a mental specialist, Serene." Iriana said with a shrug. "But I remember my basics. I did part of it, yes. Mostly the brute force parts. And then I held tools for actual surgeons when they got here to do the actual repairs. If your warframe had been functioning, it would have healed you, but... We had to get you out of it first."

 

"Well..." Serene said with a shiver. "I am glad you brought me back." Iriana did not reply and Serene looked up to see a door ahead with two Tenno in warframes beside it. One was Jasmina. "Jasmina." Serene said warmly. "Good to see you, hot dog."

 

The Tenno in the Volt warframe obviously didn't know how to respond to that, but Jasmina just laughed.

 

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the wicked witch of sound." Jasmina said with a grin in her voice. But then her voice turned sharp. "What are you doing out of bed?" She demanded of Serena. "You look like hell, Serene. You are barely able to sit upright."

 

"This needs to be done, Jasmina." Serene said with a sigh. "If I don't, it's hanging over all of us. I have no right to keep all the kin in suspense when I can end it. This needs closure." Jasmina let out a long sigh and then nodded slowly.

 

"Don't miss." Jasmina said softly. "You only have enough charge in the Lex for one shot." Iriana looked askance at that, but Serene nodded. Iriana looked at Serene.

 

"One shot?" The healer asked cautiously.

 

"I am not stable, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "Jasmina and..." She paused and looked at the Volt. "I don't know you. I am Serene." She said formally.

 

"Artur." The Volt said with a nod. "You asked for two. One clan, one not. I volunteered." Serene nodded and Iriana looked puzzled.

 

"Two for what?" The doc asked, perplexed.

 

"Two Tenno guards to stop me in case I go off the deep end." Serene said calmly. Iriana froze and Serene sighed. "Iriana... Don't tell me you haven't been watching my brain scans. Don't tell me you didn't see the imbalances. I have and I am not a professional." She said with a touch of heat.

 

"Serene... I..." Iriana stammered, but broke off as Serene laid a hand on her arm.

 

"Greta and Zidis were partly right, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "I am unstable. You shouldn't be so close." She said sadly.

 

"Bite me!" Iriana said with a snarl as she clasped Serene's hand in her own. "You are my friend. I am not going to let you...go without doing everything I can."

 

"Iriana, I am not safe to be around." Serene said softly. "I am a threat. If I were stronger, I would insist on restraints."

 

"Serene!" Iriana and Jasmina snapped as one.

 

"Let's... just get this done, okay." Serene said plaintively when both of her female friends started protesting. "We can talk about my mental state later. At least... for a while." She took a deep breath as both Jasmina and Iriana stopped speaking. "Is Sara inside?"

 

"She is." Jasmina acknowledged. "She is sitting with the clan who came to our aid and talking to the Warlord." Serene stiffened and Jasmina shrugged. "She says she isn't interested in the Warrior's Path, but wants to learn more about the Circle."

 

"As long as no one pressures her." Serene said with a shrug after a moment's thought. She winced and sighed as Iriana started scanning her. "Hey, it's an ache, nothing more."

 

"I am the doc, you are the patient, Serene." Iriana said with a snap. "Sit there and shut up." She said in a tone that brooked no argument. Serene sighed and sat. Jasmina, for her part, was obviously staring.

 

"What did you give her?" Jasmina finally asked when Iriana finished her scan. "I have never seen or heard Serene of all people take orders outside of combat without arguing. And sometimes in combat."

 

"Once, Jasmina...." Serene said heavily. "I did that once. It was during the War and my plan did turn the enemy's flank. Won the battle." Iriana shook her head and wisely stayed out of it.

 

"And the punishment details you were on for six months for disobeying orders... were...what?" Jasmina asked with in snippy voice. "Your commander could have had you shot, you silly brat."

 

"It worked." Serene said with a sigh. "Enough stalling. Let's get this done." Jasmian nodded and opened the door. She and Artur formed up behind Iriana and the orderly as Iriana pushed Serene's chair into the room.

 

The room was huge and circular. It was a combination training area and amphitheatre. Looking around, it was impossible to tell that the massive room was carved into the rock of an asteroid, one of myriad similar rocks that orbited the star that had given birth to humanity. Tenno colonies were small and well hidden. They had to be. Tenno had made a lot of enemies over the centuries. The colonies acted asa hidden support structure for the operatives, providing logistical support as well as medical care when needed. Normally, Tenno would be in the field, operating alone or in very small groups. It was only very special circumstances that pulled any group of warrior Tenno into groups larger than four. So Serene was shocked to see almost two dozen Tenno in various warframes kneeling around the large room in clusters. A cluster of Tenno in civilian robes stood to the side. Holo cameras had been set up as well, this would be broadcast to all Tenno not currently on active missions. Thos who were on missions would see a recording. Serene's eyes were drawn to one side where Sara knelt with several Tenno in warframes that the chair bound warrior recognized. None were armed and all nodded slightly when they met Serene's gaze. But they all remained silent. There were times for jokes, times for pranks. This was not one of them.

 

Iriana pushed Serene into the center of the room where a table had been set up. On the table a pistol lay, the only visible weapon not on a warframe in the room. Serene bowed her head to the gray haired man in robes who sat at the table and pointedly ignored the man who stood beside the table, the only Tenno in the room who wore binders. Iriana stopped the chair, set the brakes on it and stepped back to join the civilians, the orderly going with her. Jasmina and Artus stayed close to Serene. Serene bowed from the waist to the gray haired man even though it hurt.

 

"Let us end this. We are called here, my kin..." The Tenno Elder said heavily. "...to see justice done. One of our own has been grievously injured by another. Serene..." He waved a slow hand to indicate Serene. "...has problems. We all know this. But she is Tenno. When she found a hurt, scared child on her last mission, she would have been well within her rights to leave the girl to die. We are not life savers. We are life takers. We are Tenno." A murmur answered him from around the room.

 

"We are Tenno." Serene's soft voice was one of the multitude. A voice only Serene could hear chorused with her. She noted Sara spoke at the same time as the other did. She was fitting in very well. The Elder nodded and spoke again.

 

"Serene did not know..." The gray haired man said softly. "Indeed, there was no way for her to know, that the child she found was Tenno. And not just any Tenno, but her biological kin. She saw a child in distress and was moved to assist. Her...mental state..." He paused and then sighed. "Anyone who walks alone in the darkness is in danger of losing their sanity and Serene has made it her life's work to walk in dark places. She believed she had gone berserk. And... In truth she had. She surrendered to our judgment, to face her fate with honor as Tenno should. She brought the child for medical care. She had no way of knowing what would happen." The gray haired man glared at the bound Tenno to his right. "What one of us would do." The doctor who had hurt Sara and shot Serene did not move at all and the Elder sighed. "We have many enemies, my kin. We cannot be fighting amongst ourselves. Serene acted with honor. She made an oath, an oath that this Tenno willfully broke and in doing so, he hurt Serene to the point where we nearly lost our sister." A growl sounded from around the room, but the Elder wasn't done. "We are here to see justice done. Serene, have you anything to say?" Serene shook her head and the Elder nodded. "Very well."

 

The Elder rose from the table and picked up the pistol that lay there. He checked it expertly and then held it in a professional grip. Even civilian Tenno were well trained. He strode to where Serene was sitting and held out the pistol to her. She checked to be sure it was on 'safe' before grasping it. The Elder stepped aside. Indeed, all of the Tenno who had been kneeling in Serene's line of sight between the doctor and the wall moved away. Serene stared at the weapon and then at the doctor who hadn't moved. Then she spoke.

 

"Elder, I... May I ask the accused a question?" She said in a low tone. She felt Two's sudden bewilderment and suspicion but ignored it.

 

"Of course." The Elder said with a nod. "We are here for you, Serene." Serene met the doctor's gaze and he seemed to wilt a little. She took a deep breath and spoke evenly.

 

"If you had known Sara was Tenno from the beginning, would you have done anything different?" She asked. He shook his head. A murmur started that a glare from the Elder quelled in it's infancy. Serene shook her own head. "You would have done everything the same? Why?"

 

"Corpus brainwashing is insidious. You know this, Serene." The doctor said, his tone sick and tired. "Until I saw the results of the scans on the brain tissue I took, I didn't know she wasn't,,,altered. That she was not affecting you. I didn't know she wasn't influencing everyone around her. My paranoia nearly cost you your life."

 

"I see. And you assumed I had been...influenced...when I made my oath." Serene said with a nod. She took a deep breath and  she extended the weapon butt first back to the Elder. "I likely would have done the same. Maybe not shot him, but...essentially the same if I thought a Corpus proxy was infiltrating our kin. We have many evil enemies, Elder. It is not paranoia when they are out to get us. His life is mine...and I have spared it."

 

For a moment, there was dead silence in the room as the doctor's eyes came up, his face a mask of shock. Then a shocked buzz of conversation started to circulate. The Elder took the weapon from Serene and stepped back, his own face neutral. Serene nodded to him and then... She felt faint. Iriana was suddenly there, her face worried.

 

"Serene..." The Elder said quietly. "He hurt you. He broke your oath. Why?"

 

"I am not stable." Serene said softly as Iriana worked. "I want his life, but... I can't trust myself. I am not... stable..." She gasped as Iriana did something. "I... Iriana, save Two!" She begged as she slid into darkness.

 

"You are not dying, Serene." Iriana said gently. "You are overwrought and exhausted. Back to bed with you." A hiss and she was falling. But as Serene nodded off she heard a soft voice sound in her head.

 

Well done, sister

Edited May 19, 2013 by Kalenath

[UnworthySeraph]

So he lives... Interesting. Keep up the splendid job Kalenath!

[Kalenath]

Voices

 

Serene woke suddenly, aware that something was wrong. She opened her eyes and did not recognize where she was. She paused, trying to make sense of what she saw.

 

The room was...functional. The only furniture was the bed she was lying on. There were no decorations except for a painting of a...something...on one wall. She focused on that. The painting was...almost familiar. What was the subject? A brown thick part that slowly tapered into many smaller brown parts. Each brown part ended in green. The green bits looked... alive? Was this a tree? Serene had never seen a tree, but had heard stories. It looked hand painted.

 

Something buzzed in her head, but she ignored it, trying to figure out what had woken her. What was wrong?

 

She looked at herself. She wore a patient gown, but underneath it, she wore a standard Tenno bodysuit. There were no wires or tubes, but she had a feeling that there had been. Where had that thought come from? She sat up slowly, unsure why she felt so...off. She slowly stretched every muscle as she had been taught and nothing hurt. She had been hurt, she remembered that. But... Everything else was fuzzy. There had been a human child? A girl?

 

That made no sense. Serene was a Tenno, a warrior. She was a weapon, honed and trained to be the ultimate fighting machine as untold numbers of bad guys had found out over the centuries. She had no contact with children. Occasionally she saw human children, usually their bodies unfortunately, since most of the places she went were not safe by any stretch of the imagination. The buzzing in her head continued and she shook it. Was she sick? The buzzing became a pain and she grunted as she swung her legs of the bed. She would feel better with some exercise. As she did her stretches, she checked herself carefully. The only oddity on her was a small patch of organic bandage on her left chest and...something stuck to the back of her neck over her spine. She couldn't see it so she explored it by feel. Round and smooth, it gave no indication of what it was or what it was for. Some kind of monitor? A voice sounded nearby but she couldn't understand it. She turned and a female Tenno was standing in a doorway that had opened. A hidden door. What the...? The woman looked pleased, but cautious. She spoke again, but her words were gibberish to Serene who shook her head.

 

"I don't understand you." Serene said calmly. The other Tenno recoiled and then slowly waved a hand at herself.

 

"Iriana." The woman said softly. Serene froze. This looked nothing like the woman she had known. Did it? She couldn't be sure, the image she as seeing was blurry, wavering. The other Tenno pointed to Serene and Serene nodded.

 

"Okay, I get that." Serene said softly. "I am Serene, you are Iriana... I don't recognize you, but... Okay..." She made a face. "What the hell happened to me?" The woman spoke again, this time in a soothing voice and Serene relaxed, but only for a moment.

 

A voice sounded but not aloud. A voice was in her head and it wasn't hers! She couldn't make sense of what it was saying. Serene felt her face go pale.

 

"No!" Serene said, terror oozing from every pore. "No! I will not let you brainwash me!" She threw herself to the wall, trying to dart past the woman in the doorway. She had to get away! A pulse of energy tingled at the back of her neck and she found herself on the floor, her limbs spasming. "No..." She snapped, struggling to her feet.

 

The other Tenno, if she was one, spoke sharply, but Serene was staggering away from her, clawed fingers ripping at her neck. Some kind of restraint. She had to get it off. She had to escape! She snarled and made to leap at the other woman who moved quick as lightning and the door slammed shut in Serene's face. She hit it with both of her fists, doing no damage to the soft material that covered the metal. She barely noticed that the surrounding walls were padded with the same soft substance.

 

"I... won't... let..." The thing on her neck pulsed again. This time the power wasn't a tingle, it was a hammer blow and she blacked out to the sound of her own scream.

 

***

 

Serene was floating. It was...restful, but on the edge of her perceptions she could hear worried voices. These made sense, but she was too fuzzy to reply.

 

"What the hell? Why is she acting like that? The scared voice came from somewhere. Serene couldn't muster the energy to look. "She doesn't recognize us or understand us? I thought she was going to attack you."

 

"I think she was trying to escape, not attack. But as to why? I don't know." Another voice said sadly. "She was fine when we put her to bed, but then, as you know, we couldn't wake her. Now we know why. I am glad we moved her here as a precaution. We can keep her safe and secure here. Safe from herself. If she thinks she is a prisoner, she will try to suicide."

 

"I don't feel her." The first voice said. She sounded in tears. "I can't feel her. What happened? Can you do anything?"

 

"There is nothing physically wrong with her now, Two." The second voice said softly. "We will do more tests but... Two... We may have waited too long to do the wipe. We may have it wipe her completely. Start her completely over."

 

"No!" The first voice said, aghast. "You can't!"

 

"Two, listen to me..." The voice of the second female was stern now. "She has lost it. I don't know if we can bring her back, or if we can, what shape she will be in. I have got to take you out. Now."

 

"But..." The first voice was crying.

 

"Two..." The second voice turned gentle. "She will never forgive herself if she hurts you again. If her...instability somehow manages to get to you."

 

"I can help her!" The first voice shouted.

 

"No you can't, Two." The second voice said quietly, a firm counterpoint to the other's sobbing. "Two, please... I don't want to lose both my friends."

 

"Iriana... I..." Two's voice was subdued now. "I don't know... I... Where...? Where would I go?"

 

"The Elders fast tracked a clone." Iriana replied quietly. "It will be ready in the morning. But I need to take you out now and run some scans, to make sure your core is intact."

 

"I..." Two's voice turned scared. "She is not gone! She just doesn't understand us."

 

"I know." Iriana's voice was sick now. "I don't know if it was something I did, something you did, some residue of her death or something else. I just don't know and I have to find out. But before I do that, I have to save you. She wanted me to save you."

 

"Ah, Serene..." Two said sadly. "I... What do I do?" Her voice was resigned, sad and sick.

 

"I will need to restrain her, get some gear." Iriana said gently. "I can do it fast, but...She has to be awake."

 

"She is... Hmmm. She is sort of awake..." Two said softly. "Not... Not all the way. She is aware of us, but...not... If that makes any sense."

 

"It does. The Serene we knew is fragmenting. Bits of her are vanishing." Iriana said heavily. "I will sedate her and be back quick. The gear is set up, I just need to get it. Then I will restrain her, wake her up and do it."

 

"Be careful." Two cautioned her. "Serene won't forgive herself if she hurts you either."

 

Serene floated back into blackness wondering why she was getting chills.

 

***

 

Serene woke up suddenly again. This time it was different. She was back on the bed, but this time she couldn't move a muscle. She struggled against the things that held her, but they were unbreakable. She opened her eyes and froze. A Corpus crewman was leaning close, the blocky helmet obscuring her view. That was freaky enough, but it was the shiny object in the Corpus' hand that had Serene going totally crazy. A buzzing started inside her head, but she ignored it.

 

"No!" Serene screamed as she fought the restraints, trying to keep the tip of the device from touching her forehead. She was strapped down tight. She had no idea what it was, but it couldn't be good if it was...

 

It touched her skin and she screamed again, struggling for all she was worth. The buzzing in her head vanished as if it had never been. She closed her eyes, praying for death, but when she opened them, the Corpus was gone. In it's place was a female Grinneer marine who was withdrawing the device. The marine looked...normal for a Grinneer, but... off... Wavy. It wasn't... Suddenly the Grinneer vanished and it was the female Tenno from before. She looked as if she had been crying.

 

"What the hell is going on?" Serene demanded, her fear coming to the fore. "I don't...I don't understand..." The female who had called herself Iriana nodded slowly and placed the shiny device on a tray nearby. Serene tried to relax as the woman produced a cloth and started wiping the sweat off Serene's brow around the strap that held her head down.

 

"But..." Serene said softly. "You understand me?" The woman nodded. "Am I dying?" Serene asked slowly. The woman shook her head. Serene closed her eyes and let tears come. A soft touch mopped them off her cheek as she sobbed. She paused as a finger touched her nose ad she opened her eyes to see the woman writing something down. The woman held up a pad, but all Serene saw were squiggles.

 

"All I see is squiggles. I can't understand that." Serene said sadly. The woman recoiled and then heaved a sigh. "That is not good, is it?" Serene asked slowly. The woman shook her head. "Can you help me?" Serene asked softly. The woman nodded again and Serene slowly relaxed. "What do I do?" The woman pantomimed falling asleep and Serene scoffed. "Yeah, right like I can-..."

 

<Some time later>

 

She woke, but things were not as she had gone to sleep. She was not in a cryopod. She was in a bed. She wore a normal bodysuit, but... it felt... off to her. Something was wrong. She looked around, but the room was normal enough, she supposed. She hadn't been in many since her induction as a Warrior of the Tenno. She hadn't had time for one thing.

 

"Good morning, Serene." A voice sounded from nearby. She turned to see a middle aged woman in a medical tunic looking at her from a flat screen. "Can you understand me?" Serene's eyes narrowed. Why was the woman talking to her from another room on a monitor?

 

"Yes." Serene said slowly, trying to figure out what was wrong. Last thing she remembered, her clan was going into coldsleep. The wars were over and the Tenno were not needed any more. Each had retreated to secret places. Some to crypts, some to space, some to even better hiding places. There they would sleep until needed again. Living weapons had no place in peaceful society. "Where am I?"

 

"You are in medical facility in a Tenno colony, Serene." The medic said quietly. "You were badly hurt." Serene blinked. What was going on? "I know you have many questions, but we have just as many for you."

 

"Code." Serene said flatly. The woman blinked and then paused. If she gave the wrong code, then Serene was a prisoner. If she gave the right one, well, Serene might still be a prisoner. She waited. The woman on the screen nodded and recited the proper code. Serene relaxed a little. "What happened?" Serene asked flatly.

 

"Long story, Serene." The woman said with a sigh. "Short version is, you were captured by our enemies. In their interrogation, you... Well... You became unstable." Serene went still and the woman nodded. "As far as we can tell, you are fine now, but... we had to wipe your memory back to when you woke from cryo."

 

"Are you sure I am stable?" Serene asked calmly. Teh doctor nodded and Serene relaxed. "I don't feel...off... if that helps at all. When can I go back to duty?"

 

"I..." The woman paused and then sighed. "Serene, you were very badly hurt. It's been...difficult."

 

"I am Tenno, Doctor." Serene said calmly. "If I was awakened, then there is need of me. My duty demands I serve."

 

"We can't let you out of there until we are sure-..." The doctor broke off as Serene went still again. "Serene, it isn't what you think..."

 

"My duty is not done." Serene said formally. "You would keep me from doing my duty?" She asked slowly. Bad that. Very, very bad.

 

"No!" The woman snapped. "Serene, we just need some time... That is all."

 

"How much time?" Serene asked, trying to stay calm. She could feel her anger rising and kept it at bay through sheer force of will.

 

"I don't know." The doctor said quietly. "This... I don't think this has happened before."

 

"Am I a prisoner?" Serene asked softly. "Or can I at least train?" The doc bit her lip before responding.

 

"You are not a prisoner, but..." She said with a shrug. "You are a closely watched patient, Serene. One with a history of...instability." The doc shook her head. "Tenno, we are trying to help you. Please let us."

 

"I am Tenno. I will obey." Serene said softly. Inside she added. For now...

[Kalenath]

Escape

 

Enough was enough. It had been at least a week and Serene had put up with the prodding of the docs for long enough. Most days she just she sat in the middle of the floor of her room... No, call it what it was. It was a cell. The walls were padded and there was no way for her to activate the door from this side. The only exercise she got was when the door opened and a lit path on the floor led to an exercise room. The only faces she saw were on screens, she never saw anyone live. Meals came on trays from a slot in the wall and left the same way. This was intolerable.

 

The worst part was the boredom. Serene had always been an active being. For the moment she could walk, she had always been doing something. Emulating her elders to learn various new tricks of hand to hand, sneaking around to get in practice. She had always known that she was going to go for the Warrior's path. She remembered her parents vaguely. Her father had been a med tech and her mother...? A librarian of some kind? She wasn't sure. The Tenno probably had records, but Serene wasn't going to ask. They were ticking her off.

 

"There we are." The voice of the doc, Iriana, came from a screen as Serene stepped out of the portable scanning booth that appeared in the exercise room every so often. "Scan is done. Good job, Serene."

 

"Doc, I just stood here." Serene said mildly as she started stretching. "Not exactly hard. When can I get out of here, doc?" The Tenno asked for the upteenth time. "I am bored out of my mind here."

 

"Not today, but... You have a visitor." The doc said quietly. Serene froze and the doc on the screen nodded. "She is scared and hurting, don't hurt her more." Serene rose from where she had been doing squats and looked at the doc who sighed. "Her name is Sara and she demanded to see you in person. We tried to get her to talk to you via screen, but she demanded and as Tenno, she has the right. Don't hurt her."

 

"Doc!" Serene protested. "I am angry with the way I have been treated, but I know you don't really have a choice in this. If I was unstable..." She still wasn't totally sure if she believed the doc or not. "... then I was a danger to everyone around me. Since I am not insane, I won't hurt kin. You know this."

 

"I worry about her. I adopted her." Iriana said softly. "When you were incapacitated, it left her..." She broke off as Serene inhaled sharply. "Yeah, she is your daughter."

 

"My..." Serene felt faint but steeled herself. "There was a lot that happened, in the memories I lost. Wasn't there?"

 

"A lot, yeah." Iriana agreed. "We can give you some privacy when you talk to Sara, but not total."

 

"In case I take her hostage and try to brazen my way out." Serene said sourly. "Right. I am Tenno, not some stinking terrorist. Besides,  you have me implanted." She had felt the bandage on her neck and had, once tried the door that she knew was there. A warning tingle had run down her spine and she had desisted.

 

"We didn't want to, Serene." Iriana said heavily. "But you scared everyone."

 

"And no one will say what I did." Serene said with a sigh as she started touching her toes. "I didn't kill anyone, did I?" She demanded.

 

"No." Iriana said quickly. "You didn't. Actually, you spared the life of the man who shot and killed you."

 

"What did you say?" Serene asked, stunned. Iriana shook her head.

 

"Serene, you are a very scary woman." Iriana said quietly. "You swore a public oath to kill the man if he hurt Sara. No..." The doc corrected herself. "If he touched her. He did. He had good reasons, but..."

 

"If he hurt someone I was protecting..." Serene mused. "Then I wouldn't have cared."

 

"You didn't." Iriana said with a shudder. "You didn't hurt anyone but him, but you were ambushed by an ally of his. Cosan says he didn't know what Doctor Vas intended and I am inclined to believe him. Cosan is young and sometimes foolish, but not a liar."

 

"That is when I died?" Serene asked slowly. Iriana nodded and Serene took a deep breath. "For this... Sara... My daughter?" Iriana nodded again and Serene blew out the breath she had taken. "Well... No time like the present."

 

"We can give you some privacy, Serene." Iriana said in a kind voice. "But we will be watching." The screen clicked of as Serene rose to her full height and turned to head back to her cell. It wasn't far -six steps along a short corridor-  but now it was different.

 

A blonde haired girl wearing Tenno robes sat in the middle of the floor, her face calm, but wary as Serene paused at the doorway. The girl was unarmed and looked uncomfortable, but that was understandable. Serene rarely wore anything in this prison. A jumpsuit lay on the floor near the door. It was still folded as it had been when it was delivered one morning.  She hadn't bothered to put it on after her old one had gotten ripe and she had taken it off. The bathroom facilities in this small room were adequate for self cleaning but not for laundry. The only ones who saw her were the docs, so who cared?

 

"You are Sara." Serene said slowly. The girl did resemble her, a little.

 

"Yes." The girl replied evenly. "Hello Serene. They say you do not remember me." Her brave facade was undone by the hurt in her eyes.

 

"I don't." Serene said softly as she stepped into the room when a warning tingle at the back of her neck warned her to. "I wish I did, but I don't. I am sorry."

 

"It's not your fault, Serene." Sara said in a mild voice. "You saved me, twice. The least I can do is try and help you. I know this confinement is boring, so..." She smiled as she produced a small board and a bag that clicked. Serene stared and then smiled as well as she recognized the game.

 

Go was ancient, far more ancient than the Monopoly or chess games that other Tenno used to wile away their small amounts of free time. It was an easy game to learn and an incredibly difficult game to master. Serene had learned the game early and loved it. Serene knelt to one side, in reach, but a non-hostile posture. Sara set the board down and they each took a  bag. Sera had white stones and Serene black. They played in silence for a moment, each placing stone on the board. Finally Sara spoke in a quiet tone.

 

"They are not going to let you out of here, Serene." Sara said as she focused on her side of the board.

 

"That...became clear." Serene said as she closed a circle around one of Sara's stone and captured it. "Not much I can do about it though."

 

"When your clan finds out about this, there will be hell to pay." Sara said with a sigh. "I... I can't..." She shook herself and focused on playing.

 

"Have they threatened you?" Serene asked carefully. Sara shook her head. The young girl was Tenno, that was obvious. But... This situation had not happened before according to Iriana. If she could trust Iriana. Serene plunked another piece down and winced as Sara cornered several of her stones and captured them. "I am out of practice."

 

"I can't leave the board or the stones." Sara said sadly. "And they too cowardly to give you computer access." She said with a touch of heat.

 

"Sara." Serene said with just the right touch of admonition. "Right or wrong, we have our orders." It was the right thing to say, by the Code, but... Serene's eyes flicked to the side and back. Sara nodded minutely. She knew they were under observation, no matter what Iriana had said. Sara placed another stone and Serene paused. She was seeing a pattern forming on the board. An image. A heart. Serene shook her head and touched her chest as if checking something. Sara nodded minutely and Serene went back to the game. Message received.

 

"I know." Sara agreed. "I am not advocating anything. I am just angry. And how I feel is nothing on how Two feels." She paused as Serene laid a stone in an unexpected place and whistled in admiration as the balance of the whole board shifted. "Nice." Sara said with a smile. Serene acknowledge the compliment with a  nod.

 

"Who is Two?" Serene asked.

 

"Long story." Sara said as she surveyed the board, looking for an opening to exploit. "Short answer..." The girl put a stone down finally. "She is you." Serene froze, a hand outstretched to place a stone and Sara nodded. "When you were captured by... our enemies..." Sara said, obviously she had been told what she could say and what she couldn't. "Your mind was messed up. It split in two. You are one side, Two is the other. At first you were both in your head. They pulled her out when you...fragmented, gave her a body."

 

"Weird, but..." Serene said, thinking that through. "I guess that is plausible. But why is she upset? Is she unstable?" She asked as she finally put the stone down. That made sense actually. Who else would know how to play 'Go' in such a way to make an image appear? One only she would recognize. Or...someone with her memories.

 

"No. She is angry but not unstable." Sara said, shaking her head as she looked at the board. She shook her head and resigned the game. "Serves me right for challenging a master when I am a beginner. Score?"

 

"Nah, this was  friendly game. Everyone starts at the same place, Sara." Serene said mildly as she started collecting stones and counting them. Each bag would have the same number. "Why is Two upset, Sara?"

 

"I can't say." Sara said sadly. "I was told I couldn't say."

 

"This isn't right." Serene spoke mildly, but underneath was rage. "This is so not right. Yes, if I am a threat, then they need to figure out why and how, keep it from happening again. But am I? And they have no right to sequester you or this Two person if you are not unstable."

 

"No one knows, Serene." Sara replied, her tone an almost exact mirror of Serene's. Serene nodded, this girl was angry. No, she was furious. As furious as Serene. "At least they let me stay with Iriana while we are cooped up."

 

"What?" Serene stiffened. "Iriana is confined?"

 

"We had contact with your mind, Serene." Sara said with a sigh. "All who did are in quarantine until further notice, as in forever. She is in charge down here, but..."

 

"This really isn't right." Serene said with a snarl. "Who is..." A tingle started at her neck and she subsided. She glared at the ceiling but remained silent. Sara made to speak, but jerked as well. Serene stared at her and then, minutely shook her head. She charged the subject. "From what I gathered, you do not follow the warrior's path."

 

"No." Sara agreed. "I am studying historical analysis. Iriana says that will lead to a career in Intelligence work. Some...ah... very quiet people have been talking to me."

 

"Ah." Serene said with a nod. "Very useful to know." She snorted. "Have they started training you how to pick locks yet?" Sara grinned but shook her head.

 

"No." Sara said with a sigh. "Mostly it's all historical stuff. Ancient historical stuff. Some of it seems to have bearing now, since history comes in cycles..." A beep sounded and she paused.

 

"Sara." Iriana's calm voice came from a hidden speaker. "Time."

 

"Can I hug her at the very least?" Sara demanded.

 

"Sara..." Iriana said with sigh that turned into a scream as Sara threw herself over the board at Serene who caught her and nearly tossed her away, but was dumbfounded when Sara embraced her. Serene froze as the nerve tingle the back of her neck started again.

 

"Sara, let go." Serene asked, afraid to move.

 

"No! You are my mother! I..." Sara snapped as she hugged Serene tighter, then she gave  a squeal and went limp.

 

"Damn it!" Serene snapped, "She is a kid! You didn't have to..." She found herself on the floor, unable to move as armored boots entered her field of view. Armored gloves scooped Sara up and carried her away. "If you hurt her, you are dead!" She managed to rasp out.

 

"We won't." A modulated voice replied -it was impossible to tell if it was male or female- and then it was gone. It was several minutes before Serene could move, when she did, she rolled into a sitting position and then knelt.

 

"So I am a prisoner." Serene said to the walls. "I should have known you were constrained too, Iriana. Who is in charge, can you say?"

 

"No." Iriana's face appeared on the screen. "Serene... I..."

 

"It's okay, Iriana." Serene said with a sad smile. "Take care of Sara. She is a good kid."

 

"Serene!" Iriana snapped. "Don't!"

 

"How long does it take those implant batteries to recharge?" Serene asked the walls as she focused her mind. "Let's find out." She focused on her heart. Biofeedback was a known ability and Tenno had trained for centuries to keep from being used by their enemies. In this case, she could slow and eventually stop her own heart. So she did.

 

"Serene!" Iriana screamed her name, but Serene was quickly beyond hearing.

 

<A dark time later>

 

"You are crazy." Iriana snapped as Serene came back to consciousness. "You cannot use that biofeedback technique for that long. You nearly killed yourself for real. They will figure it out."

 

She helped Serene to sit up and stepped back. Serene took a deep breath and looked around. They were in a morgue. Doors against the wall showed numbers. Serene was sitting on an autopsy table, covered only by a sheet. The biofeedback techniques could either suicide or be used to put a person into a deathlike trance. Telling the two apart was difficult even for modern medical scanners.

 

"How many guards?" Serene asked as she checked the back of her neck. She felt a new bandage. Iriana smirked and held up a small object that dripped. The restraint implant. "And are we still in the colony?"

 

"In reverse order, yes and 6." Iriana said with a sigh. "Serene... I can't leave Sara or Two. They had to slap Two down hard to keep her from escaping, She has torn the implant out twice. They hurt her. And I love Sara. Better get dressed," She indicated a jumpsuit lying on a table nearby. Boots that looked Serene's size were beside it. "I wish I could do more."

 

"Not much I can do for them, or you cooped up in here." Serene said sadly as she hurriedly donned the close fitting garment. The boots went on quick as well. "I won't kill anybody, you have my word."

 

"I accept that." Iriana said with a nod. "In a pocket you will find a data drive with some records of your recent past and threat analysis of what the Tenno are facing now. Access code is your verification ID.  For what it is worth, I am sorry for the aggravation and hope you manage to get to the bottom of this. You need to make it look realistic, Serene." Iriana took a deep breath and relaxed as best she could.

 

"Take care of Sara." Serene said with a sad smile as she reached for the healer. A swift strike and the woman was unconscious. Serene checked to be sure she hadn't hurt the healer more than some bruises, then laid Iriana on the table as gently as she could. A skana, shorter than average, lay on a table nearby and Serene took it. Then she darted to the wall where an air vent shone. A quick pry and she was inside. She pulled the vent cover back into place and started off into the vent work. Time to ghost...

[Kalenath]

Flight

 

Serene was at home in the darkness of the vents, but was rapidly running out of vents. Contrary to popular belief, air vents were not generally a good way to travel. Air vents ran from one place -usually a source of air, either a hydroponics setup or a air filtration system- and went to places that people lived and worked. They usually started off large and got small quickly. She had hoped to find a maintenance shaft, some kind of access tunnel, but none had presented themselves and the vents were getting smaller. She sighed silently as she came to a junction and all the vents leading from it were maybe the size of her head.

 

So much for sneaking around in the vents. Serene said to herself. Time to try another way...

 

She found an access port -there was always one somewhere at the junctions- and slowly eased the hatch open. It was a ceiling hatch and she waited, listening as well as looking through the crack that showed the room. The room below was dark and no movements shone. She did not relax. If this was a trap, she was about to spring it. She shook her head and dropped, landing silently in a crouch, but no threat...

 

She spun with an oath, her skana up as a screen came to life nearby. The face that appeared on the screen was not a Tenno however. Or... she didn't think it was. The woman wore an odd mask that covered most of her head. A Tenno symbol was etched on the front. A lotus.

 

"You are in trouble, Serene." The strange figure said calmly. Serene spun in place, seeking threats, but none presented themselves. The woman spoke again. "They have just figured out you have fled their care. They are...upset."

 

"So report me and send me back." Serene snapped, peeved.

 

"I am not a guard, Serene." The woman said, obvious not perturbed by Serene's hostility. "I am a guide. You may call me Lotus."

 

"Like the symbol on your face plate wasn't blatant enough?" Serene said with a sneer. "And I should trust you... why?" She made for the door but paused as the Lotus shook her head.

 

"If you go out that door, you will be caught in under two minutes." The Lotus said evenly. "And this time, you will not be able to escape so easily, if it all."

 

"So I should just stand here and wait for them to come pick me up?" Serene shook her head. "Right." She said with a sarcastic flip of her hands.

 

"No." The Lotus -whoever the heck she was- said with a nod. "To your left, under a chair, is a package. Your ship is in bay 23. It is locked down and guarded, but you know the guard. Good luck." The screen winked off, leaving Serene to stare at it.

 

What the hell was that all about? Serene asked herself as she looked for the chair. Indeed, a large packet was folded under the chair. On opening it, it turned out to be a set of full robes in white. And not just any white robes. Tenno who broke the colony's strict rules had to do community service. That service varied from time to time, but the outfit they had to wear never changed. The robes were hot, uncomfortable and, more importantly to Serene, completely covered the face of the one being punished. Total anonymity was both a punishment and a blessing so that people couldn't see who had transgressed. No Tenno would remove the head covering of one being punished. It was extreme dishonor for both parties and had resulted in duels in the past.  Very good camouflage, but... Serene shook her head. I am being set up, but... For what? And why...?

 

She sighed and started pulling the robes on. She took the skana she had borrowed off and laid it down. Tenno on punishment did not carry weapons and all wore the same robes. They were hot and just as uncomfortable as she remembered. She had been...a bit of a handful as a teenager. She had been taught well, but every teenager went through rebellious periods. Hers had been...spectacular. One in particular stayed in her memory. One involving a creep of a teacher, a fire extinguisher, a roll of duct tape and several lengths of cord. She hadn't known -had never asked- that the fire extinguisher chemicals were dangerous when inhaled. She had sent several of her fellow students to medical with that stunt. She had been on punishment details for a week for that, but the look on the teacher's face when he had been doused with the chemicals had been worth it. She had actually been approached by her clan shortly after that. Just preliminary evaluations of course, until she had passed her final trials, she wasn't ready. Even after she had passed her final trials, she wasn't really ready. No test that had ever been made could really prepare one for the horrors of war. And not just any war, but the Great War...

 

Serene shoved the memories aside and slipped the hood over her head. As soon as  the hood settled in place, a simple HUD came online and instructions started flowing across it. Again, just like she remembered. Then she smiled.

 

Someone is thorough. 'Clean the corridor between here and Hangar Bay 23'. Serene smirked mentally as she looked and found a small closet with a push broom. No automated cleaning devices for Tenno who transgressed. At least they are not making me use one of those archaic  toothbrushes... This time anyway...

 

Serene pulled the broom out and started towards the door. Outside, the corridor was well lit and she could see Tenno moving. She opened the door and started off, hunched over the broom as she looked for signs to direct her to bay 23. None of the other Tenno in the corridor looked at her at all as she moved at the pace of a glacier, or so it seemed to her. But she had to stay in character. If she were really being punished and missed any of the floor, her punishment time would be doubled. So she focused on the floor, not on the Tenno who hurried past. But snatches of conversation came to her ears.

 

"...and do you have any idea why the security troops just went on alert?" A civilian Tenno asked as he hurried by with a pair of others.

 

"No idea." Another replied. "Probably another drill."

 

"I don't know..." Then they were out of earshot and Serene continued on. Despite the general well kept condition of the colony, soon Serene's broom was pushing a pile of dirt and small assorted junk. She found a trash receptacle and paused. She didn't have a...

 

"You need this." A sad voice sounded from nearby. Serene spun in place to find a male Tenno wearing a similar robe to hers holding out an archaic dustpan to her. Her eyes narrowed as she took it. Tenno did not speak to anyone on punishment detail. Conversation between two Tenno doing punishment was strictly forbidden. Transgressions were punished by a massive extension of the punishment. The male Tenno nodded. "I was told you would need this. I am on punishment and will be for a long, long time. Part of me almost wishes you had shot me." Serene went stiff. "I am truly sorry for what I did. Good luck... Serene..." He said quietly and then he turned and left. Serene shook herself and focused on getting the trash into the receptacle.

 

This was...weird...

 

She stiffened, but did not react as a half squad of Tenno in armor ran by. They were heading for the hangar bay, she noted. She wondered if they would abide by the proscriptions or demand she show her face. If they did... She gave herself even odds against two or three of them but she would have to kill. She didn't want to do that. She ignored the other Tenno who passed her, going in both directions as she focused on sweeping the floor. Finally she reached the hangar bays and started into them, noting pairs of guards posted at several of the docking apertures. She ignored them as best she could, keeping her focus on the floor.

 

"Wonder what she looks like under that robe?" One of the young looking Tenno guards said softly to his neighbor. An older Tenno heard and snapped at him.

 

"Shut up or you might wind up on punishment yourself." The older Tenno nodded to Serene, but she pretended not to see. "One more crack about females and I will see you up on charges. Keep it in your pants until you are off duty." This had to be the squad sergeant. No one but sergeants could do that snarl quite so well.

 

"Yes, sergeant." The now fully chastened young Tenno said with a wince. But then he sighed. "Sergeant... What are we supposed to do if that crazy lady does come here?" Serene stiffened, but kept cleaning. "I mean... She is a Warrior. A Banshee no less."

 

" We don't know that she is crazy, Sitas. She doesn't have her warframe. Be thankful." The sergeant said with a sigh. "And if she does show up? Drop your freaking weapon and scream bloody murder. That won't be hard for you, Sitas." A chortle ran around the area as Serene made her way through the picket line. "Warriors...dislike killing unarmed beings. They can and have. But only if they must. But they don't like it. All bays can be locked down in moments if we see her. Until and unless we do, it is business as usual. So shut up and keep your eyes peeled. According to reports, that woman could sneak in here and steal your underwear without you knowing."

 

"She wouldn't take your underwear, Sergeant. It would stink, give her away." A new voice had Serene flinching, but she managed to keep moving. She knew the Tenno in the Ember warframe who stepped out of a shadow to muffled oaths from the squad. Jasmina had a smile in her voice as she made way for Serene to clean towards where a sign was marked '23'. "And she wouldn't hurt any of you if she could help it. You are kin, she knows that."

 

"And if she is..unstable, ma'am?" The sergeant asked carefully. Serene just kept sweeping, trying to keep her steps even.

 

"Don't scare the kids, sergeant." Jasmina said with a nod. "She won't hurt you if you do not resist. If you are obviously not a threat you are in no danger. She didn't hurt a fully armed Tenno in a warframe who was between her and her child who was being tortured for goodness sakes." Serene froze, but forced herself to continue.

 

"I never heard that, Ma'am." The sergeant looked sick. "I know the doc hurt Sara... But..."

 

"He did the best he could to keep it non-painful and not harmful, sergeant." Jasmina said, her tone painfully neutral. "But the kid did wake up screaming and clutching her head. I nearly shot the man myself at that and my clan mates were all tempted."

 

"I don't know if I would have been able to keep from doing it myself, Ma'am." The sergeant said with a nod. "Any word at all?"

 

"No." Jasmina's voice was worried now. "But that girl could sneak through an entire ship full of Infested, take them all down one by one and never be seen at all. I know. I have seen her do it. She might have found a hidey hole to wait until the hubbub dies down a bit.

 

"If she did that...We may never find her." The sergeant said with a wince. "There are a lot of hiding places on this colony. Couldn't they track the weapon she took?"

 

"She ditched it." Jasmina replied with a deep sigh. "She is not stupid, Sergeant. She knew it had a tracker. She is good at being...invisible." Serene stiffened but continued. She hadn't known that. Iriana hadn't said. Had Iriana known? It made sense, but... Then Jasmina paused. "Wait..." Her voice was speculative.

 

"Ma'am?" The sergeant asked carefully. Serene did not look. She was almost at the hatch. It sensed the approach of it's authorized user, unlocked and...opened. Serene threw the broom away and ran.

 

"Sergeant! Seal the bay!" Jasmina shouted. "Serene! Stop!"

 

Instead of complying, Serene threw herself into the airlock that gaped ahead of her, slapping two switches in quick sequence. One sealed the hatch behind her. The other instituted emergency retraction protocols. Those were intended for Tenno to retreat under fire, but they would also keep anyone from hacking the docking controls and stranding her ship.

 

"Welcome aboard, Tenno." The sound of her onboard AI was music to her ears. "Systems on standby. Destination?"

 

"Anywhere but here." Serene said quickly. "As fast as possible, no..." She corrected herself. "Maximum safe stealth burn while in proximity to colony. Then best course to evade sensors." The last thing she wanted to do was damage the Tenno's hiding place or draw attention to it.

 

"Underway. Clarification requested." The AI replied as Serene sank into a meditative position and pulled off her hood. "'Anywhere but here' is not a valid destination."

 

"Ah..." Serene sighed. AIs could be wonderful or a pain in the posterior. She chose a point at random. "Rendezvous point Six Seven Beta, Neptune." That had been a Tenno rally point during the war, but had been rarely used.

 

"Course plotted. ETA twelve hours. Alert." The AI reported. "Communications incoming. Five attempts detected to remotely hack ship systems. Now seven. Now twelve.  Deploying countermeasures."

 

"Ignore communications, cut all feeds from the station to stop the hacking. Get us out of here." Serene said heavily. "And I guess I will see what I have available. Might need to restock." She sighed. "And I have homework." She pulled the datachip Iriana had given her from her pocket and looked at it. "Scan for malware?"

 

"Scan completed." The AI reported after a moment "No extraneous data detected. File ready for perusal."

 

"Right." Serene said quietly. "Get us to Neptune while I see what the hell has happened since I went to sleep." She closed her eyes, the better to scan the data quickly. "Notify me instantly if you detect pursuit." Not that they likely would be seen until it was too late. Tenno ships defined fast and stealthy.

 

"Acknowledged." The AI responded and then it spoke again. "Welcome back, Tenno."

 

"Good to be back." Serene said with a smile. "Now... homework..."

Edited May 22, 2013 by Kalenath