[Fanfiction] The First: Gathering

[Kalenath]

Out of Place

Siberia, 2012

 

The woman...didn't fit. Her clothing was the usual heavy bundles for anyone sane who ventured out in the middle of winter in Siberia. That wasn't the problem. Her eyes were dark over her scarf and under her fur hat, so that wasn't the problem. It was hard to define, but there was something about her that stilled all the low conversation for a moment as she stepped into the tavern's main room, closing the heavy door to ward off the elements and stamping her boots to clean the snow off. She was obviously aware of the scrutiny on her, but she was either immune to embarrassment or practiced at ignoring stares. The other denizens of the fleabag bar went back to their conversation, but kept an eye on her. Strange usually equated to bad in this out of the way backwater. She walked up to the bar and undid her scarf. The face that showed had strong Slavic features and a mouth that was set in a half smile, half frown. More than one of the surreptitious watchers took a breath. She was younger than she looked in the heavy clothes. Maybe twenty five? Maybe. And her face... It was pretty, not beautiful but memorable. Her nose showed the faint signs of excellent reconstructive surgery. Very out of place in a hard living, hard working location like this Siberian railroad town.

 

<You in wrong place, girl.> The barkeep said softly in Russian. <Go home.>

 

<No home. I was told to come.> The young woman replied, her Russian understandable, but oddly accented. <Vodka?> The barkeep looked at her and she shrugged. <Is cold.>

 

<Is Siberia in winter, girl.> The barkeep said with a booming laugh. <It is always cold. It defines cold.> He shook his head and his voice became speculative. <If you stay, trouble comes.>

 

<There is always trouble.> The girl said calmly as she laid her scarf on the bar, took off her gloves and undid her hat, showing  a huge mop of sweaty black curls. <I stay. I will not start trouble. I am meeting an...acquaintance of friend. Vodka?> She asked again.

 

<Money?> The barkeep asked suspiciously. The girl quirked a smile and laid two ruble notes on the bar. The barkeep looked at them and paled slightly before nodding. The notes were not Russian currency. Both were also far higher in denomination than a drink called for. They vanished and the barkeep nodded. <Sit. I will get your drink.> He stepped back to grab a bottle from a shelf.

 

<Thank you.> The girl dusted off one of the stools by the bar with her gloves and sat. She stiffened slightly as a slurred voice spoke up from nearby. She turned and only someone truly paranoid would notice that her hand slipped into a pocket as she did. But several eyes did note it and hands stayed where they were, in plain sight.

 

<Pretty girl.> A man clad as a worker rose from his seat and staggered towards her. <You want good time, pretty girl?> The whole bar went still again.

 

<No.> She said quietly, not taking her eyes from him. She didn't move, one hand hidden in the folds of her jacket. More than one set of eyes narrowed at her stance. She wasn't afraid. Not at all. The drunk didn't notice.

 

<I show you real good time...> He said staggering closer. The smell of alcohol was strong as was the rest of him. He hadn't bathed in some time.

 

<Yuri...> The barkeep said softly. <Not in here.> He warned.

 

<I take her outside.> Yuri said with a leer. <What say, girl? Want ride?>

 

<Yuri...> The barkeep snapped, his hands also not moving and in plain sight. <If you take one step closer to her, she will put hole in your gonads to match the hole in your head.> A menacing bulge showed on the girl's jacket where her hand was hidden. About the size of an automatic pistol. <You...> The barkeep nodded to the friends of the drunk who sat watching. <Stop that fool before he becomes a mess in my bar!>

 

The group that had been staring at the girl and at Yuri jerked into motion, rising and grabbing their friend despite his cries and struggles. They pulled him to a corner booth and sat him down with a bottle, blocking his exit from the booth. Only when he was singing with his friends did she relax her stance a bit. When she did, everyone relaxed. But only a little.

 

<Yuri is always stupid. Worse when he is drunk of course. Thank you for not shooting him.> The barkeep said with a sigh as he poured her drink. <Gunshots bring the constable out in the snow. The constable... does not like to get called out in the snow.> He grimaced.

 

<Drunk not a problem.> The girl replied, her face still serene as she nodded to him. Her hand in the pocket didn't move. <Angry constable is not good.>

 

<This...is not good time, girl.> The barkeep said as he set a full glass in front of her. <Many strangers. Many questions. Many problems.>

 

<Always problems.> The girl replied. <Strangers? You mean the two not natives in the booth at the wall?> She said as she picked up her drink. <The one at the table by the window and the one lounging against wall near fire?> She quaffed the drink and did not even flinch from the strong liquor. <My thanks. Good vodka.>

 

The barkeep stiffened as a dark form moved from where it had been lounging to a stool nearby.

 

<You have good eyes.> The man's voice was quiet and his Russian was good. <You got a name, tough girl?> The barkeep's hands were under the bar now and the man shook his head. <No trouble, just questions.>

 

<Not your business.> The girl said quietly. <I will meet my friend and go. I will start no trouble in this bar. I do not wish to meet the barkeep's shotgun.> She said with a smile. That smile was...off. More feral than friendly. More predator than prey. <You do not wish meet his shotgun. Pistol versus shotgun means dead man with pistol.> She said, nodding slightly to the bulge in the man's jacket under his right armpit.

 

<Maybe.> The man didn't flinch at all. A fellow predator. <You...look familiar.>

 

<You will cause more trouble than you imagine if you continue.> The girl said calmly. <Maybe you will learn something here? Maybe not. But dead men do not talk.> She finished her drink and spun to look around the room, apparently ignoring the man who sat nearby. But he did not move.

 

<Most of the time, no." The man nodded, rose from the stool and walked back to the wall where he lounged again. It was utter coincidence of course that his left hand was folded over his right arm right by the opening of his jacket. Of course it was. A small smile quirked her mouth but she did not speak again, simply waited.

 

Everyone seemed to stiffen as the outside door opened again. A slim form stepped in and the girl was not the only one who stared as she saw that the man wore no heavy winter clothing. Indeed, his leather jacket would have been summer wear in most places. Excellent heavy leather as it was, it was no match for Siberian winter. He seemed unaffected by the weather as he shut the door. He wore a fur hat, but she could tell his dark eyes were assessing as they swept the room. He nodded to the barkeep.

 

<Mishka. Got any of that boar left?> He asked as in excellent Russian as he took off his hat. As soon as he showed a mop of short dark hair, the tension in the room seemed to skyrocket. The girl found herself staring and jerked her eyes away.

 

"Da." The barkeep said with a nod. But he didn't move and his hands didn't come out from under the bar.

 

<No one will do anything in the bar, Mishka.> The man said with a sigh. <They know better.> "Don't we?" He asked, switching to English. Heads shook around the room, only the drunks in the corner seemed oblivious. "Good." He said as he sat in a stool by the woman.  Mishka started working setting up a plate of food as the newcomer looked the girl over.

 

<What?"> She asked quietly, not defensive, simply curious.

 

<Lasrian.> The soft word was not a question.

 

<Once.> The girl agreed. <No longer.>

 

<You got out.> The man said with a sigh. <Many did not.>

 

Mishka put a full glass in front of him and, after a glance from the dark haired man, filled the girl's glass again. She looked at the barkeep and then at the man beside her as the barkeep set a steaming plate down in front of him. He started to eat as if he hadn't a care in the world. The girl, after one final careful look around, took her glass and drank. But... she paused. Everything was suddenly hazy, then green. She...relaxed. What had been in that vodka? She was...clear, but relaxed.

 

<Lets not cause a problem here that the constable has to take notice of. > The man beside her said to nobody in particular between bites. <What say you all?>

 

"You are a hard man to find." The man who had spoken to the girl earlier said in quiet English.

 

"I am not hiding, Jackson." The eating man said mildly as he finished his plate. He switched back to Russian. <Excellent as always, Mishka. Tell your wife the spices were marvelous. I'll see about getting you another boar sometime.> The barkeep nodded to him and he rose from his seat. <Lets go.> He said to the girl.

 

That sounded like a marvelous idea. She put her hat back on, then her gloves, then her scarf. The man beside her took her arm as she stumbled a bit.

 

<Easy there.> He said gently. <Too much vodka. You will feel it in the morning.>

 

<Won't make the pain go away.> She muttered for his ears only. Then she stiffened. The man who had been lounging by the wall was now blocking the door. She felt the man beside her still into immobility. Not a good sign.

 

"You still angling for that promotion, Jackson?" The man at her side asked calmly in English. The tension in the room soared. "Or do you just have a death wish?"

 

<My bet is on death wish...> The girl slurred a bit.

 

"My bosses are getting antsy." The man called Jackson said quietly. "You know how they get. They want an answer."

 

"I gave them the answer." The man at the girl's side said calmly. "The same answer I gave Mossad..." He nodded to the man who sat alone at a table. "MI-6..."He nodded to one of the figures in the shadowed booth. "The SVR..." He nodded to the other on in the booth. "And all the others. The answer was 'No'. I will not work for any of you."

 

"Hayden..." The man blocking the door sighed. "You know what they are going to do."

 

"I know what they are going to try." The man called Hayden retorted, still calm. "The same thing the Chinese did." To the girl's surprise, every one of the shadowy forms seemed to wince. Jackson in particular seemed to pale a bit. "Get out of the way, Jackson. Now. I will hurt you." It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

 

The man at the door sighed, lowered his hands well away from his hidden weapon and stepped away. One of the figures in the booth spoke up, it was female and her voice was cold. The girl paled a bit at the voice, but did not move.

 

<Neutrality is stupid.> The woman said calmly. <You cannot win alone.> Her Russian held a Muscovite accent.

 

<No.> The man called Hayden replied easily. In the exact same accent no less! <No, I can't. But I can keep your superiors from making the exact same mistakes that the Agency did in Lasria. And I will.>

 

"Hayden..." Jackson said, his tone disapproving."That is classified information."

 

"So?" Hayden replied. "Mishka doesn't talk as you all well know. Everyone else in this room knows exactly what actually happened. Except the drunks, but they are too busy singing."

 

Indeed, none of them had even noticed the tension in the room, all they noticed was the bottle they were sharing and emptying. Jackson sighed again, shrugged, and moved slowly to the bar.

 

<I need a drink.> The man said to nobody in Russian. <Anyone else?> Nobody moved and she shook his head as he laid a pair of hundred ruble notes on the bar. As Mishka poured his drink, Jackson spoke mildly. "On my way in, I saw some shadowed forms near one building, Hayden. They didn't look like locals. My bet is the Chinese again."

 

"I will take that bet." The man in the booth who had been watching silently spoke up. His English had a pronounced London accent. He switched to Russian and it too, had a pronounced London accent. <He irritated the DSGE too. Not hard to do, mind you. But they have few scruples at times.> The Englishman looked at the girl and then at Hayden. <You take her out there, she is going to get shot.>

 

<Been shot.> The girl slurred. Everything seemed to still and she spoke again. <Not problem. Better than being lab rat.> Jackson stared at her, and then he went completely pale.

 

"Marlena?" He asked, dazed. The others all stared at him and he swallowed. "Oh my god, girl...I am sorry..." One of the figures in the booth froze that the name 'Marlena'."

 

<Your...regrets...mean nothing to me...> The girl snapped, her ire blowing through whatever had been fuzzing her. <Marlena dead. She stay that way.>

 

"Hayden..." Jackson said , swallowing. "Do you have any idea what the Agency will do when they find out she is here...?"

 

"She is not here." Hayden replied calmly. "And your search teams, satellites and dog trackers can't find me. What makes you think they will be able to find her?" He paused as the woman who had spoke rose from her booth. She walked forward, her own face ashen. "Captain Irina?" He asked calmly as the girl beside him went still in recognition.

 

"I... I thought you dead, Marlena. You change hair, your face...different." The woman said slowly in English. "What happen?" She nearly begged.

 

<Marlena dead.> The girl said softly in Russian, but the anger in her voice was clear. <Liars... all liars...> She shook her head. <Russian, American, Israeli... All liars... No care...> She staggered and Hayden caught her with one arm. His other did not move.

 

"Easy..." Hayden said softly. "Let's get you to a bed, girl."

 

<Some of us care more than others.> The Russian woman said sadly, switching back to Russian. <Politics be damned, some of us care.> She shook her head as the girl let out a moan. <I never lied to you!> She pleaded.

 

<No.> The girl said softly. <But you never told the truth either. I am not angry. I am sad, Aunt Irina.>

 

"Aunt?" The incredulous question came from several throats. Hayden just shook his head.

 

<My...sister... She come to me...> Irina said softly, her words halting. Her face intent on the girl's. <Family in trouble. Danger. She ask for shelter for her daughter. I say I can shelter whole family and she leave Marlena, go back to Lasria to get them. She... she not come back. I go to superiors, they unhappy, but accept. They promise you safe. I go back to work. Two year later, I told you dead. Lab accident.> She begged the girl. <Marlena... please... what happen?> She begged. Marlena looked at Hayden who shrugged.

 

"It is going to come out." He said softly. "Now is as good a time as any."

 

<I did not work in a lab, Aunt Irina.> The girl said softly. <I lived in the lab. I was a lab rat.> The woman's eyes bulged so far they seemed almost about to fall out of her head. <They took me in the night. They took me to a place like a hospital. I woke in a cage. Others were all around me, screaming in pain. Screaming as they...changed. I didn't... They wondered why. They tested...>

 

<No...> Iriana said, her face horrified. <No. How you escape?>

 

<Escape? I didn't escape!> The girl snapped. <I was stolen. By them!> She waved at Jackson who gulped. The glare that Irina leveled on him should have rendered him down to ash. <English speaking men wearing black. Came in the night. They gassed and I woke tied in a car. Then a plane.>

 

"Let me guess, Jackson." Hayden said quietly as Irina cursed vilely in several languages. "The Agency heard of another like me. One who was changed, but not. So, of course they sent a team in to 'acquire' the subject."

 

"I don't know." Jackson said, his tone equally quiet. "I saw a report on her. Her transport vanished mysteriously en route to the States. That is all I know." Probably the truth. Hayden glanced at the man at the table, who remained silent.

 

"Well, as of now, she is my problem and my responsibility. Anyone who tries to hurt her or take her will answer to me." Hayden replied evenly. He stilled as Irina stepped closer. "Captain Irina..." He warned, his hand falling to his side.

 

"You will protect?" Irina asked, her English broken. He nodded. "Marlena.. I..."

 

"Marlena is dead." The girl snapped.

 

<You have no reason to trust, Katuska as I called you when you were born.> The Russian woman said sadly. <You have many reasons not to. But we are family. Now... and always..." She pulled something from a pocket. It was a small doll, made of wood. An antique matryoshka doll, one that usually had other dolls inside. <I did not find any obvious trackers.> She cracked the doll open and a smaller doll was nestled inside it. Four times, she opened smaller dolls. Then there was a tiny hand painted doll inside. She plucked it out with two fingers and tossed it into the fire! Marlena stared at her as Irina started putting the dolls back together. <The smallest doll had been dipped in a rare isotope, to track me. I recommend you keep it in a shielded container, test it, just to be sure.> She said with a savage smile that became tender. <This doll was your mother's, Marlena. She gave it to me when I joined the army. If you ever need me, you call or send the doll.> She held out the doll.

 

<I...> Marlena looked at Hayden who shrugged again. <You will get in trouble.>

 

<I am always in trouble, Marlena.> The older woman said with a fond smile. <Family trait, no?>

 

<Family trait, yes.> Marlena said with a faint smile as her hand darted out to take the doll. Irina did not move as Marlena and Hayden moved to the door.

 

<Be well, my little katushka...> Irina said quietly. When she turned to the bar, her face was stone. <This not happen.> She stated, her face fierce.

 

<Nothing happened.> The man at the table agreed. Jackson and the man in the booth both nodded.

 

As they left the bar, Marlena shook her head. She hadn't expected to ever see her aunt again. And like that? They walked into the wind, Hayden seemingly unaffected by the weather. Then she paused as several shadows carrying distinctive shapes -AK variant assault rifles- appeared from the shadows of a nearby building. She leaned close to Hayden and he shook his head. His cold voice cut through the wind like a knife.

 

"Silly. Bringing guns to a glaive fight...?"

Edited August 12, 2013 by Kalenath

[CommanderCorgi]

I read all of your Warframe writing in one sitting, one night.

 

All I can say is 'Holy S#&amp;&#036;, you ARE good.'

[KF5AQX]

Oh my god.

 

I need to get Dark Sector.

[CrazyCanadian24]

I haven't read all of it yet, but right off the bat I can tell you that this would really benefit if you used phonetic Russian rather than simply saying they said X sentence in Russian, and then put the English in brackets. Probably just a nitpick, but trust me, it would feel so much better to read.

Edited August 12, 2013 by CrazyCanadian24

[Kalenath]

I haven't read all of it yet, but right off the bat I can tell you that this would really benefit if you used phonetic Russian rather than simply saying they said X sentence in Russian, and then put the English in brackets. Probably just a nitpick, but trust me, it would feel so much better to read.

 

Well, I started with simple sentences. Example- 'Is Siberia winter, girl. It always cold. Defines cold!'

 

But that made them all sound kind of stupid. Yes, Yuri was stupid, but he was drunk. Since I don't actually speak or read Russian, I did the best I could. Any advice is appreciated.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Kalenath

[CrazyCanadian24]

Well, I started with simple sentences. Example- 'Is Siberia winter, girl. It always cold. Defines cold!'

 

But that made them all sound kind of stupid. Since I don't actually speak or read Russian, I did the best I could. Any advice is appreciated.

 

Google Translate, convert words one at a time to avoid errors, and use the "read phonetically" feature. It'll be tedious, but worth it.

[ThePandarine]

holy the F***...Kalenath...what the F*** did I just read? I am now in the zone where I have read something tht just blew my mind into the next galaxy...you marvelous bastard you (and I mean the bastard in the highest of respects and regards)

 

Well, I started with simple sentences. Example- 'Is Siberia winter, girl. It always cold. Defines cold!'

 

But that made them all sound kind of stupid. Since I don't actually speak or read Russian, I did the best I could. Any advice is appreciated.

 

I once had a FF where I had multiple languages, google translated whatever needed translating and had the help of some good fellas to proof read the translations course :P

 

 

Google Translate, convert words one at a time to avoid errors, and use the "read phonetically" feature. It'll be tedious, but worth it.

the problem here is sentence structures, grammar, rules etc. Even converting it word for word and hvin it read phonetically can still lead to bad translations

[Kalenath]

Google Translate, convert words one at a time to avoid errors, and use the "read phonetically" feature. It'll be tedious, but worth it.

 

Hmmm... Once I do that, should I put the English after? In parentheses or something? The problem is that since I am writing this in English I know that many of the words and concepts don't entirely translate.

 

Good news is that the rest of it should only be in English (Since Hayden speaks English) with a few moments in other languages.

 

And no, I am not going to even TRY Chinese...

 

(Edit) Google Translate SUCKS... I KNOW that is not how that is supposed to be spelled! And I don't even READ Russian! Maybe the next one. One with Roman letters... It added a thousand words in a language I can't read!

Edited August 12, 2013 by Kalenath

[CrazyCanadian24]

Hmmm... Once I do that, should I put the English after? In parentheses or something?

 

Edited August 12, 2013 by CrazyCanadian24

[UnworthySeraph]

When you said 'different' you weren't kidding. I'm eager to see where this one goes.

 

Oh, and that last line...

Made me chuckle. =D

[SOUP.CAN]

1,2 Hayden's coming for you!

[22tankmaster]

When you said 'different' you weren't kidding. I'm eager to see where this one goes.

 

Oh, and that last line...

Made me chuckle. =D

Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting, although now I'm afraid I might get lost in some of the story lines, as I never played Dark Sector.

Either way, pretty interesting so far, looking forward to the next one, as always.

[Kalenath]

Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting, although now I'm afraid I might get lost in some of the story lines, as I never played Dark Sector.

Either way, pretty interesting so far, looking forward to the next one, as always.

 

I won't be able to completely avoid spoilers, but I will do what I can. Most of the story is available on Dark Sector Wiki- http://darksector.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Sector_Wiki

[Kalenath]

Making a Mess

 

The wind died for a moment and the snow stopped blowing. The girl swallowed heavily as the five shadowed figures stepped into the dim light. All were short and wore heavy clothing. And...all of the rifles had cylinders attached to the barrels. Suppressors. That wouldn't make the rifles silent, but it would make them much harder to hear, especially in a blowing snowstorm.  All the men had their noses and mouths covered. She could feel Hayden's hand on her arm as she reached for her gun.

 

"No unsuppressed shots if we can help it. I would rather not start a firefight in town." Hayden said quietly as the men raised their guns. He spoke a phrase in what sounded like Chinese and two of the men jerked, lowering their weapons. One of the ones in back snarled something and Hayden sighed. "Idiot..."

 

The girl froze as an odd sound came to her ears. It sounded like metal...unfolding? All of the men were staring at Hayden now and all had fear in their eyes. Against her will, her eyes traced down to her protector's side and... There it was. Just as it had been described to her.

 

She shook her head slightly. She had studied a bit, while she had recovered from...various things. A glaive was a European polearm weapon. A single-edged blade on the end of a pole, used to unseat cavalry in the Middle Ages. But many people called 'this' a glaive. That made no sense to her. This was not a polearm. Indeed it looked more like a saw than a polearm. It had three insanely sharp blades that curved around the center that Hayden gripped. She could tell the blades were razor sharp from the way the falling snowflakes hit the edges and were cut in half. Hayden's Glaive.

 

"Maybe these will be smarter than the last and not do anything. Let's go." Hayden said calmly as the men didn't move. All had lowered their weapons. The girl nodded and started to move, then she paused. What? She stared down at herself, at the bright fluffy thing that stuck oddly out of her arm. She plucked it out. A dart of some kind. It hadn't touched her skin through the heavy jacket. Hayden didn't look at it, but he growled. "Tranquilizer darts. You idiots just don't learn." They raised their weapons again and he scoffed as the wind rose again. "Go ahead and shoot if you dare. First shot will bring the constable and you know how he will react." He taunted their assailants. "You know he was in the Spetznaz and has no patience for trespassers. Less for armed ones."

 

The men lowered their weapons and the girl felt hope, but then... They slung their rifles and drew odd batons that crackled with energy. Stun batons, she realized. They wanted Hayden and her alive! The wind had picked up again and she felt Hayden sigh through the hand on her arm.

 

"Get down and stay down." The voice was Hayden's but...different.

 

She looked up and bit back a scream. The man who held her arm had no face! His clothing had changed somehow into armor that gleamed gray. A short horn like thing protruded from where the forehead would be on a human. No one had said anything about this! Yargo hadn't... She did scream a little as a hard shove knocked her down, out of the way of a blow that came whistling in. But it did not connect to either of them. The hand what held the shock prod was trapped somehow, the man holding it dancing in obvious pain as the armored form twisted, just a little. Then everything seemed to stop as the other hand came up. She stared, totally frozen by something other than cold as the odd circular blade cut cleanly through the man. He had time to start a scream before his head fell off. The body fell silently and the four remaining men took a step back.

 

She had thought herself beyond such things, but she was sure she was going to vomit. Two of the men had dropped their stun batons despite the obvious leader starting to yell at them. They drew their rifles again, but... She screamed again as the armored figure drew back his hand, then threw it forward. The Glaive flew. It flew flat, spinning rapidly. Three of the men were close to one another, and it cost them.

 

Before she could even draw breath to scream again, the blade had hit one of the men, slicing through clothes, flesh and bone with equal abandon. She thought... No, it wasn't her imagination! She saw one end of the man's rifle fall, cut cleanly away from the rest. The Glaive had cut through the man and his rifle without even slowing down! He screamed and clutched his shoulder as his arm fell off. His scream died as he did.

 

Then the Glaive...arced? She stared as it flew in another direction, then changed course again, guided somehow! It was  following the next man who was rolling away, trying to evade it. He fared no better than his companion. The Glaive connected to his back and his body provided as much resistance as the other's had. He fell without a sound. The third managed to get his rifle up and fired. The shots were muffled by the suppressor and the wind but something green appeared in front of the armored form and the bullets did not hit him. Instead...they reflected? The man who had fired jerked several times, then fell and writhed on the ground, many holes in his clothing.

 

She was shuddering in fear as Glaive came humming back towards her. The armored form caught it in mid-spin! Then it was in the air again and the man who had been writhing on the ground was still. She stared at the three dead men and then at the armored form, stunned. Then she jerked as a hand grabbed her arm and twisted it painfully. Something jabbed her in the ribs and she was immediately woozy. She barely felt being lifted up to stand between her captor and the armored form who turned slowly to look at them.

 

The armored form spoke a short, sharp phrase in a language she did not know and the man behind her replied angrily in the same tongue. She managed to dredge up some kind of emotion and spoke.

 

"What does he want?" She asked, her English slurring.

 

"He thinks that taking you hostage will make me surrender." The not quite Hayden voice was cool and clear. "Like I said, an idiot."

 

"Kill him!" She said, then gasped as a red hot poker slammed through her side. The sound of an unsuppressed shot was heard.

 

"Don't move." Hayden said with a shake of his head. "That wound won't kill you but this might." He threw the Glaive away into the night. "Might want to bend your head forward a bit..."

 

The man behind her jabbered something but she jerked her head forward, putting her chin on her chest. The man who held her shook her, but she did not react. Then he went stiff. She heard it too. The Glaive was humming as it arced around. It was coming closer! She felt the man cower behind her and then... there was a sick 'thwock' sound, warm wetness sprayed over the back of her jacket and  the hand that held her arm fell away. She took a hesitant step forward and screamed again as the Glaive flew past her, seeming to miss her by millimeters. It sought out Hayden's hand...whose armor had vanished and he was clad in street clothes again! He caught it effortlessly and it folded and vanished as well.

 

"Yargo was right..." The girl was shaking from whatever had been injected into her and the gunshot wound. "You are terrifying!"

 

"Yeah, I am." Hayden said softly as he stepped close. "Hang on, you have brains on you."

 

He brushed something off her hat that went 'splut'. She curled in on herself, collapsed to her knees, and to her horror, lost the contents of her stomach. Her scarf fell away, soiled. She had seen horrible things, done horrible things and had survived horrible things that had been done to her. She had thought herself beyond gore making her puke, but... She wasn't.

 

"It's okay." Hayden said, kneeling at her side. "It's not a voluntary reflex and whatever that idiot hit you with is likely lowering your resistance." He patted her shoulder gently with the hand that hadn't held the Glaive.

 

"Hayden!" A curt voice called in English. "You okay? I heard screams and a shot!" A figure in the uniform of a policeman came around the corner of the building and stopped short. His vile exclamation in rural Russian brought a smile to the girl's face despite her pain, fear and embarrassment. When he spoke, it was in English again. Excellent English. "Oh, not again!" He snapped as he came close, the AN-94 he carried held in a professional grip despite one hand that was obviously prosthetic.

 

"Sorry for the mess, Dmitri." Hayden said with a sigh, also in English. "They just won't learn."

 

"Was this all of them?" The policeman asked, nudging one of the bodies with a foot.

 

"I think so." Hayden replied. "If not, they ran."

 

"And of course, none of them will have ID, all the weapons will be untraceable and no witnesses except someone who does not exist!" The policeman said with a snarl, kicking the corpse at his feet. "'Bandits', Moscow will say. Bandits from Beijing!" He snapped. "You okay?" He asked, looking at the girl. She nodded, still heaving. He shook his head. "I will get the boys up, start cleaning up the mess."

 

"Dmitri..." Hayden said quietly as he pulled a rag out of somewhere to clean the girl's face. "I can't stay."

 

"You will be missed, tovarisch." Dmitri said heavily. "Gregori still rants when he is drunk that he saw golden light and an angel when you came to his rescue." Hayden looked at him and the cop shrugged. "He was delirious. He was hit by a bear!"

 

"He was lucky I was in the area." Hayden said with a frown. "Not like he was tracking me or anything." Hayden said with a grimace.

 

"Not on orders. I warned him. You warned him." Dmitri said with a shrug. "His own dumb fault for being curious and getting between a momma grizzly and her cubs." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl. "You sure she is okay? She has a hole in her jacket."

 

"Dmitri..." Hayden said slowly. "Don't ask. Please." He begged. "She will be okay. Right?" He asked the girl who nodded. She took the rag he held out and wiped her face. Hayden got busy wiping the girls nasty scarf off in the snow, then wrapping the less nasty parts around her neck..

 

"I owe you my life and my men all owe you theirs." The cop said with a sigh. "Strangeness all around. Foreign intelligence agents descending in droves. Armed men trying to kidnap people right off the streets..." He toed one of the shock prods away with a grimace of distaste. "But according to Moscow, it is business as usual. Might as well have stayed in the Army."

 

"Stick to the truth, Dmitri." Hayden said with a sigh. "Easier than trying to keep up with the lies. If they ask -which they probably won't since people high up want this whole mess buried-, I have been around. But you don't know where I go or how. You can't track me any better than the intelligence types can."

 

"True." Dmitri said as he pulled a sat phone from a pocket.

 

"Dmitri..." Hayden warned. "Don't flash that. If anyone sees it, they will ask how you got it." Sat phones were not cheap and this one was a high end model.

 

"Salvage. I found it next to a body in a lab coat." Dmitri said with a nasty smile. "A woman. Dead several weeks. Be spring before I can get back to where I found her. No ID and the body is probably gone by now. Funny, she had blonde hair like the woman who Gregori insists was his angel of mercy."

 

"Dmitri..." Hayden was shuddering, but the girl realized he was fighting back laughter. But then he rose and held out a hand for the girl. She took it and he helped her rise. "Come on, we have a long way to go."

 

"Hayden." Dmitri said softly, stepping closer. Hayden paused as the Russian held out a hand. "Dos Vidanya."

 

"Dos Vidanya." Hayden replied, shaking the policeman's hand. "Hopefully with me...elsewhere, your life with get less interesting."

 

"One can hope." The constable said with a sigh. "Go, I have this. Go!" He commanded. "Before any of the intelligence snobs come out to see what the shot was about." He keyed the phone and started speaking into in rapid fire Russian.

 

Hayden nodded and led the girl into the teeth of the blizzard. In moment's she was utterly lost. White was everywhere. Except for the man beside her, she knew she wouldn't have even been able to make it back to town and safety. His hand never left her arm and whatever she had drunk with the vodka was keeping her warm. Or, it seemed to be. She was stumbling more and more as they walked however and her vision was blurring. Finally, they moved out of the wind and she could see past her tearing eyes. They had entered a cave. She stumbled again and could not rise this time. She tried to speak and couldn't. A hand touched her cheek and she heard him curse.

 

"Slow acting... damn them...Come on..." Suddenly she was lifted into the air. Hayden wasn't heavily built, but he carried her easily.

 

She was too weak to protest as he carried her straight towards the cave wall! She braced for an impact but it never came. Instead, just as they got there, a flash of gold dazzled her and she was blinking as Hayden carried her into a brightly lit area. But everything was fading.

 

"Doc!" Hayden called. "She is hurt!"

 

"Get her on the bloody table!" A female voice sounded. After a moment of movement, she was laid down on something. Suddenly a woman's face was in her vision, the mouth drawn as the woman concentrated. She had long blonde hair. "What the hell happened?"

 

"The Chinese." Hayden said with a sigh. "Five man snatch team. I don't know if they were after her or me."

 

"With our luck...?" The woman snapped. "Both. What hit her?"

 

"She got Mishka's vodka, then she was hit with some kind of trank and then shot." Hayden said with a groan. "Yes..." He said as the woman's face turned thunderous. "Yes, I know you don't agree with the whole thing, but it has saved our lives doc."

 

"We will argue about that later. Right now we need to figure out how to neutralize the sedative and get the bullet out." The woman said with a scowl as the turned back to the now frightened girl. "Easy, girl... Easy... Your name was Marlena?" The woman asked in a far kinder tone.

 

"No doctor!" The girl said, trying to rise. "No..."

 

"Easy!" The woman snapped. "I am on your side, girl. What do you want me to call you?" The girl looked around. She was in a large room with a vaulted ceiling. She was lost in a haze looking at the ceiling. She gasped as a hand pinched her and  careful fingers pried an eyelid up. "Damn, Enferon! Hayden, the mask! Now, I have to get the bullet out!"

 

"No!" The girl said, trying to struggle as the doctor's hands came up with gleaming instruments. "No..." She begged. She couldn't fight. None of her muscles were working as they should.

 

"Doc."' Hayden said quietly, but with command. "Back off."

 

"But..." The woman stared at him and then at the girl. Her face paled and she slumped a bit. "I... Yes, Hayden."

 

"What do you want to be called?" Hayden asked as he came close. "Marlena is a good name. But it has a lot of baggage. Yargo sent you to us. For a new start. We can and will give you that."

 

"He..." She stared up at Hayden, her face scared. "He called me Galina.  It...didn't feel right, but he was right. Marlena is dead."

 

"Do you want us to call you Galina?" Hayden asked. She nodded and he smiled at her. "Okay, Galina, my name is Hayden Tenno and this is Doc Lynn." The girl -Galina- looked to the side and her eyes widened a bit as she realized that the woman she had been so afraid of was sitting in a wheeled chair! "We can and will help you, Galina. But you need to sleep through this."

 

"I am sorry I frightened you... Galina." The doc said with only the trace of a hesitation. "I want to help. I know what it is to be a lab animal." She said, hate sounding in her voice. She turned the chair a bit and Galina's eyes went wide as she saw metal covering the woman's legs. Familiar metal. The limbs looked fused together.

 

"You..." Galina stared from her to Tenno who hadn't moved. "She is like you? Like me?"

 

"Yes." Hayden said quietly. "You are safe with us, Galina. Sleep. Let the doc work.. Tomorrow, we will talk."

 

"I am afraid." Galina said as the doc eased her chair closer. "I am...so afraid..." The admission hurt her.

 

"I know the feeling." The doctor -Lynn- said sadly. She started to sing  softly in a language that Galina did not know, but the tune was obvious. A lullaby. Galina closed her eyes and laid her head back. The familiar feeling of a mask over her nose and mouth had Galina nearly jerking, but the woman's voice was still crooning as a hiss sounded. Galina was humming along with the music as she nodded off.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Kalenath

[UnworthySeraph]

Now we're getting places!

Nice work Kal.

[KF5AQX]

Wait, I thought the armor was power armor, not organic, like his arm? Or did I just no read the (Admittedly poor) Wiki right...

[Kalenath]

Wait, I thought the armor was power armor, not organic, like his arm? Or did I just no read the (Admittedly poor) Wiki right...

 

It... was

[22tankmaster]

I have noticed there are a lot of times in your work where a luliby is sung. Just an observation.

[22tankmaster]

Wait, I thought the armor was power armor, not organic, like his arm? Or did I just no read the (Admittedly poor) Wiki right...

Remember, a LOT of time has passed, the virus likely evolved alongside them.

[Kalenath]

Remember, a LOT of time has passed, the virus likely evolved alongside them.

 

4 years since the end of Dark Sector which I placed as when the game released in 2008, but things DID change.

 

Well, SOME things changed. People STILL underestimate Hayden and that can and will hurt. A LOT.

 

And yes, lullabies have a distinct place in my stories. Gentleness works to calm people in some stressful situations. Ask any anesthesiologist and they will likely say that it is much better if the patient is calm when they go under.

 

Is it normal? Do we need to have the 'normal' discussion here after my last story?

Edited August 13, 2013 by Kalenath

[Riterew]

Nope, as long as we get a good story - Which I, at this point, doubt you cannot write

Edited August 13, 2013 by Riterew

[KF5AQX]

Man,I wish I could write like this.

 

I can do one shots (See Loki's Reward) but I suck at full story lines. Last one I tried wound up failing at chapter four because I couldn't think of what to do next.

[22tankmaster]

4 years since the end of Dark Sector which I placed as when the game released in 2008, but things DID change.

 

Well, SOME things changed. People STILL underestimate Hayden and that can and will hurt. A LOT.

 

And yes, lullabies have a distinct place in my stories. Gentleness works to calm people in some stressful situations. Ask any anesthesiologist and they will likely say that it is much better if the patient is calm when they go under.

 

Is it normal? Do we need to have the 'normal' discussion here after my last story?

Yeah, I misread the post I was replying to, makes more sense now I read it again. I was thinking changes from DS to WF.

 

I see where your coming from on that.

 

When did I EVER utter the word "Normal" on these stories? I was just observing that medical facilities and lullabies are commonly found in your work. They do go hand in hand.

[Kalenath]

Answers and questions

 

For a moment, when Galina woke, she wasn't sure where she was. She didn't hear anything. She was lying on something soft and her chest hurt. She looked down at herself and froze. She was lying on a heavy cot, the kind the army might use. The jacket and shirt that she wore all the time, everywhere, were gone. White gauze bandages covered one side of her chest, the only blemish to the gray metal that extended from her neck all the way down to her hips. A sheet covered her legs. She swallowed heavily as she reached for... She paused as she saw an IV line connected to her hand. She reached to jerk it out.

 

"Please don't." The voice of the doctor had Galina jerking in place. "You are badly dehydrated. You need the fluids." 

 

"What have you done to me?" Galina demanded as she turned to see the female doctor sitting in her chair, looking at her. Hayden was nowhere in sight. She drew the sheet that covered her legs up over her chest.

 

"I took the bullet out." Lynn said softly. "That is all. I don't have the equipment to analyze the drug you were given, so I have to let it work its way out naturally. But I had to get the bullet out, it was poisoned. I had to cut your jacket and shirt off, I am sorry. Hayden has gone to get you some more clothes, since you didn't have any luggage." Galina peered under the sheet at herself and realized she was still wearing her pants and boots.

 

"How long did I sleep?" Galina asked, dazed.

 

"About three hours." Lynn replied evenly. Galina stared at her and Lynn made a face. "One of the few upsides to being what we are is enhanced healing. By tomorrow morning, you will be completely healed. No holes in your skin. You likely won't even have a scar."

 

"This is not my skin!" Galina said sharply as she touched the metal on her abdomen. "This is...wrong..."

 

"I agree." Lynn said with a nod. She touched her own legs and winced. "I am sorry I scared you."

 

"Apology...accepted. Yargo took me to a doctor." Galina said slowly. "They... they fixed my nose...Made me look different." She touched her face. "They were...gentle, but..."

 

"They didn't ask before knocking you out, did they?" Lynn asked, her face grave.

 

"I didn't understand everything. I did not react well when I saw lab coats again." Galina said, shamefaced. "I didn't understand much English. Yargo...calmed me down. Explained. After... He sent me to school, made me practice English with him."

 

"From what I understand, he was a good man." Lynn said softly. "What happened to him? Hayden will want to know."

 

"I don't know what happened." Galina said with a wince. "I was at class, University." She looked at Lynn, but the doctor did not comment. "I enjoyed learning..." She said with a hint of wistfulness.

 

"No reason to stop." Lynn said with a nod. "Modern technology allows for online learning from anywhere. Even Siberia." She said with a smile.

 

"Online? They had that at the university." Galina said slowly. Then she shook her head. "I have no money for a computer."

 

"We can work something out." Lynn said gently. "Hayden is not poor and neither am I. My assets are hard to get at these days, mind you..." She said with a sigh. "But I am not poor."

 

"What happened to you?" Galina asked softly. "Obviously you were infected, like me and Hayden."

 

"I worked for an agency called the WHO." Lynn said sadly. "World Health Organization." She clarified at Galina's puzzled look. "We dealt with large scale problems like epidemics. Naturally, the garbled reports that came out of Lasria alarmed a goodly number of people."

 

"Anyone with sense." Galina agreed. Then she paused. "Did you see any names of victims? Reports? Records?" She looked devastated as Lynn shook her head.

 

"I didn't see any names, Galina." Lynn said, her tone gentle. "There were no records that my team was allowed access to."

 

"My family lived at 11 Lotorsk Drive." Galina begged. "Did you...?" She trailed off as Lynn shook her head again.

 

"Galina, I don't speak or read Lasrian and I barely understand enough Russian to ask where a washroom is. One of my team was a translator." Lynn said, slumping a bit. "If I did know what happened to your family, I would tell you. But all I saw were bodies. And Infected." She said with a shudder.

 

"You were bitten." Galina said slowly. It was not a question.

 

"The WHO is rarely welcomed." Lynn said with a snarl. "But that response... They were supposed to give us guards. We were there to help!" She said, pain etching her features.

 

"You were attacked." Galina said slowly. "But... You did not die?"

 

"And I did not change completely either." Lynn said sadly. "All the rest of my team died or changed. Good people, all of them. We wanted to help." She said with a sigh. "And we got slaughtered. Hayden believes we were set up to be slaughtered, an unfortunate 'accident'." She said bitterly.

 

"The Lasrian military was always good at covering things up. And then... a lab?" Galina asked slowly.

 

"Yes." Lynn said, her face turning angry. "I woke in a cage. In a lab. Like you. I don't know where." Galina nodded. "My legs..." She looked at the metal covered limbs and shrugged.

 

"What happened?" Galina asked slowly. "How did you get away?"

 

"Hayden happened." Lynn said with a gulp. "You saw what he can do." Galina gulped as well and nodded. Lynn continued. "I don't know what set him on my trail and I really don't care. I woke to screams and gunfire, blood and death. Then he was there, that gray armor of his blending into the smoke. I begged him to kill me, to end my pain. He looked at me and asked me one question... 'Why?' " Galina stared at the doctor and Lynn flushed. "I was out of my mind from the drugs, from the pain. They had been trying to surgically remove the metal. Taking samples. Probably for testing." Galina winced at that and Lynn nodded. "You too huh?" She asked sympathetically. Galina nodded, silent. "He asked me why and I couldn't answer him. I barely understood him. But then he looked at me and said something that I remember clearly. It hit me hard. 'I don't kill the helpless anymore' he said." Galina felt her eyes bulge at that and Lynn nodded. "Hayden is not a nice man. He is a good man. He got me out of there, hid me away while I healed."

 

"Yargo always said that. Said that Hayden was a good man." Galina said slowly. "Not a nice man, but a good one."

 

"It's true." Lynn said softly. "What happened to Yargo? I never met him myself but we corresponded a bit. He told us about you, about helping you. Then a couple of weeks ago, the communications stopped. Others tried to fake his communication, but we realized it wasn't him and cut the access before anyone could trace it. He is dead?" Lynn asked, her face sympathetic as Galina felt her face go stiff. She grimaced as Galina nodded. "What happened? You said you were in school?"

 

"In class." Galina said after a moment, her voice whisper soft. "I was..." She looked at the wall. "I was looking at a boy." She slumped a bit. "I wouldn't have... Yargo always warned me to stay away from boys." Lynn didn't speak, let Galina choose her time. "I was called to the administrator's office. There were strange men there. Russian, I think..." She mused.

 

"This was in Lasria still?" Lynn asked gently. Galina nodded and Lynn pursed her lips. "Go on."

 

"They wore suits, but were not comfortable in them. And their eyes..." Galina was not looking at Lynn, she was looking at something only she could see. "Yargo warned me what to do if ever I saw men like that. Men in suits with the eyes of snakes."

 

"Run." Lynn's word was not a question.

 

"Yes. I ran. I hid. I escaped. I ran to safehouse..." Galina's English became broken as she started to cry. "He not there! I wait... Like he told me... He not come. He didn't say what to do if that happened!"

 

"What did you do?" Lynn asked carefully.

 

"Night fell." The girl swallowed heavily. "And still Yargo did not come. He say not to, but... I... I went back to the house. It... It was quiet. Too quiet. I crept in and... he was dead. He had been shot." Lynn's face turned sad.

 

"Oh, Galina..." The doctor laid her hand on Galina's, the one with the IV which was closest. "I am sorry. He told us he found you."

 

"He..." Galina brushed the tears away hastily. "I was...a mess. He found me on the beach. Where I washed up..." She broke off as Lynn looked confused. "He didn't tell you?"

 

"What beach? He just told us he found you." Lynn said with a sigh. "Not where or what had happened. He said you had been hurt, your nose broken and other injuries. Can you talk about it?" She asked kindly.

 

"I...think so. After the lab..." Galina said slowly, choosing her words with care. "I was drugged a lot. Needles, gas... I woke in a car, in a plane, then on a ship."

 

"A roundabout route to get you out of the country quietly." Lynn said softly. Galina nodded. "Then what?" She pressed gently.

 

"I don't know what happened." Galina admitted. "It is all blurry, hazy. A man in black who used a needle. But he never spoke. Or... I don't think he did. I was restrained."

 

"And left to lie in your own filth no doubt."  Lynn's voice was angry now and Galina nodded. "Barbarians. So... did you escape? Or what?"

 

"I don't know." Galina admitted. "Something happened. I heard shouts, fighting. Then a man dressed as a sailor came in. He...touched me..." Galina said with a shiver. "I couldn't move!"

 

"Oh, Galina..." Lynn said sadly. "It's okay. It's over. I can guess what he did."

 

"He tore open my shirt, took one look and screamed." Galina said with a grimace. "More came... I heard an argument, but... they came and took me. Cut bonds, but too many to fight. Next thing I know I am in the water. So... I swim." Lynn was shaking her head in disbelief as she held Galina's hand.

 

"They tossed you overboard because they thought you were Infected?" Lynn said with a growl worthy of a mama bear. "Idiots. If you had been, it wouldn't have stopped you from climbing back aboard and slaughtering them all. Infected don't need to breathe."

 

"I know that." Galina said with a grin. "You know that. Stupid sailors did not know that." Then she sobered. "I woke up on a beach with Yargo standing over me with a drawn gun. He... He was scary with his eye patch and pipe. But he was kind." She started to cry again. "He was kind!" She put her hands to her face, trying to stem the flow of tears with her palms. "Later... He said I resembled his daughter... Who died in 1987."

 

"The first epidemic." Lynn said sadly. "The Soviets dealt with it the same way the Lasrians did. Clamp it down and kill anyone who tries to leave, Infected or no. But you were already gone before this epidemic reached fruition. Before Mezner's madness."

 

"Mezner..." Galina said faintly. "Yargo used that as an epithet. He called the bureaucrats Mezners when they couldn't hear him. Mezner this, or Mezner that..."

 

"He had cause." Lynn said sadly. "Mezner was directly responsible for what happened in Lasria the last time. But Hayden stopped him. For what happened to your family and what happened to me." She shook herself. "So... You found Yargo...?"

 

"He was dead." Galina said sadly. "He had laid a few other plans. He had made me what he called a 'bug-out bag' and it was intact. I ditched the bag on the way here. But it only had a ticket and some money. And the gun..." She paused and Lynn smiled as she laid Galina's pistol close enough for the girl to reach. Galina stared at it. It was a Tekna 9mm, a Lasrian copy of something called a USP SOCOM. "You... I... What?"

 

"You are not a prisoner, Galina." Lynn said sadly. "If you want to leave, you are welcome to."

 

"Where would I go?" Galina asked, pushing the gun away with a finger. "Besides..." She said with a smile. "No clip." She tapped the empty bottom of the handgrip with her finger.

 

"I may like you, girl." Lynn said with a smile. "But I am not stupid."

 

"Good." Galina said, laying her head back down. "When will Mr. Tenno be back?"

 

"Mr. Tenno?" An incredulous voice said and both women looked to see Hayden standing there. From the snow on his clothing, he hadn't been there very long. He had a bundle of what looked like clothing in hand. "Galina, Mr. Tenno was my dad. Call me Hayden." He said with a grin.

 

"I...Okay..." Galina said somewhat faintly. "I am sorry I was a pain."

 

"You were not a pain." Hayden said with a shrug as he laid the bundle down. "You were confused, scared and poisoned. A little hysteria is understandable." He smiled as he moved to stand beside Galina's cot. "How are you feeling?"

 

"A little sore." Galina replied a bit uneasily. "But better. Doctor Lynn has been asking me questions and answering some of mine."

 

"We will talk as well, but..." Hayden shook his head and then seemed to come to a decision. "Galina, I want to ask you to do something for me. I don't know if you can and I don't know if it will hurt or not." Galina stiffened. Lynn did as well.

 

"Hayden...?" Lynn asked. "What gives?"

 

"The weather has cleared a bit." Hayden said with a sigh. "There are several search teams combing the woods. I got by them fairly easily, but they seem to be heading for the cave entrance."

 

"Tracking...me?" Galina swallowed heavily. "The doll?"

 

"I don't think so." Hayden said as she squatted on his heels beside her. "Irina is not the sort to lie. She is an analyst normally these days. Not normally a field agent anymore although she was a heck of one once."

 

"You know her?" Galina asked, dazed.

 

"In my old line of work, you got to know your counterparts in other countries' intelligence services." Hayden said with a shrug. "We crossed paths occasionally, yes. Sometimes neutral, sometimes adversaries. Once we were allies in a particularly nasty clean-up operation. Before Lasria." He shook his head as Galina opened her mouth. "Don't ask." He warned her.

 

"I won't." Galina said faintly. "But... You say she wouldn't?"

 

"She was hurt, bad in that clean-up operation." Hayden said with a sigh. "They offered her retirement. But she is a bit stubborn."

 

"Aunt Irina? Stubborn?" Galina said with a laugh. "No!" Both Hayden and Lynn smiled at her sarcasm. But then Galina paused. "If not her, then who?"

 

"I don't know." Hayden admitted. "Lynn? How is she?"

 

"Galina, may I touch you?" Lynn asked politely. The girl held out her hand and Lynn took it with a smile. She took Galina's pulse and then nodded. "Her rhythms are slower. She is recovering. Hayden...?" Lynn asked." You are not going to...?"

 

"Lynn." Hayden said sharply as Galina felt her face go pale. "Don't scare her. Galina, I want you to close your eyes and see yourself in your mind. Do you think you can do that?"

 

"A meditation?" Galina asked, closing her eyes. "Yargo taught me...some..." She said, a catch to her voice. She took a deep breath, held it for a time and then slowly exhaled it, visibly calming. "What do I do?"

 

"One of the things that Lynn and I can both do is see any variances in our bodies." Hayden said, his voice gentle. "Strangeness. Toxins, drugs and other foreign bodies. I think you can too. See your body as it is. See it as if in a mirror, but you can see into it."

 

"I..." Galina paused, her voice dreamy. "I can see... I see my heart... It is beating , slowing. I am calmer."

 

"Good." Hayden's voice was whisper soft. "The...difference..." He broke off as Galina gave a small scream and jerked up. "Galina!" He said as he took one of her hands, Lynn took the other.

 

"The.. The metal... on my skin... It did something!" Galina swallowed heavily. "It...moved... I... I don't understand."

 

"The metal is part of you, Galina." Hayden said gently. "Just like mine is part of me and Lynn's is part of her." Lynn scowled, but remained silent. "It is a symbiotic relationship. You know what that means?"

 

"Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between two or more different biological species." Galina recited. "But.. the metal isn't biological. Is it?"

 

"The line between biological and not biological is blurred when the Technocyte virus is involved, Galina." Lynn said sadly. "Hayden, she is not ready. She is barely healed." She protested.

 

"Lynn, if I can't figure out how they are tracking her, I will have to move the entrance and that knocks me for a loop for a day or so." Hayden said with a sigh. "I can either way, but if they find the new place for the entrance before I recover... I do not want to leave you two vulnerable." Galina stared at him, then slowly laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "Galina?" He asked.

 

"I..." Galina's voice was dreamy again as she sought the meditation. "I can see... Oh dear..." She said softly.

 

"Galina?" Lynn asked, worried, when Galina paled.

 

"There is more than one." Galina said slowly. "They are...in my digestive tract? In my lungs. I..." She jerked. "Ah!"

 

"Galina!" Lynn cried. "Come back, girl! Let it go!"

 

"No." Galina said sharply. "I... can..." She let go of Hayden's hand. Hayden and Lynn both stared as she flipped the sheet off herself. Her skin was rippling. "It... Ah, it hurts..." She clung to Lynn's hand and the doctor let her.

 

"Get them as close to the edge of skin as you can." Hayden said urgently. "I will get them out."

 

"No..." Galina said, relaxing. "It... it doesn't hurt now." She opened her eyes and looked down at herself.  A ripple appeared in the metal on her chest and then another on her stomach. "Ah..." She gulped.

 

"I got it." Lynn said sharply, her face severe as she pulled a small plastic container from a compartment on her chair. She held the container to Galina's side and a small object was expelled from Galina's metal flesh into the container. Then she did it again. "Get rid of these!" She commanded Hayden who nodded, took the container and darted away. A flash of gold and he was gone. "Galina?" Lynn asked softly. "Are you okay?"

 

"That was...very strange." Galina said with a wince. "But it was... it was as if it figured out what I wanted and didn't want to hurt me...?" She asked, confused.

 

"It wouldn't." Lynn said, relaxing. "You are the host. Without you, it is doomed."

 

"That makes no sense." Galina said with a wince.

 

"Welcome to our world, Galina." Lynn said dryly. "Check your sanity at the door."

Edited August 14, 2013 by Kalenath

[ThePandarine]

"Welcome to our world, Galina." Lynn said dryly. "Check your sanity at the door."

 

Slightly adjusting this quote.

 

"Welcome to Kalenath's world, readers. Check your preexisting knowledge of Fanfiction at the door."

 

:p This gonna be good I can feel it in mah bones!