[Fanfiction] Schisms

[Vahlak]

Welcome. Welcome to my sanity. Check yours at the door, you won't need it.

Your (in)sanity has door.  It has a door.   Probably rigged to explode, but it has a door.   I am not surprised.

 

=D

[Spikey844]

I think my sanity just jumped off a cliff...

[evafan002]

I think my sanity just jumped off a cliff...

at least your sanity was intact before you got here unlike me and kal

[evafan002]

Do you WANT me to?

 

I can...

actually i take back my previous statement i would like to see such a thing even if it was a short story. just to see karl and everyone else's reactions to talking ponys in tanks

Edited March 24, 2014 by evafan002

[LordAsmolicious]

Yeah... Sanity is not needed here. =D

[Vargras]

It strikes me as being a bit awkward that it was written as "Stalker" and not "the Stalker". I'm pretty sure it's a title and not a name.

[Vahlak]

It strikes me as being a bit awkward that it was written as "Stalker" and not "the Stalker". I'm pretty sure it's a title and not a name.

Being the first stalker it may very well be his name.  None of the first warframes were  "The Nyx", for example.  It's just Nyx.

[Kalenath]

Refusal

 

This was insane. They were probably running through the maintenance ducts of the Tenno colony that Karen had taken him to just after the mission where she had found him. But there was no real way to be sure. He had no idea where he was going. He doubted that Kori did. But whatever lay ahead had to be better than the madness they had left behind.

 

The Rhino Prime couldn’t believe it. The odd acting noncombatant Tenno had called him ‘Leader’. That meant that whatever this oddity was, it had been planned. And he had a pivotal role to play in this plan. He didn’t want to know. He had known this was going to be bad, but this…?

 

At least Kori was holding it together. He wasn’t sure what the odd voice that had spoken from all the noncombatant Tennos’ mouths had meant by ‘cleansing’ but he was certain it was nothing good. He had to get her away from this somehow. She had to be very fragile emotionally after all the shocks. So…

 

His thoughts slithered to a stop as Kori froze at a junction with other ducts and held up a hand. He moved up close so they could speak and she nodded.

 

“I hear movement in two ducts. Forward and right. Nothing left.” Kori said in a tone just above a whisper. The Prime approved. Whispers carried far further than people thought they could. She pointed to one side an ahead of where they had been moving. “Anything behind?”

 

“Yes.” The Prime had heard noises from behind them. Movement of feet not trying to be furtive. “So… one way with no noise. Trap?”

 

“My instincts say ‘No.’” Kori replied uneasily. “But I have no idea why. Too long out of the field I guess.”

 

“Instinct can be a good thing.” The Rhino listened hard and shook his head. The movement sounded from the other three direction were coming closer. “If these are controlled by nanobots, then they spread by physical contact.” Kori nodded. “They cannot move fast or far on their own. But if they get into wiring or…” He paused and leaned away form a control panel nearby. “We cannot be paralyzed by fear. Go left?” Kori nodded, but her body language was unhappy. Small wonder. The Rhino Prime was seriously unhappy himself.

 

Unarmed. Outnumbered. Stuck who knew where with who knew how many brainwashed noncombatants trying to herd them or capture them. Killing these people was an absolute last resort. They were not enemies, just… not under their own control. Kori eased forward into the left hand branch and the Rhino Prime followed. It made sense for her to lead. She would be able to take control of any single hostile without hurting them. The Rhino? Not so much. He was far more durable, but had fewer less than lethal options without his gear. Now if they ran into more than one…

 

“Leader.” The monotone voices called form back in the ducts. “Stop. We need you. Lead us.”

 

The Rhino Prime did not reply, simply shook his head and followed Kori into duct they had chosen. He was ready for anything but…nothing happened. The duct ahead was unmarred by anything as crass as traps or hidden swarms of odd acting noncombatant Tenno. He paused as Kori held up a hand in a ‘motion ahead’ gesture and he eased forward slowly. There was nothing he could see and he looked at her. She nodded towards a shadowed section of the duct and he took a step towards that, only to freeze again as it erupted into motion. The small from ran… away from the two warframes! It was smaller than adult sized and it wore a Tenno bodysuit.

 

“Wait!” The Prime called. “We are not your enemies.” But the small form was gone.

 

“Was that a kid?” Kori asked cautiously. “I couldn’t get a good look. Nothing to lock onto to control.”

 

“I think so.” The Prime said carefully. “Wait… The movement behind us has stopped.” Indeed, there were no sounded of movement in the ducts now. None at all.

 

“Leader.” The voice from the massed voices sounded upset now. “Come back.”

 

Kori and the Prime shared a glance and started off in the direction that the young form had gone. Just in case there was a trap, the Rhino took the lead, every sense hyperaware. But nothing happened. They came to another junction and nothing shone in any direction. Kori looked at the Prime who shrugged and moved left. With no means of knowing where they were or where they were going, turning laft at each junction would allow them to retract their steps quickly and carefully. Unless his inertial mapping system was totally on the blink, they were still moving away from the portal room where they had come in, so… That was a good thing, yes? He hoped so.

 

He stepped forward cautiously and stopped a something changed. He couldn’t figure out what until Kori gasped. He spun to see her backing away from him.

 

“What?” He asked, then stared down at himself. The surface of his warframe was alive with energy. He shook himself. “It doesn’t hurt. Some kind of discharge?”

 

“You passed something that emitted energy just after you did.” Kori said, pointing at the wall. Close scrutiny showed a jury rigged… something that lay against a power cable there. “I don’t have any scanners that can read the type of energy, but it if isn’t hurting you…” She stepped forward and paused as energy spat at her and… “Whoa!” She jerked as several pulses of power erupted around her. “What the hell?” She stared as wisps of ash fell from her warframe to flutter to the ground. “Nanobots? Was I carrying nanobots?”

 

“Maybe.” The Prime said quietly. “Your warframe is still sealed, yes?” Kori nodded and the Prime gave a grunt. “Then they had no physical access to you.”

 

“What would they have done to me?” Kori pleaded, stared at her hands that were glowing with white tracings of energy now.

 

“Turned you.” A soft, scared voice sounded from nearby and both Tenno spun to see a small form unfold from a wall where it had been concealed. “Turned you into one of them.” The young Tenno was female. She also could not have been over five standard years old. “I thought you were with them.”

 

“We are not.” The Prime reassured the girl. “Nice trick.” He nodded to the wall and the girl made a face that might have been a smile. Or not.

 

“They cannot pass the discharge points.” The girl said quietly. “Who are you?”

 

“This is Kori.” The Prime waved to the Nyx who nodded to the girl. “And I don’t remember my name. But I was told it was Richard. You can call me that.”

 

“You…” The girl swallowed hard. “You are the Prime that started all of this…” Anger sounded in her voice now. “What did you do?”

 

“I didn’t do this.” The Prime said quietly. “I don’t know what happened. Is this Mavri’s colony?” The girl nodded slowly and he sighed. “Do you know what happened to him?” She shook her head. “Drat. I had hoped.”

 

“He was a good leader.” The girl said sadly. “He had us planning in case the Grineer came. Most of us came to shelters when the alarms went off. But no one else came. And then… the others… started acting funny, and…” She was obviously trying not to cry. Tough kid.

 

“Hey.” Kori said gently. “Come here.” She knelt down and held out her arms. After a moment of stunned surprise, the girl ran to her, tears starting to fall. “This is nothing you could have possibly prepared for. What is your name, honey? Like he said, I am Kori.” She held the girl gently as the young Tenno sobbed.

 

“M….Mary.” The girl managed to get out. “I have been so scared.”

 

“I know.” Kori soothed the girl and then swung her up into a carry position as the girl clung. “Are you alone?” The girl nodded and Kori slumped a bit. “I am sorry.” She hugged the girl gently and Mary relaxed. “We will get you out of here, Mary. Not sure how yet, but we will.”

 

“Mary, how many discharge points are there?” The Prime asked, staring at the thing on the wall. It had obviously been built. “Did you do this?” The small Tenno shook her head.

 

“There are lots of them down here.” The girl said quietly. “I found them when… when my mom… She chased me and I…” She curled into a ball in Kori’s arms and Kori soothed her.

 

“Easy.” Kori said gently. “Easy, girl…” She crooned.

 

“Well, if you didn’t do this…” The Prime said slowly. “Someone did. The question is… who?” He paused and then reached out to tap something on the wall. “Whoever it is, is watching us right now. And if you think that leaving a little girl to cry alone in the dark is good thing, you and I are going to talk.” Malice sang in the Prime’s voice now.

 

“Leave me alone!” A male voice said shrilly from the wall. “Go away!”

 

“And where are we supposed to go, hmmm?” The Prime demanded. “I wonder what would happen if we started disabling these?” He tapped the box on the wall and the voice screamed.

 

“No! Don’t…” The voice sounded both irate and terrified. “They will get in!”

 

“And you really think they can’t get past these?” Kori snapped, holding Mary gently. “Bypass the ducts that hold them completely? Dig through to get around them once they know where they are?”

 

“I know these ducts better than anyone!” The voice snapped. “And I have other defenses!”

 

“Proof against Orokin design biotech infiltration nanobots?” The Prime asked, his tone curious. “Wow. Even a dojo’s impressive security wasn’t enough.” A gasp came from the hidden speaker and he snorted. “You have no idea what you are facing, do you?”

 

“Neither do you!” The voice snapped, but fear sang in it.

 

“We are facing some form of subversion and control nanites.” The Prime said calmly. “Where they came from or why, we don’t know. They may or may not have been on the pod I was found in. Or inside it. They call me ‘Leader’ but I remember nothing about this. Nothing at all.”

 

“They have been congregating.” The voice of the unseen watcher said with a gulp. “Acting like… Like they were waiting for something.”

 

“You are patched into the surveillance system.” Kori said with a hint of bite. “For how long?” Silence answered her and she scoffed. “Figured. Some kind of fringe job. Was it zombies or aliens with probes?” She had a wicked edge to her voice and both the Prime and the girl stared at her. The male voice from the speaker sputtered. “Never mind… I know who you are, Lou.” Her voice was vicious now and both the Prime and the girl stared at her. She shrugged. “I had a lot of time to myself in rehab. And no one gossips like nurses.”

 

“Do I want to know?” The Prime asked, only half in jest.

 

“He is the poster boy for conspiracy theories regarding the Lotus.” Kori said with a snort. “Which one were you favoring, Lou? That she was targeting you specifically or that it was some kind of experimental weapon?” the voice from the speaker was sputtering non-stop now and Kori shook her head. “Let’s not waste time with him. He is a nutball.” She said with feeling. “And coming from me? That is saying something.”

 

“The Lotus is evil!” The voice from the speaker snapped. “And I have proof!”

 

“Sure, you do Lou.” Kori said with fake sympathy oozing. The girl giggled at that and Kori snickered as Lou sputtered again. “Like the last time? The ‘evil’ reclamation units that were spying on you that you shot grenades into?”

 

“They were spying on me!” Lou screamed.

 

“Lou…” Kori winced dramatically. “You destroyed two entire reclamation systems trying to find the evil spy probes that you said were there. Using high explosives on sewage systems is… not a good idea. Then there was the whole cleaning droid fiasco…” Mary snickered at Kori’s tone as the speaker hissed.

 

“I don’t want to know.” The Prime mused, sotto voice.

 

“No, you don’t.” Kori agreed. “Lou is a nut’s nut. A good tech according to Karl and others, but… a nut.” She shook her head. “We would do well to stay away from him.”

 

“Do we have a choice?” The Prime felt…ambivalent about this. A nut was not the best choice for an ally, but if they had no other allies…

 

“If we do, he will intersperse every other sentence with rants about how the Lotus is mind controlling us.” Kori said a she set Mary back down on her feet. The girl kept hold of the Nyx’s hand. “I heard a lot about him in the psyche ward.”

 

“I heard a lot about you to, Miss Traitor.” Lou snapped. “You helped that evil doctor mind control other Tenno! For all I know you are with the Lotus!” Both Mary and the Prime looked at Kori who sighed. “Don’t deny it!”

 

“I don’t deny that I was captured and experimented upon by evil scientists during the war.” Kori said slowly, choosing her words with care. “I don’t deny that I was compelled to capture the Tenno strike team that came after they found out about the doctors mad scheme to use Orokin technology mixed with the Technocyte virus.” The Prime winced at that and Kori nodded. “I don’t even deny that while I was in rehab, Grina came to me and told me of a chance to get better, faster which I jumped at. The consequences are on my own head. I do deny your allegations that the Lotus is evil, because I for one haven’t seen it.” She snapped. “If she were evil, you would be dead. Or at least incapable of being such a twit.”

 

“Wow.” The Prime couldn’t stop himself from applauding. “Well said, sister.” Mary was grinning from ear to ear. There was silence from the speaker and Kori snorted mirthlessly.

 

“What is it going to be, Lou?” Kori demanded. “Sit here alone until you get subsumed or help us? I don’t care either way.” A growl came from the speaker and Kori laughed. “Lou… I have been hanging around really scary people recently. Your growl isn’t patch on Karl’s.”

 

“Fine.” The voice was sour now. “Follow the red pipes.” The speaker hissed off and the two warframes looked at each other. The Prime shrugged.

 

“If he does have surveillance feeds…” The Rhino said slowly.

 

“Then sooner or later, they will get to him through the feeds.” Kori said with a sigh. “Come here, girl.” She said as Mary took a step. She swung Mary up into her arms and the Prime hissed as he saw the girl was barefoot! “You lost your boots?” She asked kindly.

 

“Mom grabbed me.” Mary said weakly. “I ran, she grabbed my boots and I got out of them. She came to one of those boxes and screamed. I… I ran…” Kori hugged her gently again.

 

“Only thing you could do, Mary.” Kori sounded very sad now. “The good news is, none of them seemed to be suffering any ill effects besides being out of control.”

 

“Isn’t that enough?” Mary demanded, irate.

 

“Yes.” Kori said with a sigh. “But…” She tapped the girl’s arm with a hand. “If we free them, they shouldn’t have any ill effects. Or no ill effects that the healers here cannot treat.” The Prime did not comment as he followed the red pipes on the wall, illuminating the spots he couldn’t see in the dim light with his hand light. That was true. If none of them injured themselves chasing the pair of warframes. If none of them suffered a fall, heart attack or stroke. If…

 

“She didn’t know me.” Mary said weakly, burrowing into Kori’s arms. “She didn’t know me.”

 

“I don’t know what is happening, Mary.” Kori said gently. “But we are here. And we will do what we can, okay?” Mary nodded and curled up tighter. Then she stopped stock still as the Prime’s light showed an access. “Oh, you have got to be kidding… Lou!” She snapped.

 

The signs over the access point were marked ‘Incinerator’. It led down into darkness.

 

“That is my front door.” Lou said with a snap from a hidden speaker. “Take it or no.”

 

“If you think I am dropping a child in there, Lou, you can think again!” Kori snapped, her ire up. “I guess I will just go rip out as many of those boxes as I can find.”

 

“It is offline!” Lou protested. “This whole section of the waste reclamation system is.”

 

“If this is a plan to kill us…” Kori snapped, but paused as the Prime held up a hand. “What?” She went still as he is Iron Skin activated. “You have got to be kidding! If he activates that thing…”

 

“If he is with them, they don’t want me dead.” The Rhino said quietly as he moved to stand at the opening. “If he isn’t? Then we can use him. If he is lying, better a Warrior to take point.” Kori bowed her head and he threw himself into the shaft.

 

The fall was uneventful. It was the landing that really, really stank. Literally. He landed in a deep puddle of nastiness. As Lou had said, the incinerator was offline. Indeed, the door had been wedged open, the safety interlocks preventing the system from even starting in such a case.

 

“Well…” The Prime said as he strode toward the door. “He wasn’t lying. Mind that first step though.” A shriek of fear mixed with exhilaration heralded Kori’s coming down the chute with the girl in hand.

 

“Ewww… Stinks…” Mary said weakly as Kori landed, cushioning the girl in her arms. “What is this…?”

 

“Refuse.”

Edited March 25, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

Ah good ol' Lou.

[Shadow977]

No bomb in this Chapter? Someone is going to die next time....

[Kalenath]

No bomb in this Chapter? Someone is going to die next time....

 

Hey! I don't drop bombs in EVERY chapter.

 

(just most...)

 

*mutters* Be careful what you wish for...

[DJSeraph]

Sci-fi depictions of nanobots vary very little in how easy it is to reprogram nanobots. They tend to fall into several categories... Preprogrammed, Reprogrammable only with special equipment (or through support "Hives") and Self-aware.

I'm guessing these fall into one of the first two categories, which leads to the questions of Who programmed them and What they were programmed to do. The last question I can think of is, how hackable/subvertable are they?

 

Also... A conspiracy theorist! That makes me think that Kal is far from out of "crazies" to fill his stories with!

 

Hmmm... They don't make miniature Warframes, do they?

[Shadow977]

Hey! I don't drop bombs in EVERY chapter.

 

(just most...)

 

*mutters* Be careful what you wish for...

Now i regret my words...

[Nantlais]

It strikes me as being a bit awkward that it was written as "Stalker" and not "the Stalker". I'm pretty sure it's a title and not a name.

The path of vengeance destroys all.

Who he once was is now voided.

He is no longer who he once was.

He is now only known as Stalker.

True story bro.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Nantlais

[DJSeraph]

It occurs to me that for "Richard" to have been in conflict with the Orokin Emperor over the mass manufacture of Warframes for the purpose of fighting against the Sentients (see chapter "Stalked" on page 5), then it was likely the same Emperor that ordered the release of the Infested. Just how much was this guy responsible for?

 

Edit to clarify chapter reference.

Edited March 26, 2014 by DJSeraph

[ensignvidiot]

Just how much was this guy responsible for?

 

 

... Everything. We could very well be following the Tenno that was the Catalyst for the current state of the Origin system

Edited March 26, 2014 by ensignvidiot

[Kalenath]

O.o....... o.O

 

It's past midnight here. FIANLLY got off of work...

 

Today's installment early! (Now I am off to bed...)

 

___________________________________________________

 

Theories

 

“What a wonderful smell you have discovered…” Mary was holding her nose as she tried not to move. The piles of…stuff were everywhere in the small chamber. Not all of it was junk, but a lot of it was. Computer parts, boxes of rations, water packages… All kinds and sorts of stuff. All lying in haphazard seeming piles. She paused and reached out for something with her freehand. “Is this…?”

 

“Don’t touch that!” The resident of this odd refuge said sharply, batting the girl’s hand away from the small device. He retreated a bit, spraying his hand with something from a container. It wouldn’t have been so odd… if his entire body hadn’t been covered by some kind of shiny silver material that crinkled as he moved. Even his eyes were covered.

 

“Touch her again and I will hurt you, Lou.” Kori’s voice was calm, but her body language was anything but.

 

“We have enough problems without fighting amongst ourselves.” The Rhino Prime was stuck somewhere between resignation and amusement. This situation was just… “If you have access to the surveillance feeds, now would be a good time to try it.”

 

“I um… don’t… exactly.” The odd silver covered Tenno said with a wince.

 

“You don’t?” Kori’s voice –impossibly- got flatter. “Then we dropped in here and wasted our time for nothing.”

 

“Hey!” Lou puffed up, affronted. “I didn’t say I had access. You assumed I did. I don’t. But I can get it.”

 

“Sure you can.” Sarcasm dropped from the Nyx’s voice. She pulled Mary close as the girl retreated a bit from the odd silver clad form. “You are such an exemplar of technology I am sure you can access anything with the flick of a switch.”

 

“Oh ye of little faith.” Lou retorted and hit a control. Something shifted on the wall and Mary gave a squeak that faded as Kori hugged her gently. Something was moving, something that ran from floor to ceiling. “Watch.”

 

“Watch what?” Kori was, if anything, even more exasperated now. The Rhino glanced at her and shook his head, nodding to the petrified girl and the Nyx relaxed a bit. Lou hit another control and a screen activated on the far wall, but all it showed was black. “Oh, a blank screen? Nice.” If anything, her sarcasm level increased.

 

“Watch and learn.” The conspiracy theorist said with a snarl and the screen lit up. It showed… the inside of a room with many monitor screens. A security center!

 

“What the hell?” The Rhino said for everyone, staring at the screen. “You can see what is on the monitors? But if you have a connection…” Lou snorted and shook his head.

 

“No powered connections.” Lou sounded smug now. “That screen is reading the image from a mirror. One that is being fed an image from another mirror.”

 

“A periscope?” Kori asked, incredulous. “You build a…” She paused and looked at Mary who was staring at the screen, entranced. “You built a periscope to spy on the security center?” The Rhino started to chuckle and Kori just shook her head. “Of all the hair-brained ideas…”

 

“It works.” Lou snapped, hitting a control. The screen turned and showed a set of monitors. “No one home.”

 

“Either they are all out looking for us or…” The Rhino stopped in mid word as the screen showed something odd. “Or they are congregating.” A host of Tenno in robes and body suits were milling around in a large room, obviously waiting for something. “Do you have sound?”

 

“Maybe.” Lou said with a sigh. “Never tested that, but…” He hit another control and suddenly, the sound of shuffling feet came through. “Yes!” He crowed. “Score one for old tech! Unhackable and untraceable!”

 

“Any tech can be traced.” Kori said sternly.

 

“Not this, sister.” Lou had precious little respect in his voice and Kori shook her head, pulling Mary away from where the girl had leaned just a little too close to a pile of stuff that slid and fell with a crash. “Oh dang it!” Lou nearly screamed. “Look what you did!” Mary recoiled and started to cry, Kori just swept her up and held her, glaring at the silver garbed Tenno. He jumped up and started to pile the stuff back up, muttering curses, only to pause as Kori growled.

 

“Kid present. Watch the language.” Kori’s tone was mild, but the conspiracy theorist jerked back. He started to speak, but Kori just shook her head. “You don’t want me angry with you, Lou. You don’t.”

 

“Everybody calm down.” The Rhino said mildly, but placed himself between the silver clad fringe job and the irate Nyx. “We are all stressed. But fighting amongst ourselves won’t help.” He repeated. The Nyx did not move but after a moment, the silver clad form sat again, his ‘armor’ crinkling. The Prime shook his head. “What do you know about me?”

 

“What?” Lou asked, momentarily taken aback.

 

“Come on.” The Prime said with a snort. “A strange Tenno shows up and all hell breaks loose? What kind of conspiracy theorist are you if you didn’t do some kind of research when it all went crazy?”

 

“Ah…” Lou swallowed hard and shook his head. “I blamed the Lotus.”

 

“Big surprise.” Kori’s words were –almost- under her voice. The Prime shook his head at her but focused on Lou who shrugged. “And then?” She demanded, setting Mary down when the girl indicated she wanted to stand.

 

“I looked for records on the First like the message boards said before the people stopped posting.” Lou said with a sigh. “Not much available.”

 

“I don’t think I am the First Rhino.” The Prime said with a sigh. “No one believes me, but I don’t think that is right. So… Another tack. What do you know about schisms in the ranks of the First Tenno?” Lou spun in place, his entire posture one of amazement. “I am serious.”

 

“Schisms?” Lou sounded scared for a moment. Mary was staring at the Prime as if he had grown another head. “In the ranks of the First?” Lou shook his head. “No one ever said anything about such things.”

 

“They wouldn’t.” The Prime shrugged. “Would they want it advertised?”

 

“No.” Lou admitted. “What makes you think there was one?”

 

“A hunch.” The Prime said quietly. Kori jerked but did not speak. “Nothing about this is ringing any bells with me. Nothing. So… Either my memory has been altered, or…”

 

“Or the records have been.” Lou sounded cautious now. Cautious but intrigued. “You say these are Orokin nanobots?”

 

“So I heard a cyberlancer say.” The Prime corrected him mildly. “He should know, wouldn’t you think?”

 

“Maybe.” Lou turned to a computer set up nearby and started typing fast. “Maybe not. Nobody’s perfect.” A screen on another wall lit up with information that scrolled quickly. “Let’s see…”

 

Mary tugged on Kori’s hand for a moment and the Nyx bent down so the girl could whisper to where the ear would be on a human. Kori nodded and spoke.

 

“You have a bathroom, Lou?” The Nyx sounded… well, she didn’t sound upset. But from her tone, if he didn’t he might find a girl sized mess in a corner of his floor. Which wasn’t that large. Lou froze and then waved to one side where a small door was slightly visible. Kori led the girl there and exclaimed. “Lou!”

 

“What?” The cyber sleuthing nut job asked sourly.

 

“When was the last time you cleaned this?” Kori sounded scandalized. Lou shrugged and she shook her head. “Fine. Don’t touch anything with your bare hands, Mary.” Mary looked slightly green but entered the room and shut the door. “Disgusting… Just disgusting. Karl would make you clean it with a toothbrush.”

 

“Then it is a good thing the big lunk isn’t here.” Lou said mildly. “This may take a while…” He said while scanning data faster than normal humans could read.

 

“Show me how to pan and zoom the periscope.” The Prime said quietly. “I’ll check out what can be seen in the security center.” A couple of gestures later, he was watching the screen, his finger on a ball mechanism that made the view shift. “Why no guards?” He mused.

 

“All out looking for us?” Kori asked quietly. “Or some kind of trap?” The door opened and Mary stepped out of the facilities, her face very green. She was shaking her head. Kori leaned in, grabbed some paper… something and handed it to the girl who wiped her hands off before tossing the things in and shutting the door quickly. Both females relaxed little once the door was closed.

 

“They don’t know about that. I keep it concealed until I need it.” Lou said absently, still scrolling fast through reams of data. “Whoa…” All eyes turned at the recluse’s quiet word.

 

“What?” The Prime asked, stepping closer carefully.

 

“During the War…” Lou read off the screen. “Despite several localized successes, the Orokin were pushed inexorably back. Twenty five years after the first recorded skirmishes, the Sentients had pushed past Mars and were gathering to assault Earth. The Orokin Emperor went to the Tenno to ask for assistance and was rebuffed.” He paused. “Rebuffed? Why the hell?”

 

“The First were commanded to guard against the return of the Technocyte Virus.” The Prime said evenly. “Nothing in that about fighting anyone else.” Kori looked at the Prime but he shook his head. Later. Maybe he would tell her what Stalker had said later. Maybe.

 

“Maybe.” Lou didn’t sound convinced. “This…says that the Emperor prevailed… But not how or in what. A few weeks after, the first non-Prime warframes were seen in action.” He stared at the screen. “What the hell? Redacted?” He hit a few keys, but then shook his head. “This whole set of documents has dates, but no other information. Everything has been redacted. The Lotus at work I bet.”

 

“What is ‘redacted’?” Mary asked into the silence that fell.

 

“Redacted means that someone went through and obscured or removed entire parts of the text from the documents.” The Prime said, uneasy.

 

“Why would they do that?” Mary asked, clearly not as worried as the others, but picking up on their distress.

 

“To keep a secret.” Lou said softly. “Or to keep many secrets. The Lotus does it all the time.” Mary stuck her tongue out at him and he scoffed. “Don’t stick that out unless…” He trailed off as Kori growled.

 

“You finish that sentence and I will hurt you.” Kori’s words were not a threat. No, a promise. The Prime sighed.

 

“Children…” He wasn’t talking to Mary. “So… No information?” The Rhino asked with a shrug.

 

“No…” Lou said quietly. “And yes…”

 

“Which?” Kori demanded.

 

“There is no information on what the Emperor did.” Lou stared at the screen and then he started typing again. “And… Nothing on where the new warframes came from.”

 

“Maybe like Will?” Kori asked softly. “He sought us out. Became Tenno through skill and perseverance.”

 

“Maybe.” Lou didn’t sound convinced. “This was… The middle of the war, so… it is possible. He was what? A teenager when he joined?”

 

“When I found him.” Kori said quietly. The other three turned to look at her and she sighed. “I don’t remember a lot, but I do remember that. He was… determined.” She said with a soft, sad chuckle.

 

“But…” Lou shook his head, his foil headgear crackling again. “There is no record of Tenno outside of the Citadel prior to that.” Both the Prime and Kori stiffened. He turned the screen so they could see. “See for yourselves if you don’t believe me.”

 

“That is impossible.” Kori said sharply. “We came from somewhere! Those poor souls who were changed by the Void?”

 

“We may not like where this leads us.” The Rhino Prime said quietly but Kori and Lou didn’t seem to hear him. Mary did and she looked worried.

 

“Let me see… Deep storage records…” Lou said after a few more taps. “I never could get in here when the security guys were on duty. Too many safeguards. But with them gone, it’s child’s play. Let’s see… I…” The conspiracy theorist suddenly froze in his chair, staring at the screen. “No…”

 

“What?” Kori demanded, but Lou didn’t move. “Lou?” The Prime stepped forward, careful of the haphazardly piled junk and looked over the hacker’s shoulder. What he saw made him inhale sharply.

 

‘Tenno Emulation Project Phase Two.’

 

“Oh my god…” The Prime said slowly. “Lou…” He laid a hand on the hacker shoulder and Lou jumped. “What is this?”

 

“I don’t know.” For the first time since the trio of castaways had found their way to his lair. Lou sounded completely flummoxed. “It’s referencing something in the deep archives. The secure portions. The parts that are only accessible in person.” He shook his head. “The only way in is with a proper key. Anyone trying to hack in or break in… well… It isn’t pretty.” His screen suddenly fuzzed and a familiar face stared out at him from it. “Ahhh! No!” Lou screamed as the Lotus stared at him.

 

“Cease this line of inquiry, Tenno.” The Lotus said. Was she sad? “The only thing that lies on this path is pain.”

 

“I thought you cut coms.” The Prime said softly. Lou was actually gibbering as he retreated into a corner, pulling something shiny over himself.

 

“I did.” The Lotus replied. “Mavri is alive.” Kori and the Prime exhaled sharply and the Lotus nodded a fraction. “He is hurt very badly, but alive. I believe this is a trap for you.”

 

“That changes nothing.” Kori said quietly. “If Mavri is alive, we have a duty to him. A brother in need. We cannot ignore him.”

 

“I agree.” The Prime said with a nod. “Will you help?” He asked the Lotus.

 

“You haven’t changed. Always the needs of the many over your own.” The Lotus was definitely sad now. “Please, I beg you Tenno, do not pursue this line of inquiry. Save Mavri and we can stop the nanobots on the colony. But you do not want to know, Tenno.” Was she begging?

 

“Probably not.” The Prime agreed. “But the truth is out there, Lotus. It will come out sooner or later. The more horrific it is, the worse the reaction will be.” He bowed his head. “For now. Mavri. Do you know where he is?”

 

“He is in the medical wards, on life support.” The Lotus said softly. “He was struck on the skull by a blunt object. For now, he is uninfected by the nanobots.”

 

“Can you reprogram them?” Kori asked.

 

“No.” the Lotus said quietly. “They are preprogrammed dedicated systems. Their systems are designed to counter any hacking attempts. I could brute force through and disable them that way, but it would cause irreparable harm to the hosts.” Mary gave a cry and the Lotus nodded. “I will not unless there is no other choice.”

 

“Why are they calling me ‘Leader’?” The Rhino Prime demanded. “And what did they mean when they said they wanted to ‘cleanse’ Kori?”

 

“I cannot be certain.” The Lotus replied. “But I believe the nanobots were intended to build you a base of support.” The Prime staggered as if struck and the Lotus nodded. “By who, or even when they were programmed, I cannot say. As for cleansing Kori? Your guess is as good as mine.”

 

“A base of support?” The Rhino asked, deeply concerned. “Could I have done this?”

 

“You could have.” The Lotus replied, making a leaden ball form in his stomach. “But you would not have.”

 

“People change, Lotus.” The Rhino said sourly.

 

“You would not have.” The Lotus said gently. She sighed and her tone turned resigned. “Lou… Stop cowering. That emergency blanket doesn’t stop any signals at all.”

 

“Leave me be!” The conspiracy theorist did not move from under his blanket. “Go away!” He demanded.

 

“Whatever.” The disapproval in the Lotus’s voice was patent. “You can’t hide from me, Lou.”

 

“Go away!” Lou snapped. Mary stared from the screen to the cowering recluse and back.

 

“You are scaring him.” Mary said sternly.

 

“No, Mary.” The Lotus’ voice turned sad again. “He is scaring himself. I cannot stop being what I am. I cannot stop caring for my charges any more than you can stop loving your mother.” Mary swallowed hard and the Lotus smiled at her. “Be brave Tenno. If it can be done, Kori and Richard will do it. Even if it cannot be done, I bet they will find a way.” Her smile turned into an urchinlike grin. “After all, that is what Tenno do best. The impossible.” She nodded at Mary and then the screen went black.

 

“Wow.” Mary said softly. “That was… way cool.” She said with a grin.

 

“The enemy knows where I am…” Lou moaned from under his odd tarp like thing. “Doomed… I am doomed.”

 

“He is going to be useless.” Kori said with a grunt. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

“Um…” The Rhino shook his head. “Mary, do you know how to get to the Medical section from here?” Mary shook her head and then pulled free of Kori and stepped to where Lou was cowering.

 

“She didn’t mean to scare you.” Mary said quietly. “She needs our help.”

 

“Go away!” Lou snapped. “Just go away!”

 

“No.” Mary replied. “These Tenno need directions on how to get to Medical. You know how. They need you to show them.”

 

“You don’t understand!” Lou nearly screamed.

 

“About monsters?” Mary said with a snort. “Oh, I understand that just fine. Too bad your mom never shot yours.”

 

“Shot?” The incredulous word came from three voices and Lou peeked out from under his tarp.

 

“Oh yeah.” Mary said with a wide smile. “Monster versus mother? Monsters lose every time. She took a Lato and shot the closet three times for me.” She smiled at the incredulous snorts from the two warframed Tenno. “She got in trouble, but no monsters since.”

 

“Remind me never to make your mom mad at me…” Lou said weakly as he pulled away from the wall. “Okay… To get to Medical, you need to…”

 

No one noticed a tiny, nearly microscopic thing jump from the base of the periscope and land on Mary’s bare foot.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Kalenath

[ensignvidiot]

 

No one noticed a tiny, nearly microscopic thing jump from the base of the periscope and land on Mary’s bare foot.

 

 

...Frak

 

 

And thank you kal, for the late-shift gift

[Jeahanne]

No one noticed a tiny, nearly microscopic thing jump from the base of the periscope and land on Mary’s bare foot.

 

...nearly microscopic? That better not be a nanobot... Nanobots ARE microscopic....

 

"Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer (10⁻⁹ meters).^[1][2][3] More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from 0.1–10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics

 

And if it's not a nanobot, I'm afraid to know what it really is o.o

 

 

Great story as always though xP

 

I look forward to the next installment!

Edited March 26, 2014 by Jeahanne

[Nantlais]

...nearly microscopic? That better not be a nanobot... Nanobots ARE microscopic....

 

"Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer (10⁻⁹ meters).^[1][2][3] More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from 0.1–10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics

 

And if it's not a nanobot, I'm afraid to know what it really is o.o

 

 

Great story as always though xP

 

I look forward to the next installment!

Surly they aren't evolving into macro-bots...

That would be bad...

[Spikey844]

This is getting scary, to be frank. Nanobots are not something I like.

[evafan002]

Ok I am offically asking the question on all our lips... WHAT THE F*** DID THAT EMPEROR DO!!!!!

[meIody-]

 

“A periscope?” Kori asked, incredulous. “You build a…” She paused and looked at Mary who was staring at the screen, entranced. “You built a periscope to spy on the security center?” The Rhino started to chuckle and Kori just shook her head. “Of all the hair-brained ideas…”

 

Hare-brained.

[Kalenath]

And if it's not a nanobot, I'm afraid to know what it really is o.o

 

 

Great story as always though xP

 

I look forward to the next installment!

 

And how would microscopic machines jump across a wide area quickly? Maybe make a larger mass and propel some of their number?

 

Also... how many nanobots will it take to penetrate a warframe?

 

 

 

 

“A periscope?” Kori asked, incredulous. “You build a…” She paused and looked at Mary who was staring at the screen, entranced. “You built a periscope to spy on the security center?” The Rhino started to chuckle and Kori just shook her head. “Of all the hair-brained ideas…”

 

Hare-brained.

 

 

Only when you are not dealing with Lou...

Edited March 26, 2014 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

Leadership

 

“I don’t like leaving Mary there.” Kori said quietly. “That Tenno is…” She shook her head.

 

“Not socially adept.” The Prime agreed. “He won’t hurt her. You know that.”

 

Not after the very grisly threats that Kori had spoken as they were leaving. He had half expected Mary to react badly, but the girl had just smiled and wished them a good journey. Something about that bothered the Rhino, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She had hugged Kori and stepped back readily enough. Now, they were mobile. They were not heading straight for Medical. Neither wanted to escalate things, but the security forces in particular were armed, so they were detouring by the docking bays to ‘visit’ the armory instead. They were coming to the end of the maintenance ducts though. From here on, they would be exposed. From what they had determined, the nanobots shared all information between all of the infected people, so if one saw them, all would. So… Sneaky was the way. Fortunately, Lou had possessed more than a few tricks and had been ‘persuaded’ to share a few. Kori stopped at the hatch and it slid partly open. She slid a pipe out into the open and stared at the end, rotating it around.

 

“Clear.” Kori said, but she sounded unsure.

 

“Problem?” The Prime asked softly, on alert for anything.

 

“I don’t know.” Kori mused. “We saw guards on patrol here on the security cams. But there is no one here now.”

 

“Something changed.” The Prime didn’t like this, but they were committed. “No choice. Be ready.” He moved to the hatch and it slid fully open. He stepped out. His power levels were low, but he had enough for another Iron Skin if needed. Not much beyond that, mind you, but for that sure. He looked right and left, up and down. “Nothing.”

 

“This doesn’t feel right.” Kori said as she eased out after him.

 

They started off for the armory. Visiting Tenno left their weapons in the armory since the security forces frowned on fully armed Warriors striding around the colony. Warframes were bad enough, but Warriors were usually well disciplined about using powers. But almost to a Tenno, the Warriors who had survived the Collapse reached for weapons as their first response in almost any situation.

 

“No it doesn’t.” The Prime agreed. “But we don’t have a choice, do we? No matter what else, we need to get to Mavri.”

 

“Preferably not stepping over a couple hundred bodies in the process.” Kori sounded calm, but her posture was tense as they walked carefully towards the door helpfully marked ‘Armory’ and ‘Leave all Weapons’. “No noise. No movement. This stinks.”

 

“Yeah.” The Prime agreed. “But how could they have known? You think Lou was compromised?”

 

“I don’t know.” Kori moved to the door and flattened herself to one side. The Rhino stepped up and hit the control. But the room that showed just beyond the door was empty. “This is…”

 

“Some kind of setup.” The Rhino agreed, looking around the small room. Weapons hung on racks and in lockers. All the racks and lockers hung open. Inviting. “Too blatant. Obvious trap.” He shook his head and stepped back. “Medical?”

 

“Yeah.” Kori sounded very uneasy. “I didn’t like the idea of gunning down non-combatants, but I dislike the idea of mind controlling them more.” The door hissed shut behind them as they walked slowly and cautiously towards the hall that Lou had promised led to Medical. Nothing happened, but Kori tensed further. “This feels…” She swallowed hard as the door ahead of them opened. Neither of them was anywhere near the sensors for it. “You gotta be kidding…”

 

“Apparently, we are being invited.” The Rhino said mildly. “Shall we?”

 

“Might as well.” Kori said with a long suffering sigh. “I just hope I don’t get shot or stabbed this time.”

 

“Not if I can help it.” The Rhino promised her and stepped in front. He strode to the door and shook his head. “Nothing. A little too quiet though.”

 

“I do not like this.” Kori said with a snarl as she followed him into the hall and the door shut behind them. From the click, it locked. “What are we, rats in a maze?”

 

“Whoever is pulling the strings here better be careful or they might find out how sharp these ‘rats’ teeth are.” The Rhino said with a snort as they walked. “Where is everybody?” He demanded as they approached a door marked ‘Medical Ward’. The door opened before they got there and a voice called out to them.

 

“Please don’t do anything hasty.” The female voice sounded… familiar to the Rhino. “We are not enemies.” The two Tenno moved to the door and peered in.

 

Inside the door, alone female stood. In form, she was human. But… not. She wore a long white gown and she smiled a bit sadly as she saw the two Tenno. Something about her was off. Then the Rhino placed it. She was cloaked in a hologram. A Tenno. Probably in a warframe.

 

“Hello, Richard, Kori.” The woman said quietly. “This is not how I wanted to meet.” She said with a shake of her head. “Damn, those Orokin idiots made a right mess of things.” Neither Tenno moved and the woman sighed. “I am remiss… My name is Rachel.” She held up empty hands. “We are not enemies.”

 

“Did you send the Ash Prime after Kori?” The Rhino demanded.

 

“Ah…” The woman looked chagrinned now. “Nik was always a bit excitable… What did he do?” She sounded resigned now.

 

“He tried to kill me twice.” Kori tone was frosty and who could blame her. The strange woman slumped a bit. “And then he laughed and exploded!”

 

“He what?” Either this woman was an incredible actress, or she was really shocked by the news. At this particular moment, the Rhino wasn’t making a bet either way. “Was anyone else hurt?” She begged.

 

“What do you care?” Kori demanded. “You have taken control of this colony. You have attacked me and my friends. What do you care if people get hurt or killed?”

 

“I understand your anger.” Rachel said sadly. “Better than you would ever believe. Aside from Nik, did anyone else die?” Her voice held entreaty now.

 

“Barely not.” Kori snapped. “Getting shot with a Boltor and stabbed by a Skaana is not fun.” The woman stared at her and then muttered something that sounded like ‘what a moron!’ “Pardon me?” Kori sounded even more irate now.

 

“Sorry, not you.” Rachel said quietly. “Nik. He was… a bit unstable. We all knew that. But… He was supposed to make contact, not shoot people!” She shook her head. “I mean… none of us ever expected to see you again, Richard. Let alone suddenly receive signals from the nanobot colony that we subverted when they took you.”

 

“You did this.” The Rhino’s voice was flat.

 

“Yes.” Rachel admitted. But then she shook her head. “But… This isn’t what you think! This wasn’t what they were supposed to do! Keep you alive, set you up a base of operations if needed, but under your control! Something went wrong. We don’t know what.” She sighed. “We need to find out and fix it. Preferably before any more harm is done.”

 

“You are lying.” Kori said suddenly. “Why are you lying to us?” She demanded.

 

“I am not.” Rachel remained calm. “I am not telling you the whole truth. Would you?” She looked pointedly at Kori who did not waver in her glare. “No one is dead, Kori. We can repair the damage.”

 

“Can you?” Kori asked flatly. The Rhino saw movement and spun in place, but froze. Mary stood there, her face beaming, but… empty. Other noncombatant Tenno blocked the hall behind them now and yet more were filling the hall in the other direction. Kori froze as well. “You B****.”

 

“She is not hurt.” Rachel said gently. “She is asleep. Her fear was strong, but we soothed it. We have not hurt her and we will not. Or any of the,” Her tone was firm now. “We are not monsters. We need information. That is all. Gathering the information is time consuming, but not harmful or painful. We have not hurt anybody.”

 

“Mavri?” The Rhino’s tone was, if anything, even more flat.

 

“That wasn’t us.” The strange woman, Tenno, whatever she was, said quietly. “A mob is only as smart as it’s stupidest member and one of them hit him. Once we had control of the medical personnel, we brought him her to be tended, but…” She shrugged. “There are limits to what we can do here.”

 

“Remote control is a pain, isn’t it?” the Rhino sounded… resigned now. Kori looked at him and he made a small head gesture toward the woman. Kori nodded fractionally.

 

“Don’t do anything hasty, Richard!” The woman begged him. “We can help you. You and Kori both! Don’t make us hurt you!”

 

“So many lies.” The Rhino said slowly. “So many wheels inside of wheels. The Orokin, you…” He shook his head. ”What is the Tenno Emulation Project?” The woman wrung her hands.

 

“What do you know about that?” Rachel demanded. “What do you remember?”

 

“I don’t remember anything.” The Rhino said with a snarl. “But you are lying to us and have taken control of hundreds of people. You are not inspiring trust.”

 

“I…” Rachel bowed her head. “Not here. I cannot explain here. Come with me, Richard.” She begged. “You and Kori both will be welcomed. Mavri can be tended. Please.” She was crying as the Rhino shook his head. “Richard, please, for the love of God!”

 

“If I was your leader…” Richard said slowly. “Then what I led was evil.” Rachel gasped at his cold words. “I will not be party to this. Not now. Not ever. Move. We are taking Mavri and leaving.”

 

“I…” Rachel swallowed hard. “I can’t let you do that, Richard. I am sorry. But I cannot let you go. Not now. Not after all of this. We are so close. So close to the link. Don’t resist. Please.”

 

“Well…” The Prime shook his head. “That proves you don’t know me.” Rachel went still and he chuckled mirthlessly. “You almost had me fooled there, darling. Almost.” Rachel’s face went pale. “Move. Now.” His Iron Skin activated and he took a step.

 

“Actually I do.” Rachel said between her tears. ”Now.” A burst of energy slammed into the Rhino from the side and his Iron Skin…faded. “Stand down, Richard. We have deactivated your powers. You too Kori. Stand down.” Rachel begged.

 

“Powers do not make a Tenno.” Kori said quietly as she moved to stand by the Rhino. “Perhaps you can overwhelm us with numbers. Perhaps you can use your suborned security forces to stun or something. But Tenno do not quit!” Rachel smiled a bit fondly at her and Kori snarled. “What?”

 

“You ape the mannerisms so well…” Rachel sounded both sad and proud now. “I guess… I guess it wasn’t all for naught. Despite everything.”

 

“What the hell are you-“ Kori broke off in midword and went stiff.

 

“Kori!” the Rhino caught the suddenly limp Nyx as she fell. “What have you done?”

 

“She was about to attack.” Rachel said calmly. “We truly don’t want to hurt her. Or you. But… You will fight. It is what you do, Richard.” She shook her head. “The nanobots won’t work on you. So…”

 

A flash of silver was his only warning…

 

***

 

A dozen huge metal hulled machines ground across the landscape…

A group of ponies in oddly royal gowns rode, one on each machine, guiding and controlling them…

A…dream… He was dreaming. He had to…

 

”Damn it, Richard!” Rachel’s voice came from far away and was sour beyond belief. “I know you are stubborn, but sheesh…” The Rhino woke to find himself lying on something that moved underneath him. He tried to move and couldn’t. Golden bands circled his wrists and ankles and when he tried to raise his head, it wouldn’t move either. Rachel came into view, her face severe. “Richard, calm down. No one is hurt and no one will be if you stay calm.”

 

“Liar.” Richard managed to grate out. “What have you done to Kori?” Rachel sighed and leaned down, turning his head so he saw the Nyx warframe lying on… an Orokin style hover gurney. She didn’t move. “What did you do?”

 

“We put her to sleep. That is all.” Rachel said sourly. “Richard, we are going to take you home. We can help you there. We can do everything we need to, help Mavri and do all the research we need there. When that is done, Kori and the others will come back with no memory of what happened.”

 

“What are you trying to do?” The Rhino demanded, trying his bonds, but for all their apparent fragileness, none of his extremities moved a millimeter. “Confuse me to death?”

 

“No.” Rachel said sadly. “There is enough death and destruction in the universe as it is, Richard. You taught us to find better ways. We did.”

 

“I… taught… you…?” The Prime was struggling for all he was worth as the gurney he was on started to move. “Right.”

 

“I don’t expect you to believe, Richard.” Rachel said with a sigh. “We will be able to convince you. But not here. We don’t have a lot of time. Ships are on approach.”

 

“You better pray you get out of here before Nikis gets here.” The Prime swallowed as gold flashed nearby. A portal! His heart lurched as he saw Mary standing with a man and woman. All looked calm. “Taking kids now?” the Rhino snapped.

 

“No.” Rachel said softly. “We are taking entire family units. We will not separate mothers from daughters and fathers from sons just for our research. They will be well cared for.”

 

“You make them sound like pets!” The Prime wasn’t sure if he should be more insulted or appalled.

 

“Not pets.” Rachel was still quiet. “They are sentient beings. But they can be test subjects. We have ethical obligations to maintain, Richard. We will not harm them.”

 

“And I should believe you… why?” The Prime snapped.

 

“You taught us well, Richard.” Rachel sounded very sad for a moment. “You and Bellina both.”

 

“I am not the First Rhino.” The Prime nearly screamed. But…Rachel nodded.

 

“You gave up the title of ‘Rhino’ when you separated us from Orokin.” The woman said softly. “After you found out what the Orokin were doing to the shades of our kin.”

 

“What?” the Prime demanded.

 

“It’s a long story, Richard.” Rachel said sadly. “And I have a lot of work to do. We will talk later. Try to rest. Please? Bellina is waiting for you. She has been waiting… so long…” She stepped away and there was another flash of gold.

 

“Damn you.” The Rhino said as the gurney moved forward and Mary stepped up beside it, her face wooden. The woman beside her shared some of Mary’s features and was likely Mary’s mother. The man? He wasn’t sure. “Mary…” He pleaded, not hoping for any reply, but… she did.

 

“I am… here.” Mary’s voice was slow and halting. “It is… I am…”

 

“Have they hurt you?” The Rhino demanded, still struggling fruitlessly.

 

“No.” Mary’s tone was odd. Calm, but… “I am sorry… I couldn’t stop them.” A single tear fell from her eye. “I didn’t mean to betray you.”

 

“It’s okay, Mary.” The Prime said quickly. “Don’t cry. You didn’t. It wasn’t you. They took control. Is Lou okay?”

 

“He ran.” Mary’s face was working now. “I… Oh… Feel…weird.” The Rhino could only stare as blood started to trickle form her nose.

 

“Mary!” The Rhino screamed. “Help!” He called as she wilted.

 

“What the?” Rachel’s voice came from somewhere and the woman hurried into view. “No!” She cried as Mary went limp. She caught the girl, but… “What did you do?” She demanded of the Rhino.

 

“I asked her if she was okay!” The Rhino snapped. “No harm, my &#!!”

 

“This… shouldn’t be happening.” The woman said weakly. A golden scanner appeared in her hand and whirred. “Oh my god…Cerebral hemorrhage!” She raised her voice. “Expedite these! Medical emergency!” The gurney slid forward and another white grabbed form hurried up. The man took Mary from Rachel and ran off with her, the two older Tenno following silently. Rachel stared after them, obviously distressed. “I think we are in time. I hope we are.”

 

“Sure.” The Rhino snapped. “Kill a few experimental animals and go get some more.”

 

“It is not like that!” Rachel snapped. “We are doing research, non-harmful research. Non-invasive, non- harmful.” The Prime scoffed and Rachel sighed. “I don’t expect you to believe me. But we have time. If we are clear before the approaching ships get here, we should be… Oh no…”

 

The Rhino felt hope flare as a dark form appeared nearby. The Nekros warframe stood alone. But he didn’t need any backup, did he?

 

“Nikis…” Rachel sounded both stunned and scared. The Rhino went still. Why wasn’t Nikis drawing his pistols? Why was he… standing as if resigned?

 

“You need to get lost.” Nikis said quietly. “Now.”

 

“We can’t leave you!” Rachel retorted. “They will know!”

 

“What will be, will be. I am alone, little Rachel.” Nikis said sadly. “I have been since Dust… Since Dustin was taken and hurt. But I abide by my oaths. I have and I will.”

 

“Little… Rachel…?” The Rhino managed to say through the shock that pummeled him. These two... knew each other?

 

“I was there when she was born. You and I stood as godparents, Richard.” Nikis said dryly. “She said I can call her what I want.”

 

“I don’t mind… Uncle Nikis.” Rachel said with fondness in her voice. “But we… We can’t leave you. You know what they will do.”

 

“Nothing can change that now, darling.” Nikis stepped close to Rachel and held up a hand. It stroked her cheek as tears started to fall. “All is not lost, Rachel. Trust. It will be okay.” He turned to where the Prime lay stunned speechless. “I can tell you now. The schism must end, and you are the one to do it, Richard. Just… keep an open mind. They do mean well.”

 

“Me?” The Rhino felt faint.

 

“That is what leaders do.” Nikis said firmly. “They lead.” The portal flashed again and this time, the Prime felt himself stilling into immobility as the field grabbed him…

Edited March 27, 2014 by Kalenath