[Fanfiction] By The Sword

[evafan002]

I came in expecting the trap so i had a fully modded warframe and weapons plus all the anti trap sensors i could lay my armored hands and i still got caught. oh well anyone else in this trap up for a game of cards while we await the warden?

[Kalenath]

LONG work last night. Just got home. Posting and now... off to bed.

 

 

 

 

The Enemy of my Enemy…

 

“What do you mean they got her?” Two’s voice was hardly respectful. “She is the Phoenix! How the hell could they have taken her?” The black armored Banshee was shouting and she was hardly the only one irate.

 

“She is not invincible, Two.” Karl said quietly, although anger simmered just below his tone as well. “Just very powerful. She should have waited for us.” A murmur of support went around the large gathering of Tenno. Several clans’ worth of warriors had come to fight as one. But… Then Ona had arrived and dropped her bombshell.

 

“There was no time, Tenno Karl.” The tiny Nyx called Ona sounded abject. “She was so determined to do what had to be done.” She looked at Nikis. The gunfighter had been silent through the whole, now raucous gathering. He shook his head and she sighed.

 

“What are you not telling us?” Karl demanded. Nikis went still at that and when he did, the room did. Everyone knew who he was now. Everyone knew what he could do. “The files on the Phoenix have been altered according to our tech expert.” He said sharply. Olim hadn’t moved from where he stood behind Karl. He was not aggressive, just ready. For anything. “Now who could alter Tenno files?” He snapped.

 

“Do not ask that.” Ona said, her tone very sad now. “If you believe nothing else I say, please believe this. You do not want to know.”

 

“Ona…” Alicia’s soft voice cut through the growing hubbub like a knife. “Is this a ‘need to know’, situation?” Ona looked at her and nodded. Alicia stared at her and then spoke nonsense. Or… nonsense to everyone but Ona who nodded again. Everything went still as Alicia gave a sob. “No… Not… Not her…”

 

“She…accepted her path.” Ona said softly. “I can’t… I was trying to find a way to help. Something… anything…”

 

“Alicia?” Karl asked quickly as the Trinity crumpled to the floor. Will was at her side in an instant. She was sobbing.

 

“I can’t say. Literally cannot tell you. Classification issues.” Alicia said through her tears. “But… Oh my god…” She sobbed harder as Will held her. Karl stared at her for a moment and then slumped a bit and looked at Ona.

 

“What can you tell us?” He asked quietly.

 

“Things are proceeding as anticipated.” Ona said softly. An ugly murmur went around the room but it stopped abruptly as Nikis uncoiled, his hands on his pistols. “Nikis…” Ona chided the old gunfighter.

 

“You people may think you know what is going on.” Nikis said, ignoring the tiny Nyx. “You don’t. Be glad.” He snapped. “I would have taken the burden. But I could not make it work as needed. Phoenix chose her path. No one forced her to take the burden.”

 

“No?” This came from a Banshee near the back. The warframe wore an Immortal skin and her posture was angry. Her voice was taut with tension. “She wanted redemption. We all knew this. What would it have taken to… prod her into this path?”

 

“What would it take to prod you into yapping before thinking?” Nikis snapped right back. Everything went still as he snarled. “Absolutely nothing. She chose the path. I tried to get her to reconsider. If not to let me do it, then to see if others were called. She felt there was no time.” He shook his head and slowly relaxed. “Ancestors forgive me… there wasn’t.” He sighed and the room relaxed as his hands fell from his pistols. “There isn’t.”

 

“But now, they have her.” The Banshee said, fear echoing in her tone. “What will they do to her?”

 

“Do you really want to know?” Nikis asked the Banshee. It was as if they two of them were alone in the room. “Really?” His tone wasn’t angry. Resigned. Ona gasped, but did not move when he made a sharp gesture at her with a hand. “I was here for all the other times. Three times, Phoenix was captured by the Enemy. It… wasn’t pretty.”

 

“I think…” The Banshee said softly. “I think we need to.”

 

“Get ready to puke.” Nikis’ tone could have cut steel now. But then it turned worse. It turned calm and clinical. “First they will find a way to either siphon off her energy or dampen it. Then…”

 

***

 

The Banshee was puking. Many of the Tenno in the room were. All of these beings were hardened by war. Inured to death and destruction, all of these had seen horrors that any human would have thought unimaginable. But what the ancient Nekros had described… in utter stark clinical terms… was beyond awful.

 

“Why…?” The Banshee begged as she cleaned her face and sealed her faceplate. “Why didn’t she wait?” She screamed, a tiny version of her battle wail.

 

“She couldn’t.” Ona said simply. “The power…destabilizes the longer she holds the sword.” A gasp went around the room and she shook her head. “It kills her quicker.”

 

“And if they separate her from it?” The Sayrn Mori stood behind Olim, but close.

 

“I don’t know.” Ona said sadly. “None of our scans were conclusive about that. We saw what she was. What she was becoming. But…” She slumped a bit. “Nikis?” She begged.

 

“There were…other attempts to decipher what the Phoenix did. What it was, over the millennia.” The ancient Tenno caretaker of the dead replied calmly. “Some well thought out and scientific. Others… not so much.” He sighed. “The sword was stolen three times.” A hum of disbelief went around the room and he shook his head. “The thief… never lived long, after.”

 

“Is there anything we can do?” The Banshee from before begged.

 

“We can hit the ships that they have suborned.” Ona’s soft words cut through the silence that fell. “Reroute them. We are the only ones who can do it safely.”

 

“Reroute them where?” The Banshee demanded.

 

“Into the Sun.” Ona said firmly. A hungry murmur followed her words. “Fusion fire cleanses even this taint. The Grineer cannot fight this enemy. They have tried and every time, they have lost the forces they send. They will do as they always do, send more and more troops…” She trailed off as noises of understanding came from all around.

 

“And all that will do is increase the enemy’s numbers and store of biomass.” Karl sounded resigned. “The Grineer are helpless against this threat. And for Phoenix?”

 

“The enemy has raised a stronghold over the former human colony.” Ona said softly. “If they hold true to form, their defenses will keep any ships from approaching. Even Tenno ships.”

 

“So we go in overland.” The Banshee said, nodding, only to pause as Ona shook her head. “What?”

 

“The records speak of beams of organic plasma that knocked ships out of the sky.” Ona said quietly. “Of minefields filled with small things that homed in on anything human sized or shaped no matter how fast it moved and either exploded or released caustic gasses.” The Banshee swallowed hard. “It was like a spiderweb, by all accounts. Any disruption of any of the sensors allows for a full scale response from the entire hive.” But… there was something in her tone.

 

“So we cannot sneak in.” The Banshee mused. “Or blast our way in. So… what?”

 

“They are expecting a response from us.” Nikis said softly. “They are planning for an attack from us.” Karl stared at him and Nikis chuckled evilly. “Pity.”

 

“Nikis…” Karl said in a warning tone. “What have you done?”

 

“Me?” The gunfighter waved a hand at his chest, affecting hurt innocence. “Nothing.”

 

“Nikis.” Karl groaned but the gunfighter just shook his head. The Rhino sighed, he wasn’t going to out-stubborn the old coot. “Okay, so we hit the ships we have IDed and reroute them. And then?”

 

“We make plans to hit them when they flee.” Ona said calmly.

 

“Flee?” A chorus of astonishment went around the room, but she just chuckled. Darkly.

 

“They will. I would too…” Ona said with hint of malice. “After all, we are not the only ones they have angered…”

 

***

 

“Report.” The master’s voice was calm, but held something. Something that wasn’t rage. Wasn’t frustration. Wasn’t… quite anything that could be defined. Just that it wasn’t good. He was still in his dark energy avatar.

 

“Nemesis is stable and Balance is working on her now.” Mender said quietly from where she was situated. The tub in which her form was now dissolving its latest dose of protein sat beside the oblong shape in which their prisoner lay. “The energy patterns are destabilizing no matter how hard we work to stabilize them.”

 

“This is not good, Mender.” The Master snapped. “You promised results.”

 

“I have results.” Mender snapped right back. “They are just not what you wanted.” Her tub jerked as the master tapped it and she snarled. “Go ahead, hurt me! It won’t change the facts. Unless we can stabilize the energy patterns, we are wasting our time here.” The master retreated a step, obviously working to stay calm and Mender continued in a calmer voice. “We cannot access her form physically with the energy coruscating through her. Every probe we have touched her with has burnt to ash before it can sample. Blades likewise.”

 

“Nemesis managed to cut her.” The Master wasn’t arguing. Stating facts.

 

“And the contact really hurt Nemesis’ sword appendage. Did you see the scarring?” Mender said, her tone sick. “No wonder she was so angry.” The Master growled and she hastened to continue. “I am not agreeing with her loss of control, but she was in great pain.”

 

“Agreed.” The Master looked towards the ship where Balance was working on Nemesis and the other Chosen were being rejuvenated. Even Strike, although Mender was not sure how the melee combatant would recover. Or if he would. Of course, if they had to make a new personality to fill the shell, they could and would. Artillery had been cut very deeply by the enemy’s blade. At least the wound had cauterized from the energy flow, but still… Havoc was the only hale Chosen at the moment and she was busy coordinating the still building defenses. “And until we can touch her safely, we cannot access her mind.” He shook his head, staring at the other pod. The sword lay where it had fallen, covered in insulating goo. No one had dared touch it. He was…

 

BOOM!

 

Everything rocked as a thunderous detonation rolled across the area. The sound was dreadful and the shockwave moments later just as bad.

 

“What the…?” The Master and Mender both exclaimed as one.

 

“What the hell was that?” The Master snapped. Mender checked her prisoner, but shook her head.

 

“It didn’t come from her or the sword.” Mender said sharply. “Control has her docile.” She nodded to where a human brain sat in a jar atop a many legged form. The telepathic brain worked well to keep the Tenno sedated. It couldn’t do much more, but it could do that. It had been repurposed to keep subjects docile, no more. In hindsight, that had been a blunder.

 

“Then what the hell…?” The master was hardly the only one to scream as another explosion sounded. “Report!” He shouted.

 

Master! Havoc’s voice held panic. Corpus ships in distant orbit! Out of range of planetary batteries! They are firing again! Incoming Kinetic Energy Projectiles! The Master threw himself over Mender’s tank as another roar of thunder hit and the dome overhead gave a groan. It is not possible! The Chosen declared, irate. Our defenses are taking most of them out, but they have already destroyed three of the guns. They cannot be hitting us that accurately from that far out.

 

“Well they are.” Mender replied. She looked at the Master who looked thunderous himself. “Orders?”

 

“If they are that accurate, they can sit there and pound us to pieces.” The master said after a moment of mental checking. “Our own ships are now under attack. This was… planned. They hit us when we were least ready.” He shook his head in a very human gesture. “Retreat.”

 

“Master?” Mender asked even as pseudopods started flashing across controls. Her form reached down and carefully extended two legs under the pod that held Phoenix.

 

“We have been outmaneuvered.” The Master said sourly as Control’s form started to rise as well to maintain its position near the slumbering Tenno. “We expected an attack by Tenno. Not this…” Another rumbling shook the area and the dome overhead creaked, pieces falling. “Get to the ship. Get her to the ship.” He reached down and tried to grasp the sword, only to gasp and retreat as the pod it was in flared and was gone! “Go!” He commanded, seeking a way to lift the sword even as it flared brighter and he retreated.

 

Corpus Proxies! Havoc screamed over the mental link. All over the place! We cannot hold them! Her mental cry was cut off in a wail of agony.

 

Havoc? The master shouted as Mender started for the ship. Mender move! The spiderlike form started moving faster, Control following as fast as its form would allow. Which wasn’t very fast. No one had planned for it to have to move fast. Havoc! Respond!

 

Master… Havoc’s voice was weak and full of fear now. She… comes… The mental voice cut out with dreadful finality followed a moment later by the feeling of death through the massed mind.

 

“What is happening?” Mender demanded as she ran up the ramp of the ship. Another rumble sounded. This time, bits of the dome fell, some squashing warriors as they fled for the ship.

 

“What is happening?” A female voice sounded and everything seemed to stop as a hologram appeared in the square where Mender had been. A dozen green hulled Corpus Proxies entered the square. Some firing, most just circling the still alien form composed of black energy. She wore familiar robes in Corpus colors. “I told you I would take more from you than you took from me.” Another rumbling detonation sounded. In the chaos, none of watchers noticed a tiny calico furred form dart up the ramp and into the ship to vanish. “I think this base is a good down payment on the debt you own us, monster.”

 

“You.” The master’s voice was cold and angry now. “You cannot stop us.”

 

“No.” The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy agreed. “But I can slow you down.” She chuckled evilly. “Let’s see how fast you can run, abomination. Can you outrun our guns?”

 

The holo vanished and Mender screamed as the hatch shut. Hundreds of the hive were still outside, including Control. The ship rumbled as it took off. She could feel the deaths of the hive as the Corpus automatons took the stronghold apart piece by bloody piece. The warriors fought. It was all they knew how to do. Control had nothing to control and stood there as a dozen MOAs poured fire into his still form. She could feel it’s pain and confusion as it died, as so many other warriors and techs died. As every minion who had been in the stronghold died under Corpus guns.

 

We have lost this battle. The Master’s command was implacable. But if you can siphon or dampen the Phoenix’s power we can still win the war. Mender laid the still form of the prisoner down on the repurposing table and snarled softly. So many lost. The ship jerked and the Master snarled right back. The hive was expendable. You and she are not. Do your job.

 

Yes. Master. Mender said as she started setting up her equipment again only to pause. The readings… “This…This cannot be…” The readings were lesser. Master? The sword?

 

Lost to us. The Master’s tone was beyond angry now. Why?

 

I have her. Mender said as she touched a control and the energy that was still seeping through the cocoon started to dissipate. I have her! The power must have been strengthened with proximity to the sword. With distance, I can siphon the power. I have access! She hit another control and tentacles arced down to start their grisly work. They cut the cocoon over the Phoenix’s head and started sawing into her helmet.

 

Good. The Master said with heartfelt glee. Prepare her for repurposing. But… gently.

 

She wanted a family. Mender said just as gleefully. Kids.

 

And so she shall have both. The Master said with a smile. Bring her home, Mender. Bring her to the main hive so she may bear the future.

 

No one noticed a small furred rom watching from a tiny shadow near one wall.

 

***

 

“Anomalous energy readings.” The Corpus Tech shook his head as he and his team scoured the site of what had once been a fairly thriving human colony. “Lots of biomass. No sign of… Wait…” The team of Crewmen with him spun, staring around, their Dera and Flux Rifles seeking targets. But… nothing. “Erratic energy readings. Not anything from the enemy.”

 

He strode forward, his Supra also scanning for targets. This… horror was beyond imagining. He could see bits of Corpus tech, bits of Grineer tech and lots of human bits lying all around. The capital ship bombardment should have rendered everything down to paste in the area, but lots of mess survived. Strongly built, if horrifically. He had his orders though.

 

“There.” One of the Crewmen pointed with his Dera and the Tech spun to see an open area. In it, an archaic looking sword lay bare on the ground, surrounded by a burnt patch.

 

“Energy readings are off the scale.” The Tech said dubiously. But… He went still as a dark form separated from the remnant of a wall nearby and then he wanted to wet himself. Tenno. He didn’t know what kind. But a Tenno. He… did not raise his weapon. He slung it. The others did, but lowered them when he made a curt gesture. "Stand down!"

 

“Sir…” The Crewman said slowly as the Tenno strode to where the sword lay.

 

“We have our orders, Crewman.” The Tech said as he pulled a heavy containment vessel from his back, laid it down, opened it and stepped back. The Tenno looked at him, picked up the sword by the handle and carried it to the containment vessel. Was it the tech’s imagination hat the Tenno’s hand was smoking? No. it wasn’t his imagination! “Everyone back.” The Tech commanded as he pulled his Supra down again, but did not raise it into firing position.

 

The Tenno laid the sword in the containment vessel, sealed it and picked it up.

 

“Sir!” The Crewman protested. “We cannot just let it leave with that!”

 

“If you want try to stop it, go right ahead.” The Tech replied. “We have our orders and I doubt that Tenno is alone.” He could swear the Tenno was amused as it, no she, looked at him. “Go.” He said to the Tenno. “The Reverend Mother commanded us to find that and bring a containment vessel. Then leave." He nodded to the Tenno even though it felt...wrong.. "We will sanitize the area. A nuclear warhead will do the job.” The Tenno nodded, just a little, and just like that, she was gone.

 

“That artifact is priceless! Do you have any idea what the Board will…?” Whatever else the Crewman was going to say was cut off as the Tech’s Supra discharged a bolt. The Crewman fell without another sound, a smoking hole burned in his chest.

 

“Anyone else?” The Tech looked around, but the others were studiously ignoring the corpse. No one moved. “Good. This did not happen. The Board isn’t here.” The Tech said calmly. “The Reverend Mother is. And I do not want her angry with me.”

 

No… Jasmina thought to herself as she ghosted from the area. Not someone to anger…

 

Edited May 9, 2014 by Kalenath

[evafan002]

ye gods man how many proxys did they deploy? by the sound of it not even a dozen novas rhinos and trinitys would have stood a chance against the kind of fire power in play

[Kalenath]

ye gods man how many proxys did they deploy? by the sound of it not even a dozen novas rhinos and trinitys would have stood a chance against the kind of fire power in play

 

Do NOT anger the Reverend Mother... I figure 3 thousand or so.

Edited May 9, 2014 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

Do NOT anger the Reverend Mother... I figure 3 thousand or so.

 

Or so?  Dear gods Kal.  And yet, how does that seem like not nearly enough?

[Kalenath]

Or so?  Dear gods Kal.  And yet, how does that seem like not nearly enough?

 

Well, the orbital bombardment took the Chosen by surprise. The accuracy of the bombardment took EVERYONE by surprise. How did they do that? Not going to say yet, but...  It helps to have someone close designate targets.

[Shadow977]

"He went still as a dark form separated from the remnant of a wall nearby and then he wanted to wet himself."

 

I was expecting Stalker but no....

Edited May 9, 2014 by Shadow977

[Kalenath]

"He went still as a dark form separated from the remnant of a wall nearby and then he wanted to wet himself."

 

I was expecting Stalker but no....

 

Never say never...

[Temperance000]

Never say never...

 

Please?  *makes puppy dog eyes*

[renleech]

The small calico may be the artillery spotter by Lotus orders, placing passive beacons. They only show signal when an active scan passes through. virtually undetectable. Or it's even simpler, Phoenix is the targetting beacon itself.

Speculation...

Edited May 9, 2014 by renleech

[buuli]

Hmm, for some reason the spoilers won't open for me.

[buuli]

Sorry for double, but edit doesn't work on my phone for some reason.

Actually, the newest chapter opens without problems, but the two previous ones won't.

[Kalenath]

Sorry for double, but edit doesn't work on my phone for some reason.

Actually, the newest chapter opens without problems, but the two previous ones won't.

 

That is odd. Let me know if it continues and I will remove the spoiler tags.

 

 

Corruption

 

The being known as Mender watched with some concern as her appendages worked carefully to remove the armor that clad the woman known as Phoenix. Something was not right.

 

Every scan was in the green. Every choice that she made was the best one. She –well, the Master anyway- had corrupted Tenno before. It was never easy. Tenno had mental defense down pat. If she was not careful, Phoenix would suicide. It wouldn’t take much. With Control gone, all that Mender had to keep the Tenno docile were drugs and those were notoriously fickle when Tenno were concerned. Physical restraints were generally a bad joke where Tenno were concerned. So she was taking no chances.

 

Tenno were not humans. They had evolved from humans, but they were not. The warframes that they wore were only the most blatant difference. Their bodies were laid out mostly in the same ways, but they had other organs that humans did not possess. Mender hadn’t been able to ‘acquire’ any viable samples of living Tenno flesh prior to this, but the Master had. The problem was that no Tenno was exactly the same as any other. That was one thing that made them such efficient weapons. No control method that worked on one would be guaranteed to work on any others. And then… The Phoenix.

 

The form laid out in front of Mender was different still from almost all of the Tenno scans that she had available to peruse. The ones that she had the most of had been from a male Tenno who had fallen into the Master’s clutches and been ‘adjusted’ pretty severely before the Sentient War. Something was… not right here. She was…

 

Mender focused her scans on the Phoenix’s head and abdomen and then went still, her jelly form quivering in shock and fear as she read the scans.

 

This… isn’t possible… Mender said to herself, checking her machines. The energy that she had been siphoning off was… not coming from the Phoenix! It was coming from… She gave a short cry as something insanely powerful grabbed hold of her. Of her mind! No…

 

You will not remember what you just saw. The minds that held hers commanded. No matter how she struggled she could not break free. Could not warn her Master. Could not look away from the tiny metal sliver embedded in the abdomen of the Phoenix. The metal sliver that exuded power that was redlining all of her scanners. You will corrupt her, but not realize what you are seeing if you see it again. A malfunction of the scanners.

 

Mender jerked. What had just happened? She stared at the scanners and sighed. She was tired. A beep sounded and she looked at the scanner idly before reprogramming it to ignore the malfunction. It wasn’t possible that a fragment of the blade had embedded itself in the reproductive organs of the Tenno woman before her. Just not possible.

 

***

 

Too close… Phoenix said softly as Mender started working again. She tried to ignore the pressure on her skull and abdomen. Don’t do too much.

 

Teach your grandmother to suck eggs, Phoenix. The voices that had warned her, guided her through the fight with the Chosen and allowed her to remain in control even as her body fell and was taken by the enemy said sourly. Phoenix bit back a mental chuckle. That would have given the game away. This enemy is powerful, but… limited.

 

Please be careful. Phoenix begged. We only have one shot at this.

 

No, Phoenix. One of the massed minds said sadly. You only have one shot at this. I was called too. If you fail… I will take up the burden.

 

I am sorry, Jasmina. There was no time. Phoenix tried to ignore the warm wetness that was flowing down her scalp now. Tried to ignore the pressures and odd feelings in her lower body. Ancestors… I…

 

We have you. The massed minds that had helped her said and she sank into their embrace gratefully.

 

Thank you. Phoenix said gratefully. I don’t know how long… I will hold out as long as I can… Pain seared through her and she could not bite back an audible groan. The blob in front of her did something and the pain vanished, but the pressures remained. I…

 

I know. Jasmina’s voice was soft and gentle. A wave of bliss swept through Phoenix from her allies. Easy, Phoenix…

 

Don’t… Phoenix felt the first touches of evil alien thought impinge on her mind and closed it up tight. A wordless caress was the last touch she had from Jasmina’s friends and then she was alone again in her mind. But only for a moment.

 

<We have you.> The words were gentle, the tone was anything but. <You are ours.>

 

Never. Phoenix snapped. She had to make this look good. She buried that thought deep in the deepest recesses of her mind as tendrils of alien thought pried into it. You will not take me!

 

<But we have.> the mental touch of the hive was… subtly wrong. It jangled when it should have soothed. It struck when it should have caressed. But its sheer power bore down on her mind. <Your body is ours to reshape as we will. Your mind as well.>

 

It will take you longer than you have. Phoenix retorted.

 

<We have separated you from the sword.> The massive alien intellect said with an amused chuckle. But then it turned sad. But it… didn’t get the nuances quite right. It aped the mannerisms, but it wasn’t human style emotion. Not…quite. <Resistance is futile, Tenno. Why prolong your pain?>

 

Because I will not let you destroy humanity without a fight. Phoenix said simply and braced herself. But instead of more mental assaults…

 

“Humanity hates you.” Mender’s voice sounded genuinely touched. “And you defend them?”

 

It is what we do. Phoenix could not verbalize audibly. Whatever was being done to her was past her speech center now, but she could spit her derision mentally. It is what we are.

 

“You Tenno are just as dedicated as we are.” Mender said softly. “If more deluded.” Something touched her arm and it went numb. “We have a purpose too. It is what we are for.”

 

I know. Phoenix snapped. Horror. Pain lanced through her from the arm that had been numb and she could not give vent to the scream that tore through her. Not audibly.

 

“Stop resisting and it will stop hurting.” Mender said, to all audible appearances concerned. “You only hurt yourself. You will not stop what is coming. Dear…” Something stroked her chest and she gasped in her mind as feelings of pain warred with pleasure. “It can be wonderful.”

 

I… Will… not… Phoenix felt herself start to slide. Start to gibber into madness, but something seized her and held her back from that yawning pit.

 

“We will not let you go.” Mender said quietly. “We will not give up on saving you. Because if you are the future, dear Kori.”

 

My name is Phoenix! The silently screaming woman managed to grate out as pressure mounted again.

 

“Not anymore.” Mender said quietly. “Now? You are ‘Mother’.” Even knowing what the enemy had planned for her, the sheer horror of the situation rocked Phoenix, as the enemy had planned. “You cannot prevail. All you do is hurt yourself. I do not like seeing you in pain, Kori.”

 

MY NAME IS PHOENIX! The bound Tenno thundered in her mind loudly enough that the blob actually recoiled a bit.

 

“No, your name is Kori.” Mender replied softly and a sense of power flared in Phoenix’s mind. A compulsion. She fought it back. “Now you are just being silly, girl.” The blob chided her. “Even Tenno know they cannot win every battle. You should rest. Recover your strength. Nemesis hurt you.” Phoenix snarled her silent defiance and the blob sighed. “You should rest.” A stronger compulsion seeped through Phoenix’s mind and she cursed as she fought it back, fighting to stay awake. “Dang it, girl…”

 

The blob retreated from where Phoenix lay. The bound Tenno could not see what the alien monstrosity did, but suddenly, she was alone. For the moment. Only the continuing pressures on her skull and abdomen kept her on edge. Then she could only scream silently as power flayed the inside of her mind.

 

<Sleep.> The command burned through every fiber of Phoenix’s body, but somehow she fought that compulsion back as well.

 

You… Phoenix gasped in the halls of her mind. Do… not… own me…

 

<No?> The alien mind scrutinized her and then a blade of pure force tore through her, searing, cutting, probing. She fought back, counting as she had been taught to ward off mental probes, but the power… The sheer power was staggering. The alien mind made a satisfied noise. <You are weakening. You will serve.>

 

You wish. Phoenix snapped. She tried a biofeedback technique, to stop her heart, and was not surprised when it did not work.

 

<Your body obeys our commands.> The alien menace said calmly. <Your mind will bend to our will. It may take ages. But it will.>

 

You… haven’t got… ages… Phoenix grated out as the pressure on her mind increased. She could feel movement around her. Something was happening. The surface she was lying on was moving. But to where? Then her vision cleared.

 

She stared up at a huge pile of flesh. It sat in the middle of a large cavern. There was nothing even vaguely human about the mass of flesh. It had multiple tentacles sweeping this way and that across the area, some with vicious claws, others with more delicate manipulators. Whatever she was lying on was now moving as a hole was opening in the large fleshy mass. A hole just big enough for her body to fit in!

 

<Welcome. Mother.> The mind of the master of the Chosen did not press on her tightly. It didn’t have to. <You will do many good things for our group.>

 

No… I won’t… Phoenix managed to say, but then the sheer pressure silenced even her mental voice as she slid into the hole and she felt flesh close around her. I…

 

<That was very sneaky.> The Master’s mind was openly admiring. <You tampered with Mender so cleanly that if I hadn’t been watching closely, I never would have noticed.> Phoenix went still and the Master chuckled. <Easy…>

 

Phoenix could not even scream as her body seemed to fall apart. She could feel each and every part of her body taken… elsewhere to be reformed. Then her mind was frozen by a will so titanic that her mightiest struggles were as insignificant as a gnat trying to lift and elephant.

 

<You are mine.> The Master said calmly and Phoenix could not even cry as her mind was rewritten. But then it paused. <What is this? What other minds helped you? Who? What is this blankness?>

 

F*** you! Phoenix snapped, fighting to hide her elation that it could not read the plan from her mind.

 

<No, my dear.> The Master said in a tone of complete understanding. <There is no need for such physicality.> Phoenix’s eyes opened and she was lying on the slab in front of the huge mass of flesh again. But this time… her body was changed. Somehow, she could see herself and knew she was seeing her body from the Master’s perspective. But… It wasn’t her body.

 

Where before she had possessed a humanoid form, toned and fit from a lifetime of training and combat, now her belly was huge. The abdomen alone was four or five times the size of a human body. Her arms were gone. In their place, a mass of tentacles waved from where each shoulder had been. Her legs were mere stumps. Apparently, she wasn’t supposed to move from where she was. But it was the other part of the transformation that truly frightened Phoenix. The head of the body she knew somehow was hers was thin, far too thin. And instead of a mouth, multiple tentacles fell across her chest.

 

What have you done…? Phoenix begged, feeling her sanity start to fray again. But again, something grasped her and held her, pulling her back from the brink.

 

<Oh, my dear…?> The Master said almost kindly. <You haven’t seen anything yet. You are hungry.> This last was in an odd tone and suddenly, Phoenix felt ravenous. Hunger pangs struck her with the force of a tsunami. A scream sounded as a familiar form carried a struggling human boy into the room. He couldn’t have been over ten years old. Nemesis did not speak. Instead, she set the boy down beside the slab on which Phoenix lay and held him there despite his struggles. <Feed.>

 

No… Phoenix begged as her body, ignoring her commands, rose up on it’s stump legs and tentacles reached for the boy who screamed again. As soon as the tentacles touched him, he went limp. What?

 

<Paralytic toxins.> The Master said calmly as Phoenix quailed. <Feed.>

 

No… Phoenix begged again as the tentacles pulled the limp form close to her chest and the tentacles where her face had been slowly reached down to encompass his head. A sick crack and warmth flooded through Phoenix.

 

<Eat your whole meal, child. You are eating for many now.> The master commanded and Phoenix could only watch as the tentacles crushed the boy’s body into small enough size to be ingested through the tiny mouth that she could feel opening and closing, devouring the boy’s brain first. Then the rest of him. Bite by bite. <Welcome home…>

 

You will pay for this… Phoenix screamed, but it went nowhere. She was… suddenly lost in a dark void that clasped at her, grabbed at her, whirling her around and pulling bit and pieces off of her. She was losing. Her mind was being pulled apart now. I am Phoenix! She screamed in defiance.

 

<No.> The Master said calmly. <We will…> Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by an explosion. She had a moment to feel triumph and then the blast wave hit her.

 

***

 

“No!” The master screamed as the table Phoenix lay in was shattered by the blast. The body on it was torn and battered. “Mender!”

 

The blob slid in quickly and started working on the broken form as the Master’s will scoured the area. Nemesis stood silent as Mender worked.

 

“Where did that blast come from?” The Master demanded. “It wasn’t anything on or in her. It was external, under the slab.” His tentacles came down, but were stymied by the narrow space under the slab. “Nemesis.” The armored Chosen knelt and peered under the slab, but shook her head. “It had to come from somewhere!” He snapped.

 

“Oh it did.” A calm, female voice sounded and everything stopped as a new form entered the cavern. Tenno. But… It was… an Ember Prime warframe, but it looked… odd. Almost… Infested? Its colors were greens and pinks… Very different from normal Tenno colors. The warframe looked…

 

“You dare!” Nemesis strode to block the Tenno only to freeze as the Master willed her to. The Torid launcher in the Tenno’s hands would kill most of the forms in the cavern despite their armor. Mender and Phoenix had no chance at all against whatever gas was in it.

 

“Who are you?” The Master asked, curious. “You are… not Tenno. You feel… familiar.” He mused.

 

“Yes I am Tenno.” The odd female replied evenly. She shook her head and spun as warriors started to enter the cavern. The grenade launcher burped twice, the grenades exploded in the middle of the way that led outside and the first wave of warriors hit the twin dark green clouds and died without a sound. “How many are you willing to waste?” She asked, coldly curious.

 

“Stop.” The Master commanded as Nemesis raised her sword. The warriors who had been approaching… retreated from the expanding clouds as the Tenno reloaded her weapon easily. “You cannot win here, Tenno. You seal your fate.”

 

“Do I?” The female Tenno asked sarcastically as she raised the launcher. Mender did not move from where she was still healing Phoenix’s still form. “Do I really?” The Master stared at her and then made a noise of confusion.

 

“This is not an attack or you would have fired without speaking. A diversion?” The Master asked. “From what?”

 

“You are smart.” The female Tenno said calmly. “You figure it out.”

 

“You are dead, Tenno!” Nemesis shouted. “Even if you kill all of us, you will never leave this cavern alive!”

 

“Maybe not.” The Tenno replied. “What makes you think I care, Marlena?” She asked sarcastically.

 

“Don’t call me that!” Nemesis screamed, her sword coming up to strike.

 

“Nemesis!” The Master’s word was a command and she froze in place, quivering as she fought his control. “What do you want, Tenno?” He asked, his tone curious.

 

“What I want, I cannot have.” The newly come Ember Prime said softly. “And no matter your power, you cannot give it to me. I want my sister back.” She nodded to where Phoenix lay. “And that is beyond your power.” She said sadly.

 

“We can offer you a place with our family.” Mender said into the sudden silence that fell. “Then she will be your sis-…” The blob went still as the Torid leveled at her. At this range, it would likely tear right through her jelly like form before exploding.

 

“I am talking to you.” The Tenno said to the Master. “Not your pawns. Do them a favor and shut them up.”

 

“Mender.” The Master said slowly. “Mother’s status?”

 

“Bad.” Mender said softly. “Critical even. Her reproductive organs are torn up. I need to get her to the…” She gulped as the Ember Prime growled.

 

“What part of ‘shut them up’ do you not understand, monster?” The Tenno declared as she spun and fired a round. The grenade exploded in the midst of the squad of warriors who had been trying to flank and they all died silently. “This is pointless.” She said sourly. “You have to try and take me. I get it. Sheesh… I didn’t think even you could be so clueless…”

 

“That weapon… annoys me.” The master said with a growl of his own and the Torid fell apart in her hands. She dropped the fragments and they vanished into motes of dust before they hit the floor. But… A disk fell into her hand and extended, blades coming from three places as she swung the Glaive Prime into a guard position. “You cannot win, Tenno. You are not the First!” Was that fear in his voice?

 

“No.” The Tenno said with a grin in her voice. “But you see…I don’t need to be…” Nemesis stepped forward, her shield up and sword ready.

 

“And why is that?” The master demanded as he let Nemesis close in finally. “You are alone and we are many.”

 

“Two reasons. One, you cannot disassemble this.” She brandished the Glaive. “And two? Because…” Jasmina’s voice had turned feral. “I am not alone…”

 

On her words, a blast similar to the one that had destroyed the slab erupted from one wall. A wall that was suddenly shown to have been man made, the metal buckling away from the explosion’s center. A tiny calico furred form scuttled through and away as a veritable horde of Infested charged into the cavern through the new hole.

 

Edited May 10, 2014 by Kalenath

[Shadow977]

I'm out of words....again.

[Spikey844]

Kal, that was brutal. 

 

And infested vs sentients? This is gonna be epic!

[Kalenath]

Actually, it is Infested vs Infected. The newer and more virulent strain versus the original strain or copies of it.

 

Are the Sentients involved?

 

No comment.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Kalenath

[DJSeraph]

I thought they didn't want to risk that proximity... Easier since there's more of them, or is that horde non-sentient?

[Kalenath]

I thought they didn't want to risk that proximity... Easier since there's more of them, or is that horde non-sentient?

 

There is risk and then there is RISK. In curing any disease, there are elements of risk involved.

 

Jasmina was called by the sword. Her.. allies were NOT happy about that.

 

They have a plan. Whether it works or not... we shall see.

[evafan002]

Actually, it is Infested vs Infected. The newer and more virulent strain versus the original strain or copies of it.

one question are the infested with jasmina the original strain or the newer one?

[Kalenath]

one question are the infested with jasmina the original strain or the newer one?

 

The newer since they are sentient. The original Infected were not sentient, they were directed by Mezner's madness and instinct.

[ThePandarine]

There is risk and then there is RISK. In curing any disease, there are elements of risk involved.

 

Jasmina was called by the sword. Her.. allies were NOT happy about that.

 

They have a plan. Whether it works or not... we shall see.

 

its been a long time since i commented on one of your stories.

 

I assume Jasmina might have become the Phoenix. Knowing her...she would have fought stubbornly with Kori on who should have been the Phoenix but since that cannot happen, all she can do now is avenge Phoenix.

 

Did not expect JAsmina to be called upon by the sword. Though, one would wonder why was it was her and not Stalker (who else is shadowy and can just blend in and out of the shadows) and now, it makes sense.

 

Please, if I think what has happened or going to happen... I would call this a massacre.

[Kalenath]

Well, I will be AFK until Monday morning. I MAY not be able to post until Tuesday.

 

So...

 

 

Infested!

 

It was utter chaos. The hive warriors who had been filtering in through hidden ways to try and ambush Jasmina as she focused on the Master were taken completely by surprise. It wasn’t just lesser forms. Ancients howled their way into the melee, bowling aside whole groups of hive warriors. Nemesis charged Jasmina and the Ember Prime met her halfway. The bioelectricity charged sword and Glaive Prime met in shows of sparks, both armored females trading kicks and punches as well. Mender was cowering beside the still form of Phoenix. Not only was she unarmed, but even the least of the Infested could tear her to pieces with ease.

 

Mender! The Master’s mind called. Get on top of Mother!

 

Mender did not argue. She oozed herself over top of the sorely hurt form that the hive had repurposed and was not surprised when both it and she were pulled into the Master’s massive bulk.

 

What is happening? Mender begged. Everything was warm and dark.

 

Whoever sent that fool Tenno made a grave tactical error. The Master said sternly. Sudden information poured into Mender’s mind. She could see the battle unfolding around the cavern. Infested… His mind swept out, but then he paused. I… cannot touch these… there is… something… blocking me. Confusion rose, warring with fear. What is happening? I cannot take control of these.

 

That isn’t possible! Mender wailed.

 

There is something blocking me. The Master declared. I cannot see what. Or where, but these are outside my control. “Enough!” He shouted aloud as Nemesis was struck from behind by a blue tinged Ancient and tossed away from the Tenno to land in a sparking heap. “Face me, Tenno!”

 

“Gladly.” Jasmina threw the Glaive and it arced, slicing tentacles as it flew. “We exist to stop you. We always have, we always will. You and your kind are nothing but footnotes to history. Best forgotten!” She shouted as she dodged a swinging tentacle, swinging up onto it lithely. “Ride em, cowgirl!” Jasmina said with glee as she straddled the appendage. The Glaive came back to her hand and she sliced deep, deep into the mass of flesh even as it threw itself at a wall to try and dislodge the irritant. Just before it hit the wall, she jumped away, pushing off the wall with both feet to fly back towards the still unfolding carnage. But…

 

The Master screamed as his tentacle exploded. Mender rushed to sooth the pain and he relaxed.

 

How did she do that? Mender begged as she worked to heal the damage as best she could from the inside. At least her jelly form allowed for movement in very limited spaces.

 

I don’t know. The master snapped, angry. She cut the skin and must have put something inside. It was similar to the explosions that hurt Mother and destroyed the wall. But… not. Bio explosive of some kind. We must end this.

 

Master… Mender said softly. Toxin had developed a last resort agent. She didn’t want to do this. The caustic agent would kill any biomass it touched. That would render it unusable by the hive. But if they all died here… We can deploy it if we must.

 

Last resort indeed. The Master replied. Let’s not do that until we have no choice.

 

The battle was remarkably even. The hive warriors fought in silence, each using its weapons to its fullest ability. The Infested matched them in numbers and sheer ferocity. But the Infested fought with growl and cries that sounded… off to the onlookers.

 

Are they communicating? Mender asked, dazed, as a large hive warrior was pulled down and savaged by a pack of Infested. The Chargers swarmed its legs, leapers and Runners hit it up high and it toppled. Several wounded Infested were being pulled back to where a trio of Ancients stood, green healing pulses sweeping from them. They were not engaging the warriors, instead, they were healing their wounded. Totally atypical behavior. They must be. Somehow.

 

I cannot hear them. The Master sounded uneasy. Ah, reinforcements!

 

Mender felt relief as Artillery strode into the cavern, a large weapon in his hands. Projectiles flew from it in a wide sweep, felling Infested in droves. Three more squads of hive warriors followed the Chosen. All carried ranged weapons and fired as soon as they could see the enemy. Nemesis was on her feet again, engaging the Ember Prime. Both were moving fast, the Ember faster than the Chosen, but less protected. Her warframe already showed scars of damage. Fluid was falling from several wounds as well.

We have them? Mender asked, then she screamed. She was not alone.

 

The entire hive screamed as pain seared through it. A large white form jumped down from the Master’s top, a gleaming golden bladed staff in hand. Other armored forms followed, each striking the Master in passing with blades. More Tenno! Two, four, seven of them! Including the black armored form that had so infuriated the Master before.

 

Enough! The Master’s rumble of anger shook the entire cavern. Die! All of you! Die! The tentacles rose again, this time crackling with malevolent energy as well as toxins.

 

“Not today, monster.” The skeletal black warframe said offhand as he poured fire from paired pistols into the hive warriors who were recoiling. Not from his fire, which only hurt them one time out of ten, but from the sheer malevolence of his own anger. The dark power that seeped off him. “Kori…?” He said in a conversational tone that somehow was everywhere. “Now.”

 

***

 

Phoenix was lost. She was alone in the darkness. She had been pulled apart, the enemy had been squeezing every drop of information from her mind. She had been trying to conceal the plan from them, to keep the enemy from realizing exactly what was planned. That what had been done to Phoenix didn’t matter. That everything that had happened led to a goal. A specific goal, if a horrific one.

 

Phoenix? The voice was familiar. The fear in it called to Phoenix. The worry, the love…

 

“Kori?” Phoenix asked, worried. Suddenly, she wasn’t alone. A large furred form stood beside her in whatever she was in. The Kubrow whined a little as she stepped close. “I…” Phoenix sighed deeply. “Is it time?”

 

Not just yet. The Kubrow replied. Soon. Oh my friend… The furred form stepped close and nuzzled her. I am sorry, Phoenix. I… I would have tried to do it for you.

 

“I know you would have. But this was my burden. I chose it, knowing what had to be done.” Phoenix replied easily as she knelt, hugging the Kubrow tight. “Carlos?”

 

He tried to come. The Kubrow said sadly. He became violent and Chris had to restrain him. Phoenix hissed and Kori reassured her. He is unhurt. But very angry.

 

“He will try to stop me.” Phoenix said sadly. “Please don’t let him come to harm.”

 

I won’t. Kori promised her. Then the Kubrow jerked. Time. Phoenix… I… She nuzzled her good friend again. I love you.

 

“I love you to, Kori.” Phoenix said, hugging the canid. Then she focused herself.

 

Suddenly, she could see. The world was a gap of brightness that opened up for her. Kori was nowhere to be seen, but Phoenix could feel the canid’s love, her support, even as her horrifically molded form rose at something else’s commands.

 

“Mother.” The Master said firmly. “Feed.”

 

Phoenix could only scream inside as tentacles swept up Infested. As she touched them, they went limp. She pulled them close and could not do anything as her body fed on the misshapen bodies. The Tenno were withdrawing. Even Jasmina was fighting her way clear of the cavern as Phoenix’s form swatted Ancients aside and swept up smaller forms to consume. Then the cavern mouth was blocked by huge tentacles.

 

“You will not escape!” The Master screamed. Nemesis was fighting Karl and Will at the same time, her blade flashing with theirs. Artillery fired his weapon again and again, but the projectiles were deflected or absorbed by Tenno shielding. Then the Ember Prime was sliding between his legs, somehow hooking up onto his back. He shook his body fiercely, but she was not dislodged. He could not reach her. Then the Glaive flashed and… the massive Chosen’s head fell off. The Master’s scream of rage and denial silenced the cavern for a moment as the ranged combatant of the Chosen died. Then the entire area was glowing green. Sickly green. “You will pay. You will all pay!”

 

“Yadda, yadda, yadda…” Jasmina said sarcastically. “Enough with the threats, moron. Bring on the action.”

 

“Mother!” The Master snapped. “Kill!”

 

Phoenix could only quail inside as her tentacles swept towards Jasmina who… slid under them. Her body reacted, sweeping low, but pain erupted. The Ember had sliced the tentacles with the Glaive. But the Glaive was smoking! Jasmina dodged away, the remaining tentacles sweeping after her. But she had nowhere to go. The Master hemmed her in on one side, the battle between Nemesis and the others occupied another, the cavern wall a third. The tentacles hit Jasmina who want down in a heap, the Glaive vanishing.

 

Jasmina! Phoenix screamed silently. She couldn’t tell if Jasmina was alive or not. The toxins in the tentacles were powerful. No! She screamed again.

 

“You lose.” The Master said gleefully as Phoenix’s body pulled the limp Ember Prime close. “You will all serve me!”

 

“Will we?” Jasmina asked in a snide tone as Phoenix’s body pulled her close. Then… everything stopped. Phoenix stared down at the hit of the sword that shone on her chest between the two sets of tentacles. It was angled down. “Everybody OUT!” The Ember screamed and ran. The other Tenno took to their heels, Nemesis pausing as her opponents fled.

 

Phoenix stared at the sword. It had… killed her. Her body was… failing. But… She was in control! She paused.

 

“Mother.” Mender’s voice was soft and scared as the blob came close. “Let me tend you… I…” She trailed off as Phoenix turned to face her. “No…” The blob quailed. “No! Master!”

 

“You… lose…” Phoenix felt… something start within her. Something… powerful.

 

“I can stop it!” Mender said shrilly, folding herself up as she slid towards Phoenix. “The reaction can be stopped. Get me close. Nemesis!” But Nemesis had chased the Tenno from the cavern. “Master! I can stop it!” She slid closer as Phoenix felt her body start to fall. She was on the ground, the blob covering her. “I can stop it… Mother, hold on…”

 

“My name…” Phoenix said softly. It was the loudest she could speak. “…is Phoenix. And you… lose.”

 

“Not yet.” The Master said into the sudden stillness in the cavern. “And even if you do stop me? My hive will continue. You cannot stop evolution.” Phoenix felt odd things in her body now and willed the sword to react faster. But she could not do anything else.

 

“Maybe…” Phoenix said simply. ‘But if your evil returns, so will I.” She was gasping for breath. “From now until the end of time, monster… When you show your face, be afraid. Be very afraid. The wrath of the Phoenix is upon you. You will… never… escape my wrath…”

 

“I have it!” Mender cried in triumph. “Master, I…” Whatever else she was going to say was cut off.

 

It wasn’t Mender’s fault. There was literally no way at all that the hive healer could have possibly known that one of the organs that she had examined and dismissed as unimportant was anything but. Phoenix had never felt a thing. The sword had done what it had done as it always had. The Tenno who had first built the sword had planned thoroughly to defeat the enemy.

 

The sword was a conduit for energy the likes of which few in existence could even comprehend. That was one reason that the Tenno had not stopped in their flight. Why when Nemesis finally succumbed to the Master’s stark command to stop and return to the hive, that the Tenno kept right on going, two furred forms matching their frantic paces.

 

The few infested who remained continued their savage but futile attacks. They knew nothing else but bestial fury. The primitive psionic shields that the massed minds who Jasmina called allies had assembled had blocked the Master’s control and Jasmina hadn’t had any difficulty at all in herding the feral infested close enough to strike. She had also directed the battle, with help mind you. Because all of the battle, all of the death and destruction had only been for a single purpose.

 

To reunite Phoenix with the sword.

 

That done, the sword poured energy into a small and disused organ. On humans the appendix was a rarely thought of evolutionary adjunct. It served as a holding place for impurities in the digestive system. Tenno had even less use for an appendix that humans. Mender had seen the sliver of metal in Phoenix’s reproductive organs, but that too had been a diversion. Not even Phoenix herself had known the whole scope of the plan, which was intended. It had always been known that the enemy would capture her, would read her mind. Would try to decipher the plan. So, the sheer deviousness that the sword had been created to adopt was… mind boggling. Literally.

 

Mender managed to dampen the high energy reaction inside of Phoenix’s rebuilt body. This was a good thing. But at the same time…a bad thing since the only thing holding back the true power of the Phoenix was the reaction inside of Phoenix’s body. Any bomb needed a trigger and anyone sane making a bomb would have some kind of fuse. Some kind of delay mechanism. If Mender had been able to compare Phoenix’s scans to scans taken just after she had been… altered by the sword, she likely would have freaked. But she hadn’t. It wasn’t possible, and even if it had been? Phoenix and Jasmina wouldn’t have let her realize the danger.

 

The reaction that Mender had stopped would have made a mess of the cavern. Quite probably, it would have destroyed everything in the cavern except the Master himself and it would have hurt him sorely. Sorely enough that even regular Tenno weapons would have been able to kill him easily. But… that was only the timer. A backup plan.

 

Mender did not even have time to scream as power erupted from the misshapen form underneath her. One moment, the blob was moving, undulating, and the next it was superheated vapor. The body vanished as well in the titanic eruption. An eruption in the shape of a fiery bird. The Master recoiled, his tentacles shielding him somewhat as the energy slammed outward and upward, blowing the roof off the cavern. The deep cave had been a hundred meters underground. Suddenly it was open to the air.

 

The Master stared at the glowing ball of energy that had been his hopes for the future and snarled as it took form. A human form stood where Mender had just died. A human form composed of pure energy. Energy that was pulsing, growing stronger as he watched.

 

“Die!” He screamed, hurling every power he had at the form. None of it had any effect whatsoever.

 

Too late. The screamed words were inhuman. More bird of prey than Tenno.

 

“I will not be denied!” The Master screamed even as the few remnants of his once proud army fell into ash, seared by the sheer power that stood unveiled in the cavern at long last. Phoenix had risen.

 

As long as your evil continues to rise… the Master quailed as the Phoenix took a step towards him, then another. The rock of the cavern floor held glowing footprints now. The Phoenix will rise to meet you. No matter how long you hide. How long you plot. How much you prepare… We will meet. And you will fall. Again and again and again… A glowing hand reached out to him. Nothing you do can change that. Nothing you do can stop that. We will end you every time you rise.

 

“This is not over!” The Master screamed, but he was immobile. His form was impervious to most weapons. But this wasn’t a weapon. This was pure power. Raw, untamed power. Untameable power. “I will return! I will find a weakness! I will destroy you!”

 

And if you do? The Phoenix retorted easily. Another will rise. You cannot stop that which cannot be stopped, monster. Her hand made contact, just for a moment, then she retreated, leaving a small glowing patch on his battleship armor thick hide. It is done. She seemed to wilt.

 

“You… I…” The Master stammered and then screamed. “What have you done?” He demanded in between wails.

 

How do you fight a disease? Phoenix was kneeling now, her form visibly cooling. In moments, she was lying on the ground, her form wavering as she curled up in a fetal position. Antibiotics… vaccines… All of that… None of it works against the Technocyte virus. But… the Technocyte virus… does. The master was screaming nonstop now as Phoenix slowly gasped out her last breaths. Using a virus… to kill a virus… Poetic…

 

Then she was still.

 

I love you Carlos, Kori…

 

The final release of energy from the Phoenix’s body was… extreme. The blast from her body in and of itself was not huge as explosion went. Probably on the magnitude of a ten thousand pound high explosive bomb. But… It was not just her body. The Master’s body ignited as well, rare materials inside it quickly reaching critical mass. The resulting explosion on the coast of what had once been called the Baltic Sea by humans was visible as far away as the moon with the naked eye and as far away as Mars with the proper telescopes. Few knew what had happened. Fewer still cared. But for those few… nothing would be the same.

 

The wailing cry of a grieving Kubrow echoed oddly in the sudden stillness.

 

Edited May 11, 2014 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

You spoil us Kal.  Thank you.

[Vahlak]

The feels bro.

[Spikey844]

*sniff* all those feels