A Tenno's Fear (Fanfic)

[SolluxCaptorTA]

"Good job Tenno, your mission is done."

"@(*()$ finally. Cannot believe how many bullets that mech can take, but it's dead now. Hey Volt, remind me to never you let you talk us into another Hyena hunting mission again!"

"Cannot comply. Hyena's death may be necessary."

"Dude, please stop that. It's freaking us all out."

The group board their shuttles, each one leaving in turn. Excalibur is the last to leave, always on guard for his squad. As he gets in, her hears a slight crunching sound.

"Must be nothing."

"What was that, Alex?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just hearing things, scaring myself."

"Pussy!"

"Shut up, Reggie."

The shuttles all smoothly fly out. But one, the last one, has a slight wobble to it. Designed for efficiency, not comfort, the Tenno within feels every bump.

"S#&$, was it this bumpy coming in?"

"No unusual increase in turbulence detected."

"Victor, I'm telling you, it's way bumpier."

Silence. Then, a feminine voice breaks it.

"Victor, I'm worried about you."

"Worry is unnecessary. Lotus will protect us."

A masculine voice, angry now, lacking the characteristic timbre of Rhino's broad chest but bearing an authority all the same.

"Victor, shut up about the goddamn Lotus! Something happened to you and she didn't do anything to help you! To help us!"

"Reporting."

"What?"

And then another crunch from the last shuttle. An engine flickers, dies.

"What did you just do Vic-Volt?"

"Anomaly. Report should not have accomplished any action until return to base. Fellow Tenno, please await Lotus's orders on how to handle the rogue."

Two voices, one deep and resonant crying out in disbelief, the other higher and more piercing, but filled mostly with concern.

"VOLT! What "rogue"? Have you gone mad?"

"Victor, what are you talking about? That is our friend and he is in danger!"

The Volt Warframe is heedless to their pleas, instead privately communicating with the entity behind their mission.

"Tenno, proceed with standard shuttle protocol. The damaged vessel is already considered lost and any attempts to recover it only put valuable agents at risk."

"What? We will not leave-"

"Lotus, what are you talking-"

Both of the voices fade into the distance, shrouded by interference as the last vessel stops firing its engines. It continues on at its former pace, but is quickly outpaced by the other shuttles, shuttles controlled from afar rather than by the people within.

Hours pass.

Desperate for contact, Excalibur places an insane gamble that someone is around.

"Reggie? Margaret?"

...

Silence.

"Victor?"

"..."

"Volt? Rhino, Mag? Anyone?"

Desperation tinges his voice.

"Ash, I've worked with you once! Loki? Saryn? Anyone? ANYONE, please!"

Nothing.

The pleading starts, desperate appeals to people not even aware of his existence.

"Ash, I saved your life there, remember? I cut down the moa that was ready to blast your helmet off! Can't that count for something?"

...

"Loki, you owe me! You left me and high and dry outside that elevator with your stupid teleport! I'll forgive you, just rescue me!"

,,,

"Saryn, I revived you! I... No one else could! SAVE ME!"

Less pauses now. It quickly rises to a continuous plea to the empty reaches of space.

"Trinity, you love to help people! Help me now!"

"Frost, your job is to keep other people safe! I'm in danger now!"

"Ember, I never once made fun of you! Banshee, I'll be your practice dummy, okay? Live test your skills! Please? Nyx, I'll do whatever you want! You like slaves, right?"

Nothing.

"Volt! Victor, I helped you find a name for yourself! Reggie, I am always there for you! When you go too far and trust too much in your suits tech, I bail you out! Margaret, I- I- I must have done something for you! PLEASE HELP!"

"PLEASE OH GOD JUST HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE!"

"GRINEER, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SECRETS OF THE FRAME! CORPUS, AS MANY ARTIFACTS AS YOU WANT! I'LL SUBMIT TO INFESTATION! SOMEONE HELP!"

His voice begins to grow hoarse, wearing itself out against uncaring vacuum.

"SOMEONE HELP! OH GOD OH PLEASE SOMEONE SAVE ME! SOM-"

His voice fails.

It comes out a few minutes later, nothing more than a low whisper against the endless depths.

"Lotus... You've always protected me... Save me now..."

...

...

...

Hours pass.

Days pass, Excalibur alternating between wearing his voice out by screaming for help that never comes, resting, and sobbing tears that stain the inside of his mask.

Nothing is visible in the displays anymore. It's all been shorted by his tears. The shuttle grows cold as its life support fails, freezing the man within slowly. His cries grow more desperate, less coherent.

"OH GOD PAIN SAVE ME CAN'T TAKE IT FREEZING I'M DYING SAVE ME!"

His voice fades again.

His legs have lost all feeling when it returns, a quiet whisper of despair.

"Don't bring me back to the pod. I'd rather die first."

The cold creeps further.

"Don't bring me back to the pod."

Further still.

"Don't bring me back to the pod."

Further.

"DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE POD! DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE-"

His voice halts again. Frozen.

Tears form on his face, freezing over like the last remnants of the ice covering a body in a cryopod.

A shuttle flies unpowered along the solar system, cold and dead as the vacuum around it.

[Mister_Vasili]

Great now I'm not gonna be able to extract anymore for fear of pod failure.

[SolluxCaptorTA]

You're welcome.