[Fanfiction] Weapons

[Kalenath]

Oooh man, someone is going to get upset

 

 

Get?

 

Someone (actually LOTS of people) are ALREADY upset.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Discoveries

 

"He... He killed..." The Executive seemed at a loss for words.

 

"No." The newest arrival to the strange tableau said sternly. "He did not. Your blatant stupidity killed your offspring. There are limits, Vina. Even for the Board. Even for productive junior members of the Board. That little girl was too young. She was not compatible with your genetics. Your own medics told you that." Her tone might have made a Frost warframe shiver. "You ignored them. The girl ran. I would have too. She wasn't going to survive and you ignored her cries of pain, the doctors' warnings, even your own life partner's concerns..." She shook her head slowly. "You are not stupid. So why? Why did you do this?"

 

"You cannot order me about." The Executive snarled. "I will..." She went still as the nun raised a hand. From Vina's look of dismay, she was trying to speak and couldn't.

 

"Vina... There are limits." The old nun said sadly. "You passed them." She sighed. "I may have lost influence with some of the Board, but I do still have a certain amount of power. Especially when the survival of our race is threatened." She did not raise her voice, but the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. "You see your profits as more important than the survival of humanity. Fine. That is the last child you will have. Ever."

 

"No..." Vina managed a croak. Lis was hardly the only one who stared as the executive seemed to freeze in place, her eyes wide in horror. "No... Don't!"

 

"You have proven incapable of tending children." The nun didn't seem to hear as the executive slowly sank to her knees.  "You have proven that you do not care about children except as things to further your profits. So as my position dictates, I will see you removed from the 'Rolls of Those Capable Of Bearing'. If you attempt to make another child, I will see your stain removed from our ranks. Permanently." The nun looked at the guards who looked decidedly nervous even through their full face helmets. "You will take the executive to a sterilization center where she will be next in line." The kneeling woman gave a small cry of fear, but the nun ignored her. "You will not listen her pleas, or her bribes. If you do, I will hear about it and it will go ill for you. I will say this only the once. Do not cross me. The Board agrees. What she did was too far. Cloning herself..." She spat.

 

"Ma'am..." One of the guards managed to speak. "She is... in charge..."

 

"And she is distracted." The old nun said sternly. "Tell me truly, guard. Has she been focused on her duties to our company? Truly?"

 

"I..." The guard froze. Then he slumped. "No."

 

"I... I just wanted a child..." Vina was crying softly. "Is that so wrong of me?" She begged as two of the guards took her arms and lifted her to her feet. They were gentle.

 

"No, Vina." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "No it isn't. It is a basic human instinct. For males and females to procreate. But the way you went about it... A nine year old, Vina. A nine year old?" The nun demanded. "Did you even bother to look if she was genetically compatible? If the supervisor here hadn't saved the girl, I would be ordering your execution right now."

 

"You... you can't do that." Vina protested. "You.. you can't."

 

"Read the Company Guidelines while you are in rehab, Vina. The 'Procreation' section." The Reverend Mother said sternly. "You might learn something. If you had killed that little girl in a mad attempt to make a copy of yourself, I would have been well within my rights to have you executed. Cloning is wrong. We know this, Vina. You know this. What were you thinking?" She demanded. "That we would just ignore it?" She shook her head.

 

"No... But... I just wanted a little girl." Vina said weakly. "An heir."

 

"Did it have to be one of your body?" The nun demanded. "I bore a daughter, Vina. Nine months of uncomfortable. Six hours of agony even with the best medicine available. Thirty years of joy and the rest of my life in pain with her dead." Lis went still with everyone else at that. "I know what you wanted and I know why." She shook her head. "But Vina...the way you did it... Even Bek is mad at you and that took some doing since you are one of his best producers."

 

"I..." Vina was sobbing in the guards hands now. "I just..."

 

"I know." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "I do, Vina. But what you did was wrong. You have been distracted. We have to remove the distraction. Once you get out of the hospital... I will talk to you about adoption if you can prove to my satisfaction that you will care for and raise a child properly. But there will be no more mad cloning schemes. Or my initial impulse will be given free reign." Vina stared up at the old nun and the Reverend Mother grimaced. "I was... very angry when I arrived. If I had met you first, I might have tried to strangle you with my bare hands or toss you out an airlock. Luckily for you, I didn't meet you first."

 

"I don't understand." Vina said as the guards turned her toward the door.

 

"Olena V-12 saved your life, Vina." The old nun said quietly. "She asked me not to kill you." Vina stared at the old nun and the Reverend Mother smiled, a gentler expression. "She said, and I quote... 'She is good at what she does. Just distracted.' We will remove the distraction. You will serve the Corpus without distraction."

 

"She... she said that?" Vina asked, stunned.

 

"Yes, she did. Good kid." The Reverend Mother said softly. "Go." She said to the guards. "Take the portal to Sterilization Facility Aleph 43. They are expecting you." The guard saluted and Vina staggered, but then bowed her head slowly. The nun shook her head. "Don't make me kill you, Vina. The company needs you. The human race needs you. But as an executive, not a mad cloner."

 

"Yes, Reverend Mother." Vina said, her tone and posture meek. "I obey." The six guards escorted her from the room and the tension level dropped significantly.

 

"Thank you." Frank O-34 said softly. "I..." He froze as the old nun spun to face him, her face stern.

 

"If you ever kill another unborn child, Frank O-34, it had better be to save the mother's life as it was in this case or your death will take weeks." The Reverend Mother said coldly. "The only reason you still breathe is because you saved Olena V-12. What you did was wrong. And throwing it at Vina..." Horror mixed with outrage

 

"I agree. If I had possessed any choice, Reverend Mother..." Frank O-34 said, bowing his head. "... I would have taken it. It was wrong. But Olena V-12 was dying. There was no time. She was arresting. And... I was angry." He bowed his head. "No excuse."

 

"I know." The old woman sighed and then relaxed. "I am still angry. At Vina, at you. At this whole screwed up situation. Even at Olena V-12 for talking me out of killing Vina, and it certainly isn't her fault." She shook her head. "Times like this, I wish I could still get drunk."

 

"I know the feeling." Gen H-12 said quietly. The Reverend Mother looked at her and the old soldier straightened. "Thank you."

 

"Ah, Gen H-12..." The old nun said sadly. "You have drawn the Board's eye. I can't fuddle them but so much now. They will know who you are within a day at most. You know what they will do." Gen H-12 nodded soberly. Frank O-34 stared from one to the other and his face paled. "I can take Olena V-12... But we don't have space for any more." She bowed her head. "I wish we did. But there are limits to my power now as there were a hundred and fifty years ago. Within those limits I can act, but outside them?" She shrugged.

 

"You have done far more than you should have." The old soldier woman said quietly. "For a hundred and fifty years, I have helped hurt kids. It won't make up for what I did, but it does help me sleep at night."

 

"I know." The Reverend Mother paused, looking at Lis. Lis didn't move."This is your mystery?"

 

"Yes, Ma'am." Frank O-34 said with a nod.

 

"You picked a hell of a time to drop in on these people out of nowhere." The Reverend Mother said softly. "From the record I saw, you are well trained." Lis did not react as tendrils of through swept over her. She avoided them without fighting. That would have been an immediate giveaway of who and what she was. "You feel... familiar." The Reverend Mother said slowly. "Have we met?" Lis shook her head. "The Board will demand answers from you, girl. They will take them from you and the one you guard."

 

"They will try." Li said quietly. Was that respect she saw in the old nun's eyes?

 

"I shouldn't say this, but I wish you luck. I don't like those hidebound profiteers any more than anyone else does." The old nun said with a snort. "Can't say I am surprised she is stubborn. She is hanging around you." She nodded to Gen H-12 who smirked but said nothing. She shook her head. "I need to get back to the colony. Who knows what insanity will be cropping up while I am gone. Walk with me, Lis F-43." Lis stiffened, but the old woman held out a hand. "Please?" There was no compulsion, no push. Just honest entreaty. Lis took the old woman's hand and fought to contain a flinch as the old woman's mind came into hers.

 

Don't react. The nun said mentally as she started off, pulling Lis with her. You and Sara are in deep trouble.

 

I figured. Lis said stoically the old nun smiled at her, but it held a tint of melancholy.

 

My own assets cannot help you. The Reverend Mother said calmly. Even if I could, I likely wouldn't. I have to safeguard what I have at the moment. I know who and what you are. More importantly, I know who and what Sara is. I know the Board cannot be allowed to learn who she is. What she is. The damage would be incalculable. They would try to copy her and what would result would be a terror almost beyond imagining. Never mind what Serene would do. Again. The old woman actually shuddered.

 

I am working on it. Lis said quietly.

 

I don't doubt it. The old woman said. But just in case... Her hand cupped Lis' and the Tenno felt a pair of small oblong things slip into her palm. You won't trust me, and I don't blame you. I know you can suicide at will, Tenno. Sara cannot. Test one. You will find it is the same poison that the Lotus gives her operatives to prevent their capture. Painless and fast acting. She will go to sleep and not wake up. Her DNA will be scrambled, unrecoverable. If it comes to it, don't let them take her.

 

Why should I trust you? Lis demanded.

 

You shouldn't. Test one, see if I tell the truth. The Reverend Mother said calmly. But I was a mother once. I know the love and the loss. Better this than her being torn apart millimeters at a time by the Board. Even Serene's vengeance wouldn't sway the idiots from trying to duplicate what they did before. To access the towers again. There is too much profit to be had in the madness for them to do anything else. Get her out of here, any way you can. Good luck, Tenno. Be true to the Code.

 

Fare thee well. Lis said, bemused as the old woman released her arm and stepped forward. A hatch hissed open and a small girl in a white gown stood there, her face worried. The old nun took the small girl's hand and they both stepped into the airlock. It hissed shut behind her. Lotus? She called but there was no answer. That was... odd...

 

She shook her head and started back towards the main room where Sara would be waiting. Her hand slipped the two tiny capsules filled with oblivion into a pocket as she tried to forget what they were. She had to think, to plan. To prepare. She needed information. And maybe... just maybe... some allies.

 

***

 

"We can't just let them take the kids!" Lis did not move as one of the med techs spoke sharply. The girl's name was Juli K-67 and she was very upset. "We can't!"

 

"Well, what can we do?" The other med tech said quietly. He was a young man who had been introduced as Oleg U-45. "Gen H-12?"

 

"I was a soldier once." Gen H-12 said quietly. "But that was long ago. I will not let them take me without a fight, but I cannot help anyone else while I do." She smiled a little self deprecating. "I am bit slower than I was." She shook her head. "They will likely send a ship. The portal isn't large enough for a full assault team and the room only has one exit. A deathtrap and they know it. Maybe an infiltration or assassin team, but the main assault will be from one of the airlocks. I can scramble the MOA's control codes, but that will only buy us a few minutes at best before they reset them. Or they hack each and every MOA fabricator and do it that way. Or they bring their own and overwhelm us. The Ospreys cannot fight with no weapons."

 

"Gen H-12..." Frank O-34 had been quiet for most of the discussion and all three of the others looked at him. "If we give ourselves up... will they spare the others?"

 

"No." Lis said quietly. Gen H-12 nodded soberly. "They want this place gone. They want Gen H-12 gone. They want you gone and forgotten." Frank O-34 slumped but nodded. "The med techs may or may not be reassigned without any further discipline. But the kids... You helped them. They are not going to forget you. And the Board..." She trailed off as Frank O-34 groaned.

 

"The Board want me forgotten. Especially after their golden girl got neutered." Everyone winced at the supervisors words but Gen H-12 shook her head.

 

"We all knew this was coming." Gen H-12 said quietly. "Lis and Sara only provided a convenient excuse for them. I won't surrender. They won't want me alive anyway."

 

"Neither will I." Lis said, her hand touching the pocket with the two small pills in it. "I stand with you, Gen H-12."

 

"So do I." Frank O-34 said weakly. "I am no soldier, but I do know which end of a gun the bullets come out of. You two can go if you want." He said to the med techs who looked at one another.

 

"Nowhere to go. The kids..." Juli K-67 said weakly. "What will we do with them? We can't let the Board take them. Hurt them again."

 

"Juli K-67..." Gen H-12 said gently. "What can we do? Kill them?" The girl winced and the soldier shook her head. "No. Where there is life, there is hope, even as a wage slave to the Board. I am dead either way. I will take some of them with me. You and Oleg U-45 don't have to die, Juli K-67."

 

"This is so wrong." Juli K-67 said, tears falling. "So wrong."

 

"I know." Frank O-34 said quietly. "We need to deactivate Lis' inhibitor. Then... we get the kids as ready as we can. Maybe... they can escape somehow?" He paused as a chime sounded. "Yes?" He asked and the door opened to show Sara just outside. She looked... odd. Worried, but...an odd bubble of anticipation seemed just under her skin. Lis frowned. What the? "Sara B-76?" He asked calmly. "Can I help you?"

 

"I think I can help you." Sara said softly. "I... um... I... um... was working on stuff with the others. The com unit design."

 

"And?" Gen H-12 said in a suspicious tone. "Any coms are monitored and recorded. Anything we send will be folded, spindled and mutilated by the Board. They will know what we send almost as soon as we send it. And who could we possibly call for help?"

 

She glanced at Lis, but Lis shook her head minutely. The Tenno had no idea where they were or what was going on. Even if they did? There was no guarantee they could get to the facility in time.

 

"You know that short range passive listening com we were designing?" Sara said with a gulp. The others looked at each other and Frank O-34 nodded. "We got it working."

 

"And?" Lis asked, suspicion rising. The Tenno would not break radio silence.

 

"We... picked up something very odd in the low end radio bands." Sara said with a small frown. "I had no idea anyone used those anymore."

 

"Radio?" Frank O-34 and the med techs all chorused. Gen H-12 and Lis both looked at one another. The supervisor shook his head. "What is radio?"

 

"A very old communication system. Very low wavelength." Lis said slowly. She looked at Sara and the girl smiled. "Sara... What have you done?"

 

"We were just listening." Sara said quickly. "That is all. The transmissions didn't make any sense. I... sort of asked them to clarify. They... were confused. We told them who we were and they didn't believe us. But... I think I convinced them. Or at least really confused them."

 

"I am very confused." Frank O-34 said with a scowl. "Who were you talking to?"

 

"I don't know." Sara said with a wince. "They said they would be in touch. They had to talk to someone named Cantis."

 

"Cantis?" Lis and Gen H-12 both exclaimed as one. Both women stared at each other.

 

"No way..." Lis said slowly. "No way..." She stared as the old female soldier nodded slowly. "You are serious?"

 

"We know they have scouts watching the planet. Hiding from Grineer patrols and Corpus sweeps. Relaying information. We have known this for some time. Some have been caught. Interrogated. They... usually die before telling anything." Gen H-12 said slowly. "But... Would they help us?" She wasn't asking Sara, she was asking Lis.

 

"I don't know." Lis said slowly. "We can ask. I will need the inhibitor off. I need to be able to fight if the enemy comes."

 

"We can do that quick." Frank O-34 said with a scowl. "But who the hell is Cantis?" Lis and Gen H-12 shared a long look and then Gen H-12 spoke softly.

 

"Cantis is one of the most wanted woman in the system. She is one of the leaders of the Red Veil."

 

[TestSubject2159]

and the Red Veil know (or at least know OF) Tenno...

 

i just hope Sara and Lis make it out alive

[Kalenath]

and the Red Veil know (or at least know OF) Tenno...

 

i just hope Sara and Lis make it out alive

 

Ah, Sara will no matter what. Lis is NOT going to let the Corpus get hold of that girl.

 

But the cost will likely be...extreme. Lis thinks she is ready to pay it. She isn't.

 

Tomorrow's post will be bad. In fact, I don't blame anyone who skips it. The title says it all.

 

'Violations'

 

I need to edit it some more, make sure it doesn't violate the EULA. It will go up tomorrow morning. I am working to make sure the later posts will have all the context needed to skip tomorrows if people wish.

 

Lis survives.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

Ah, Sara will no matter what. Lis is NOT going to let the Corpus get hold of that girl.

 

But the cost will likely be...extreme. Lis thinks she is ready to pay it. She isn't.

 

Tomorrow's post will be bad. In fact, I don't blame anyone who skips it. The title says it all.

 

'Violation'

 

I need to edit it some more, make sure it doesn't violate the EULA. It will go up tomorrow morning. I am working to make sure the later posts will have all the context needed to skip tomorrows if people wish.

 

Lis survives.

In the name of all things holy.....

 

Please Please Please Please tell me what I think might happen won't happen......

Edited September 21, 2014 by Spikey844

[Kalenath]

In the name of all things holy.....

 

Please Please Please Please tell me what I think might happen won't happen......

 

Never underestimate the evil humans can do...

 

Especially when their ambitions are thwarted.

 

But... Lis will survive and she will find allies in some VERY odd places. The LAST ones you might expect actually.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

Never underestimate the evil humans can do...

 

Especially when thwarted.

Yeah....

 

Its just when someone mentions violation and it involves a woman......

 

I get..... angsty, to say least......

[Kalenath]

Yeah....

 

Its just when someone mentions violation and it involves a woman......

 

I get..... angsty, to say least......

 

It's not... quite that.

 

In some ways, it will be better. In others? Worse.

 

Tomorrow.

 

I HAVE to make sure it won't violate the EULA before I post. I am at 2 warning points already and I do NOT want to be banned.

[Spikey844]

It's not... quite that.

 

In some ways, it will be better. In others? Worse.

 

Tomorrow.

 

I HAVE to make sure it won't violate the EULA before I post. I am at 2 warning points already and I do NOT want to be banned.

Oh, that makes me feel a little better.

 

But only a very little....

[Kalenath]

Oh, that makes me feel a little better.

 

But only a very little....

 

I am actually asking for a review by DE staff to make sure I DON'T go too far. If they say 'No' I will rewrite. It may take an extra day or two, but I DO NOT want to do wrong here.

 

This post messed ME up writing it.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Kalenath

[Spikey844]

I am actually asking for a review by DE staff to make sure I DON'T go too far. If they say 'No' I will rewrite. It may take an extra day or two, but I DO NOT want to do wrong here.

 

This post messed ME up writing it.

Geez....

 

Well then, I will await it with trepidation..

[Temperance000]

Eh?  You've got warning points Kal?  What for?

[Kalenath]

Eh?  You've got warning points Kal?  What for?

 

Feeding trolls in General Discussion.

[Vahlak]

Feeding trolls in General Discussion.

Its true, you get really snarky, with caps and everything...

[Kalenath]

Its true, you get really snarky, with caps and everything...

 

Who me?

 

*looks innocent* but then <shifty eyes>

[Jeahanne]

That's why I just avoid General Discussion. It's not usually worth the frustration. However, it CAN be highly entertaining feeding trolls sometimes... I've indulged in it a bit myself but have been lucky enough I've never gotten any warning points for it.

[Kalenath]

 

Violations

 

Lis swam back to consciousness slowly. What was wrong? The last thing she remembered was talking to the medics, they had taken her inhibitor off and both had been terrified of her. A few gentle words had calmed both down and they had gone about their duties, preparing the kids for a journey that none of the youngsters were emotionally or physically ready for. Then... nothing.

 

An agonized scream sounded. For a moment, Lis wondered who was screaming. It felt like it was far away. The voice was familiar. But... She went still. It was her voice!

 

"Shut it up." The cold hard voice that sounded from close at hand was male and angry. "When can we brainscan?"

 

Brainscan? No! Lis tried to recoil, tried to do anything, but everything was off. Everything was wrong. She wasn't... It didn't feel... The scream...stopped in mid syllable. Lis didn't feel any different. What the hell?

 

"Sir." Another male voice. "If we try to brainscan with that piece of metal in her skull, it will kill her and we will get no information. If we try to remove the metal as it is, without trying to heal any of the damage, it will kill her. We may be able to bring her back after..." The voice sounded dubious. "But my professional opinion is to let her heal for a time first. Then remove the metal. Then a brainscan. But if we do it now? She dies for no gain."

 

Metal? What? In her head? This made no sense.

 

"Get out of my sight, doctor!" The first voice snapped. "I will find someone who will obey orders."

 

"With all due respect, Sir." The doctor replied evenly. "You may be in charge of the facility while Executive Vina is... incapacitated, but this is my medical ward. If you want me removed, you will have to convene a board of inquiry. You asked my professional opinion, I gave it. You have no grounds to remove me. A brainscan will kill this young woman for no gain." He repeated.

 

"The Board want answers, doctor." The angry male voice retorted. "Not excuses. How soon can you remove the metal with a reasonable chance of her surviving?"

 

"Reasonable to me or reasonable to someone who wants blood?" The doctor asked calmly. A snarl answered him and the doctor sighed. "Didn't you get enough blood with your 'surprise attack that no one could expect so soon'? And what do we have to show for it? One broken human girl. One who may never recover her wits."

 

"She won't need wits." The other said with a smug laugh. "If she needs time to recover, she can recover in the Automated Reproduction Facility. We can do all what we need there, including brainscans."

 

"Sir!" The doctor sounded aghast. "You can't do that! There is no way for her to sign a release form!"

 

"So there is no way for her to object, now is there?" The other said with a soft, menacing laugh. "The facilities there will keep her docile, heal her injury, no? Move her there. Now."

 

Something changed. Lis was moving. Sinking. No, she was floating. It felt... odd.

 

"Sir!" The doctor snapped. "This is wrong! I will protest! All the way to the Board if I must!"

 

"Protest away." The other said smugly. "While you do that? I will have answers from her. And I want her to suffer for what she did to Vina!"

 

"Sir! You can't do that!" The doctor was begging from far away as Lis felt the world slip away. "That is nonconsensual!"

 

***

 

What the...?

 

Lis was floating, but... not. She was swimming in something that flowed like syrup around her. It felt... oddly soothing. But wrong. A voice startled her and she jerked as...something touched her. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. But... it was familiar.

 

"Lis..." Janet! This was Janet. But... "Oh Lis..." Why was the Oracle crying?

 

"Janet?" Lis had never heard her voice sound quite so small. "What is going on? What happened? What happened to Sara?" She tried to dredge up fear or anger. They wouldn't come.

 

"Sara is... Well... she is a mess." The human woman said sadly. "She is madder than hell. The Red Veil medics have had to sedate her three times to keep her from launching a one girl rescue attempt. Scary thing is? She might succeed all by her lonesome. Not a huge chance of success, but a chance."

 

"The Red Veil?" Lis said slowly. "They came? I... I don't remember."

 

"You will." Janet promised her. "Tenno are... somewhat different from humans. The damage you took was extensive, but the memories will regenerate. You will remember. Eventually. You will remember... everything." She was crying again.

 

"Janet?" Lis asked, her voice tiny. "What happened? Can you say? Where am I?"

 

"You are in limbo. Between life and death, Lis." Janet said sadly and a waft of something came over Lis as she shivered. "Your body is alive and your mind... Tenno are more energy than organic matter. Still bits of both, but far more energy than humans. You will recover. In time. But..."

 

"Janet, you are scaring me." Lis felt small admitting that, but something wrapped around her. It felt... comforting. Like a hug. "What happened to me? You say Sara got away?"

 

"You were trying to convince Gen H-12 to leave." Janet said softly. "She refused to. Said she had run as far as she would. Tough old lady." The Oracle said with a sad snort. "Here, let me try this." Something touched Lis and she...

 

"I...remember..." Lis said slowly. Indeed, she did. Some.

 

Gen H-12 had produced an eclectic collection of armaments from...somewhere. The supervisor and the med techs had been busy trying to get the kids ready to flee. Sara had been helping, burying her own needs in the needs of the others. Then the portal had activated. Gen H-12 had opened fire, the kids had started screaming and the whole situation had gone to hell. Lis remembered firing a Supra at one point at a pair of MOAs trying to flank the defensive position that Gen H-12 had set up, then Sara had called that evac had arrived. Lis remembered begging Gen to flee, but the stubborn human had refused. Just kept firing her Snipetron. Every shot ended a life, or terminated a mechanical. Lis had been about to grab the human and run when a section of wall had fallen in and troops had swarmed out, firing. Sara had screamed Lis' name as Lis had slammed and scrambled the hatch in Sara's face before turning to fire again... Then... Gen H-12 had been swarmed by enemies. Something had exploded. The old woman had worn an odd vest that Lis had thought was armor. But... it had probably been explosives. Lis had fought back to her feet. Nothing had been left of Gen or the enemies who had swarmed her. The other enemies had charged Lis and... It all went black.

 

"I was... hit..." Lis said softly. "Wasn't I?"

 

"You were hit a bunch of times. The crappy armor they managed to cobble together saved your life, but barely." Janet said sadly. "You would have healed that damage, as bad as it was. The problem... One of the MOAs you shot exploded when it was right on top of you. A fragment of its hull penetrated your helmet and then your cranium. The damage was... extreme."

 

"That was the metal those two men were talking about." Lis said slowly. She could not have missed the rage that flew through Janet if she had been mind blind. "Janet?"

 

"I can't help you Lis." Janet said sadly. "I have done all I can. You will heal. In time. But... it may take more time than you have. All I can do is hope. And pray. Be well, Lis. If I don't see you on this side of the database, I will on the other. Someday."

 

"Wait..." Lis pleaded as something changed. She was falling.. "Janet?" She begged. "What is happening?"

 

"You are waking." Janet said, her voice abject. "Oh Lis... Don't give in to your anger, Lis. Remember Sara. Remember your love for Sara."

 

"What does that have to do with...?" But Janet was falling. Or flying. Or both.

 

***

 

"Holy Profit!"

 

The voice was familiar. The female executive from before. Vina. The one that the Reverend Mother had sentenced to sterilization. But...she wasn't angry now. Or, she was. But not. More fearful. Terrified. But... not for herself? Lis couldn't move. Couldn't feel. She wasn't afraid. She felt... warm? But... wet.

 

"I found her! We have to get her out of there! Now!" Vina commanded. Something touched Lis. A hand? It...was brushing her face. Brushing things away from her face that crackled. Dried tears? "Doc!" The woman screamed. Another voice came close. Female. Worried.

 

"Executive, we will have to ease her from the machinery." This had to be a female medical professional. "She is... Oh no..." The woman sounded stunned. "No..."

 

"Tell me this isn't what I think it is, doc..." Was Vina begging? "Please?"

 

"I..." The doctor swallowed hard. "I didn't... None of us were allowed down here. His orders..."

 

"Are countermanded." Vina said sternly. "The others?"

 

"Untouched." The doctor said with a swallow. "Just... the one with... her. Ma'am..." She sounded sick to her stomach. "I..." Someone was noisily sick.

 

"Easy, Doc. This is going to be... bad." Vina said softly. Then she snarled. "Guard!" She snapped.

 

"Ma'am?" The voice of what had to be a soldier came from nearby.

 

"Tell the security chief to take Maxwell D-90 into custody." The woman made a noise of pain and regret. "Quietly. Keep it non-lethal and allow him access to representation if he asks. But keep him secure."

 

"Charges?" The guard asked and then swallowed. "Oh..." He sounded stunned now. "I see." His voice turned sick.

 

"Charges are as follows: Violation of Company Policy. Misappropriation of Company resources. Misuse of Company equipment for personal reasons." Vina said quietly. "For starters. There will be others."

 

"Those are capital offenses, Ma'am." The guard said soberly. "Not that I am disagreeing or anything."

 

"He used my authority to do this. Codes I gave him." Vina said, rage singing, but held in check. "I was just... reinstructed in the Corporate Guidelines. We better do this legal. This is my fault. If only I had seen... what he was..." She sighed. "Go, and keep it quiet if you can. Or every female worker on this station will be forming a lynch mob. I... want to do that myself. But... I am held to a higher standard."

 

"You couldn't have known, Executive." The guard said quietly.

 

"Maybe. Go." Vina said sadly as the hand or whatever traced Lis's cheek again. The female Tenno tried to speak, tried to move. She couldn't. "Doc?" She was begging now. "Talk to me."

 

"The brain damage was repaired, Executive. The metal was removed." The doctor sounded weak now. Had she vomited? A medical professional? "But she has been subjected to at least two brainscans. I... I don't see how they could have gotten anything. They were... erratic? Definitely not done by a professional. And this...scarring... Two days... It has been two days... There is... no chance of... No transfers. Not in all that time." She swallowed hard. "This... I..."

 

"I know." Vina said, choking softly. "Is there...any chance of her recovering?" She asked.

 

"The brain can be tricky." The doc said quietly. "But... even if she does recover, Executive... if she remembers what was done to her here... It may drive her mad."

 

What were they talking about? Lis felt...ambivalent. Nothing hurt.

 

"She has a right to her anger, doctor." Vina said quietly. "Let none say otherwise. This is my responsibility. I will see her tended at my own expense." The doctor inhaled sharply and Vina chuckled, a sad sound. "I will use the credits I had set aside for child care. I won't need them for that now."

 

"You have... changed, Executive Vina." The doctor said quietly as soft tugging pulled on Lis. The Tenno struggled against it, but whatever was pulling her was insistent. "Easy, girl..." The doc crooned. "Easy. Let us get them out. Easy, it's okay."

 

"Nearly being executed for being stupid has that effect occasionally." The other woman said sadly. "She is twitching. Is that... good or bad?"

 

"I don't know." The doctor said quietly. "For what it is worth, Executive... I will do what I can. But... You might want to consult people who have dealt with such before."

 

"I need to talk to the Reverend Mother anyway." Vina said darkly. "And yes, I fully intend to grovel."

 

"Ma'am!" The doctor said sharply.

 

"You medics were right, I was wrong." Vina said quietly. "Two days worth of reading the Corporate Guidelines on Procreation were...eye opening. Thank you for being who you are, doctor. Now... if there is anything I can do... please... Money, power, all of that is meaningless to me right now. Next to this poor girl's pain..."

 

"Ma'am..." The doctor sounded upset now. "She is a kid, but..."

 

"She is not a kid." Vina said quietly. "I don't know what she is, but she is not a kid. A kid wouldn't have killed as many of the troops Maxwell D-90 threw away as she did. Be very careful, doctor, but be very gentle. And... only female nurses. Understand?"

 

The pulling was insistent now and Lis tried to get away from it. She couldn't. She... couldn't move.

 

"Yes, Ma'am." The doctor said with a snarl of understanding. Then she sighed. "She is resisting. Clamping down. We will have to sedate her. We get her upstairs and into the ICU and then we can see what is what. Until then?"

 

"Until then, all we can do is minimize the damage." Vina agreed. "And I will get back to what I do best. Running this facility. This was my responsibility and it is time I took responsibility." Lis tried to make a noise and the executive hissed. "Doc?"

 

"She... spoke into the tube. She understands us." The doctor said slowly. "She shouldn't, but she does. She has higher brain function. Somehow." The woman sounded both worried and ecstatic. "We need to do scans. Lots of scans. But first... a sedative. Then we can extract her." Something pricked Lis' arm. It felt... wet and raw. That arm. The hand or whatever it was traced Lis' forehead again.

 

"Lis F-43, if that really is your name..." The woman Vina's voice was heartbroken. "I am sorry. I am so sorry. I will see this made right. If I have to take it all the way to the Chairman, I will see this made right. But sleep now. We will help you. We will... try to undo this... this monstrous violation. Rest now." She said and Lis was floating away on a sea of bliss again.

 

***

 

It was very odd. Someone was singing nearby. Lis didn't know the words, or the tune, but it was pretty. She could hear machinery that she interpreted as medical in nature all around her. She was drifting, barely aware. But then...

 

"Vina, we need to talk." Lis jerked, she knew that voice. It was the angry male from before. The one who had... hurt her. Somehow. A hand she associated with comfort traced her cheek and she relaxed a little. She tried to open her eyes and they wouldn't. She tried to move and couldn't. Fear came, but something soothed it away. Vina... sounded calm, but...

 

"What part of 'stay the hell away from this girl's ICU room' do you not understand, Maxwell D-90?" Vina sounded almost calm. Almost. "Mercedes J-54?"

 

"Yes, Ma'am?" The voice was the one that had been singing. It was younger, fresher. Calmer. But underneath that calm lay rage as strong as Vina's.

 

"He has evaded his minders. Call the guards." Vina said quietly. "Now."

 

"At once, Executive." The other replied. The male voice sputtered.

 

"Vina, we need to talk!" The man protested." I don't know what those crazy Clergy people did to you, but this isn't like you."

 

"They opened my eyes, Maxwell D-90." Vina said with a snarl. For some reason, that sound did not worry Lis. She knew on some level that Vina was protecting her. "Was it my arrogance that decided me to clone an heir or yours?" She demanded and then sighed deeply. "No matter. The Board will have it out of you. And me."

 

"Vina?" The man demanded. "What are you doing? We decided together! It was our choice!"

 

"To violate Company Policy." Vina said heavily. "I know. I have paid and will pay for what we did. So will you. But this... This is all on you." A door hissed and she spoke coolly. "Guards, you are hereby ordered to keep this... thing away from this girl. Use any force necessary short of lethal. A Board of Inquiry is convening and while I would love to hurt him in many ways... I refuse to step on Company Policy again. Once was enough. Until the Board renders its findings, his life is secure. As long as he doesn't do anything too stupid. I almost wish you would, Maxwell D-90."

 

"Vina!" The man screamed and the sounds of a struggle came to Lis ears. His anger...she knew his anger. She tried to recoil, but her body would not obey her. "You can't do this to me!" Lis felt her eyes start to burn. She was... It was...

 

"Now you have done it!" Vina snapped. "You upset her! Guards! Get him out of here and keep him away!"

 

"Yes, Ma'am!" One of the guard replied and the sounds of struggle faded along with the man's cries.

 

"Easy, easy..." The voice was the Mercedes person. Something was stroking Lis' arm now. The flesh felt...wrong. Cold, clammy. "What did the Reverend Mother say?"

 

"She sent some records and a specialist is coming. Apparently one versed in... such trauma. She said... Mainly keep her warm and comforted the best we can for now." Vina said softly as something else brushed Lis' hair gently. "I expected the Reverend Mother to be angry, but she was just sad. Why didn't I listen to you, Mercedes J-54?" Was she crying? It sure sounded like it. "You were right all along and I was... so stupid. He is an arrogant pile of trash. To subvert the automated reproduction systems like that... I..."

 

"You were distracted." The other voice sounded sad. "I tried to keep the place running. I really did. He took off with most of the troops, but I tried."

 

"You did very well." Vina said gently. "Very, very well. I am asking the Board to promote you based on your work during this shameful episode. You put the company first and that is what we need. All of us."

 

"I... shouldn't ask." Mercedes J-54 said slowly. "But... you are...different."

 

"They did not indoctrinate me, Mercedes J-54." Vina said quietly. "They didn't have to. They left a copy of the Guidelines beside my bed. When I woke... I read them. Then reread them. They...don't say what I thought they did. We do not have the right to procreate as we wish. The Company decides what is right and wrong for the Company. Not individuals, no matter how powerful. And.... what I did... was cloning." Mercedes J-54 inhaled sharply and Vina sighed. "The Reverend Mother could have killed me. That would have been well within her rights and duties. She wanted to. You know who saved me?"

 

"Olena..." Lis stilled. Who had spoken? The voice was soft. So tremulous. So scared and hurt. Who...?

 

"Lis F-43!" Vina sounded jubilant for a moment, then scared. The gentle touch was back on her brow. "Easy, easy. Don't push yourself. The doc says you may bounce back. She has no idea how or why but the human brain is resilient. Oh god... please don't remember what that scum did to you. Please..."

 

"Don't...cry..." Lis went totally still. Was that her voice? They were talking to her! And she was replying. But... she wasn't there. Or was she? She felt... off. "Not... your...fault..."

 

"Fault? No." Vina said as something soothed Lis and she was floating again. "But it is my responsibility. That's it, Lis F-43. Sleep. Let your pain and sorrow fade, I will take care of you. Fix this."

 

"Somehow."

 

 

(For the record, I do not, have not and WILL NOT EVER condone non-consensual intercourse of ANY kind. My personal feelings are that ANYONE caught doing so should be neutered on the spot. Preferably without anesthesia.)

 

 

Edited September 22, 2014 by Kalenath

[Raphaello]

I do agree that it will be more than some people can handle. Looking forward to your next post.

That is pretty heavy stuff, for a public forum.

I'd forgotten, despite the conversation, that it would be publicly available. Here I was gearing up for something ... well, worse (more open) I suppose. Masterful how your words dance around the facts without touching any of them.

[Kalenath]

I do agree that it will be more than some people can handle. Looking forward to your next post.

That is pretty heavy stuff, for a public forum.

I'd forgotten, despite the conversation, that it would be publicly available. Here I was gearing up for something ... well, worse (more open) I suppose. Masterful how your words dance around the facts without touching any of them.

 

Maxwell D-90 never actually touched Lis himself. What he did was worse in some ways.

 

But if you think VINA is vengeful, wait until you see what the BOARD will do. He cost the Corpus dearly. They DO NOT take kindly to that.

 

He distracted Vina from her duty and convinced her to violate Company Guidelines. Loss of productivity on the part of a VERY successful executive.

 

He ordered the assault on the Orphanage in response to what happened to Vina. He lost a BUNCH of troops to Lis and Gen H-12. Loss of Company assets.

 

With his blatant abuse of the system, the Clergy MAY have difficulty convincing Corpus women to reproduce now. Can't say I blame them for worrying. Loss of population.

 

Not to mention... he has &!$$ed off EVERY SINGLE female worker who hears about what he did. Which they will. A massive psychological blow to a good chunk of the most productive part of the Corpus workforce. Lost a happy and healthy workforce. MASSIVE loss of productivity.

 

Corpus profits just took a NOSEDIVE. They will recover but...

 

No. The Board will NOT be happy with Maxwell D-90.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Kalenath

[Vahlak]

You said something i hadn't really considered, and this is just tip-toeing around the....stuff that happened, but you mentioned a Chairman.

Which i had never thought about the corpus having.  I think you should explore that possibility, i mean, the most powerful figure of the corpus (barring the clergy) would play a huge roll.

[Temperance000]

Ooooh Kal.  That was a great chapter.  There is almost nothing more satisfying in your stories than seeing an criminal idiot get what's coming to him.

[Kalenath]

You said something i hadn't really considered, and this is just tip-toeing around the....stuff that happened, but you mentioned a Chairman.

Which i had never thought about the corpus having.  I think you should explore that possibility, i mean, the most powerful figure of the corpus (barring the clergy) would play a huge roll.

 

Being chairman of a board simply means a first among equals usually. A spokesperson. Some authority, but not a lot.

 

SHE WILL take this to the Board. No question. They will NOT be happy.

 

Ooooh Kal.  That was a great chapter.  There is almost nothing more satisfying in your stories than seeing an criminal idiot get what's coming to him.

 

Oh, it hasn't happened yet. But soon.

 

As I said in an above post, this guy cost the company PROFITS.

 

BAD idea.

[Temperance000]

Oh, it hasn't happened yet. But soon.

 

As I said in an above post, this guy cost the company PROFITS.

 

BAD idea.

 

 

Soon .

 

*wickedly gleeful giggles*

[Shadow977]

Great...I get distracted by my PS4 for two days and ALL of the possible S#&amp;&#036; goes down during that time.....

 

My typical luck.....

[renleech]

This Maxwell will try to make his will prevail by any means necessary, even if this means alliance with traitors like Alad V. Expect the worst.

[Kalenath]

Great...I get distracted by my PS4 for two days and ALL of the possible S#&$ goes down during that time.....

 

My typical luck.....

 

Not... all...

 

*evil grin*

 

This Maxwell will try to make his will prevail by any means necessary, even if this means alliance with traitors like Alad V. Expect the worst.

 

IF the Board LET him flee. Alad V had FAR more resources than this scum does. Not saying he won't reappear. But...

 

Wait for it...