[Fanfiction] Weapons

[Kalenath]

 

You can find friends in the oddest places

 

Lis felt...wrong in this attire. The suit fit her well, but the boxy helmet that covered her head was...wrong. She wasn't sure why, just that it felt wrong. The kind woman named Mercedes J-54 stood beside the chair that the doctors still wouldn't let Lis out of and was obviously trying not to move or speak. Lis could totally understand that. She was afraid to move herself. Hard to believe it had only been a day since she had woken completely.

 

Five huge holographic heads shone arrayed around the wall screen that dominated one side of the huge office. Much of the office was taken up with desks where clerks of various kinds worked normally. Now? All of them stood idle. No one would dare to ignore these five beings no matter the potential loss in productivity. It wasn't every day that five of the Board Members -the de facto rules of the Corpus-were staring at the same person at the same time.

 

Lis had to smile a little though, glad for the all covering visor over her face. Vina was in her element. Now if the subject matter had only been a little less horrific...

 

"...and in conclusion, honored Board Members." Vina said with a small frown. "What I did was wrong. I violated four different precepts of the Company Guidelines for Procreation. In taking my genetic material and cloning it, I violated the Precept against Cloning. In not bothering to check the surrogate's genetic structure, I violated the Precept of Safety. My oath to protect those who serve the Company under me. The procedure would have killed the underage surrogate if not for heroic intervention on the part of the staff of one of the Company's  Orphanages. I violated the Precept of Family. The Corpus is my family and I ignored that family. I left the duty that I had been entrusted with by the Board, to pursue my madness. For madness it was. And... I violated the Precept of Consent. I did not allow the underage surrogate to understand what I was asking her for or why. These are all bad. But most importantly of all, I cost the company profits."

 

At that, all of the listeners in the room went still. That was... bad. Lis didn't know quite how bad, but it was bad. Vina took a deep breath and nodded to the Board members.

 

"That ends my testimony to this sad episode." Vina said quietly. "Whatever is decided, I serve the Corpus." She bowed her head and took a step back from where she had stood.

 

"Your honesty is appreciated, Executive Vina." The head in the middle said formally. No names had been given. He was referred to as 'Chairman' an acknowledged leader of the board of inquiry. "Your own adherence to Company Guidelines has, until this shameful episode, been exemplary." Vina nodded, but did not speak. The head looked to one side and then the other. "What says the Review Board?" Lis went still as lights appeared under each head. She had been warned. Green was good. Red was bad. One red light glistened. Two green, two yellow. Neutral? The head spoke again. "Frohd Bek?" It asked the one who had flashed red. "You disagree?"

 

"You are different, Vina." The voice of Frohd Bek said quietly but with force. "What did the Clergy do to you?"

 

"They took my reproductive organs and left me a copy of the Guidelines." Vina said quietly but firmly. "No more. I spent my recovery time reading. I had...forgotten." Shame sang in her voice now. "The end justifies the means. Profit numbs the feeling, but we do have feelings. We are human. I erred. I was punished."

 

"But that!" Bek pressed. "That was too far!"

 

"Too far?" Vina asked, to all appearances stunned. "Legally, the Clergy could have executed me for what I did. Legally, they should have executed me for what I did. But the girl I hurt gave me another chance. I intend to take it if the Board allows. To attempt to recoup the profits lost while I was...distracted."

 

Bek seemed about to say something else, but then he subsided and the light under him turned yellow. The Chairman turned back to Vina and nodded slowly.

 

"Executive Vina, due to outstanding service to the Company, it is the will of the Board that your transgressions be forgiven. Not forgotten, but forgiven. However, the loss of company profits must be redeemed." He said sternly. Vina nodded. "Your thoughts?"

 

"My people are already working as hard or harder than they are physically capable of. I have had to slow some of them down to keep them from harm." Vina said calmly. "But I personally will contribute of my own earnings to recoup some of the Company's loss in this. I figure ten years at half pay will do." At that, all five of the Board actually looked shocked, but Vina wasn't done. "Board Members... the other matter has bearing on this as well."

 

"Indeed." The leader of the inquiry actually looked as if he wanted to spit. "You gave your codes to Maxwell D-90. He abused the powers you granted him, subverted company equipment for his own use. This is not in question."

 

"He was a good employee." Vina said with a nod. "But if he remains here, one of my other employees will take matters into his or her own hands eventually. I would rather not lose a good employee." She said dryly. "If you could reassign him somewhere that he can serve the Company, that would solve a number of problems. He is an excellent tech when not distracted."

 

"He will be punished." The central holo said repressively. "Misappropriation of Company resources, refusing to follow the Guidelines, reprogramming the Automated Reproduction Center to torture someone,..." Lis couldn't help it, she twitched. Nothing hurt. But the ache inside refused to go away. It was psychological, the docs promised her it would fade in time. She hoped that time would come soon. She... still didn't remember what happened. She was glad of that. "And before  that... that idiotic assault..." He shook his head.

 

"He is an excellent tech." Vina said softly. "A military tactician, he is not. He cost the Company ninety three MOAs of various kinds, sixteen Ospreys and forty seven soldiers killed as well as thirty three with non-lethal injuries. Not counting the fuel and munitions expended and the medical care for the injured." She bowed her head. "The proxies can be replaced easily. The munitions and fuel likewise. The lost and damaged lives cannot. The Company is lessened by their loss. He must pay, but... not with his life. If he dies, that is short term profit."

 

"You have long term profit in mind?" The Chairman looked thoughtful and Vina nodded. "Speak."

 

"I recommend he be restrained and his wages be garnished by 75% for the remainder of his life." Vina said with a frown. All five holos stared at her and she shrugged. "A drastic step, but with such losses... For this quarter we are in the red, this facility. That will change. But we have taken a loss. Part due to me, part due to him. I was distracted. He is. I recommend the same for him as was done for me. As well as any means necessary to keep him focused on his work. Not his...perversions."

 

"Is this vengeance for the one he hurt?" All of the holos turned to look at Lis who remained still.

 

"No, Chairman." Vina said quietly and all eyes turned back to her. "I will not say that the thought does not appeal to me and to every female worker on this station. Especially those of us who found her. But... It is in the Company's best interest. He is an excellent tech. His scores were always 'Excellent' or above when he was focused on his work. I erred in taking him from his work. He was not ready for the power I granted him and that is my responsibility. That is why I assumed the care for the one he hurt. Not vengeance. Vengeance is unprofitable."

 

"There have been some who have questioned your ability to operate on the level you do, Executive Vina." The Chairman said quietly. "I for one do not. I find your dedication refreshing."

 

"I doubt anything will stop the rumors from flying, Chairman." Vina said with a small frown. "But all I can do is keep making profits for the company. I will not be distracted again." She shook her head. "Please get Maxwell D-90 off the station before he gets lynched. Cleaning up the mess would cut our productivity."

 

"We don't want that." The Chairman actually smiled. It was a grim smile, but a smile. "He will be gone within the hour. We will find something for him to do. Far from your station. Once he recovers and is properly restrained." Vina bowed from the neck and four of the five holos winked out.

 

"Vina." Frohd Bek looked...worried. "Are you okay?"

 

"Okay? No." Vina said sharply. "I am angry beyond belief. Mainly at myself, but also at you." She snapped and Bek recoiled a little. "Why did you let me go that far?" She demanded. "You could have stopped me any time! Any time at all!"

 

"Your operation shows profit." Bek said mildly. "Not as much currently, but it does. That is worth a few... foibles."

 

"Foibles?" Vina demanded. "I cloned myself! That is more than a foible!" She shook herself. "What do you want?" She said, visibly calming herself.

 

"The records we have recovered from the orphanage show your...guest as the guard for a young girl." Bek said with a nod. "That girl is of considerable interest to many parties." Lis quailed, but...

 

"The mother is probably dead." Vina said firmly. Bek stared at her. "The girl? She is dying." Bek shook his head but Vina continued. "We couldn't get anything from the brainscans that Maxwell D-90 did. He was no med tech. So I asked for some help. It was given. The Clergy had some information, not a lot.  Amelia Priosa disappeared. She was apparently killed by the Tenno and Sara Priosa is dying of genetic deterioration. I assume you saw the records the med techs forwarded." Bek nodded. "What I wanted was insane, but that... Bek...if the Main Board hears what you did...Cloning is bad enough. Cloning a Tenno?" Vina shook her head. "As bad as Alad V's betrayal was... this could tear the Company apart. Don't push it. Please." She begged.

 

"We need access to the Orokin towers." Bek said in a quiet voice. "The Grineer have managed access, Vina." The female executive went still and Bek continued. "Almost all of our research went up in smoke when that insane Tenno tore the research facility apart. We will keep working to access the old ways."

 

"My focus is and will be this mining facility and only this mining facility. We have personnel to recruit and train, lives to repair, productivity to reestablish." Vina said sharply. "This is all I can manage right now. Your business is your business, Frohd Bek. But please don't harm the Company. Please?" She begged. He stared at her and then the holo vanished. She slumped. "Dang..."

 

"Vina?" Lis managed to speak after a moment. It was still not easy for her. "Not your fault."

 

"Not totally. Partially, but not totally." Vina said with a sigh as she turned to smile at Lis. "How you doing?"

 

"Better." Lis admitted. "Hurts occasionally, but better. Not your fault. You wanted...a little girl."

 

"I did." Vina said with a sigh. "And my madness took any chance of a girl from my body existing." She shrugged. "You paid for my madness." She paused as Lis shook her head savagely. "Lis F-43..." Vina warned. "Not too hard." She cautioned as Mercedes J-54 undid the helmet. Vina produced a tissue and wiped Lis' face. It came away bloody. "Oh Lis F-43..." Vina shook her head sadly. "This has stressed you too far. Back to bed with you."

 

"My dreams are strange." Lis complained as the other woman moved behind her to take control of the chair. "I don't like my dreams."

 

"We will do what we can." Vina said quietly. "The Orphanage used a somatic unit. That should help a bit according to the Clergy now that we have it modulated properly. With your memory returning... I don't doubt that your dreams will be... bad." She said with a shudder.

 

"Need to find Sara." Lis protested. "My... my duty..."

 

"I know." Vina said sadly. "Bek's madness aside, that girl is hurt. The Company hurt her. She won't trust us and frankly..." Vina shrugged as she walked beside Lis' chair. "I don't blame her." Lis looked at her and Vina scowled. "What was done to her mother, what was done to her... I don't know all of the particulars and I am glad. Amelia Priosa, alive or dead, is out of our reach and I sincerely hope she stays there. Bek sees the Grineer growing stronger and seeks any advantage against them. But that way? That way only lies darkness and madness. Those Orokin towers were sealed away for a reason." Lis shivered a little and Vina laid a hand on her shoulder. "Easy."

 

The chair made it's way through the office to Vina's living quarters. Within, the specialist that the Reverend Mother had sent stood ready. She wore a Corpus med tech's uniform, but she was no normal med tech. Her posture said 'predator'.

 

"She is bleeding from her nose again, Sister Harriet." Vina said before anyone else could. "I wish I could have kept you with her, but the Board demanded she be there if they had questions. They didn't."

 

"We don't want to push them any further than they have been by this shameful episode. My visible presence would stress things unnecessarily. Mercedes J-54 is an excellent nurse, even untrained." The other said quietly as she knelt in front of Lis' chair. "Lis F-43? Any pain?"

 

"No." Lis kept her head still as the woman garbed as a med tech shone a light in each of her eyes. Then she looked in the girl's ears. Then she ran a small device across Lis' face. "Tired but no pain."

 

"All right." The not-really-a-medic said calmly. "Back to bed. You should be up for more therapy tomorrow. But carefully." Lis was too tired to argue as three sets of gentle hands helped her to the bed and Mercedes J-54 started singing again as Harriet reconnected the IV lines. Mercedes had... such...a beautiful...

 

***

 

Lis was suffocating. She felt pain, awful tearing pain. Again and again and again... She screamed, but no sound came. She tried to writhe away from the pain, but she couldn't move. She tried to...

 

"Lis F-43!" The voice of the medic Harriet came to her ears. "Wake up!"

 

Lis jerked. She was in the bed she had been given. Her arms were unfettered. Her head was lolling. Her cheek stung. Had Harriet slapped her? The nurse stood nearby, not quite over her. The woman's face was intent with fear and worry.

 

"Did I... hurt anybody?" Lis begged.

 

"No." Harriet said quietly. "Vina wanted to try and wake you, but we kept her away. Good thing." She held up a long metal rod. Some kind of extendable baton? It was bent. "You hit hard." She said dryly.

 

"I am sorry." Lis said, abject. She was stunned when Harriet sat on the bed next to her. "No..." She tried to shy away, but the medic held her close as Lis started to sob.  "Why? Why did they do that to me?"

 

"One man's rage, Lis F-43." Harriet said as she held Lis gently. "One man's madness. The machinery didn't know any better. It didn't know -or care- if you consented once he gave it the override codes. There was no way for you to fight that. Not as injured as you were. And by the time your brain injury started to heal? The worst violation was done. At least he had the sense not to connect everything. No chance of pregnancy. He will pay for what he did." Harriet said as she soothed the crying Tenno. "These memories won't ever go away." Lis stared at the medic and saw an echo of her own pain and fear in Harriet's eyes. "But you can learn to cope. You are strong, stronger than me. You will get better."

 

"Don't let me hurt anyone!" Lis begged as she sobbed into Harriet's arms.

 

"I won't." The Clergy agent promised. "I know where you are. I have been there. But you can and will get better."

 

"I am scared." Lis said softly. "If... I hurt someone in the grip of my nightmares..."

 

"That is why I am here." Harriet said gently. "I don't know what you were before. Who you served. I don't care. I know what you are going through and I know how to handle it. We will get you past this, faster than you might think. I promise." Lis sank back into slumber dazed but comforted.

 

***

 

They... had. It hadn't been easy. But less than a week after her initial horrifying nightmare of memory, Lis was standing in Vina's office, waiting for the Executive to have time to speak to her. Harriet had the soul of a drill sergeant. The woman brooked no insubordination, but she was also a rock of kindness in an unkind universe. Kindness Lis had needed more than once. But now? The damage had been fixed as best they could. Which was pretty darn good. Lis was chafing. She had to go. Find Sara. Lis straightened to a reasonable facsimile of attention as Vina finished her work and looked up. The executive smiled but it was melancholy.

 

"Lis F-43." Vina said quietly. "Is it time?"

 

"You have been more than kind." Lis said quietly. "More than fair. Far more than I expected a Company employee to be."

 

"We hurt you." Vina said quietly. "And we tore you from the one you were sworn to protect. Your injuries have been tended. Your nightmares?"

 

"I am coping." Lis said with a nod. "They will never go away, I fear. But I can handle them. I must do my duty, Executive Vina."

 

"I know." Vina said quietly as she rose. "Two things." She said as she stepped to the side. "One, you have no weapons or armor. You have refused every time we have offered, so... I offer this..." She pulled a hidden door open and a sleek golden item was shone inside. Lis inhaled sharply as she saw the Lex Prime pistol sitting in the tiny safe. "This has been a treasure of my family for a long, long time. For many, many centuries it sat in a vault, gathering dust. I had it tested. It still works. I would be honored if a true soldier would bear it again. You may scan it. There are no trackers or listening devices."

 

"I believe you, Executive Vina." Lis said as the other woman held the pistol out to Lis handle first. She took it reverently, noting it was unkeyed. Open to her use. "This is... a priceless gift, Executive. I... I shouldn't..."

 

"I am stuck here behind walls, troops and paperwork. I have no need for firearms." Vina said with a kind smile that faded. "You will have to walk in dark places to find the girl. Finding her will be hard. But you will."

 

"I am honored by your trust." Lis said as she checked the weapon. It hummed in readiness in her hand, keying to her genetics. Fully loaded and now? Only she could use it. She slid it into a large pocket, accessible but hidden from view.

 

"Well, I am honored by the fact you haven't torn my head off for what you suffered." Vina said softly. "I would have in your place. But you are a better woman than I am."

 

"Different, maybe." Lis said as Vina stepped close. Lis wasn't really a huggy type person, but she let Vina embrace her. It felt... good. The woman really did care. She had changed after her near brush with madness induced mortality. Vina had been as much assistance in Lis' recovery as Harriet had been. Maybe more so. Lis kind of hoped Mercedes J-54 and Vina would let go the pretense and move in together soon. They deserved it. "Not better. And the second thing?"

 

"A memento." Vina said with an evil smile as she stepped back to her desk and opened a drawer. "You can't take them with you, but you should see them. They arrived this morning and will be displayed prominently as a warning that some violations will never be permitted in any facility I run." Lis eyes went huge as a silver plate came out of a drawer. A tiny stasis field shone over it. It would keep the... bits preserved as long as the power held. "He will hurt no more women. I was told they used no anesthesia. It is not much." Lis matched the Executive's feral smile with her own.

 

"It's enough."

 

Edited September 23, 2014 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

Umm....okay.  Kal, have you ever read Wizard's First Rule?

[Shadow977]

Maxwell truly got what was coming to him.

[Kalenath]

Umm....okay.  Kal, have you ever read Wizard's First Rule?

 

About 15 years ago, yes.

 

Which point of the book are you alluding to?

 

'People are stupid'?

Edited September 23, 2014 by Kalenath

[Kalenath]

 

Scrambling

 

This was insane. Lis hadn't expected it to be easy to get out of Corpus controlled space, but this... she shook her head at the nine people following her through the crowd and sighed as she sat at a small outdoor table. The tiny cafe was packed, but she had a small table to herself. For now. It likely wouldn't last.

 

This tiny outpost wasn't run by the Corpus. It was financed by them, so the Corpus had a presence. A shrine, a temple and other presences were obviously Corpus, but there was no executive in charge. Instead, a council of workers divvied up the profits from the small ore extraction and processing facility and shared them out equally to all personnel. By all accounts, it worked fairly well. Lis wasn't sure if it would continue to work, but with less than three hundred workers? It seemed to work for them. With the tiny facility being productive, most reasonably sane members of the Corpus Board would leave the place alone as long as it didn't draw attention. The problem?

 

Lis had drawn the attention of the Board.

 

She had no idea how many of the rulers of the Corpus or the executives who served them were focused on her now. It didn't really matter. Anything she did, anything she said, or anyone she interacted with would be immediately suspect. She hadn't even dared to contact the Lotus, since her mind had been so easy read by the supervisor of an Orphanage for goodness sakes. While Vina and the others had been quite open about things, Lis didn't doubt that she had blurted things while sedated, or let things slip in the grip of her fevers or nightmares that she shouldn't have. So... The Corpus likely knew who she was. The Reverend Mother had known who she was, so why hadn't the Clergywoman arrested her on the spot? Or Sara? This made no sense at all to Lis. She really didn't have enough information. She needed more. She hadn't been prepared for this, coming from stasis, fleeing hurt to an Orokin tower, then being enslaved by the tower and then... She shook her head. If people were reading her mind, she was giving away things just by remembering. She had to focus. She had to...

 

"Your caf, Ma'am." Lis looked up to see a woman dressed as worker set a cup down in front of her. She hadn't ordered anything. Had she?

 

"Sorry." Lis grunted. "Long day. How much?" She scrutinized the girl. Young, but not that young. Pretty, but not beautiful. She looked... tired and hungry. Easy to coerce into something.

 

"Fifty." The woman said with a nod, waiting as Lis fished the credits out of the pouch of them that she hadn't even tried to argue Mercedes J-54 out of giving her. She hadn't bothered to count them. It was a lot. Lis found a fifty cred stick and handed it to the girl who smiled and nodded. "Enjoy your caf."

 

Problem was... Lis hadn't ordered caf! She shook her head slowly, staring at the cup and then around the area slowly. Several faces were carefully not looking at her. She went still as a painfully nondescript human male leaned over toward her from another table. The men at the table were eyeing her as most single males might, but...they were not miners. They looked like miners, smelled like them. But they were not. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

 

"You drink that, you won't wake up." The man said in a tone that wouldn't go past her ears.

 

"Figured." Lis replied the same. She shoved the cup away with a sigh. "Not thirsty anyway. Besides, that girl looked like she could use a meal or two. Fifty won't buy much. But more than starvation."

 

"You have confused a lot of people, Ma'am." The man said with a small smile. "I couldn't have done better myself."

 

"Wasn't intentional." Lis said, a note of surly entering her voice. "You got a reason for bothering me?"

 

"Well..." The man shrugged. "In about ten minutes, the various goons will work up their nerve to snatch you. They will fight each other and you. Doesn't really matter which group gets you, none of them will be gentle about wringing you out. Vina protected you while you were in her holding. Outside of it?"

 

"I know." Lis said, her hand moving toward the pocket where her pistol sat ready. "She changed a bit."

 

"Being neutered will do to a person." The man said with a small smile of satisfaction. Lis frowned and he shrugged. "I deal with all kinds, Ma'am. She was a $#*(@. Maybe she will change. Maybe she won't. Not my problem. Or yours right now."

 

"I assume there is a point here?" Lis said as her hand touched her pistol. "Besides insulting someone who paid for her crimes?" A touch of ice sounded and the man shrugged.

 

"Well, let's just say I am not always in favor of... um... helping the Board out of the various messes they get themselves into." The man said with a wide leer that was totally out of place with his words. Lis eyes narrowed. "By all accounts, you are very good. But a firefight here..." He nodded a small circle and Lis glanced from side to side. Civilians crowded the area. All seemingly oblivious to the conversation and the several sets of eyes that hung on Lis from various places. "Ticking these people off won't do the Corpus any good. But the goons don't care. They have their orders and their masters don't like to be denied."

 

"I would rather not start a firefight either." Lis said with a tiny shrug. "But if I let them take me, I die. No thanks."

 

"Fair enough." The man agreed. "Want some help?"

 

"Now why would I trust some man off the street in a mining outpost?" Lis asked sourly. One of the watchers took a step forward and froze as her eyes landed on him. He retreated. Then she looked at the others. "Who do you work for?"

 

"You really think I am going to tell you that?" The man asked with a tiny smile that Lis matched after a moment.

 

"No." Lis admitted. "So I go with them and they tear my mind apart or I go with you and you tear my mind apart?" She sighed. "I am screwed either way."

 

"Maybe." The man said with a snort. "Then again... Let's just say you have some... odd and powerful friends." Lis went still. "Time's up." She froze as the watcher from before started towards her, his hand dipping into a pocket. Other forms were moving as well, all closing in. They... were watching each other as much as her. What the hell? "You might want to duck now." He said in a conversational tone.

 

Lis watched, stunned as the man was yanked back to the table by one of his companions. He threw a punch at the other that had that one rocking right out of his chair and into another table. He got up but... the men at that table all grabbed at him and he swung at them. Suddenly it was a fight.

 

"Oops!" The man shouted as the entire room seemed to rise, most of the men brandishing fists and reaching for weapons. "Ah to hell with it! I have wanted a fight all day!" He shouted as he flung himself into a large table full of large men. He... was not large. It didn't matter. His four companions each went different directions and all were struggling against small knots of locals on seconds.

 

Lis stared for a bare moment as the entire cafe erupted in dozen small fights. All of the ones who had been closing in on her were embroiled. All of the small group who had been in the nearby table seemed to be.. having fun? The locals, for all their bravado...were going down. No one had drawn a firearm and most of the participants were...smiling? Enjoying the brawl? Well, not all of them. The ones who had been watching her were trying to get to her, but kept getting caught up in the fights. The Tenno did not waste her sudden good fortune. She slid under the table and darted for another table, staying away from the fighting that was all around her. There was no way for anyone to keep track of her in such a situation and she threw out her mind desperately.

 

Lotus! She cried out in her head and the response was immediate.

 

Tenno Lis. The Lotus' voice was calm, but a sense of worry and urgency came through loud and clear. Side door. Now! Follow the street to the docks. You will be contacted. Go.

 

Tell me Sara is okay! Lis begged, but the other was gone. Lis wasted no time, she ran towards the door. She paused at it as someone else jerked it open.

 

"What the hell?" A male voice demanded. "You! Girl! Did she drink it?"

 

"I don't know!" It was the girl who had brought Lis the drink. She stood just outside the door, her posture terrified. "She paid me for it. I left like you told me to. Then the whole room went nuts."

 

"This is not good." The male voice snapped. "Sorry kid, no witnesses..." The girl gave a shrill cry, but Lis was in motion. She slammed into the barely visible man as he drew something from a pocket and, with a supple twist, tore the tiny weapon from his grasp. Something of his went snap as she did. She threw the weapon away and he went for another weapon with his other hand. She was in a hurry. Instead of simply dislocating it, she broke his arm. He gave an animal squeal of pain as he went down in a heap.

 

"Run." Lis told the girl who stared at her, slackjawed. "Now." The girl needed no further urging, she took to her heels. "Really... killing patsies is just so... gauche." She shook her head and kicked the man's head hard before he could speak. He slumped, unconscious or dead, it made no difference. "You better pray we never meet again. And you better pray Vina never hears about this." She said to the recorders who had to be listening.

 

Then she ran.

 

***

 

She made it to the docks with no difficulty. She saw no other tails. She had checked her gear, but there was no sign of anything extra. The pistol she had stripped and checked, but there were no trackers or bugs as Vina had promised. The small bag of money, likewise. Her clothes had no hidden secrets that she could discover. So...

 

"Stop." The voice was calm, confident. Lis went still in mid motion as a shadow unfolded from a ship nearby. The man...wore a nondescript jumpsuit and his face was covered by a hood of some kind. He seemed unarmed. "There are four weapons on you. You are good. That good?"

 

"Are you my contact?" Lis asked quietly, her hand on her pistol. She could see... She paused. Six shadows. All had long things in hand pointed at her. "No. You are not. Corpus?"

 

"Maybe." The man said quietly. His lack of fear and lack of obvious weapons worried Lis. Trap. It had to be. And if he was this confident, he was prepared for her. Or... he thought he was. She could see the shadows moving a little. Eager? Or nervous? She looked around and then up.

 

"Nice." Lis said as she scrutinized the electrified net that hung suspended over the area between two ships. She wasn't quite under it. She took a step back, just in case. "What now?" She asked the man who had accosted her who looked sour.

 

Was it her imagination that one of the shadows suddenly jerked and was... what the hell? That wasn't the same shadow! The first had been male and stocky, holding a short stubby rifle. This one was lithe and female, holding a long sniper rifle! Lis did not move, but she could see other shadows being... replaced. No noise. Whoever was doing this, they were professionals.

 

"We would get paid more for 'undamaged'." The man said with a sigh as his hand dipped and an Acrid pistol came up. "But we get paid either way."

 

"Will you?" A voice Lis recognized sounded and she went still as the small man from the cafe strolled into view. He acted as if he hadn't a care in the world. Suddenly the one who had stopped her looked a lot less confident. "Ah, Macky... Still doing Bek's wetwork?"

 

"This isn't your concern." The man with the Acrid said softly, his eyes not moving from the seemingly unarmed newcomer. "Stay out of it, Horatius."

 

"Funny." The other said as he stretched. A bruise shone on his face, but he didn't seem impaired at all. "I work for the Company. Not just that idiot. You have no idea what you are doing, Macky. One chance. Back off. Now." Command bit in his tone.

 

"I can't do that, Horatius." The one called Macky said quietly.

 

"Yeah." The one called Horatius strode towards the other, his hands at his sides. "Yeah, he owns you body and soul now, doesn't he?" Sadness sang in the man's tone, there and gone. "Should have kicked that habit when you were tossed out. We all told you it would slow you down."

 

"I have to take her." The man swung his Acrid to aim at Lis, but... A smoking hole appeared on his chest and he stared down at it. A blue bolt of energy had come from the side. A silent blue bolt. "No... I..." He tried to speak as he collapsed.

 

"Sorry Macky." The other said quietly. "Can't let you do that." A small pistol was in his hand now. The other was trying to raise his Acrid, but the pistol in the standing man's hand jumped. Lis stared. It made no noise! The one called Macky fell, suddenly and completely still. The standing man jerked his head to Lis. "I am your contact. Third ship down on the left. Passphrase is 'Long Way Home'. Go." He knelt beside the still man, his pistol vanishing.

 

"Who are you?" Lis demanded, not daring to move. For a long moment, the man did not look at her and when he did, his eyes were bleak.

 

"Gen H-12 didn't say who or what you are, just that you needed help. We are trained not to make wild assed guesses." The man said quietly as he dropped something small on the body at his feet and rose. "The Clergy sent us some orders to 'assist you'. Which we would have done anyway. Not every day a legend asks for assistance for someone else and dies. Ticking the Board off is just icing on the cake. All in a day's work for us."

 

"Corpus Special Forces..." Lis said, feeling faint. The man shrugged.

 

"Can neither confirm nor deny, Ma'am." The man said with a small, sad smile that was so like Gen H-12's had been. "This never happened and we were never here." He nodded as the body of the one he called Macky suddenly flared and vanished. "Go."

 

"No one was here." Lis agreed firmly. "But... for what it is worth? She was a good woman. A good soldier. She took a bunch of them with her. They won't forget her anytime soon." The man inclined his head to her, and then... he was gone. She looked around and the other forms were gone. No bodies, no nothing! She looked up and the net was gone! No traces at all. Professionals. She shook her head, knowing she was under observation, but... comforted by that for some odd reason. "One less Black Ops bully boy and goon squad for Bek to misuse. Thank you."

 

There was no reply.

 

***

 

Three ships down, Lis stopped. There was no one outside the small transport. It was Corpus in design, but ubiquitous. Pretty much a standard small transport. Even the Grineer used them occasionally. Not very often, but occasionally. Lis stopped at the entrance to the ship and spoke.

 

"I was sent." She said slowly and clearly. She couldn't see anyone or anything, but her hackles were rising. Danger. "I was told the passphrase is 'Long Way Home'."

 

"How the hell did they know that?" A harsh male voice sounded from inside. "Get in! Now." Lis stepped forward and was only slightly surprised when she was suddenly frozen in place, her limbs held in place by some kind of energy projector. "Don't try to move." The voice resolved into a human wearing combat armor. It was dyed red. The red and black rifle he held on her was well maintained. "Weapons?"

 

"Pistol, right pants pocket." Lis said quietly. "Sara?"

 

"What is Sara's sister's name?" The man demanded as hands that Lis could not see removed the Lex Prime pistol from her pocket. A whistle of awe came from somewhere. "And where did you get that?" The man sounded shaken now. A rumble was felt more than heard. The ship had taken off.

 

"It was a gift." Lis said quietly. "And if they did brainscan me, then they got Sara's sister's name. And a lot more."

 

"What is Sara's sister's name?" The man pressed.

 

"Which one?" Lis retorted. "Sheila, Sierra or Mishka?"

 

"Lis!" A familiar voice sent a stab of pain through Lis as Sara barreled her way into view. "Lis!" She was crying.

 

"Sara, stay back!" Lis commanded and the girl froze halfway to her. A woman in red grabbed Sara and pulled her back. "I don't know what all they did to me. I hope you people can find out."

 

"We can." The man said quietly. "It won't be fun."

 

"Can't be as bad as what I just went through." Lis said with a sigh. But she smiled as Sara cursed, trying to free herself from the woman's arms. "Sara... calm down. I am okay."

 

"It will be okay."

 

Edited September 24, 2014 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

About 15 years ago, yes.

 

Which point of the book are you alluding to?

 

'People are stupid'?

 

Well, that too.

 

I was think more the bit where Khalan used her Confessor's power on Denim Nass.  The guy was a murdering pedophile.  Suffice it to say...poetic justice, of the most grisly kind.

 

Also, nice chapter.  Good to see the Red Veil getting a bit of page time.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Temperance000

[Kalenath]

Well, that too.

 

I was think more the bit where Khalan used her Confessor's power on Denim Nass.  The guy was a murdering pedophile.  Suffice it to say...poetic justice, of the most grisly kind.

 

Ah, yes. That.

 

Indeed. Poetic justice. I have read various forms of that kind of justice in several books. Not... nice. But very appropriate.

[Shadow977]

I was expecting you to include Red Veil sooner or later. Nice job as usual Kal.

[renleech]

After reading, i must say: Red veil doesn't look trustworthy...

Paranoia is a lifestyle.

[Kalenath]

After reading, i must say: Red veil doesn't look trustworthy...

Paranoia is a lifestyle.

 

Is ANYBODY when Black Ops are involved?

 

Paranoia is a SURVIVAL SKILL!

[Shadow977]

Is ANYBODY when Black Ops are involved?

 

Paranoia is a SURVIVAL SKILL!

As a paranoid person myself i have to agree.

[evafan002]

hmm it seems i have missed quite a bit.... this is.. displeasing to me.....as for the SCUM known as maxwell d90 i feel he should have been turned into a human sewage tank... but then that would be disrespectful to the fecal matter involved...

[Kalenath]

hmm it seems i have missed quite a bit.... this is.. displeasing to me.....as for the SCUM known as maxwell d90 i feel he should have been turned into a human sewage tank... but then that would be disrespectful to the fecal matter involved...

 

Oh,the Board will use him for something nasty, no question. Not kill him. Loss of potential profit (since ALL of his earnings will be garnished for the rest of his life). But use him? Oh sure.

 

Probably to fix cameras after Tenno assaults. Or maybe to repair MOAs after the same. With time limits and penalties for missing even a SINGLE broken MOA or Osprey.

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Traps

 

Lis felt... good. The Red Veil medics were true to their team leader's word. It hadn't been pleasant, but Lis was free of any trackers or other unwanted hitchhikers. Her mind was her own. Sara lay snuggled against her, the girl's breathing soft and unhurried. She sighed as she brushed Sara's hair gently. The Red Veil didn't quite know what to do with Sara and Lis could relate. The girl was a handful. But now? Sara was asleep finally and with the somatic unit buzzing at her ear, she would stay that way. Lis... needed to get things done. She eased Sara off of her and covered the girl with the thin blanket that was all the bunk had. Not a lot of frills on a Corpus transport. She nodded to the operative at the door.

 

"I need to speak to your cell leader." Lis said quietly. "She will sleep for a while. Has she been giving you trouble?"

 

"Not so much trouble as insistent." The woman said with a shrug. "She has been a bit... insistent."

 

"One word for it I bet." Lis said with a snort the other shared. "You stay with her?"

 

"My little girl would have been about her age." The guerilla woman said quietly. Lis froze and the woman shrugged. "Lots of stories. Most bad."

 

"Corpus or Grineer?" Lis asked, then shook her head. "Ah. Not my business, sorry."

 

"From what we scanned on you." The woman said quietly. "You understand what the Corpus do."

 

"It was one man's madness and need for vengeance." Lis said with a sigh as she moved to the door and the red armored woman moved to sit by Sara. "But... yes." She paused. "You were Corpus." It wasn't a question.

 

"That is why I am here." The other replied. "I... don't remember the automated reproduction facility. I woke up, after and things were different. The medics were kind, gentle. My little girl grew in a pod while I worked to provide for her and myself. Then she was there and... She was beautiful." She said with a small sob. Lis shook her head and the woman sighed. "It...really wasn't anyone's fault but the Grineer's. The facility was attacked. We ran. I got away. My daughter..."

 

"Didn't." Lis said, bowing her head. "You have my sympathy."

 

"I make them hurt. All of them." The Red Veil operative said with a savage smile. "The Corpus wrote us off when our transport was disabled. They left us to die as unprofitable. The Red Veil... didn't. I am the only survivor from that facility, but I signed up as soon as I was asked. I patch people up and get to kill Grineer. It's enough."

 

"Beware vengeance." Lis said quietly. The other stared at her. "What you do is needed, but beware. You have a right to anger. I do as well. I am angry. So angry at what was done to me. But then I see Sara, remember her love. Remember your girl, Ma'am. Do not rush headlong to meet her in whatever life lies after this one. You and your compatriots are needed."

 

"My daughter doesn't need me anymore." The other woman wasn't arguing. Simply stating fact. "This is what I am. What I do. But... For just a moment, I can pretend... that your Sara is my Diane." She brushed Sara's cheek gently and Sara murmured in her sleep. "It helps. It has helped since she came aboard, all anger and fear. It took a while and more than a few bruises to calm her down. She is a good kid."

 

"Thank you." Lis said with firm gentleness. "If she had lost it... I... I don't know what I would have done. I do know I do not want to go and tell her mom I lost her. Either to enemies or to her own inner demons."

 

"From what various people have said..." The Red Veil woman said with a snort of her own. "I don't want this Serene person mad at me either. Did she really trash a Corpus facility all by herself?" Lis shrugged. "Never mind. Sara is safe, you need to talk to Four." No names. If one had to identify him or herself, they used numbers. Lis understood. Security kept these people alive.

 

Lis strode from the room and nodded to the guard nearby. He did not speak, did not lower his Latron Wraith rifle from firing position. She approved actually. Such vigilance was needed.

 

"I need to talk to Four." Lis said without moving. A tiny head jerk to one side and Lis started off, her minder following her weapon ready. He was too close, actually and she sighed. "Might want to back off a step or two. You are too close. At this range? If I want you dead, you are." The man jerked, but retreated.

 

Lis tried not to sigh. These Red Veil were... She was being harsh. They were not professionals like whoever the hell had taken out that black ops team, but obviously they were good at what they did or they wouldn't still be alive. And they were well motivated. That could be either good or bad. Good in that they would do whatever it took. Bad in that they might do more because they could. She had seen both in Tenno in the past.

 

She shook herself. The past was past. Now she had to face the future. Namely getting Sara home to her mom and healing. Nothing else mattered. A door in front of her hissed open and Lis walked in to find the male who had accosted her at the ship hatch poring over a series of dataslates muttering.

 

"Problem?" Lis asked calmly as she took up station by the door. The operative guarding her moved to one wall.

 

"Maybe." The man didn't sound any happier now that his medics had vetted Lis. "Been trying to figure out how those guys got our passphrase. If our protocols are that easy to crack..." He trailed off and shrugged.

 

"Whoever my contact was..." Lis offered. "He was a professional. Crisp, clean. No wasted effort. No wasted movement. That black ops team never knew what killed them."

 

"Yeah, that colony was suddenly crawling with people who tried to act like locals and failed miserably." The cell leader agreed. "Did he say or do anything else?"

 

"Started a bar fight to distract the people tailing me." Lis said with a shrug. The other stared at her and she cracked a smile. "Not... a normal way of dispensing with tails I take it?"

 

"Not that I know of. We usually just make them disappear." The man said with a sigh. "Then again, I am only responsible for this cell. Less than ten people." He didn't say how many, Lis noticed. She had seen four? Five? Not her business. "Problem is... you drew a lot of attention."

 

"Yeah." Lis agreed sourly. "Not my intention. But I did. Can I help?"

 

"You have." The Red Veil reassured her. "While you were checked, we took samples. Then we reprogrammed supply drones that took samples of your DNA, traces of your hair and skin to a lot of other ships." Lis smiled evilly and the man did the same. "They dropped them off in easy to reach places and self destructed."

 

"Oh, those poor Black Ops scum. Having to search each and every ship in that port. My heart bleeds." There had been fifty ships that Lis had seen in that dock. "I can hear the screams of frustration already."

 

"Your presence is masked. For now." The man said with a nod. "We will be switching transports in the near future." He paused. "We were told to drop you off." But he sounded... dubious.

 

"Drop...us?" Lis asked, concerned. "Not standard procedure, is that?"

 

"No." The cell leader said, worried. " Our orders were to keep tabs on the Grineer besieging the Corpus facilities. Usually if we get a high profile passenger, we make like a hole in space for a time, let the hubbub die down. Then we ease out slow and careful. We were scheduled for  a transfer to another ship. That is set. Has been for a while. But this... feels wrong." He said with a shrug. "Not sure why. Every code is right, but if those guys had our current passphrase... those change daily."

 

"Not good." Lis said with a wince. "I mean, they did keep me from blowing loud holes in several people. They did it quick, clean and quiet. The guy said he was my contact. But..." She shook her head. "This spy stuff gives me a headache."

 

"Well, no one is following us." The cell leader said after a quick look at a screen nearby. "But my gut is screaming 'trap'."

 

"Protect your people." Lis said firmly. "Now that I have Sara, I will focus on protecting her."

 

"Begging your pardon, Ma'am..." Respect sounded in the leader's voice now. "We put you through a wringer. You need rest too. We have a run of at least twelve hours to where we are supposed to drop you. We need to follow the Corpus guide beacons and avoid patrols as best we can."

 

"I won't argue with that." Lis said with a smile as she stifled a yawn. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Vina and the others had enforced sleep on her, but her nightmares had limited her actual rest time. "One thing... if I start screaming... Have someone throw something at me." Both the guard and the leader stared at her and Lis sighed. "Preferably not something sharp or pointed. But do not touch me." She warned. "I broke several batons they used to prod me awake." Both men stood slack jawed. "You need every fighter. I... don't want to cost you any."

 

"What about Sara?" The leader asked after a moment. "If she hears you screaming, she will go to you."

 

"If you have a separate room, one you can soundproof...?" Lis didn't want to beg. But if she hurt Sara... it wouldn't be good for her, Sara or Serene. "I was trained to meditate. I can rest that way. It is actually more restful than regular sleep and doesn't take as long."

 

"Any chance you could teach us to do that?" The leader was looking at her, his face as visible under his mask speculative. Lis shook her head. "Pity."

 

"You don't want to learn the way I did." Lis said with a small smile of remembrance. "My teacher had... odd notions occasionally. She taught me to do it while sitting in a running stream." Both men gasped at that and Lis smirked. "You got really good, really fast under her tutelage. Or you got hypothermia and died."

 

"And I thought my instructors were brutal..." The leader said weakly. "Ouch."

 

"That training saved my life more than once." Lis said with a shiver. She remembered getting caught in a Freeze pulse while running from the clan's dojo. The renegade Frost had been stunned when she had shattered her way out of the icy prison and slid away before he could summon any more power. "But not for everybody. One thing... Has Sara...acted oddly?"

 

"Oddly?" The leader sounded suspicious and Lis understood.

 

"Your medics are good." Lis said with a nod.  "You can't have missed her DNA, warped as it is." It was...fairly distinctive even to an untrained person. The leader nodded slowly and Lis took a deep breath. "Tell me you didn't take samples."

 

"We did." The leader said after a moment. "That is why they want her?"

 

"I can't say why they want her." Lis temporized. "But her DNA is part of the reason. They think she is a key to a lock. One that should never be opened. Please destroy those samples."

 

"We were hoping to find a way to help her." A new voice came from the side and another Red Veil stepped into view. One of the medics. The other was the woman who was staying with Sara. He shook his head. "She is a good kid. How... how old is she? Really?"

 

"She is three." Lis said quietly and nodded when the medic recoiled. "A good kid. We have tried. Everyone has tried. Even... people with far, far better tech than the Corpus." All three of the Red Veil went still at that. Lis nodded. "All we can do is slow it down. Keep her calm, keep her comfortable. She tried to suicide and ran. That is how we wound up where we did. I won't let her." The deck plates of the ship should have bent under the Tenno's calm declaration. "Where there is life, there is hope and I will not let her fade from this existence without trying everything I can."

 

"The call came in from the upper echelons. They said... The Lotus asked for our help. The Lotus..." The leader said slowly. "Usually calls for help go the other way." He sighed. "Seven."

 

"Right, Four." The medic sounded shaken. "I will destroy the samples. Ma'am... You need rest."

 

"If I start screaming, don't touch me." Lis warned as she started for the door. "And for the love of God, don't let Sara touch me."

 

"Then how do we wake you?" The guard was finally speaking. His voice was harsh from far more pain and fear than should have been crammed into a short human life.

 

"Throw something at me that won't hurt me. A boot, a helmet. Not a knife." Lis said with a smile as a door opened, showing an empty room. She knelt in the middle of it. "I thank you and your cell. I will be gone as quickly as I can. Hopefully the danger will follow me and leave you alone."

 

"Not in my experience, Ma'am." The guard said with a dark chuckle as the door shut. She knew he would be right outside. That thought... comforted her as she slid into meditation. But...

 

Ah Lis... The voice was familiar. Lis went still as a golden holo appeared in front of her. The Banshee wore no helmet. Always the hard way, little Lis. Lis tried to break the meditation and couldn't. Uh, uh... the Banshee wagged a finger at her. Not until we talk.

 

I have nothing to say to you, Leanna. Lis snapped and paused. She hadn't wanted to be that angry. She was...angry with Leanna. But... No, this was her recent hurt and fear. Not what the Banshee had done. She sighed. I... apologize Grand Master Leanna. I am... out of sorts.

 

Yeah you are. The shade of Lis first Tenno instructor said mildly. Be glad there is no stream here or I would have you doing sit-ups for a while. But her tone... it wasn't the dry biting humor that Lis had known and loathed. No... This was a tone of understanding. Complete understanding. The Banshee shook her head. Do you think you are the only one who was ever violated like that, Lis? Lis eyes went huge as she saw tears start to fall from the rock hard Banshee's eyes. I am sorry Lis. I am so sorry.

 

You... Lis felt her world suddenly crumple around her. I... No... You are the strongest person I ever met! You... I FAILED YOU! She screamed.

 

No, you didn't Lis. Grand Master Leanna said quietly. No, you didn't. If anyone failed anyone then I failed you. I was your instructor, your teacher. I tried to keep you from Nicholas. I knew he was bad. No idea how bad. I knew you had a crush on Karl. But I never expected what happened.

 

No one could have. Lis said sadly. What do I do? Sara is falling apart. I don't know this spy stuff. I can't get her away from them. They think it's a trap and... She paused. Had Leanna just slapped her? The holo's arm was retracting but there had been no actual impact. She... bowed her head as if there had been. Instruct me, Master.

 

I knew I taught you better than that. Leanna said with a small smile. Then her tone hardened. You are not human anymore, Lis. Stop thinking human. These humans are strong. Numerous and strong. But they have no idea what they face. What you are. Lis. Tenno. Sister.

 

I... Lis paused and then she bowed further, accepting the rebuke. I am sorry, Grand Master Leanna. I do not understand.

 

You will. The ancient shade was fading now. Come home, dear sister. You will find what you need there.

 

Home? Lis paused and then shook herself out of her meditation. She felt... refreshed. As if she had done the exercises that Grand Master Leanna had required of her every morning in the streams of that small moon of... Lis froze and then she was on her feet and at the door. The guard jerked his rifle aimed at her, but she shook her head. "Where are we going? Which moon of Neptune?"

 

"How do you know that?" The guard demanded suspiciously. "We never told you!"

 

"It is Larissa, isn't it!" She demanded. The guard just stared at her. "Take me to your leader! You are flying into a trap!"

 

***

 

This was hard. Sara had woken, full of bubbling energy. Lis could feel the girl's confusion, but her exultation as well. Power was singing in Sara now. Familiar power. Power the girl had no idea how to control. Lis dampened it out of pure reflex. They needed to be careful now.

 

"No one to meet us?" Sara asked after a moment. The Red Veil ship lifted off behind them, off to switch ships. Lis hoped and prayed that the resistance fighters would get clear. She had no idea what was about to happen, but something was. Something bad.

 

But the place... the landmarks were changed. The stream was... not where Lis remembered. But it felt...familiar. The large stone statue that stood nearby had lasted, if a bit worn. A winged angel. Lis had spent two years here, under that angel's wings. Studying. Training. Cursing the old woman who was her bane. Her instructor. Her mentor. Her Master.

 

"Hello Lis, Sara." A woman in red stepped out of the shadows. "Good to meet you. My name is Cantis. I can help you both. Please let me." She held out a hand. Lis... stared around. This...wasn't right. She was on edge... something...

 

Sara started for Cantis, but went down as Lis jerked her, hard. Lis fell on top of Sara as gunfire sounded and the woman in red fell.

 

Edited September 25, 2014 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

Ooooooh boy.  The biomass has hit the air circulation system.  I love it :)

[Shadow977]

Blasted cliffhangers....

[Kalenath]

Blasted cliffhangers....

 

Oh come ON! Don't tell me you don't LIKE them...

 

If you didn't you wouldn't keep coming back!

[Jeahanne]

Oh come ON! Don't tell me you don't LIKE them...

 

If you didn't you wouldn't keep coming back!

 

Yes... I think we would, but we love your cliffhangers too. I know I do lol

Edited September 25, 2014 by Jeahanne

[Shadow977]

Oh come ON! Don't tell me you don't LIKE them...

 

If you didn't you wouldn't keep coming back!

They definetly give me a reason to come back but they still annoy me sometimes.

[Kalenath]

They definetly give me a reason to come back but they still annoy me sometimes.

 

You complain when I DON'T have cliffhangars...

 

Now you complain when I DO...

 

*mutters*

[renleech]

I don't understand the fun in knowing that the next stop is a trap, Lis could have an easier life if she just shot Sara in the head.Less security risk and Serene's opinion doesn't matter if the tower's security is in question.

Edited September 25, 2014 by renleech

[Kalenath]

I don't understand the fun in knowing that the next stop is a trap, Lis could have an easier life if she just shot sara in the head.less security risk and Serene's opinion doesn't matter if the tower's security is in question.

 

Is it a trap if you KNOW it is a trap? Or can you ambush the ambushers?

 

And...

 

Um...

 

If you even HINT about shooting Sara in the head... ALL KINDS of people will be coming to talk to you. (Serene, Lis, Karl, Aeron, Iriana -who can make your life HELL without even shooting you. Doctors are sneaky that way.- Jac, Eliza, Michelle, MOST of the Royal Guard, Jasmina and ALL of HER friends... Etc. Oh and um... Sun and NIKIS....)

 

Killing a scared, hurt little girl... sheesh...

 

You REALLY want to scream for eons, don't you? Mag and Nyx like Sara too,

Edited September 25, 2014 by Kalenath

[KBTKaiser]

*flashes a thumbs up from the middle of the crater at ground zero*

 

Yeeeep.  Keep the good stuff coming, please.  And before you ask, waiting for your updates shatters the monotony of running every single weapon up to 30.

[renleech]

They're on the other side of the 4th wall. why should i fear them? OR you prefer Sara on the hands of the board, or Alad V...

[Kalenath]

They're on the other side of the 4th wall. why should i fear them? OR you prefer Sara on the hands of the board, or Alad V...

 

Are they? (Or is that a ghostly golden pineapple that just appeared behind you?)

 

And no. No one wants that. They want Sara healed and safe. But...that will take some work. Luckily, Sara and Lis have some... odd allies.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Kalenath

[Voporak]

They're on the other side of the 4th wall. why should i fear them? OR you prefer Sara on the hands of the board, or Alad V...

What's this fourth wall you speak of? You mean that pile of ashes over there?