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[Fanfiction] Children

Kalenath

By Kalenath,
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Kalenath

Kalenath

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How come the skilled hackers are always girls in movies and such?

 

More dextrous? Usually more focused on 'cerebral' matters? No testosterone problems?

 

Or maybe just for dramatic purposes. Damsels in distress or such.

 

 

Huh..... this Abigail might just be able to hack the lotus when she gets a bit older........

 

By then? She will KNOW better than to try.

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Evanescent

Evanescent

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Is it? Abigail will not be in danger again for a long time. Special Forces protect their own.

 

But as for everyone else?

 

<whistles innocently>

Can I kidnap you and make you own up all your secrets?

*loads Lex prime*

 

 

Naante-ne.

 

How do you keep up the consistency of your work? My stories are always one-shot pieces.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Can I kidnap you and make you own up all your secrets?

*loads Lex prime*

 

How do you keep up the consistency of your work? My stories are always one-shot pieces.

 

 

You can TRY. But I know some VERY scary people...

 

You think ONE Lex Prime is going to scare Nikis? AT ALL?

 

As for consistency? Practice. Lots and LOTS of reading and practice at writing. I knew NOTHING about writing until I did it. And did it some more. And did it again and again.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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I think one would need something like a quint barrel trigger-linked lanka with the charge limiters removed/chargers overclocked or something to phase the likes of Nikis...

 

...I just gave Aeron a new prototype to play with, didn't I?

 

You REALLY think Nikis of all people wants a SILENT weapon as his instrument of righteous vengeance?

 

Besides... too small.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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So.... Death Star big enough?

 

Maybe.

 

Then again... he usually goes for PERSONAL instruments of destruction, not PLANETARY.

 

He is mad but with Janet helping, he isn't CRAZY anymore. Well, not AS crazy.

 

That wasn't an insult, Nikis! I SWEAR!

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Spikey844

Spikey844

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Maybe.

 

Then again... he usually goes for PERSONAL instruments of destruction, not PLANETARY.

 

He is mad but with Janet helping, he isn't CRAZY anymore. Well, not AS crazy.

 

That wasn't an insult, Nikis! I SWEAR!

It is personal, it just has a massive overkill factor.
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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Got ahead again,. Enjoy!

 

________________________________________

 

 

Misuses

 

"Abigail...relax." Horatius said with a nod to the girl who was sitting so stiffly he worried she would break a bone if she farted. "If they ask any questions, tell them what I told you to say. Refer them to me or Sister Harriet. You are Abigail, a new recruit. You do not really know anything. You are a limited source of intel. Nothing more. You are going to be nervous. You are going to make mistakes. It will happen." He said quietly.

 

"Do you want a mild sedative, Abigail?" Harriet asked from where she stood nearby. "It will help you stay calm."

 

"I want this to be a bad dream!" Abigail said with a snarl, but then nodded. Harriet stepped close and was deft. Abigail relaxed as the the hypo hissed. "That is... better." She said softly.

 

"If you get queasy, say so." Harriet said with a nod. "I can give you a suppressant. But... frankly? They won't care if you barf. They have far larger problems than one girl embarrassing herself. One may make a snide comment, but they will not do anything. You are far beneath their notice. We want to keep it that way."

 

"O...Okay." Abigail said as she folded her hands in her lap. They were not trembling now. The suit she wore was standard Special Forces issue. Far better than any normal Corpus suit, but it looked the same.

 

"Good girl." Horatius said and turned to one wall. "Executive Vina?" He said in a formal tone. "We are ready."

 

"I managed to get three." A hologram of Vina appeared on the wall. She stood poised. "They are upset."

 

"Better than I had hoped for." Horatius said mildly. "And they are going to be more than upset in a few minutes." Another wall came live and Abigail went still as three huge holographic heads appeared on it. All old. All in formal Corpus attire. Board. Horatius nodded to the three. "I apologize for the hasty summons, Board Members. But we have a situation. There was no time for formality."

 

"Speak." One said, his tone firm with disapproval.

 

"I have reason to believe that Board Member Frohd Bek has continued his experiments." At that, all three heads swiveled to stare at Horatius who nodded. "The ones involving cloned Tenno."

 

"You had better have proof, Commander." Another said with a grunt. "That is not an accusation to make lightly."

 

"I need your permission to get the proof." Horatius said with a nod. "There was an attack on this facility. An attempted snatch. The personnel were Bek's." All eyes were on him now and he nodded. "It was stopped and the survivors interrogated. They were supposed to take the brand new mother-to-be to a lab on Outer Terminus. Bek's territory."

 

"That is not proof." The third holo said repressively. "If you have wasted our time..." He trailed off dangerously.

 

"I have one piece of corroboration." Horatius said softly. "This is Abigail, a new recruit." He laid his hand on the girl's shoulder and she did not move. "Due to some unfortunate circumstances, she was forced to sell her reproductive organs. While she was at the facility in Outer Terminus, she saw some things she could not identify. We did."

 

Another holo -smaller- appeared nearby and Abigail pointedly did not look. The jars. The pieces. The cloning machines with... pieces inside them. The...violet hulled machine that stood half built.

 

"This is also not conclusive proof." Horatius said as the three huge heads waited. "But I believe it is good enough to provide probable cause for an investigation. If the Company does it the normal way, even Clergy, he will hear of it and either shut it down or destroy it to prevent disclosure. Then he will move it to a new location. I propose a mission to scout the area. Find proof and report it."

 

"He wouldn't dare!" The middle holo said sternly. "Not after the mess last time! He wouldn't!" But he did not sound convinced. The rightmost one just put a palm to his face.

 

"Six billion credits in losses last time." The leftmost holo said slowly. "A ship, two facilities, hundreds of personnel and MOAs, a Jackal..." He sighed. "And a total failure at that."

 

"Sirs, if he accesses the same tower... Which is the only one I know of that he has coordinates for... You know what will happen. The neural sentry was insane. It was taking over the base." Horatius said slowly. All three holos seemed to shudder. "Requesting permission to investigate further."

 

"You would anyway." The middle holo said sharply. "Why call us?"

 

"Because I am not omniscient, omnipotent nor immortal." Horatius said firmly. "I may fail. If I do, I will vanish. If he does continue..." He broke off as two of the three holos inhaled sharply. "The Company will be hurt. Humanity will be hurt sorely. I won't allow that." The two side holos looked at the other and he nodded slowly. "My request? If we do fail? If you do not hear from us within a day? Nuke the place."

 

"We did not talk." The middle holo said formally. "If we did, I would certainly not wish you 'good luck'. But if you do need it... 'Special' options will be available." All three holos vanished.

 

"This never happened and we were never here." Horatius muttered under his breath. Abigail looked at him and he shrugged. "Service joke. You will understand. Someday."

 

"So... I can stay?" Abigail tried to get up and slumped in her seat. "I..."

 

"Yeah." Horatius said with a smile. "We need more techs. We will modify your training program to account for your age. But for today..." She gave a squeak as he bent down and easily lifted her into his arms. She lay there, limp. "Rest. We will need you Abigail. But not today." She never saw Harriet step close and apply a patch to her neck. The girl was out like a light. Horatius nodded his thanks to the sister who nodded back. "Executive?"

 

"I do not want to know what you will do." Vina said sharply. "And anything that happens in your training facility is your business." Horatius nodded and started off, back to the elevator and then to Abigail's future. "Sister Harriet, is there anything we can do for Mike O-12?"

 

"Barring a foster family that is briefed on his problems and conditions..." Harriet said sadly. "I don't think so. Letting him start over may be the kindest thing we can do."

 

"I had a query." Vina said, her tone cautious. "It came through channels. We will need to vet it. The woman was asking specific questions though. She sounded... honest." The executive said a bit dubiously. "She kept it discrete, anonymous and all. But we may want to hold off a little until we can get more information. She sounded both horrified and wanting to help. But..."

 

"Do you want us to handle it?" Harriet asked as Horatius made the door. It hissed shut before he could hear Vina's response.

 

There was no traffic in the halls at this hour. Everyone was on shift or asleep. He made it to the elevator with no problems and hit the button for the training facility, but then...

 

"Dad." Horatius froze. The girl in his arms was talking in her sleep! "I am sorry, dad... I tried... You and mom... They said you owed. I had to..."

 

"Easy." Horatius brushed Abigail's hair awkwardly. "It's okay, honey. It is all right." The door hissed open and Violet was standing there. She opened her mouth, only to snap it shut as Abigail cried.

 

"Didn't have a choice, dad..." Abigail was crying softly as Horatius -his face set- started off at a brisk walk. Violet followed, her face a mask. "Too much... There was no way... They said you were responsible... I didn't... I couldn't..."

 

"It is okay." Horatius said quietly. "It's all right." He soothed her as a door hissed open ahead of them and Cass beckoned them. He put a finger to his lips and Cass nodded.

 

The room was tiny. It wasn't meant for long term occupation. But now? It was Abigail's. She would sleep here instead of with the men of her training unit. They would take care of her. The bed was rock hard, but Abigail did not complain as Horatius laid her down on it. She gave a sigh as the somatic unit in her pillow activated and lulled her into a deep sleep. Horatius stepped back and nodded to the other two. They could have a loud music concert in the room and she wouldn't notice. The programming she would receive was...slightly different from Corpus normal, but no less pervasive. The difference? They could and would strive to make her happy. Not just productive.

 

"She said she owed. Any idea how much?" Horatius asked quietly.

 

"Her father and mother died in the Grineer attack." Cass said quietly when the others looked at him. "Apparently, the father liked to gamble and owed close to a mil." Horatius whistled a bit. A million credit debt wasn't unheard of, but... Cass shook his head. "It's a bit sketchy."

 

"Sketchy how?" Violet demanded milliseconds before Horatius could say the same. She sat beside the girl's bed. As the only female Special Forces operative on base, she would likely take personal charge of the girl's training until they could work out more formal arrangements.

 

"All I found is the debt." Cass said quietly. "I can't find who he gambled with or where. None of the records I have seen say he went anywhere except his job or his home. Wife likewise. There should be something. Records of parties. Records of rec center visits, Hell, bar tabs. Nothing." Horatius went still and Cass nodded. "If I didn't know better, since Company employees would never falsify such..." The sarcasm was biting. "I would say she was selected. Records altered to put her in debt she was never going to get out of. Guided into giving up her genetic material. And since there was no violations listed. Everything legal..." No traces, no mess, no fuss. Just one destroyed girl.

 

"Son of a *@##&#036;!" Horatius said with feeling.

 

"Yeah. Any executive could have done it. Hell, we could have. But we didn't. I know our tracks. It wasn't us." Cass said with a grunt. "She was on our 'watch' list due to her school scores. Higher than mine were." He said with a nod when the others looked at him. "I bet she went into... less than legal programming to pay off the rest of what she believed she owed. Fifty credits?" He offered, joking.

 

"I don't take sucker bets." Horatius said with a sigh. "So we have a girl who was suckered into giving up her future, at a lab where a brand new mother-to-be with clean human DNA was to be taken after being abducted and mindwiped..." He shook his head. "Thin."

 

"Boss." Cass said sourly. "I am in."

 

"Me too." Violet said with a snap. Horatius looked at the sleeping girl and then at her. "Natali is on her way. She is better at teaching anyway. If it is what we think... you will need 'Big Boom'." She smiled wryly as both men winced. "Hey, I have gotten better with it."

 

"Considering you put Nik in the hospital last time?" Horatius said dryly. "I sincerely hope you have gotten better with it." Her fetish for Grineer tech had only gotten worse when she had 'acquired' a functional Ogris rocket launcher. She was... erratic with it at times. He had to admit, she was effective. And the wall she had blown down had won the battle. At the cost of nearly killing a teammate. But he had been being overrun by Infested... Violet gave a haughty sniff and Horatius sighed. "This is going to be bad. You saw the reports. Even without a crazy Tenno tearing up the place... It is going to be bad if they power that thing up."

 

"We are with you, Boss." Violet and Cass both said in unison.

 

***

 

"Okay." Horatius said quietly after his new team had assembled. "This is our target and what we know about it."

 

A set of screens flashed and Cass rose to take over the briefing. He wasn't going. The Forces needed techs too desperately to put any of their precious few in danger, despite his strident complaints. He as good and his heavily modified Supra would have been welcome, but he was too precious since they had lost three tech qualified people with Horatius' last team. They would get more, but until then? He was sidelined for training Abigail. And very unhappy about it.

 

"Target is a genetics research lab." Cass was calm, but his eyes were flashing as he nodded to Horatius. It had taken the Commander quite a bit to get the stubborn tech to see reason. "Outer Terminus Pluto. We also have reason to believe they are cloning." A rustle went around the room but he wasn't done. "Cloning Tenno."

 

"Oh not again!" The chorus mixed with hearty expletives went around the room.

 

"Yeah." Horatius said when the muttering had died down. "Our job is to get in and find out what they are doing. If they are doing what we think... we shut it down. Hard and fast. We all saw what happened the last time."

 

None of them shuddered, but all wanted to. All had seen the base filled with dead Corrupted who had been Corpus personnel before the insane neural sentry had subverted them. They had all collapsed when the portal had closed. Cut off from their puppet master.

 

"Who is going?" Violet was caressing her boxy Ogris in a way that had Horatius hoping it wasn't loaded. Knowing her? It was and her neighbors looked rather nervous.

 

"Put it down, Violet." Horatius said with a snap. "You know you are in. Heavy weapons and demo. We will try to sneak in. If we can't? We go loud. We will find out what is going on and stop it."

 

"I like loud." Violet said with a wide leer. She did lower the Ogris to the floor and leave it there.

 

"I never would have guessed." Horatius said dryly to several chuckles. But then he became serious. "Make no mistake here, people." Horatius said as the room focused on him. "If we mess up, we will all become what we found in that base." Slaves to a neural sentry. No one knew of said slaves remembered being more or not. But no one wanted to find out. "I asked the Board for a special tasking if we fail."

 

At that, everyone went still. Nuclear weapons were not handled lightly by anyone. Not even Grineer used them wantonly. They would if they had to, but they wanted to conquer, not just destroy everything. Dead slaves and irradiated wastelands didn't get them much. They could make do if they had to, but they wanted more. Nuclear weapons would cause more trouble than they solved generally. But for this? Extreme overkill was justified.

 

"Obmar, you are point." Hortius said to an operative who wore the green suit of a Prodman with the signature Prova. But he also had a odd looking bow slung. Not -quite- a Tenno bow. Sneaky or loud, the guy was good. Now if only his name of 'John' wasn't quite so common. He was anything but common. "I will be third and have a Penta, my suppressed Marlock and a Serro."

 

"Two more." Violet said with a nod. Horatius made a face at her and she grinned. "Hey, I like stating the obvious too.

 

"We never would have guessed." This time, the dry murmur chorused around the room. Violet made an obscene gesture to general chuckles. Horatius smiled, but nodded.

 

"From what we scanned of the lab in Abigail's memories... not enough I am afraid..." He said with a shrug. "Not a lot of long sightlines. No sniper perches." Both of the snipers frowned. "Chris? How are you with a Dera?"

 

"I prefer a Latron, Boss." The sniper said quietly. But then again, he did everything quietly. "Hard to silence plasma charges." He would also carry a pistol and knife too. He always did, but rarely used them.

 

"And you hit what you aim at." Horatius said as he glanced  pointedly at Violet and her 'toy'. She met his gaze with one of artful innocence, but he wasn't fooled. "Simon, you too." The last was a solid and dependable sort. Not great at any particular field, but good at many. He was a passable tech too. The Crewman nodded.

 

"Boss..." Cass complained. "You will need tech support!"

 

"Remote." Horatius' tone brooked no further comment and Cass sighed, but nodded. "This has all kinds of ways it could go pear shaped, people. I want every eye we can have on this. Drone, camera, whatever. I want it to be ours. You stay at the ship, Cass. If you lose downlink, bug out. Fast."

 

"Yes sir." Cass said, his tone sullen.

 

"I am serious, Cass." Horatius said sharply. "Don't game this, and for god's sake, don't ignore me." All eyes were on him now. "I have a really bad feeling about this one. Worse than the one I had when we went to Mars. I... I don't want to lose everyone again... Please, Cass. If we don't make it out, you guide the special munition in, come back and train Abigail. She will need help. The Forces are needed. Now more than ever if there are Orokin Marines left or returning or whatever. They will need us."

 

"Okay." Cass said quietly. "So... entry plan?"

 

"That is simple." Horatius said as he smiled at Violet who stared at him. She shook her head.

 

"Boss, they get one scan of me and they will know I am sterile." It... hadn't been easy for her to adjust, but her teammates had helped.

 

"Trust me." Horatius said in an earnest little boy voice and the whole room cracked up laughing.

 

Yeah right...

 

***

 

And...time... The Lotus sighed and opened her mind. Nikis.

 

When? The absolutely furious response came quick.

 

They leave in two hours and arrive at Pluto in four. The Lotus said slowly. Nikis, please don't... She sighed inaudibly as he cut the connection. Janet says he will stay on track and I trust her... but... He has a right to his anger. Please, Nikis... She begged the ether.

 

There was no response.

 

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Spikey844

Spikey844

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I sense an enraged, rampant, gun-slinging old-yet-terrifyingly ready to go Tenno going to... unwind his stress. On someone else. Or lots of someones...

 

Oh dear.

 

*starts stockpiling provisions & popcorn within fallout bunker.*

*joins Nyght in bunker with provisions, salted popcorn and beer*

Great idea. No idea if this will survive, but it's better than nothing.

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Spikey844

Spikey844

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Heheheh.  You fools.  Do you think a mere fallout bunker will stop Nikis?  The Tenno that makes every marginally sane being in the 'verse wet their equivalent of pants?  Especially when he's angry?

 

DID YOU REALLY BELIEVE IT WOULD BE.  THIS.  EASY?

It improves the odds by about 0.001%, which is just above what it would be otherwise AKA 0
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