[Fanfiction] Fragments Of Darkness

[Kalenath]

This whole Serene plot reminds me of F.E.A.R. franchise. Can we expect srene's "children" to act like Alma Wade and Paxton Fettel? If so, Corpus as a whole deserve the horrors to come.

 

I never played F.E.A.R. Not really my kind of thing.

 

And you WONDERED why the Reverend Mother took such a chance to try and get Serene?

 

Still was stupid, what she did, but a bit more understandable.

 

oh dear god..... i actually feel more for those kids than i do serene/two at the moment what the hell kinda treatment could result in such savagery? PS Please don't answer that question

 

Tomorrow you will get SOME answers. The good news is that the Clergy are terrified enough to do just about ANYTHING to stop this threat.

 

The BAD news? When the CLERGY are terrified...

 

We haven't SEEN bad yet. But it's coming.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Kalenath

[fishworshipper]

Found and fixed.

 

Glad you are still around, Fish.

 

What would I do without my editor-in-the-water?

You would wallow in your petty, insignificant errors, like an uncultured barbarian.

[evafan002]

 

. Hayden would jump right out of the database to rip her a new one and I won't even go into what Mag wants to do."

wait a minute are you saying the database is not just a one way thing? because that's what it sounds like and if that's the case..... EVERYBODY ABANDON THE UNIVERSE!!!!!

[Kalenath]

You would wallow in your petty, insignificant errors, like an uncultured barbarian.

 

You know I would. And do.

 

wait a minute are you saying the database is not just a one way thing? because that's what it sounds like and if that's the case..... EVERYBODY ABANDON THE UNIVERSE!!!!!

 

And NOW you know why Nikis works so hard and is so cantankerous. No, it isn't EASY for them to come back. But they keep trying.... Generally the Orokin ones, but some Tenno too. Hayden... knows better, but even he has crossed the line occasionally.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

 

What do you know of regret?

 

"Mom?" René's voice was soft and worried as Serene sat and tried to order her thoughts. "I am sorry."

 

"Your name is René?" Serene asked quietly. She had been hoping to meditate, but this girl was hovering. Harriet had gone to do something, They were on a ship, that was obvious from the drive rumble through the deck plates. She sat on the bed on which she had woken. "I do not remember you."

 

"I know."  René said sadly. "They... I was trying to be good. I swear I was. I didn't... know." Serene looked at the younger her. It was... very odd, but she was still detached.

 

"What do you know?" Serene asked after a moment. "What happened?" She couldn't get loose from whatever was holding her emotions at bay. So for now, she was stuck. But she would not surrender.

 

"I... It isn't clear." René said with a small whimper. "I remember you. They told me -us- you were our mother. That you loved us, but you were hurt. I tried to help." René pleaded. "I tried. They were mad. It... it hurt." She slumped a bit. "You don't believe me."

 

"I don't know what to believe, René." Serene said truthfully. "After so many lies, how can you build trust?"

 

"I don't know." René slumped. "I probably wouldn't know anyway. I am all messed up. I have always been... slow. And now I am big and clumsy. I feel all weird and it is all wrong. I hoped... I hoped you could help. But you don't know me." Serene looked at her and René sighed. "I... should go. You want to be alone. I am bothering you."

 

"Go rest, René." Harriet's voice sounded from the door. Serene did not look at the clergywoman. She jerked as René slipped close and planted a light kiss on her cheek. "René..." Harriet wasn't angry, more worried. But the touch wasn't what made Serene jerk. The touch... Something felt familiar. And not in a good way.

 

"I will sleep now, Sister Harriet." René said in a defeated voice. "I... hope you feel better, Mom."

 

"René." Serene held out a hand. "Wait... Come here." The girl stared at Serene, hope welling. She sidled close, more... a beaten dog than a young woman. Serene took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I don't know what will happen. But thank you for your concern." The feeling from the girl... She knew it. Intimately. René kissed her hand and then was gone. Serene could hear her crying as she ran.

 

"What?" Harriet asked when Serene looked at her. "That was kind, but not just kindness. You do nothing without a purpose."

 

"What happened to her?" Serene asked, scrutinizing the clergywoman. "She is obviously hurt."

 

"And it is not something we can fix." Harriet agreed. "I doubt even Tenno medicine could fix it." She shook her head. "Do you know what 'autism' was?"

 

"An ancient  genetic disorder. A lack of development in certain parts of a human's brain." Serene said quietly. Dust's misadventures had galvanized a lot of people into researching the ancient, thought extinct, malady. "Her brain did not develop past a certain stage?"

 

"Our doctors figure she is about five years old mentally." Harriet said with a nod. "And she will not get any better." Serene stared at the clergywoman and Harriet frowned a little. "And before you ask, we found her the way she is. Exactly as she is. If cleaner, healthier and a bit more articulate now."

 

"Someone..." Serene took a deep breath. The anger was there, but it was not touching her. "...did that to her."

 

"More than one." Harriet said quietly. "And more than once. We went back, searching for evidence after you tore through the place. We found her, living in a nest that had apparently been a cryo chamber at some point. As she is."

 

"A cryo chamber." Serene said softly. Harriet nodded. "How long alone?"

 

"A week perhaps." Harriet said with a shrug. "There is no way to be absolutely sure. But from... the residue... She was there for a week. Sleeping, eating a little. Then sleeping more. She was... badly hurt."

 

"Who hurt her?" Serene asked, trying to wrap her mind around this.

 

"Ars Lonrack did at first. When she did not do as he wanted. When she did not get you to break." Harriet said with a nod. "Then her brothers."

 

"Her... brothers..." Serene was suddenly glad she couldn't feel her emotions.

 

"I do not know what he thought he was doing." Harriet's slight curl of lip was probably a full on grimace for anyone else. "The records are...garbled. Both from what you did and apparently from what he was doing to keep his failures from getting him downsized." She shook her head. "But the results are clear. They made five children from you, using automated systems repurposed for the task. They made them quickly, with no safeguards. They did not intend any to survive apparently."

 

"René did." Serene said slowly. Harriet nodded. "So I assume all of these... kids are messed up?"

 

"You could say that." Harriet's voice held an edge of horror now. Probably a scream that she would never be able to express. "We were not the first people to search the facility. A  salvage team was sent first. They cracked the cryo chamber. But the cryo had already failed. The safety systems worked, revived them. But... The five had been in there, for who knows how long, alone except for each other. And René was the only female."

 

"Are you saying... René's brothers..." Serene felt horror edge past whatever was holding her.

 

"Yes." Harriet said quietly. "From the... evidence, several times each."

 

"What the hell did they eat?" Serene asked, stunned.

 

"There were emergency supplies in that chamber." Harriet said softly. "But they were... ravenous when the team breached the door. The team had no idea what was inside the door and once they breached it, it was too late. We found... very little left. They ate... almost everything of the team. All that was left was the gear and clothing, most of it in pieces."

 

"Eating people, breeding their sister..." Serene said with a swallow. "They sound like animals, not children."

 

"They are." Harriet sounded slightly sick. "But it gets worse."

 

"Of course it does." Serene said with a sigh. "What else?"

 

"They are smart." Harriet replied and Serene went cold. "Once the breach team went offline, the rest of the salvage crew tried to flee. The... boys got into the ship somehow. They did not kill all of the crew. They must have taken a few prisoner. They would not have known how to operate the ship otherwise." Serene stared at the clergywoman, beyond horror now. "They probably thought René was dead. She was badly dehydrated, had rampant infections and was incapable of movement or speech when we found her. They were long gone by the time we arrived. But... they left...food for her."

 

"I don't want to know." Serene said quickly and Harriet nodded.

 

"Wise. I wish I did not know." Harriet said softly. "We picked René up, got her cleaned up, healed her injuries. She was talking to us fairly quickly, once she realized we were not going to hurt her, that we were trying to help. I was called in when it was discovered she had been... conditioned."

 

"You mean brainwashed." Serene said quickly and paused as Harriet shook her head.

 

"The techniques are similar." Harriet said quietly. "But not quite the same. Brainwashing is an indoctrination process which results in an impairment of autonomy, an inability to think independently, and a disruption of beliefs and affiliations." Her tone was different, more... alive as odd as that sounded. "This was more a form of conditioning. Control words, in essence. What was done to René is very similar to how the Grineer teach their Drahks."

 

"They treated her like a dog...?" Serene said softly.

 

"Worse." Harriet said quietly. "They knew she was smarter than a dog. With an animal, you have to mix punishments with rewards or they turn feral. These idiots only punished. They had no idea what they were doing."

 

"How would you have done it?" Serene countered.

 

"Ignoring moral and ethical quandaries..." Harriet said quietly. "The only way to guarantee success was the one they did not bother with. If they wanted children who acted as such, they should have treated them as children. Let them grow as children. Even flash growing, it could have been far easier on them. But the ones doing it did not bother."

 

"Then they did the same thing with Amelia." Serene said flatly and Harriet nodded.

 

"The difference was,  Amelia Priosa knew what to do." Harriet was still quiet. "She managed to keep her daughter sane despite those unprofessional scum." The word 'unprofessional'  as more inflected than the word 'scum'. Harriet didn't like people who acted unprofessional apparently. "These were used, abused and thrown into cryo to be used as spare parts when they did not work right. René was shot twice. They probably thought they had killed her. The others? We do not know."

 

"Why me?" Serene asked slowly. "I don't remember any of this. What possible help could I be?"

 

"René imprinted on you." Harriet said with a nod. Serene looked at her and Harriet shrugged. "Either she knew on some instinctive level that you were her mother, or the basic training the idiots bothered to give her made her realize that you were safe... It does not matter. To René, you are her mother. We hope... the boys feel the same way."

 

"Why?" Serene asked. "I mean, sure René obviously thinks I am her mother, but I can't know if what you say is true or if this is an elaborate trick."

 

"The Reverend Mother did not say." Harriet said softly. "I think I can guess why. The boys... are unlikely to be..." She trailed off as Serene hissed.

 

"Able to be rehabilitated." Serene finished for the Clergywoman who nodded. "So I am bait? For a trap?"

 

"I do not know what she planned, Tenno Serene." Harriet said softly. "I do know she did not expect to return." Serene stilled and the Clergy woman nodded. "I did not until a few minutes ago. She left a time release message for me. It said... to give you this." She held out a datapad. "This will play a message on the wall screen. No one else will see it but you." She turned to go as Serene took the datapad gingerly.

 

"Wait..." Serene said, stunned. "You would just... leave? I have to under observation..."

 

"Medical only." Harriet said without turning. "You are still hurt." With that, she left the room!

 

Serene stared after the Clergywoman for a moment and then at the datapad in her hand. It was unremarkable. She stared at it and then...

 

Serene. Thank god! Janet! We do not have a lot of time.

 

Oracle... They have... done something to me. Serene said carefully. I do not know if my mind is my own.

 

Nor do I. Janet agreed. But I need to tell you, if you hit the pad, and I know you probably will, things will change, significantly. I want to help. But I do not know how.

 

All I need to know... Serene said softly. Sara? Rocky? Two? Iriana? Mishka?

 

Iriana, Mishka, Sara and Rocky are safe with the Caretakers. Two is very upset. She is going to the Citadel. She does remember. Janet said quietly. I did not know, Serene. I knew it was a bad, but until I looked... I had no idea. It was all way beyond secret. René was in a different facility, for 'special case kids'. I never had reason to go there.

 

Is René my daughter?  Serene asked, trying for calm.

 

I cannot answer that, Serene. Janet said sadly. Only you can.

 

The Clergy say that the scum who had me... made her... from me... Serene said softly. And others.

 

That is true, so far as it goes. Janet replied just as softly. But only you can decide whether she really is your daughter or not. I...have no right to say one way or another. When Two emerges from the Citadel's shields, I will speak to her. I will try to help.

 

Thank you. Serene's thanks were heartfelt. Tell the others... If they see me...'Don't miss'. I do not know if I am in control of myself or not.

 

I do not want to. Janet sobbed a little. But... I am not Tenno. I do not know your ways. I will tell them.

 

Thank you.

 

Then the Oracle was gone.

 

Serene sat for a moment, gathering her meager thoughts. Then she hit the 'play' button on the pad. The wall screen lit up with the Reverend Mother's face. The old woman's face was sad.

 

"Hello Serene." The Reverend Mother said softly. "If you are hearing this, then I did not come back from the Relay. I am either dead or praying for it by now."  She shook her head slowly. "I did what I did to Mishka because it was needed to protect the girl. It was hard on her, but if I had not, the reviewers would have figured out that they had mystery on their hands. They would have done a deep mental scan to figure it out and when they did, it would have exposed Mishka as a Tenno. But a child. This flies in the face of what most of the Company knows. There are no Tenno children. I know better. But very few others do. And what would have been done to her..." She looked away from the pickup and when she looked back, tears were falling slowly. "I am not a good woman, Serene. I have not been a good woman since I assumed my role. I have had to do evil, in the name of doing greater good. It does not help me sleep at night."

 

Serene was shaking her head slowly, but the woman on the screen continued.

 

"I do not expect forgiveness for what I did." The old nun said quietly. "It was wrong, abusing her that way. It kept the reviewers confused long enough..." She swallowed hard. "Long enough for the Red Veil to attack her anyway. What happened after... is just window dressing. You cannot trust, but I find I must explain. I was going to give the codes to Mishka's programming to Horatius. He could have gotten them to her mother easily. I pray that the dark Tenno or whatever he is did not harm the girl. I liked her. Which is dangerous for her and for me. But either way, that is out of my hands. I can do no more for her. Perhaps you can."

 

"Me?" Serene asked the wall, confused. But of course the recording just continued.

 

"I knew going to the relay would only end one way, Serene." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. "I hoped that the drugged bottle would work. That you could wake somewhere safe with René next to you, let her explain. But I feared it would not work as planned and was ready for what had to be done. Obviously, if you are hearing this... it did not work. I hope... you are not badly hurt. They need you, Serene. They need you badly. I regret so much, but mainly I regret that I am not there to say this in person. To let you hurt me as you richly deserve. To explain why they need you."

 

"Need me?" Serene stammered.

 

"The Corpus hurt you so very badly, Serene." The old woman said softly. "We did not know. We tried to find out what they were doing. When Harriet came back, catatonic, we tried to find out. When Janet went in with Zacharias and they found out what was going on, both retreated in haste. Perhaps... Perhaps that pushed Ars Lonrack into worse actions? I do not know. I do know that the Corpus is directly responsible for everything that happened to you. Yes, you are Tenno. Yes, you fought us. But the Company has lost its way. The original Corpus would never have allowed what happened to you, to Amelia Priosa, to her daughter, to René and the boys... They were no saints, to be sure, but they were desperate, not evil. The Corpus today is."

 

"No S#&$." Serene snarled at the screen, but kept listening.

 

"Since the dawn of Corpus history, there has been a Clergy, led by a Reverend Mother." The old woman said quietly. "Our job has always been to keep the company from excess. To keep it from destroying itself through sheer greed. Greed will always triumph over compassion if it is allowed, because compassionate people will not act as greedy ones will. The Board may see Profit as the sole reason for existing, but we of the Clergy know better. If the Board do manage, somehow, to utterly dominate the Solar System, destroy the Grineer, the Tenno and all the other threats, and gain a stranglehold on every market as is so many Executives dream... Then it will be a failure." She said sternly.

 

"Because then it cannot grow anymore and it will stagnate and fall apart. Just as most of the Orokin did." She paused. "Yes, I know about Avalon. I have known for years. And no, I have never said. Because we will need them eventually when the Sentients return, which they will. Perhaps they will listen to the right person. Not me."

 

"But..." Serene swallowed hard and the recording continued.

 

"The Corpus need a guide." The recording's face turned solemn. "They must have someone to keep them from straying too far. Who can make the hard choices that are needed. That are wrong, but needed. "

 

Serene went still... No, she couldn't be... She jerked as she was suddenly laid flat on the bed she had never gotten off of. There hadn't seemed a point. The machinery swept down around her. She was immobilized, she couldn't move!

 

"I am sorry, Serene. I am so sorry." The recording said sadly. "If... If the plan had worked, I would explained in person and then submitted myself to Tenno justice for what happened to Mishka. She was not Mercedes' responsibility. She was mine. I failed her. And... I hurt her. I ordered her programmed. I deserve every ounce of your rage. All I can offer is my life, but to do that... I cannot leave the Clergy leaderless. So, I am sorry. Perhaps you will succeed where I failed."

 

"The Reverend Mother is dead." The recording said as energy slammed into Serene's skull and she could only writhe in her bonds and scream as machinery closed in on her.

 

"Long live the Reverend Mother."

 

Edited January 7, 2015 by Kalenath

[Vahlak]

That. Is not going to end well.

[Kalenath]

That. Is not going to end well.

 

Ya THINK?????????

[Protector152]

well F***!

[evafan002]

well F***!

you said it......

[Shadow977]

And everything goes down to S#&$ once again.

 

I was hoping Stalker would have some kind of reaction to this but i guess he got his spotlight moment in the last story.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Shadow977

[Spikey844]

*starts desperate looking for somewhere safe to hide*

[evafan002]

*starts desperate looking for somewhere safe to hide*

havent you learned by now? NOWHERE IS SAFE!!!!

[Shadow977]

havent you learned by now? NOWHERE IS SAFE!!!!

I stopped trying after the 2nd story i read.

[Kalenath]

And everything goes down to S#&$ once again.

 

I was hoping Stalker would have some kind of reaction to this but i guess he got his spotlight moment in the last story.

 

STALKER may not have a response just yet, but OTHERS certainly will.

[Shadow977]

STALKER may not have a response just yet, but OTHERS certainly will.

Nice. And yes i'm a massive Stalker fan(in the case it wasn't clear already)

[S3EK3R]

If that machine does, what I think it does, then Tenno forces need to roll in immediately. Take control of the Clergy while it's down, and save Serene. Of course, based on your previous works, I am not sure that we can save her, but I REALLY hope so.

[Shadow977]

If that machine does, what I think it does, then Tenno forces need to roll in immediately. Take control of the Clergy while it's down, and save Serene. Of course, based on your previous works, I am not sure that we can save her, but I REALLY hope so.

I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

[Kalenath]

I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

 

The other question is...

 

Will she WANT to be saved?

[renleech]

After Serene discovers what the old reverend mother knows, she will not want to be saved. She lost the blessing of ignorance...

And... Is the reverend mother truly dead? i don't think so...

 

Kal, your background as fan of Frank Herbert betrays you...

Edited January 7, 2015 by renleech

[fishworshipper]

My question(s) are based more on how the machine works.

For example, what exactly happens to the Serene personality? I'm sure we'll find some details in the coming post(s), but I don't wanna wait xc

[Kalenath]

After Serene discovers what the old reverend mother knows, she will not want to be saved. She lost the blessing of ignorance...

And... Is the reverend mother truly dead? i don't think so...

 

Kal, your background as fan of Frank Herbert betrays you...

 

And is that a BAD thing? No, Mua'Dib IS NOT going to make an appearance.

 

Probably...

 

Shai'halud now... Hmmm...

 

My question(s) are based more on how the machine works.

For example, what exactly happens to the Serene personality? I'm sure we'll find some details in the coming post(s), but I don't wanna wait xc

 

So not a just a grammar fish, but an impatient grammar fish...

 

Sheesh...

 

Tomorrow guys. Got to finish writing it!

Edited January 7, 2015 by Kalenath

[fishworshipper]

So not a just a grammar fish, but an impatient grammar fish...

 

Sheesh...

 

Tomorrow guys. Got to finish writing it!

Heyhey, watch the accusations there, kale! Just because I don't want to wait doesn't mean I don't have the patience or willingness to do so anyways :P

[Shadow977]

 

 

So not a just a grammar fish, but an impatient grammar fish...

 

Sheesh...

 

Tomorrow guys. Got to finish writing it!

I'm not sure if that's tomorrow to me because of time zones but good to hear.(or read)

Edited January 8, 2015 by Shadow977

[Kalenath]

 

And you thought the Banshee was angry...

 

"What the hell?" The words came from both the white warframe and the black as the woman in the cell seemed to jerk. Sun bent to check her as Nikis checked his readouts.

 

"She is convulsing." Nikis said with a grunt. "No internal cause. Vitals?"

 

"Strong." Sun said with a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "But..." He shook his head. "She is going to fade. Soon. Whatever just hit her tore a hole through her. We... What the-?"

 

Without warning, both men were standing in a virtual environment. The woman they had been trying to interrogate -without much success- was stood up against one wall, her feet off the floor, her throat held in an ironclad grip. And when they saw who held her!

 

"Janet!" Nikis exclaimed as the Oracle snarled at the old woman she held effortlessly off the ground. There was no weakness in this woman, despite the burn dressing that covered her.

 

"Stay back, you two!" The furious Oracle snapped. "I needed witnesses! You *@##$. You two timing, double dealing, lying Machiavellian *@##$!" Janet screamed. "You had no right to do that to her! None!"

 

"Oracle..." The Reverend Mother gasped, clawing at the hand that held her. "It... was needed..."

 

"I won't let you do it." Janet snapped. "Not to her. You had no right!" Her free hand was slapping the old woman now. "She might have chosen. She might not have. You had no right to take the choice from her!" Again and again her hand flew. It was easy to forget just how well trained in hurting people Janet had been. She wasn't a Tenno, but she wasn't a slouch either. "You had no right!"

 

"I didn't... There is no time." The old woman said weakly. "No time. I was..."

 

"Shut up!" Janet threw the woman to the floor where she kicked the Reverend Mother once, and then again. A door appeared on one wall and Janet waved a hand at it. It vanished. "Oh no... You don't die until I let you." Her voice... sounded like Nikis. Sun looked from her to Nikis whose posture was worried. "I can hold you here indefinitely between life and death, Jennifer H-10." At that, both Nikis and Sun went still. A name? The Reverend Mother had no name. "No easy out for you."

 

"Janet." Nikis said softly. "What are you doing?" She ignored him, kicking the woman at her feet again. "Janet..."

 

"You will talk to the interrogator, Jennifer H-10." Janet's voice might have frozen liquid helium. "You will tell him everything he asks. You will not dissemble. You will not prevaricate. You will not lie. He will know if you do and he will hurt you. You cannot die here without my okay. Which I will not give. But you can hurt. And you deserve it." Her soft, almost whispered voice was worse than any scream.

 

"I do..." The old woman said sadly. "Janet...I..."

 

"My name is Oracle!" Janet screamed as she kicked the woman hard enough to push her into one wall where she lay still. Bones audibly snapped. "And don't you forget it, you *@##$!" She spat at the woman and then turned and walked back to where Nikis and Sun stood amazed. "If she gives you any trouble at all, Interrogator, call me. I will happy to help."

 

"Why do you call her 'Jennifer H-10'?" Sun asked.

 

"Because that was her name before she took up the mantle of Reverend Mother." Janet said quietly. Sun and Nikis stared at her and then at the bloodied woman. "There can be only one. She isn't anymore." Nikis froze and Janet nodded. "Yeah. That is why she wanted Serene. A replacement."

 

"You gotta be S#&$ting me..." Nikis breathed, horrified.

 

"I wish." Janet said softly, her rage fading, replaced by sorrow. "I really and truly wish. Interrogator." She nodded to Sun and moved to the side. Nikis followed her.

 

"This... That won't work." Nikis said slowly. "Serene died."

 

"They had an Orokin soul catcher." Janet said with a snarl. "They knew she would go berserk. They had a plan for something else, but they figured if it failed, she would go berserk. They... wanted to be sure they got her. They did." She was shuddering now as Nikis held her carefully. "They did..." She was crying now. "Oh god... they did."

 

"Oh geez..." Nikis blew out a deep breath. "This is ain't going to go over so well... With anyone."

 

"No." Janet agreed sadly. "I managed to get through, but only for a moment. I promised her... I said I would talk to Two when she got out of the Citadel. I will try to help. And if I can get through... whatever was done to her... I will."

 

"What... will they do?" Nikis asked softly.

 

"It has been four hundred years since the last Reverend Mother was replaced." Janet said with a shudder. "The procedures are set, but... frankly? Your guess is as good as mine. The visions are all messed up. Some turn out good, some turn out bad. Some..." She shuddered again and Nikis held her. "I am sorry, Nikis... I failed. I should have..."

 

"Hush." Nikis said as he held the woman he loved. "You are not a goddess, Janet. You have powers and abilities others do not. That does not make you a goddess. You are not omniscient." He shrugged. "Neither am I. All we can do is go on. Can you tell me anything at all? People... will want... something." He said a bit lamely.

 

"All I could tell is that the ship she is on is small, probably a transport." She shook her head. "I am not that good at seeing things besides exactly what I am looking for. I would need help. I... bet Nyx can't." Nikis shook his head and Janet sighed. "Figured. I am sorry, Nikis." She said as she hugged the Nekros tight. "I am sorry."

 

"What will they do with her?" Nikis asked. "I never... focused much on the Corpus."

 

"Until they test her, they will wrap her in wool. Tend her injuries carefully and keep her asleep." Janet said softly. "Said tests will be grueling, brutal. Until she passes those, she is not the Reverend Mother. They will call her 'Honored Sister' instead. It is a temporary honorific. If... if she does not survive the tests... she will be buried under that title. There are dozens of graves with that title, Nikis."

 

"Don't count Serene out, Janet." Nikis said, giving her a squeeze.

 

"That is just it, Nikis..." Janet said sadly. "She won't be Serene anymore. The... programming, the augmentation, the... enhancements... I..." She started to cry again. "All I could do was watch as they did it to her. What they are doing right now... All I could -can- do... is watch!"

 

"Where will they take her?" Nikis asked softly.

 

"Neptune." Janet's voice was low and hushed now. "To a... place that is rarely used because it hard to get to and very well defended. She will wake once while they make sure she is healed, then she will sleep and wake there. And there she will be tested."

 

"Where, Janet?" He pressed.

 

"They call it 'The Convent'."

 

***

 

"They did WHAT?"

 

For a moment, after the incredulous shout had gone around the room at the Tower, there was utter silence. Then a little boy's wail pierced the silence like a knife. All eyes turned to where Sara stood with Rocky in her arms. She was soothing him and he settled. Her face... was remote. Blank. Alicia and Karen stood beside her, more a guard of honor than actual guards. If anyone offered Sara or Rocky harm they would be torn apart almost instantly. Some might say small children had no place in such a gathering. No one here would dare.

 

Karl and most of his clan stood motionless, all armed and ready. Horatius stood with Mercedes and Vina, all pale. Sheila stood beside them, but close to Sara. Her posture was protective of Sara and Rocky. Jasmina stood close to Sara.

 

"We need more information." Nikis said into the silence. "Horatius? Vina? Mercedes?"

 

"I looked up what little I had on the precedents..." Mercedes said in the silence, obviously unnerved by all this. Horatius laid a hand on her shoulder and she relaxed a little. "All the available records are... well... Slim to say the least. Sheila?"

 

"My databanks are all medical." The MOA replied. "There is some information on... Results of 'Honored Sister' testing protocols that do not make a lot of sense to me. Some I can fathom, some I can't. Psionic thresholds are not my area of expertise."

 

"Psionic thresholds?" Karl asked for everyone. Vina nodded slowly and he looked at her.

 

"I don't know a lot of history..." Vina began. "But the Reverend Mother has always... had gifts. Powerful gifts. No one knows if they were mental powers, some kind of high technology or something else. It could be any of those."

 

"Or all of the above." Horatius said quietly. But he was tense. "You always thought your skull was made  of glass around her. She knew what you were thinking. And it wasn't just careful observation."

 

"Telepathy wasn't common, but it was known." Nikis said quietly. "Far more common than Oracles, that is for sure." The others looked at him and he shrugged. "I learned to defend myself against it. Took a while." Horatius looked interested and Nikis shook his head. "Three hundred years."

 

"Ah, drat." The soldier said in such a disappointed tone that many of the people surrounding the area chuckled a little. Then he sobered. "You want us to go get information? We can."

 

"Horatius..." Vina sounded worried. "You start stealing information from the Clergy..."

 

"Vina..." Horatius patted her arm with the hand that was not holding Mercedes'. "Recon is what we do."

 

"No." This from Karen. Her voice was calm, matter of fact. "The records will be buried deep, far too deep for a smash and grab. And if you do manage to get in and out? They will do checks. They will discover the theft. You will be burned and branded traitors at the very least. Which is what Bek wants."

 

"Sitting on our hands is not the best use for us." Horatius said mildly, but he nodded, manifestly against his will. "Points taken though." But he was obviously thinking. "What is the deal with these... kids? Do we know?"

 

"What little we know is fragmentary." Nikis said with a shrug. "Janet says they were made from Serene, but..." He shrugged. "She wasn't focused on that before. Now she is. The only one we have information on is the girl. We really only have her name. René."

 

"And the fact that Two of all people thought they were all insane." Jasmina said softly. "We have to respond, but to do what?"

 

"You can't help Ma." Sara's voice had all of them turning to look at her. She called Amelia 'Mom' and Serene 'Ma'. Most of the time. Sometimes she got them reversed when she was excited. "Either she lives or she dies." She held her infant brother close and the boy cooed as she rocked him. "Trying for a rescue will put anyone who goes after her into the line of fire of the entire Clergy, automated and not. You know what she would say."

 

"Sara..." Karl protested softly to keep from disturbing the baby.

 

"You know what she would say, Karl." Sara pressed, trying with all her might to keep her voice from breaking. "I hate it, but I do too. She would say not to. Not to risk an entire clan for one... Tenno..." She was trying to hold back tears now. Jasmina sighed and took Rocky from her as Alicia knelt and folded Sara up in an embrace. The girl spoke through her tears. "You know I am right. You do."

 

Karl bowed his head. "I hate it too, Sara. But you are right." He slumped and then shook himself. "What can we do?"

 

"We watch, we wait." Sara said softly.

 

"We will do more than that." Horatius said as he stepped forward. "They cannot know we hit the team as they tried to flee. There were no survivors from the ones who ran our way. We were blacked out, they had no coms as soon as we engaged. We are going back."

 

"Horatius..." Mercedes protested. "If they read Serene... They will know. About us, about the Tenno, about everything!"

 

"The job isn't safe, Mercedes." Horatius said softly, patting her arm. "But I think Serene could use some backup close at hand that she could trust implicitly. No matter what happens, I will get word to you." He nodded to Nikis. "By your leave?"

 

"What are you asking me for?" Nikis demanded. "I ain't in charge." All of the other Tenno looked at him and he snarled. "I ain't!"

 

"Whatever you say, Nikis." Karl was obviously working very hard not to laugh. It wouldn't end well. Horatius cracked a smile and nodded to Karl who nodded back. "Be careful." Karl warned him. "If Serene is... turned... She is sneaky. You won't know you are in trouble until the jaws of the trap close on you."

 

"If it were easy, anyone could do it." Horatius pulled Mercedes into a hug and kissed her. Then he did the same for Vina. Then, he turned and left, leaving both women red faced.

 

"We... better get back." Vina said sadly. "Please let us know?" Sheila moved to stand with the two women.

 

"We will." Karl promised. "Olim, Mori, take them home. Make sure the area is secured. The last thing we need is some kind of trap left there."

 

"Right, Karl." The cyberlancer and his bodyguard moved to stand with the two human woman and the MOA. "This way, ladies." He nodded to a door and they followed him out of it.

 

"Sara..." Karl said gently. "Eliza wants to see you. You and Rocky." Sara jerked and Karl continued. "They felt it too."

 

"I didn't even think about them." Sara said sadly. "Too distracted..." She paused as Jasmina tapped her foot. "Jasmina?"

 

"I am going with you." The Ember Prime Caretaker's word brooked no argument but Karl just nodded. "I promised Serene I would look after them."

 

"Figured." Karl said with a snort. "Next portal is in five hours. Be there." Jasmina nodded. "The rest of us will keep doing what we do. But we will remain wary. This... is not good. Not at all."

 

"No." Sara agreed as she rose, smiling at Alicia as the Trinity stepped back. "No it is not. But Ma is  a survivor. If it can be survived, she will."

 

"I know Sara." The huge Rhino laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "And if we find a way, we will act."

 

"Make it hurt." Sara said with a fierceness more akin to her Ma than her usual sunny disposition.

 

"Oh we will." Karl promised. "We will."

 

***

 

"Make me understand." The Loki Prime hadn't moved in the virtual simulation. "What were you thinking? This is lunacy. Serene is Tenno. She is not human. She cannot, not will not, but cannot become your Clergy's Reverend Mother."

 

"You do not know that." The woman who had been the Reverend Mother said weakly as she lay on the floor. She hadn't moved from where Janet had kicked her. Truth be told, she didn't think she could. The infuriated Oracle had not pulled any of her strikes and several ribs felt broken. Ordinarily, she could fix such in seconds in virtual settings. But not here. Not now. "Tenno... are different, yes. But they...are not... so different."

 

"Your Board disagrees." Sun said mildly.

 

"The Board are a bunch of fools." The old woman snarled. "All they care about is their profits. Most of them anyway...." She said with a sigh. "They look at a warframe and they see a machine. To them... it is no different from a MOA. Older tech but still just tech. I know better."

 

"Do you?" Sun was still mild.

 

"Even before I saw the data that we recovered from the Neptune facility..." The old woman groaned, but the Loki did not react. "...saw Serene's body... scanned, violated, tormented... I knew that Tenno were not just machines. Maybe organic machines inside the armor, but not just tech." She looked up at the interrogator. "You are going to hurt me."

 

"Yes." The Loki Prime replied.

 

"You are going to break me despite my resistance and my implants and conditioning." She said with a grimace.

 

"Yes." Sun repeated, still mild.

 

"Might as well get on with it then." The old woman said with another sigh. "I am not getting any younger."

 

"And you are hoping that when I am done, I convince Janet to let you die." Sun said with a shrug. "I wouldn't bet on it. You really made her mad."

 

"Yeah." The former Reverend Mother said sadly. "Yeah, I did. It... it was needed though. Serene was needed."

 

"Why?" Sun asked quietly. "Why Serene and why now?"

 

"Two reasons." The old woman said as she tried to turn away from the pain in her chest and bit back a scream as she failed. "First... we need her. We need a new Reverend Mother. My life was forfeit to Tenno justice as soon as Mishka was harmed in my care. One of you was going to kill me for what happened." Sun did not move and she continued. "Serene was so strong. Stronger even than Janet, who was my chosen successor previously. I only talked to Serene once, but it was like hitting a wall. You get out of her way or you get hurt. My own mentor said the same about me. She said there is a feel to someone who would be a good one. She was right. Janet had that feel, but then she was lost to us. Serene has that feel."

 

"And her wishes are meaningless." Sun said, his tone still that maddening mildness.

 

"No. She will be given a chance to back out. Several." The old woman said softly. Sun stared at her and then old woman laughed without mirth. "It is not a burden to shoulder unwillingly. No one who has been forced to take up the mantle has lasted more than a year. She will be prepared for the Test. No more. She can deny it. Walk away. But she will not."

 

"What makes you say that?" Sun asked as the reality around them warped and she was suddenly lying on a hard surface. Restraints clicked closed around her.

 

"Because I saw her in Mishka's mind." The old woman did not resist. What would be the point? "Only glimpses, but it was enough. She is not one to leave kids to suffer. Hers or anyone else's. And that is the second point." She swallowed hard. "The boys... prefer... young flesh."

 

"Okay." Sun said calmly. "Let's get the introductions out of the way. Your name is Jennifer H-10. My name is Sun." She could not resist a shiver as the warframe picked up a long bladed...thing that glittered it the harsh light of the virtual world.

 

"My rank is Interrogator First Class and we have a lot to talk about."

 

[Temperance000]

Someone is going to die.  I do not particularly care who, at this point, as long as said someone is Corpus.

[Kalenath]

Someone is going to die.  I do not particularly care who, at this point, as long as said someone is Corpus.

 

All is not as it seems. Janet is NOT infallible. Far from it. Especially when she is angry.

 

But yes... Corpus personnel ARE going to die. just... not the way you expect.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Kalenath