Betrayal
She ran. There wasn't really any point to it, but she had to try. She had to do what she could to get away. She cursed herself once more for being a trusting fool, for believing when told that transport was coming. She wasn't a warrior, trained in intelligence and counter intelligence. She was a doctor, a healer. She wasn't…
"Healer! Stop!" A sharp voice from nearby called and the Tenno known as Iriana put on an extra burst of speed as the white streak of a tranquilizer dart flashed by where she had been. "Please!" The male voice called as she ran.
She had wanted to help. She had hoped to help. Instead, she had been betrayed. The human colony on Mercury that she had been supposed to assist had been decimated by a Grineer slaving raid. And not recently. The few bodies that were left had been sitting out for at least a week. Far longer than the supposed distress call that had brought her here away from her support. When she had tried to escape back to the tower, her portal key had been snatched out of her hand by an unseen assailant and she had fled. She was… She gave a sharp cry and pulled her short Skana as an Ash warframe appeared in front of her in a puff of smoke. He raised empty hands.
"Healer." He said in a moderating voice. "Don't be stupid. We won't hurt you. We won't. We just need to…sequester you for a while. We have work for you to do, but… not here."
"Liar." Iriana snapped. She glanced to the sides, but one side was a sheer drop, the other a wide open field. She would be a sitting duck trying to cross such a place. "Is that what you scum told Dust? Told Jasmina?" One friend was dead. The other? No one spoke of her. It had taken Iriana a month to discover that Jasmina still lived, but no one would tell her anything except that the female Tenno had gone rogue. For Jasmina to do that… The mind boggled.
"Healer, please." The Ash pleaded. Another form appeared nearby, this one a Trinity warframe with a tranquilizer gun in hand. A familiar one.
"Alicia." Iriana spat. "I should have known. Karl did this! What did you do to Brownie? To Jasmina?"
"Iriana." The combat medic of Karl's clan said sadly. "Please. I don't understand everything that is going on here, but you are needed. This was a cover, a ploy to get you out of sight. You are needed. There are lots of people who need healing." Iriana looked from the Trinity to the Ash, but her attention was on Alicia and when Alicia fired again, the Healer's short Skana blocked the shot.
"Actions speak louder than words, Alicia. You are lying." Iriana snarled, then she screamed as the Ash teleported close and wrenched the Skana from her hand. He backed away as she recoiled, clutching her suddenly throbbing arm. Even not fighting to kill, warframes were insanely strong. "Using a warframe… on a medic…" Iriana spat. "So… honorable…"
"Iriana, it's okay." Alicia tried to calm the irate healer. "A little sleep and you will wake up somewhere where they need you. They will explain. We cannot explain here."
"Is that what you told Brownie?" Iriana nearly screamed. "When you gave her back to the scum who hurt her?"
"Healer, I didn't." Alicia said sadly. "I know you are upset. Just… easy…" She raised the pistol and froze as Iriana took a step towards the cliff. "Iriana… no…" Alicia stepped back, her posture scared.
"You took that hurt girl from me and gave her back to that scum Redi!" Iriana snapped. That betrayal had cut the deepest. She had trusted Karl and his people. They had returned her trust with horror. When she had found out about that, she had left Karl's dojo without a word and not returned any of his people's calls. "You are no healer!" She would not let them do the same to her. Or worse, use her to hurt another innocent.
"I am Tenno." Alicia said sadly. "I obey orders. And right now, my orders are to sedate you and bring you to people who need you. Close your eyes, Iriana. It won't hurt."
"No." Iriana said with a sigh. "It won't." Then she threw herself off the cliff! Her scream faded quickly.
"No!" Alicia screamed as she ran to the cliff side. The Ash ran with her and both peered down with both sensors and visual scanning. Her rangefinder told the story. Between three and four hundred meters down into forest. "No…" Alicia begged.
"She might have…" The Ash said, dazed. "A ledge, a vine… something!" Alicia shook her head and the Ash pleaded. "I'll go look!"
"Be careful, Janas." Alicia said soberly. "I… I need to report this. If you find her… Maybe we can… I…" She slumped. He nodded and threw himself from the cliff. Heights mattered not in a warframe, but Iriana hadn't been wearing one. "Damn it, what am I going to tell Sara and Mishka? Or Serene?"
Iriana's first thought on waking was wonder that she had. The second thought was a loud and fervent 'Ow'. She opened her eyes and gasped in shock. She was hanging over empty air. She could see the trees far beneath her, but when she tried to move, her left leg suddenly hurt. She looked at it and gasped. Seeing bone stabbing up from skin was never a good thing. Seeing it in two places? Worse. She struggled to move herself upright and screamed as pain flared in other places. She looked at herself and shook her head.
"And it started as such a good day too." She said weakly as she catalogued her injuries. Badly broken right arm wedged in between two rocks, compound breaks in the bones of her left leg. Bleeding from a deep gash in her side, probably caused by a rock. Pain in her face, multiple…
"Ma'am?" A quiet voice said and she looked up to see a human clinging to the rock beside her. The woman wore an odd garment that seemed to be made of rope. Or… the rope was holding her to another rope that went up a ways. Her gloves were coated with something that clung to the rock. "Can you move? A Grineer patrol is ten minutes out." Iriana shook her head.
"Leave me." Iriana said weakly. "Can't… get loose…"
"We don't leave people to the Grineer, Ma'am." The woman said with a scowl and spoke louder. "Found our screamer. She is hurt bad. I need the basket. And make it snappy!"
"No…" Iriana begged as the woman moved closer, hands moving with professional skill to assess her injuries. "Don't…"
"The only thing holding you in is the arm, Ma'am." The odd woman said calmly. "But it is broken bad." She reached into a pocket as something long and thin appeared beside the woman. Some kind of basket on a rope? Then it clicked. Iriana had read once about something called a 'Stokes basket' used in mountain rescues. This looked a lot like that. "I need to get you out and into the basket. I don't have any drugs with me, but…" She held out a long thin rod. It was covered in what looked like leather. "Bite on this."
"You can't help me." Iriana said, her strength waning. Somehow, she knew she was bleeding internally.
"Not on the side of cliff, no, Ma'am." The odd woman said with a shrug. "I ain't leaving you here for the Grineer to use for target practice." She put the rod into Iriana's mouth and the Healer bit down. The other woman took hold with practiced grips and pulled. Pain flared and Iriana could only take it for a moment before she blacked out.
"What do you mean she jumped?" Karl demanded, his face ashen under his open faceplate. He stood on his ship, staring at Alicia who slumped in the middle of the tiny ship's cabin.
"She realized it was a set up. We stopped her from portaling, but…" Alicia said sadly. "She ran. Janas and I caught her easily, but… She demanded to know what happened to the girl, what happened to Jasmina. Then… There was a cliff… She jumped." The Trinity was crying. "I… None of us wanted to hurt her!"
"How… far…?" Karl asked, his whole being still.
"Three, four hundred meters to the bottom. Forest. We couldn't see her land." Alicia bowed her head. "Janas went to see if there was a ledge, a vine… something she might have landed on or caught." She suddenly shouted. "I was trying not to hurt her!"
"You did your best." Karl said softly. "You never do anything less." He patted her shoulder gently. "Go on, go home. Rest. This isn't your fault."
"It feels like my fault." Alicia said as she turned to the airlock that led to her own ship. Then she paused. '"Karl… I mean no disrespect… But what are we doing?" She begged.
"Damage control." Karl said with a sigh. "When Jasmina... left… All kinds of things went screwy. The majority of the Infested vanishing is not a good sign." Alicia swallowed hard and he nodded. "We have to be ready. If… If Iriana is… I will tell Serene, Sara and Mishka. They were looking forward to seeing her."
"I know." Alicia said, tears falling freely. "Janas will search until he finds a body. Grineer are swarming."
"I will call other kin." Karl said sadly. "We will find her and bring her home. Alive… or otherwise."
"Amelia and Two are going to…" Alicia swallowed hard again. "I… I can't say I blame them. They love her."
"We all do." Karl said with a sigh. "My responsibility, Alicia. I will tell them. Go on. Will needs you."
Will… hadn't been the same since Jasmina had told off the Empress of the remnants of Orokin and vanished without a trace. He spent his time outside of missions in solitary meditation. He barely even trained anymore.
"I don't know what he is seeking." Alicia said sadly. "Aeron and Karen are not any better. So… cold." She shivered a bit.
Aeron and Karen rarely talked to Karl or anyone else now. They went out and did missions with clockwork efficiency. Then they both returned and spent their time alone, practicing with weapon, training. The few attempts that Alicia had tried to get through had been completely ignored. The pair of snipers defined scary. They didn't talk, didn't seem to communicate at all. They just moved in harmony with each other with a grace and skill that was terrifying even for Tenno.
"We all prepare for the worst in our own way, Sister Alicia." Olim said from where he knelt nearby. He and Mori were basically the only members of the clan who hadn't changed. Outwardly at least. Olim was still the same, but… cautious with the others. Alicia didn't blame him. Her clan was falling apart around her. "I am sorry. I barely knew Iriana and I mourn her."
"She is not dead until we find a body." Alicia said fiercely. "And maybe not even then, if Mori's people can do anything." Mori shrugged from where she stood behind Olim even now. She took her bodyguard duty very seriously. She hadn't spoken much since the debacle at Avalon. "I'll go… rest." Alicia said heavily. "Let me know… I owe her… for Raven. For me…" She pleaded.
"We will." Karl promised. Only after she was gone did he turn to Olim. "Can you track Iriana? She has an emergency tracer."
"I think so." Olim said slowly. "You want me to try?" Mori stiffened and Karl shook his head.
"That area is swarming with Grineer." Karl said sadly. "We need to whittle them down or distract them before we risk you."
"And if Iriana is bleeding her life out on a ledge somewhere?" Olim asked softly, not arguing. Clarifying.
"Getting you killed won't help her." Karl said softly. Mori relaxed and Karl nodded to her. "What word?"
"The portals have not been activated at all." Mori replied, her tone hard. "The tunnels have been scoured. No sign of where they went." She shook her head. "Karl… I…"
"We were both obeying orders." Karl said with a sigh. "It seemed so simple. Kill the Infested. It wasn't until Jasmina jerked us all up that I realized it wasn't simple at all. I should have seen it." He said, shaking his head again. "I didn't know she commanded the group who took control of the Caretaker facility. But to tell you the honest truth? I don't blame her for her reaction."
"Even the Empress doesn't." Mori said with a matching sigh. "Pregnant, suddenly exposed to sentient Infested… and then… betrayed? By Redi? By us? Then losing her mate? No. No one blames her." She slumped a bit. "I am not surprised she reacted as she did. I was surprised by the Glaive." When an unarmed Tenno smuggled a weapon into the presence of an Empress? Oh yes, that had been a shock.
"We all were." Karl said with a wince. "Where the hell did she hide that?"
"I don't think she did." Olim said, his tone thoughtful and the other two looked at him. "Think about it. Every scanner Orokin had was focused on her. Every scan I could do was focused on her. We read her through her warframe down to her DNA. The scans saw the Infested implant, they saw the tiny fetus even just a few days old. They would not have missed a Glaive. No way."
"Then how did she…?" Mori snapped, then froze. "No…"
"Yes. Legend says that when the First was first attacked by his Nemesis, he manifested the Glaive. Not drew it, not summoned it, he manifested it." Olim said quietly. "As in, created it from himself at need."
"You cannot be comparing her to the First." Mori said, stunned. "She is not Hayden Tenno!"
"No." Olim said quietly. "But she was stuck. Surrounded by enemies. And think of what she did with it. She made it dance in mid-air." Both other Tenno stilled. "Yes. '-and the First made the sharp metal disc dance in mid-air as if alive' as is quoted from the Codex. Small wonder Aeron and Will are having crises of faith. Small wonder." The Cyberlancer repeated. Karl swallowed heavily. "I am too." Olim admitted.
"Oh boy." Karl said with a sigh. "I… don't know what to think. Right now, we need to find Iriana. Alive or dead, we need to find her."
"And then?" Olim asked. "If she is alive and she asks the questions we do not have answers to?"
"Then we try to find answers." Karl said with an unfamiliar feeling. Helplessness.
Iriana woke to pain. It was everywhere. She was pain. It was… A stick in her arm made it recede and she gasped, but… There was a tube in her mouth. She opened her eyes, er, one eye, the other didn't work. She stared up into the face of the woman from the cliff side.
"We had to put a tube in, Ma'am." The woman said softly. "Your throat was swelling, blocking your air. We have to get your leg in a splint. Your arm…" She trailed off as Iriana nodded. She had seen the mess of her right arm. "Don't try to move. You may have spinal injuries. Our scanner is not that great and its batteries don't last long. They are recharging now. I wanted to get your bleeding under control first." Iriana moved her left hand a bit and the woman took it. "We will help you, okay?"
You can't. Iriana tried to send the message, but it obviously didn't convey. Dear ancestors, please don't die for me…
"You are okay, Ma'am." The woman said gently. "We will take care of you. We won't leave anyone for the Grineer." She gave Iriana's hand a squeeze.
The Grineer… Iriana thought and something in her eye spoke to the woman who gave her hand another squeeze.
"You are safe here, Ma'am." The odd woman said gently. "These caves are scanner resistant. The Grineer haven't found us."
Yet. Iriana thought as darkness crowded her vision. But they are not the major threat. If the Tenno come here… Oh I hope the Tenno cannot find me, hurt these people who have helped me.
The woman let go of Iriana's hand and checked an old style IV bag that hung nearby. No direct osmosis feeds here. No, this had a tube, probably with a needle into her bloodstream and everything. Ancient tech, but totally workable.
"We are going to put you out so we can set your leg and work on your arm." The woman said gently. "We are not doctors, but we have experience with broken bones." She looked with compassion at Iriana. "There is more, but those are the worst."
Iriana swallowed past the tube and then closed her eye. She could not fight, could not flee. All she could do was lie there and hope.
"My name is Pat." The woman said gently, taking Iriana's hand again. "We will talk when you wake. We should be able to take the tube out then."
Iriana slumped, feeling her meagre energy waning. Pat did something and Iriana felt faint. But then her eye flew open as a voice sounded nearby. But her vision as fuzzing.
"Pat?" The male voice was… familiar. "How bad is she?"
"She is a mess, Artus." Pat said with a sigh. "I think she is almost out. I need your help to set the leg."
"Anything I can do." The male voice said wearily. "The others are taken care of." Then the voice exclaimed. "Wait!" Iriana stared up at… a dark colored Volt warframe. She felt fear cascade through her. "Do I know you?"
She was begging, pleading and crying in equal measure as the drug she had been given dragged her into oblivion.