Each of us drop from our ships onto the overgrown surface of Earth. I take a few moments to take in the area. The smell of a still living ecosystem, even after what apparently happened during the great war. I look at Ember, "Ordis told me this planet was supposed to be barren, after all that happened to it. So why is it still thriving?"
"We honestly don't know." she starts looking around, as if it amazed her as well. "There are old documents we have recovered in our visits here. They say something about a spirit that embodies this planet called Gaea. She was the caretaker of this planet, and she would never let this place fall into despair. That could be why this planet could still be fertile." Her face is covered by her helmet, but it feels like she is smiling underneath.
"Enough with the mushy things guys. How are we going to break this guy out of prison?" Loki breaks the calm, "I mean, seriously. The place is a high security fortress, surrounded by guards, with layer upon layer of security checks."
"I thought you broke through Corpus security several times over, and assassinated over a thousand Grineer without anyone knowing until a week later." She stands in front of him, challenging him to oppose these facts.
"Actually, it was two weeks" Loki says holding up two fingers and then using them to push Ember's face away from his.
"Then why are you complaining? The plan is simple. You use your invisibility to scout ahead and Excalibur and I will follow behind. If you get the chance to thin out some of the Grineer, do it, so long as we don't sound any alarms. Once you get to the cells, keep an eye on the warden. They do anything suspicious, disarm them or assassinate them."
"Alright, I got ya. Give me a few minutes before you follow though. Like you said, want to be stealth." He disappears in front of my eyes. I stand staring at where he was for a few minutes before turning to Ember.
"How the hell did he do that?" I ask her, bewilderment in my voice.
"Wow, you really must have been asleep a while. Each frame has different abilities. Loki's specializes in stealth. Mine, well, I burn things. I don't know what yours does though."
"Well how can I find out?"
"Well, we use suit energy, which is stored up within our frames, to use it, try and focus on the energy. Maybe there's something in your memory that will trigger it." I stand still and close my eyes, trying to focus on the energy already coursing through my body. Something triggers and I feel a giant wave pass through me. I grab my skana and take a step forward. I find myself at least fifteen feet from where I was before. The surge lessens in my body and I stumble a bit.
"Well that was fun." I laugh a bit. "Going to have to do that more often."
"Better not do it too much, It takes a toll on your body. Use it too much and It could rip you apart." She walks over and slaps me on the back, causing me to stumble forward a bit. "Now come on, Loki should be done by now." We follow the waypoints Loki left for us, occasionally finding bodies that hadn't deteriorated yet. We stop just outside of the cell block. "Loki, you ready?" Ember says into the com.
"Of course I'm ready darling, when would I not be. Come on in and wreak havoc why don't you?" A hint of nervousness is in his voice, but we open the door and start firing. Grinner were everywhere. Hiding behind cover, flying across the room, coming up to us to try and punch us in the face, we moved from cover to cover, avoiding as many of the incoming bullets as we could.
"Darvo's cell is on the other side of this block. I'll hold here. You get over there and try to get through the terminal. I'll distract them as much as I can." She pushes me in the direction of the cell and I run off as fast as I can, deflecting bullets with my sword as I go. I reach the terminal and find Loki there already. I run up just as Loki unlocks the cell.
"I need a weapon. Please, a pistol will do." Darvo says as he steps out of his cell.
"Here use mine." I hand over my Lato. "But I better get it back after this."
"Of course, of course. We better head out though. Your friend here doesn't seem too up to fighting." Darvo looks at Loki and I notice he's hunched over grabbing his abdomen.
"Don't worry 'bout me sweetie. There won't be any performance issues when we get home." He let out a weak laugh. "We can have Oberon and Trinity fix me up back home. It'll be fine." He stands up slowly, and starts walking towards the exit. I follow him closely, and Ember catches up with us after burning the last enemy.
"You need to hurry, there's a platoon of Grineer coming for you." Lotus tells us. "Loki, can you run?"
"Of course I can! What the hell do you think I am, Rhino?" The coms produces static while recovering from his shouting.
"Then we'll head onwards. Let's move out everyone." Ember starts running towards extraction with Darvo, but I stay close to Loki. We cleave a path, through bullets and blades, to get to extraction. I thank Mag again for the module she gave me, otherwise my shields would have run out long ago. We get to extraction and I notice that Loki is gone.
"Loki, where are you?" I ask through the coms.
"Go on without me, I'll make it to you later." He replies in between coughing fits.
"I'm not leaving you Loki. Lotus, can you pinpoint his location?"
"Yes, but he doesn't have much longer to live. I suggest your temporary nano-med aerosol in your suit. That should sustain him long enough to get him back to the Dojo for treatment." Lotus replies quickly.
"Then lets grab him and get out of here." I run into the mob of Grineer, cutting them in half and reflecting oncoming bullets into the heads of surrounding Grineer. I reach Loki and, putting my hand to his abdomen, release the nano-med stored in my hand.
"Why come back for me? I'm fine. You guys would probably be happier without me." He says weakly, as we are surrounded by Grineer forces.
"Stay down." I stand up and let my body fill with reserved energy from my suit. I stab my sword into the ground next to Loki, releasing all of the energy built up and impaling all of the remaining Grineer to the walls. "You may be a pain in the ass Loki, but I know that you are a Tenno. And, as I see it, we can't lose any more, no matter what. We have to exist and protect each other as a family." I pick him up, stumbling from the exertion of my energy lance ability. "Now let's get you home before you die, okay."
"Well I must say, you sure know how to handle a man." He chuckles softly as I put him inside his ship. "See you tonight Excalibutt." I could almost see him wink at me before he was flipped inside of his ship. I step into my own, closing my eyes to rest until we get home. That's right, home. I'm going home again.
Upon arrival, Loki is met by a giant dog-like creature as well as Oberon and Trinity in their frames. "He was missing you Loki. You really shouldn't lock him up in your room all day." Oberon says while the canine approaches Loki.
"Hey Thor. How's my bro doin?" He petted the beast, regarding it as an old friend. "Alright, enough with the puppy therapy guys. Let's get this over with." He walked with them to what I assume is the medical room while keeping his hand on the animal at all times.
"What was that?" I asked Ember as soon as the door shut behind them.
"That is a Kubrow. Only him and Rhino have one, both different breeds. That was a Huras breed. Used for stealth and assassination. A fitting pair I might say." She started walking to her room. "You might want to get some sleep. It's been a long day for the three of us." I decide to take her advice and make my way to my room as well. Inside, I disembark from my frame and put on a T-shirt to sleep in. There's a knock at my door and I go to answer it, expecting it to be Loki with another smartass comment. I open the door to find Mag, barely dressed, standing in front of me.
"C-can I borrow a shirt to sleep in? All of my clothes are in the wash." She asks timidly. Her face is red with embarrassment and she is looking down at the floor.
I look at her, bewildered and say, "Sure, I guess." Blushing profusely from the adorable Tenno, I go to grab one of my shirts and she follows me into my room. I give it to her, and she puts it on, the size of the shirt big enough to cover past her waist and the long sleves cover her hands.
"Actually, I wanted to sleep with you tonight. My room kind of freaks me out at night, and you feel like a safe person." She looks at me with her glittering golden gray eyes.
"S-sure. Do you mind me locking the door?" I move towards the door.
"No, I don't. It could be safer anyways." She crawls into my bed under the blankets. And, after locking the door, I accompany her.
"Why are you so scared Mag, If you don't mind me asking."
"While in my frame, I'm not. But outside, I'm fragile. My frame uses magnetic charge to fuel its abilities. Because of that, my bones are more fragile than usual, as well as my immune system being a bit lower. While I'm in my frame though, my shields protect me. I'm invincible as long as my shields are up. That mod I gave you was the one I used to use before I made a better one."
"So why did you give it to me? Why sleep in the same room as me? You don't even know me Mag." I turn to her, somewhat confused.
"Because you feel like someone I can trust." She pulls a necklace out of the shirt I gave her that looks exactly like mine. "And you feel like one who will protect me." She cuddles against my chest and, within minutes, falls asleep. I carefully wrap my arms around her and whisper. "I won't let you down madame."