To heal a soul

This time, there were no dreams. Serene woke from her impromptu nap lying on something soft. Nothing hurt, but when she tried to move, she couldn't. She couldn't move even a fingertip. She tried to open her eyes and she couldn't. At least when she opened her mouth, it worked.

"Aw, come on..." Serene complained. "Isn't this a bit much?"

"For you?" A familiar voice had Serene smiling. Jasmina was just as much of a joker as any other member of the clan. "No. Why are you complaining? You get waited on hand and foot while we have to slave over hot stoves all day, every day..." Serene couldn't help it, she laughed.

"And walk to school..." Serene said with a grin.

"Uphill both ways..." Jasmina continued the ancient joke.

"...in the snow!" They chorused, both women laughing at the joke that now really had no meaning. But it was funny.

"Geez, I needed that." Serene said after a moment. She felt something constricting her chest. Indeed, whatever was holding her in place seemed to be everywhere except her face. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it also wasn't something she was going to be able to break. She could hear medical type machinery all around her and various tugs on her anatomy said she had tubes in and monitors attached to her as well. "I know I am a mess, but like I say... Geez..."

"Ready for some breakfast?" Jasmina asked, then she giggled a bit as Serene made a face.

"If you try to spoon feed me or give me a bottle, I will kick your tail when I get out of this bed." Serene said sternly. "See if I don't." Something touched Serene's arm and she paused. Whatever was over her skin felt slick, but she could feel the touch through it and the touch felt...worried.

"Serene..." Suddenly, Jasmina's voice was not humorous at all. It was sad. "It's not when you get out of that bed, it's if you do."

"If?" Serene said, suddenly very afraid.

"Yes." Jasmina sounded sick now. "The docs have found a number of oddities in your brain. More than usual for you. Much more. Things that were not there on your last checkup. They don't know what to make of them." Serene slumped in her restraints and a gentle touch rubbed her cheek. Jasmina must have removed her own warframe gauntlet so she could physically touch, could offer reassurance. Serene appreciated it. "Oh, Serene, I am sorry." Jasmina sounded almost in tears now.

"Not your fault, sister." Serene said quietly. "I don't know what happened either. Oh. Sara? Her mom?"

"Sara is... a mess." Jasmina said with a sigh. "She is cooperating, and she is trying to be good. Mostly." A sour chuckle care from the other Tenno and Serene smiled.

"She is human and only ten years old, sister." Serene said with a sigh, only to pause as Jasmina made a noise of dismay. "What?"

"They asked me to help go over your warframe's records. I saw everything you did. When you found Sara crying in the vent... You never asked her age." Jasmina said slowly. "How do you know that?"

"It was a guess, Jasmina!" Serene snapped. "Is she ten? I didn't know. I guessed she looked about ten when I saw her. Am I in trouble for guessing now?"

"That didn't sound like a guess." Jasmina said slowly, her voice worried. "You sounded certain, Serene."

"Dang it, Jasmina..." Serene said softly and then forced herself to relax and speak calmly. "I am sorry. I am scared. I shouldn't take my fear out on you. No, I didn't know how old she was. She looked about ten so I said that." Serene paused. "She is ten?" She asked, incredulous.

"She is. She is also a handful, but is trying to be good." Jasmina said with a smile in her voice now. "Ready for your meal? It's soup and there is a straw." Serene smiled at that.

"You are just afraid of my wrath." Serene quipped, but then she paused. "I... Jasmina, you say you did look over my suit records. Did I go berserk?"

"I don't know, Serene." Jasmina said, her tone clear and honest. "It's not like any of the other records we have of kin who did. It's...weird. The brain readings are all over the place. You saw things. You said you saw things that were not there?"

"Yeah." Serene said, her voice small. "I guess I was bound to go bonkers sometime. Too much time alone I think."

"I would have said anyone would have cracked before you, Serene." The gentle touch was back on her cheek. She appreciated Jasmina's kindness. She couldn't feel any other skin contact. "You are one tough cookie." Serene sighed and Jasmina growled. "Oh come on, I left myself wide open for that joke! You are not going to take advantage? Serene..." Suddenly the touch at her cheek was a tickle.

"Jasmina!" Serene snapped. "When I get out of here...!"

"I know, I know..." The other female Tenno said with a smirk in her voice. "You will hunt me down, hurt me and generally do horrible things to me. It's what you do, girl."

"I..." Suddenly Serene felt pain inside her head. Something changed. The pain increased exponentially and she screamed.

"Serene!" Jasmina cried in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"H- Hurts..." Serene managed to gasp out as waves of pain scoured her skull from the inside.

"Where?" Jasmina asked, calming slightly. "Keep talking, Serene. The docs are coming." The gentle touch was back on her cheek and Serene focused on that, trying to ignore the waves of pain that kept coming.

"Head." Serene gasped. "Inside. Hurts..." She groaned as the pain shattered her control and suddenly she was shaking. "Help!" She begged through the waved of pain that were now eroding her very being.

She couldn't do anything. She couldn't move anything. All she could do was lie there and let the pain flow through her, She tried to ignore it. She tried to pass beyond it, but it was as if all her lessons, all her training had faded from her mind and all that was left, was pain. After an eternity, it finally ended and all she could do was lie there, sobbing.

"What happened?" Jasmina's voice was taut with fear and anger.

"We don't know." The voice of what had to be a doctor sounded nearby. "There is NO cause we can determine, but this... This is odd." He said softly. "Nurse, scan quadrant thirty six beta." A whir sounded and Serene swallowed heavily.

"Jasmina..." Serene pleaded.

"I am here, Serene." Jasmina's voice was close at hand and something soft wiped the sweat that had accumulated off her face.

"Kill me, Jasmina!" Serene begged. "Please! I can't take that. Not... Not again...If I wasn't crazy before I will be if I go through that again without being able to move."

"I can't do that, Serene." Jasmina said sadly. "Not when there is still hope."

"Hope?" Serene said, her voice rising. "What hope? I have lost it! I am losing it! Jasmina, stop me now!"

"Doc!" Jasmina pleaded. "She needs help."

"Serene..." The voice of the doctor came closer. "We don't know what happened or why it did. But the results are clear. We can keep it from happening again."

"Promise?" Serene hated the whining tone that entered her voice but she was powerless to keep it out. She was shaking in reaction and fear.

"I promise we will get to the bottom of this, Serene." The doctor said gently. "But since none of our scans have shown anything untoward, this level of restraint is unnecessary. We will move you to a regular room."

"No!" Serene snapped. "I am a threat!"

"You will be under observation and guard, Serene." The doctor said quietly. "We won't take any chances."

"Good." Serene said sadly. "Jasmina."

"I am here, Serene." The other warrior Tenno replied evenly.

"I need your word you won't let me become a threat, Jasmina." Serene said softly. "Or as soon as I can. I am ending my life."

"Serene!" Jasmina snapped, shocked. "We can't let you do that!"

"You are not in your right mind, Serene. You are hurt and scared." The doctor said gently. A warm feeling slowly travelled up Serene's body and she was drifting. "Rest now, sister. We will fix this." She nodded off to the sound of mutters and to soft singing. Jasmina had a gorgeous voice. Why... didn't she sing... more...


Everything was quiet and peaceful. Then it wasn't.

Something slammed into Serene and she responded with her training, rolling as she took the blow, absorbing little of the energy and redirecting most of it away from herself. She rolled to her feet and came up ready to fight... Herself. The other Serene wore black robes but no hood this time and her face was intent as she raised her long weapon again.

"Oh, not this dream again!" Serene snapped as she slipped into a ready stance. A small corner of her mind noted she wore the same dress she had worn in the dream before. Odd. "You are not me!"

"No." The other Serene said calmly as she swung her Bo staff in a lazy arc. "But soon I will be. You have locked me in this dark place long enough." Her voice was calm, but her posture was as taut as a coiled spring.

Serene snarled a vile curse and focused herself. This was all in the mind, so... The Hek shotgun she tried to summon didn't appear so she tried again. A spear appeared in her hand, a good counter for the reach of the staff. She began to circle her opponent who also began to move, looking for holes in Serene's defenses. Serene was watching and her smile was feral as she waited for an opening. The staff was primarily a defensive weapon, although in the hands of a master -which the other her was acting like- it could be offensive as well. Finally, the black garbed Serene stopped pacing and set her stance, daring Serene to attack. Serene didn't move. Something...

"Wait." Serene paused. The other Serene didn't move and Serene shook her head, careful not to take her eyes off her enemy. "Did YOU cause the pain in my head?" The other her shook her head and Serene's eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"

"You don't remember." The black grabbed Serene said slowly, her face suddenly sad. "I... I am sorry, but I have to do this."

"Do what? Remember what?" Serene snapped. "You are the second person to say that to me!" The other Serene stared at her and then Serene gasped as something seemed to yank her from inside her head.

How had she gotten on the ground? Where was her weapon? What? Why was the black garbed version of her holding Serene gently and crying?

"I am sorry." The other her said sadly. "I tried to make you remember. I don't... I don't know what I am doing. Instinct only takes it so far. I tried to be gentle. I tried to be as easy as I could. It didn't work. I wasn't trying to hurt you, just make you remember."

"What have you done?" Serene heard her voice slur.

"You will sleep." The other her said gently. "It is restful here. I will make sure they help you. Somehow. I have no idea how."

"What are you talking about?" Serene asked, dazed. "No..." She begged as the figure's hands started to glow. "No!" She begged harder as her body went limp, drained of energy.

"It's all right, Serene. This is all in the mind, so it won't hurt." The black garbed figure said gently. "But I owe you an explanation at the very least. You are Serene and so am I." Serene went stiff and the figure nodded. "Do you remember being captured by the Corpus? It was...some time ago." It had been... about a year actually, Serene remembered. She had been one of the first woken by the Lotus and had been busy doing recon work. She had been overwhelmed and taken prisoner.

"I woke up in a cell and escaped." Serene said slowly. "They didn't have me very long."

"Long enough." The other her said sadly. "They kept you asleep while they did their evil. While they made Doctor Priosa take information from your mind. While they made sure they could control her." Serene couldn't move, but she gasped and the other her nodded. "Yeah, the Tenno who was interrogated, who gave the Corpus the basic information on how to access Orokin facilities was you."

"That is not possible!" Serene said flatly. "I would remember!"

"Doctor Priosa's techniques are quite advanced. They were originally intended to help victims of Post Traumatic Stress. The Corpus warped that just like they warp everything." The other Serene said softly. "She was gentle and kind. But very, very thorough. Are you ready to sleep now, sister?" Serene managed to get her head to shake a little. "I am sorry, Serene." The other her said, a hand coming down to cup the side of her head. "I have no choice. I have to help Sara."

"Sara?" Serene managed to snap. "What?"

"Rest, sister." The black garbed Tenno said and energy started to pour from her hand, but she paused as a shout was heard.

"Stop!" Serene's eyes went very wise as Doctor Priosa appeared nearby. "Don't! You will kill her! And yourself!"

"What the?" Both Serenes said in unison. They stared at each other and then at the doc. Finally, the black garbed Serene spoke.

"What is going on?" The sitting Tenno asked carefully.

"You only have half the information.' Doctor Priosa said slowly, carefully. She waved a slow hand to where Serene lay, stunned. "She has the other half. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know I as breaking your soul in half, Serene, I am sorry..." She said, her face turning abject. "I didn't know. Thank god you saved Sara."

"Couldn't just leave her to die." Serene managed to say. "She is a good kid, your daughter."

"Our daughter." Doctor Priosa corrected her. Both Serenes went stiff at that.

"That is impossible." Serene managed to find her voice first. But the other her, the one in black bowed her head. "Isn't it?" She demanded.

"I didn't want to say." The other her said softly. "I didn't want to tell the Tenno that the reason I took control from you... the reason I killed everyone on that ship..." She was crying now and Serene found herself sitting up to take hold of the other her. "I knew who she was the moment I saw her. She wasn't just human. That Corpus scum had her, was beating her with his shock stick... I... I couldn't..."

"What a mess." Serene said slowly. "And you?" She asked the doctor. "How are you here?"

"They can't wake you." Doctor Priosa said sadly. "I offered my assistance as soon as they woke me from my prison. I don't understand all of what happened, but this I do know. You two are two halves of the same being. If one of the you kills the other, both will die."

"Ami, can you help us?" The black garbed Serene asked quietly.

"Ami?" Serene asked, incredulous. The other her actually squirmed a little.

"My name is Amelia." The doctor said uneasily. "And... yes... There is a lot you don't remember."

"Why should I trust you?" Serene said finally. "Either of you?" The black garbed form stiffened, but didn't speak.

"I know it is asking a lot, Serene. But as to why? Because I love you, Serene." Amelia said sadly. "And I am trying to help you heal your soul. We shared a horrific experience and those Corpus scum made Sara from us both. It bonded us. We never shared a bed, but..." She shook her head. "Even now I can't believe I was so stupid as to tell you 'no'."

"You weren't ready." The black garbed form said gently. "And I was... a mess. Serene..." She looked at the other her who was staring from one to the other in shock. "Don't judge her. She was stuck in an awful situation. They couldn't brainwash her so..."

"Sara." Serene's face turned horrified as realization dawned. "They took my DNA, used it to make a child. She isn't ten!"

"They mixed your DNA and mine." Amelia said sadly. "They flash grew her, and... then implanted her in me and made me give birth without painkillers." The remembered agony in the woman's voice had Serene struggling to her feet. The other her helped her to stand and both staggered to where Amelia stood, tears falling. "They accelerated her growth, she grew years worth in days. She was so beautiful. And then they hurt her! I tried to keep the information from them, what I learned from you. But I couldn't... I am sorry." Both Serene's embraced the doctor as she wept.

"Did you get them all?" Serene asked her other self. The black garbed form shook her head and Serene snarled. "Fine. When this is done, we hunt." The two women with the same face shared the same feral look and then turned back to the doctor. "What do we do?"