Flight

"Kori…" Karl warned, his shotgun moving to aim at her. The Rhino Prime blocked his aim and Karl cursed. Both of the Primes with him –A Trinity and a Volt- aimed at Kori as well. Wise of them. She was the greater threat.

"Do not hurt anyone." The Rhino Prime's voice was low, but commanding. Kori nodded. "One hurt kin is one too many." Karl stared at the other Rhino.

"As you wish." Kori said quietly, moving to keep the bulk of the Prime between her fragile warframe and the three firearms pointed at it. "Karl, Amelia attacked me." Karl did not react and Kori shook her head. "I was meditating in the medical bay and she came at me with a stunner. That was not like her. She said I was 'in the way'. I know my life is forfeit, Karl, but something is wrong!"

"If what you say is true, Kori…" Karl did not lower his weapon, but his voice was thoughtful. "Then yes. Something is. We will investigate. Step away from him, kneel and put your hands on your head."

"Do as he says, Kori." The Prime said quietly.

"And leave you to die?" Kori shook her head. "I would not let the First execute you without an explanation." All three of the ones aiming at her were obviously staring at her now. "I won't let them kill you without one either."

"Kori." Karl said slowly. "He disobeyed a direct command from the Orokin Emperor."

"What?" Kori staggered, but caught herself before she slid out of cover. She shook her head. "No. No, that can't be."

"Kori." The Rhino Prime said gently. "Think. I don't remember. I could be a mass murderer for all you know and you wouldn't have a clue. I don't know. Kori, stand down. Please. Karl is listening."

"You are not evil." Kori begged, but slowly started to kneel. "Karl, he isn't evil!" She pleaded.

"I know." Karl sounded sad now. "And that makes it worse. What he did cannot get out. Cannot become common knowledge, Kori. I… personally think it was the right thing, but… I was not there. We won't kill him, Kori unless he resists." The two Primes at his side bristled and Karl snarled. "We will not kill him."

"Then that is all I ask." Kori slumped a bit as she-

Everything stopped as Kori screamed. The tip of a Skana blade appeared from her chest and she fell to collapse in a heap as an Ash Prime–the one from before- appeared behind her, sword extended.

"Kori!" The Rhino Prime and Karl both shouted as one as both of the other Primes took aim. At her!

"Enough!" The Rhino Prime screamed and his boot came down. The entire hallway quivered from his Stomp, the Ash frozen in midstep, frozen in the midst of preparing to teleport away. He grabbed the much smaller male Tenno and threw him into the wall. The resulting dent was…sizable. "First you shoot her, now you stab her? What the hell is wrong with you?" He drew back a huge fist, but paused as Karl's voice sounded.

"Stop." Karl did not have his shotgun up now. "We need answers. Why did she go to you?"

"She is infatuated." The Prime said softly as the other Primes struggled free of the Stomp's paralysis. "She came to me because she is infatuated. She knows it too." He snapped as Karl inhaled. "She knows it is not real. That it is her emotions flip flopping. She doesn't trust you." He stepped away from the slumped Ash and held his hand over the Nyx's form. Green mist fell again. His voice turned cold. "From what I have seen? I can't say I blame her."

"I don't know him." Karl said slowly, turning a little to look at the Primes at his side. "You?" Both shook their heads. Their aim did not waver from Kori and the Rhino Prime. "Weapons down. Now!" he commanded.

"We have our orders." The Trinity Prime on his right said quietly.

"Didn't the last time Eliza gave stupid orders teach you people anything?" Karl snapped. "She asked me to bring him. She didn't say anything about killing him. She also…" He shook his head. "Didn't say anything about sending an assassin into my dojo." Now his tone could have frozen outer space.

"He is not one of ours." The Trinity Prime was still quiet. Was that uncertainty in her voice?

"What?" Karl demanded. "Who else has Ash Primes?"

"I don't know." The Trinity replied uneasily. "He is alive." She nodded to where the Ash was feebly trying to crawl away. The Rhino Prime stepped forward, grabbed the Ash and held him up by the front of his warframe's neck.

"Who the hell are you?" The Rhino Prime demanded as the Trinity moved closer and started to tend Kori, who was stable, but still badly hurt. "What the hell are you doing attacking a sister?" He shook the Ash who just looked at him. "Answer me, damn it!"

"Citadel will rise again." The Ash spoke in a hoarse croak and then started to laugh as the Trinity stepped closer and started to scan him. She recoiled.

"Plasma charge!" The Trinity screamed. "He is rigged!"

The Rhino Prime threw the Ash away hard. The laughing Tenno hit the wall with a loud snap and exploded. The Prime shielded the unconscious Nyx and the Trinity from the blast. He stayed crouched over Kori's still form as the others rose. He stared at the blackened patch of wall that was the sole testimony that a crippled Tenno had been there a moment before.

"What the hell is going on here?" The Rhino Prime demanded. "You say I am a traitor. Maybe I was. I don't know. But why attack Kori of all people?"

"I don't know." Karl said soberly. "Stand down." The Two Primes did not lower their weapons and Karl snarled at them. "Stand down. Now. Something stinks here. And I am not going to get anyone else hurt until we know what. Stand. Down." He stepped bodily between them and Kori and they lowered their weapons. Kori moaned and Karl's voice turned gentler. "Kori?"

"I am making a habit of this…" Kori said weakly. "I have to stop. Hurts like hell."

"Status?" Karl asked.

"Systems online." Kori said softly. "He cut deep, but my warframe is repairing the damage. Can't move, but… I am alive. Why did he attack me, Karl Sensei?" She begged.

"I don't know." Karl admitted. Both Primes had relaxed now and he shook his head. "First the colony and now here." He looked at the Rhino Prime who slumped.

"While I was meditating, I was pulled into a virtual world." The Prime said slowly. "Someone said that death and destruction follow me. Is that true?"

"Someone?" Karl asked, looking at the blackened patch of wall.

"I don't know who it was." The golden Rhino said with a wince. "Looked like the First Tenno, but then the real First showed up and was… unhappy." All of the other standing warframes winced in unison. "Yeah." The Rhino Prime said dryly. "He was going to kill me in the virtual world, fry my mind there and my body fails out here. Kori stopped him." All three of the others stared at Kori who managed a limp shrug. "She said it wasn't right. I tried to get her to leave. She wouldn't. Stubborn Tenno."

"It wasn't right." Kori tried to sit up and fell back with a gasp. "Whatever you were, you are not now."

"Kori." The Rhino Prime groaned. "You do not know that. If I was a traitor as Karl and these believe… Then what is the punishment by the Code?"

"Death." Kori said sadly.

"Death." The Rhino Prime agreed. "There are no loopholes, no gray areas. If I broke the Code, there is only one punishment. And you know it, Kori." She gave a small cry, but nodded feebly.

"You didn't." The Trinity said softly. All eyes turned to her and she sighed. "It wasn't that simple." She started to speak again and paused as the Rhino Prime raised a preemptive hand.

"Stop!" The Rhino Prime commanded. "I can figure it out. You are sworn not to speak of it. Just like Nikis." Karl jerked and the Rhino Prime nodded. "Damn it… Whatever the hell I did caused a massive mess. Will my death fix it?" He asked Karl.

"I don't know." Karl admitted. "I am to take you to Eliza. These are her guards." The Prime looked from Karl to the Volt and Trinity Primes and then stiffened.

"Oh… dear…" The Rhino Prime said slowly. "I… um… I didn't think any of them survived. Or their principal."

"They don't advertise the fact." Karl said softly. "Not many did. But you know who they are, don't you?"

"I do. And…I see." The Rhino Prime said softly. "What about Kori?"

"The surveillance systems were offline in medical for the time just before Amelia was found unconscious." Karl said with a grunt. "Brianna found Amelia and contacted me as soon as I returned. She was going to do a full…" A com chimed and he snarled. "What now?" He stalked to the intercom and hit it. "Yes?"

"Sensei!" This was the Frost Prime Cyberlancer Olim. And he sounded upset. "We have a 'foothold' situation! Hostile nanobots detected! Amelia was infected!"

"Lockdown!" Karl commanded. "Seal the systems!"

"We are trying!" Tapping of keys and beeping sounded over the intercom. "They are in the command circuitry! Heading your way. Sensei… I did a preliminary sweep of the bots' programming. They are targeting Kori! To kill."

"What?" Karl, Kori and all three Primes cried out as one. Karl shook his head and spoke again. "Any idea why?"

"No." The Cyberlancer sounded miffed now. "I can't get a good read on these. Sensei… According to Grisha, these are Orokin design infiltration biotech nanobots. She would know."

"Frack me." Karl swallowed hard. "Yeah, she is intel. Olim, get ready to purge all systems." A gasp came from the com, but then an acknowledgement. "It is the only way to be sure. We will lose a lot, but Cecelia backed up everything in secure locations."

"If they are after me, give me to them and this ends." Kori said quietly. "It's not like I can flee." She gave a squeak as the Rhino Prime bent down and lifted her easily. "I… No…"

"For all we know…" The Volt Prime spoke for the first time. "They might be programmed to take control of you and make you set the reactors to overload. Without your collar on, you could take control of anyone."

"But… I…" Kori gasped as the odd group started off. "What do we do?"

"We get you the hell out of here." Karl replied. "But first… Sweep?" The Volt nodded and produced a scanner that whirred as it aimed at Kori and then the Rhino Prime. Karl made an interrogative noise and the Volt shook his head. "Of course not. That would have been too easy."

"You think I was infected by these nanobots?" The Rhino Prime held Kori carefully as they raced through the corridors. "Carried them into the colony and here?"

"Was a possibility." Karl mused. "I mean, this didn't start until you and…" He jerked to a stop and the Rhino Prime exclaimed.

"Karen!" The Rhino Prime snapped. "If it was something on or in my pod…? Where is Karen?"

"She is still out on her mission." Karl said with a growl. "We need to get you and Kori somewhere secure. But…" The thought was obvious. How to hold something like a Rhino warframe if he didn't want to be held?

"I will not resist." The Rhino Prime said formally. "What do you want me to do?"

"Kori is the target." Karl said as they entered a larger room. The Rhino Prime paused as he realized it was a portal chamber. "Stand in the middle." The Trinity and Volt Primes moved to flank the Rhino Prime holding Kori.

"No." Kori begged. "They will kill him."

"Eliza wants to talk." Karl said, tapping keys quickly. "She promised me that. I… believe her this time. Michelle vouched for her."

"Michelle is a good judge of character." Kori said with a gasp as she shifted in the Rhino Prime's hands.

"Don't move, Kori." The Rhino Prime warned her and she went still. "You are still hurt. That blade would have killed you. It did sever your spine. Your warframe is healing the damage." He looked at Karl. "I don't know what is going on, but I trust you, Karl." Karl went still and the Rhino Prime nodded. "You care about your people. You believe in them. That feels… right." Both Primes at his side turned to stare at him and he sighed. "Just do it."

"We can't send you back where we came from." Karl said with a snarl. "They control the portals to and from and have a set schedule. But we can send you somewhere that it won't… No!" He cried as the panel under his fingers started to spark. "Get off the platform!" The Primes did not hesitate, darting to either side. The Rhino Prime, encumbered by Kori, was slower and the golden glow built and froze him in place.

"Protect your people!" The Rhino Prime called as the golden glow built around him, the precursor to quantum entanglement transportation. "We will wait wherever we come out." If we come out. He carefully did not say aloud as Kori was already screaming. Then they was elsewhere. "Easy, Kori. Easy…" He soothed the screaming Nyx and she quieted.

"Wha-?" Kori begged. "What happened?"

"The portal activated." The Rhino Prime said quietly. "It wasn't supposed to. I couldn't get off the platform in time."

"Where are we?" Kori asked, staring around. The room was dark and forbidding.

"No idea." The Rhino Prime said as he laid her down gently. "I will look around."

"Be careful." Kori pleaded. "Still can't move." He patted her hand and moved around a bit.

The gloom around them was absolute, however and he could barely see her after a moment. The lights on his gauntlet illuminated only a small bit of the room at a time. The space was not that large however and he came back to where Kori lay after a few minutes of searching.

"No exit that I can find." The Prime said as he knelt down beside the still Nyx. "Could be one hidden somewhere."

"What do we do?" Kori tried to sit up, gasped and fell back.

"You, relax." The Rhino Prime said sternly. "You need time to recover. A Skana in the back is not a minor injury, Kori."

"Why did that Ash attack me?" Kori asked. "I didn't know him. Was that a Prime Ash?"

"I think so." The Rhino Prime said with a sigh. "The others didn't know him either." He jumped up as a soft, menacing voice sounded form the darkness.

"Well, well, well…" The soft voice seemed to come from nowhere, but the Rhino turned his head, seeking the source. "What have we here?" The voice was cold, as dark as the gloom surrounding the pair of warframes.

"A pair of lost souls." The Prime Rhino said firmly.

"Well then, you have come to the right place, Tenno." Something flashed out of the darkness, but the Rhino Prime had activated Iron Skin moments before and interposed himself between the thrown blade and the immobile Nyx. "You only delay the inevitable." The voice said calmly, moving. But the Rhino did not.

"And you are standing where the blade came from." The Rhino Prime said just as calmly. "Nice trick. But throwing your voice is old." His gauntlet light came on and illuminated a dark form that slid away despite his quick attempted to follow it.

"Oh no…" Kori moaned. "No…Stalker!" She tried to sit up again and screamed before falling back.

"The sweet sound of –urk!" The dark form choked off as the Rhino Prime charged. Then he laughed. "Your Tenno powers are…" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by the Rhino's uppercut. Then he was backing away, trying to fend off the blows thrown by the angry Rhino. "Enough!" He vanished form in front of the Rhino and the Prime retreated to stand over Kori's shuddering form. "Who are you?"

"I don't know." The Prime said calmly. "But I will not let my sister fall to some dark and twisted half shadow of a Tenno."

"I am Tenno!" the dark voice screamed. "You all lost your way!" A hiss of air and a clang and something glanced off the Rhino's armored skin. An arrow.

"If you do not want me to take that bow from you and insert it somewhere very unpleasant, you will back the hell off." The Rhino said in a dreadful voice. "Now. Before I lose my temper."

"That voice…" The boogeyman sounded shaken now. "That… It can't be…" A red and black warframe stepped forward into the light from the Prime's gauntlet. Its bow was in hand and another arrow was nocked, but the shaft hung down, hanging slack. Every motion the warframe made spoke of stunned amazement. "Richard?"

"Is there anyone in this solar system who doesn't know who you are besides you?" Kori asked in between gasps of pain. "I…"

"Easy, Kori." The Prime said softly, not taking his eyes from the red and black warframe. "I don't know you. I don't remember most of what happened to me. But I am not your enemy."

"No." The twisted warframe said slowly. Then… he knelt. "Master Richard. It is good to see you again." The Stalker said as he bowed formally from the kneeling position.

What the F***?