Spiritual help

She was asleep. But not. She was awake. But not. Jesselle could see and hear. But she could not speak or move. It was... odd. But the scene in front of her had her trying to scream as N-1 stepped forward and to the side, consciously placing himself out of the line of fire of everyone else.

"Fire if you must, Tenno." N-1 said calmly. "I do not know what I have done to you. But whatever it was... it was bad." Jesselle was screaming silently as he knelt and bowed his head. The other boy -she had never caught his name- moved to kneel beside his brother. M-1 slept on in Nikis' arms.

"If you are going to do it, Karl, do it." Nikis said softly. "We do not have a lot of time."

"The girl?" The Trinity asked softly. Jesselle stilled. Why were the Tenno suddenly talking. Nikis of course was a law unto himself, but others? She hadn't ever heard any Tenno voices but Nikis' and that second hand. This woman... sounded worried, tired... a bit angry. Jesselle could feel the tension. She could not do anything about it though. It was frustrating.

"The Grineer messed her up." Nikis said, holding M-1 out to the Trinity who took her gently. "She looks like Mia. One of... the others."

"This is insane." The Trinity said with a shudder. "How the hell...?"

"We do not have time to dick about." Nikis snapped. "Shoot or move, Karl." He strode towards the exit. "I need to get Jesselle somewhere safe. Safer."

Don't you dare just leave them! Jesselle screamed and Nikis froze in midstep. You Tenno are supposed to be better than that! From their sudden tension everyone in the room heard her voice.

"Nikis...?" The Trinity said slowly. "Um... isn't she in your buffer?"

"She is." Nikis said slowly. Something touched Jesselle and she recoiled. "Girl... Don't... aw shit..."

They are not responsible for whatever you hate them for! Jesselle screamed louder. They are inno- Whatever was allowing her to speak suddenly cut off and she was weary. So weary. Don't... please... She begged as darkness took her.

If he was gonna, he would have by now, girl. Rest. Nikis' voice was gentle. Soothing. She let it lull her into slumber again.


"Well, Karl?" Nikis asked as he finished making sure the girl slept again. His voice turned snide. "Going to stand there all day with your Hek aimed?"

"No." Karl spun on his heel and stalked off. Alicia stared after him and then slumped a bit.

"A little warning would not have been amiss, Nikis." The Trinity said with a sigh.

"I found out about a minute before you did." Nikis said quietly. "Curtis? Any luck finding pods?"

There is a small room in the lower levels. Curtis reported from where he stood against the wall. There are pods and... He paused. Some still have... human embryos inside.

"Not human. We need to evac them." Nikis said quietly. "Karl is off in a snit. Who is in charge?" Alicia just looked at him and Nikis shook his head savagely. "Oh no, not a chance. Who is in charge?"

"If not you, then Will." Alicia said weakly, careful to hold the girl gently. "Nikis, what the hell is going on?"

"Not here." Nikis said quietly. "Boys. Come with me. Alicia, tell Will to get those pods and get them clear. Now. It is... pretty important to Jesselle. If we leave without them, she will be pissed and... helping her is going to be rough enough."

"All right." Alicia stepped to the door, still cradling M-1. "But we will want an explanation. Where do we take them?"

"The Relay." Nikis said as the boys stepped close to him. "And hurry. This is going to be rough, boys. But we will get you somewhere safe. Jesselle can be treated there too."

"Anywhere not filled with clones will be better than here." N-1 said with a scowl as he took Nikis' hand. The other did the same.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Nikis said with a snort. "But no clones trying to kill you. So..." He shrugged. "Probably better."

"Our brothers and sisters..." N-1 said, looking around the room at the sprawled forms. His face was sad. "Miss Jesselle tried. But they were dead. There was nothing she could do."

"We will get them." Alicia promised. "And we will be gentle."

"Thank you." N-1 said as energy flared around Nikis and then they were gone.

Elsewhere

Jesselle felt wrong. Everything was wrong. She was... it was... She was so tired. Nothing hurt, just a bone deep weariness.

"How does she keep waking?" A soft, scared voice sounded from nearby. Female. Old. Powerful. But no one Jesselle knew.

"I don't know." A male voice answered the female. "She isn't supposed to be able to do that. Then again... She wasn't supposed to be able to do what she did either. Easy, girl... easy..." Something caressed Jesselle and she was comforted a bit.

"Tired..." Jesselle groaned. "So tired..."

"You need to sleep, girl." The male voice said kindly. "You are very weak and very sick."

"Trying..." Jesselle felt tears threaten and she fought them back. "Can't... What did I do?" She begged.

"It is not you." The female voice said gently as arms surrounded her and held her gently. "Well, part of it is. Part is what those idiot Grineer did to you. And then you feel responsible for what happened to the kids. Your worry for them is also keeping you awake."

"I was trying to help!" Jesselle bawled and the arms hugged her tight. "Messed it all up!"

"No, honey." The other woman reassured her. "No you didn't. It wasn't anything you did or did not do. They chose to fight, knowing they would die. Death is preferable to such slavery. You saved three of them."

"Out of twelve!" Jesselle sobbed. "Some rescuer I was... Couldn't even keep the Grineer's attention..." Something changed and she could feel the other's worry. A wall blocked her, but... her power was out of control. It was going... everywhere. "I... No... Not again... I..."

"Jesselle..." The woman said quietly. "We are going to do something. It will hurt, but it will stop you from fading any further. We will block your power."

"Don't want this... this horror!" Jesselle screamed. "Take it! Take it away!"

"I am sorry, honey. We can't." The other said as the arms shifted and hands encompassed Jesselle's skull. "It won't hold forever. But it will let you sleep. Something you desperately need right now." She started to hum an old tune and Jesselle felt her worry easing.

Then the pain hit. Jesselle screamed and then it was gone. She sagged in the arms that held her. Her mind...was clear. Her power had faded to a miniscule bit that she squelched.

"Rest now, Jesselle." The woman said quietly. "When you wake, healers will tend you. They have been apprised. You are going to be okay, girl."

"Promise?" Jesselle begged, sleep coming for her.

"I promise." The other said as she rocked Jesselle to sleep.


A small virtual environment

The virtual world was silent. None of the holographic shades of Tenno moved as the sorely hurt girl finally sank into sleep.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes..." Trinity -the First- said softly. "...I never would have believed it. She broke right through the blocks like they were not even there. She is untrained. That was raw power." Awe sounded in her voice mixed with apprehension. "She is human. Not Tenno. And even Tenno would have difficulty with that."

"The buffers of Nikis' warframe could not keep her asleep." A form in armor sort of like an Excalibur warframe -but not quite- said soberly. He wore no helmet and his dark hair shone in the harsh light of the virtual world. "We could not keep her asleep. Not even Janet had that kind of power." The First Tenno looked sad. "She... is not a threat. But she is."

"Her power is burning her out even as she uses it." Another Tenno wearing a Saryn Prime warframe said soberly. "She can't control it."

"So what?" Trinity demanded. "We kill her? Wipe her mind? Do to her what the Grineer would?"

"Trinity..." Hayden said quietly. "We can't help her." The First Trinity stared down at the girl in her arms and shuddered. "We will look for options. She is blocked for the moment. She does not want to be a threat. Pragmatically speaking, perhaps we should kill her for the threat she poses, but... No." He said with shake of his head. "Not when there is hope of any kind. And those kids..." He sighed. "I really didn't want to talk to him again... I really didn't."

"Let me." A sultry voice sounded from nearby and everyone made way for Mag. The First Mag was not someone to anger and Nicholas had. "My spoon is ready."

"We need answers, Mag." Hayden said firmly. "Not just him screaming." Mag shrugged.

"I am always happy to help with such." Mag said in a totally fake demur tone. More than one of the surrounding Tenno laughed at that. Mag was anything but demur.

"I will keep that in mind. But not right now." Hayden was trying hard not to smile as Mag pouted. "Trinity?" He asked the warframe who held Jesselle.

"Poor dear is finally asleep." Trinity said sadly. "I think we can hold her with her power under control. Hayden... it won't stay that way." She warned. "Once a door is forced open, it becomes far harder to shut again."

"I know." Hayden said with a sigh. "But Nikis and Janet will do what they can. We need to find out what we can. What Nicholas did. This... twelve of them and others... Too much to be a coincidence."

"We know he was trying to breed Tenno." Mag said, her usual bantering gone replaced by hate. Then again... she had cause. Most female Tenno did. "What he did to Karen. What he would have done to Lis..." She shook her head. "Make it hurt."

"Oh I will." Hayden promised as he vanished. The other Tenno vanished as well. In moments, only Trinity sat, still holding Jesselle.

"I will stay with her." Trinity promised thin air and Janet appeared nearby. The Oracle had been crying. "It's not your fault, Janet. It is whatever the Grineer did." Janet went to her knees beside the kneeling warframe and touched Jesselle's hand tentatively.

"She was... always... such a good kid..." Janet said sadly. 'Why now? Why did she have to learn about focusing on duty now?"

"She had good teachers. I will stay with her. If it come to it... I will not make you do it." Trinity promised. Janet bowed her head and Trinity sighed. "She deserves better. But if she cannot control it..."

"I know." Janet said sadly. "I... cannot see a lot about those kids. I was trying to see where they came from. The Grineer found a tiny chamber inside an asteroid. It held the pods. They did not make them, they... used them on enslaved woman." Trinity slumped a bit and Janet nodded. "I cannot see much more than that."

"He would have protected any of his laboratories with the same cloaking tech that hid his dojo for so long." Trinity said heavily. "Nicholas was insane. He wasn't stupid."

"What can I do, Trinity?" Janet asked as she smoothed Jesselle's hair gently. "She is my daughter."

"Pray." Trinity said sadly. "Pray she is sane when she wakes up. If she is... they may be able to find a way to help her. If she is not..." Janet jerked, but then nodded.

"If she is not, make it quick." Janet begged and Trinity nodded.

"I had kids once too." Trinity said sadly. "I do not want to kill her. But..."

"I know." Janet's voice firmed. "If it comes to it... I will not blame you." Trinity just shook her head.

"I will."


"You want us to... what?"

Chief Executive Vina was not a retiring sort. One did not rise into the upper echelons of the Corpus without having a certain amount of strength of will. One did not leave the Corpus, no matter the provocation, without learning quite a bit about one's self as well. Then again...the other person in her office was not one to take insults well, if at all. But right now He seemed worried. And when Grandmaster Nikis was worried...

"They are kids, Vina." Nikis said with far more patience that he generally showed. "Kids with no idea why people are reacting as if they had seen ghosts of evil people. Not that most of them were..." The gunfighter mused. "The leader and a few of his closest? Sure. The rest? No. Just led badly."

"Like Lis." Vina paled and Nikis nodded. "So the Tenno...?"

"Anyone who lost anything to Nicholas will be looking for revenge." The Nekros said quietly. "We need these kids kept somewhere secure, away from most of the Tenno. We need Jesselle treated and monitored. She... did something she shouldn't have been able to." Vina paled further and Nikis nodded. "We don't know if she will be sane when she wakes."

"And I thought things were getting boring..." Vina said weakly as she sat in her chair with a plop. "'Be careful what you wish for', huh?"

"Yeah. 'You just might get it.'" Nikis replied. "If you can't, then you can't. Do not try to stop any Tenno who may come. I do not think Karl will. But there are others. Lots of others. And Karl has surprised me occasionally. Usually not in a good way." He mused.

"How many?" Vina asked, her face smoothing as she relaxed.

"Three survivors." Nikis said with a sigh. "Two more in pods who haven't been decanted yet. The Grineer used surrogates. The few records we found... were horrifying." Vina paled again. For the ancient, hard bitten gunfighter to say that...

"So... three young and two who haven't been born yet." Vina sighed. "If this were the Corpus, I would call the Clergy." She stilled as Nikis laughed. "What?" She demanded crossly.

"That is the best idea I have heard since this mess started." Nikis said with a sly grin in his voice. "They do know about dealing with orphans, no?"

"Not Tenno orphans." Vina protested.

"Kids, Vina." Nikis said with a sigh. "They are kids. I can tell they are not even flash grown. The Grineer let them grow normally for some reason. Well, except for the controls they put in the girls." He shook his head. "We will handle the autopsies. Just in case there are any surprises. If there are, we will handle it."

"We have space." Vina said quietly. 'But we do not have a lot of excess staff. And any Tenno who comes... will not react well to these." Nikis shook his head. "Would you trust the Clergy to handle something like this?"

"I do not think 'trust' is the right word." Nikis said after a moment's thought. "Tenno do not trust. We can't. Not even each other completely. Iriana and a few other healers are notable exceptions and Iriana's trust was abused too. We get along with each other fairly well. But there is always the wariness. Life has stabbed us in the back way too many times for any of us to trust. You understand. Which is one reason I like you." Vina grimaced and nodded.

"Iriana is coming." Vina said with a frown. "We got notice that she wanted to treat Jesselle and should step up security." Nikis nodded. "Why not take them to the Tower...?" She trailed off and then slapped her forehead. "Duh! Their genetic prints are on file at the Tower, aren't they?"

"That is where the renegades died." Nikis agreed. "Only one beside Lis still lives and he was being a pest. Taking them there is a bad idea. Both for what the Tower might do and because any Tenno can access the place easily."

"You really think someone is going to try to kill these kids?" Vina asked softly.

"No, I don't think a darn thing." Nikis said softly. "I know someone will. Nicholas made a lot of enemies." Vina stared at him and he sighed. "What?"

"How well did you know this renegade, Nikis?" Vina asked softly. Nikis did not respond and she shook her head. "Nikis, please? I will give them shelter. After everything you and the others have done, it is the least I can do. But... Why, Nikis. This is not just about Jesselle, is it?"

"I can't say, Vina." Nikis said softly.

"Oh." Vina swallowed hard and then nodded briskly. "Then... we can have quarters set up quickly. We do not have any clerics on staff. I think... if you can monitor them, someone from the Clergy would help. Both the children and Jesselle."

"Would they help?" Nikis asked quietly.

"I haven't... spoken to them since I got here..." Vina said with a frown. "It... hurts. All of us. But the separation may help us survive."

"Or it may drive you all mad." Nikis said with a grunt. "My authority. Talk to them." Vina looked scared and Nikis shook his head. "I can stop them if anything happens." Vina swallowed hard and her gaze went far away.

"I... hear... they.. She..." Vina was suddenly crying. "She was so worried. She feels us again. It... I..."

"Vina." Nikis pressed her gently.

"Right." The Executive said and then she smiled. "They say they can send someone, but getting her here will be hard."

"Hard on her, maybe." Nikis said quietly. "But we can do it with no lasting damage." Vina glared at him and he shrugged. "Does it hurt now?"

"No, but it hurt like hell at the time." Vina snapped. "You could have warned me."

"There wasn't time." Nikis said with a shrug. "And you did very well. Most humans are blubbering when they come out of digitization. You tried to take my head off. Which is why I left you with Oracle and her people to recover."

"Don't expected me to forgive or forget." Vina said with a glower.

"You are certainly not the type to." Nikis aid with a booming laugh. "The Clergy?"

"They are debating." Vina sighed. "It might take a while. It might not. They talk very fast, but... achieving consensus can be... Oh..." She jerked. "They did."

"Who are they sending?" Nikis asked. "I will get whoever and bring them."

"A Sister named Kieko."