To save a mind

Ric shifted a bit, careful of the mass in his lap. The movie had been a big hit. Neither of the girls was squeamish and both had alternately cheered, cried and finally were solemn as the ending rolled. Sara had climbed into Ric's lap after a particularly gut-wrenching scene. She hadn't cried, but she had been shaking as Wales had to use his dead companion's body to fool his enemies into letting him pass unhindered. He had held out his arms and she had curled up against him. It felt...good to comfort her. To laugh with her. To cry with her. Nothing erotic, just...good.

"That was..." Sara's voice was hushed as the monitor deactivated. "That was...powerful."

"Yeah." Ric agreed. "You okay?"

"I think so." Sara said slowly. "I... I didn't expect the way it ended. After all that... He didn't."

"Sara, his pistols were empty!" Mishka said with a sigh.

"Do you really think a veteran of so many battles would not reload his weapons as soon as he was able to?" Sara asked, incredulous. "I mean... He had to have."

"Sara, honey..." Jac said with a smile. "That is the point. We don't know if he did or not. And it is beside the point. He could have fought, maybe killed the one who betrayed him before, maybe died.. He chose not to. He chose to move on."

"I see." Sara said with a sigh, snuggling closer to Ric who smiled at her. "I... Thank you."

"For?" Ric asked, looking at her.

"For being who and what you are." Sara said, hugging him again. "For being a silent, supportive soul when I needed it. The last couple of weeks have been...bad." She hung her head.

"I know." Ric said with a sigh. "Serene is tough and capable, but she really didn't have a clue what she was getting into." He glanced at Jac who nodded.

"Neither did I." Jac said a bit sheepishly. "But I am willing to bet Iriana and the Tower did everything they could."

"They did." Mishka said with a growl. "But Serene is a little stubborn." Ric looked at her and she shrugged. "She is."

"Why do I get the feeling that the ancient saying 'Pot, meet kettle' fits this situation?" Ric asked with a grin. Mishka looked innocent but Sara laughed.

"He has got you there, sis." Sara said with a grin. Mishka made an obscene gesture at Sara who stuck her tongue out in response.

"Children." Jac said severely, but her smile belied the harshness of her tone. "You haven't touched your lunch yet. And yes, I include you in that, Ric." Sara gave Ric a hug and then scooted off his lap and moved with her sister to the table where the tray sat. "You are very good with them." She commented.

"Dunno if I ever dealt with kids before." Ric said with a sigh. "What is the word?"

"No sign of Mori." Jac said with a frown. 'You need food too, Ric." Ric looked at her and she waged a finger at him. "Do I need to get Amelia? Or Alicia?"

"I am going." Ric said, quickly rising. "I am going...Sheesh... Jac you are turning into a bona fide tyrant yourself. Sara. Mishka? Now would be a good time to use the facilities." The girls paused in stuffing their faces and nodded. Ric turned back to Jac and spoke softly. "Serene?"

"Just practicing my parenting skills." Jac said with a smile that faded. "Serene is a mess. She isn't sick. But..."

"But what?" Ric asked as Sara and Mishka both left the room to use the facilities.

"She is in her second trimester and she hasn't been eating or sleeping right." Jac said with a sigh. "She didn't have Aeron or the rest of you hovering over her to keep her on track. Iriana did what she could, but it was clear immediately that Serene wasn't...right when I saw her."

"How bad?" Ric asked, his tone worried.

"Amelia has her in hand, Ric." Jac said with a smile. "She will be fine. No one will-..." The incessant warble of the intruder alarm cut her off as she paled. "What? No! Not again!" She said with a groan.

"Stay here!" Ric commanded as he ran to the door. Sara and Mishka were just running back, faces scared. "In!" He commanded. He waved to the side of the room and both girls huddled against a wall, out of immediate line of sight of the door. He looked at Jac who nodded. "There are times I truly wish we could just leave the defense lasers on line. Let people try to invade then!"

"Could it be Mori?" Jac asked.

"No." Ric said with a grimace. "We calculated that in and..." A shadow moved into Medical and Ric snarled again as he stepped through the door and palmed it shut, locking it in one swift motion. A strange female Tenno in a Nyx warframe was walking through Medical, her steps oddly jerky. "Hold!" He commanded. "Identify yourself!"

"Where is the MOA?" The Nyx asked, her voice as disjointed as her steps had been. She sounded... desperate. "I must find the MOA."

"What MOA?" Ric asked reasonably. He was not about to tell some strange intruder about Cecelia. "This is a Tenno dojo, no MOAs here. Not that I would tell some strange enemy anything."

"Not an enemy." The woman said slowly. "Need to find the MOA."

"There is no MOA here." Ric said with a snap. "Identify yourself. Now." He stepped to a wall unit and hit a pair of keys. Those keys updated the security system with the location of the intruder and the fact that it was a Tenno.

"Not an enemy." The Nyx said, focusing on Ric. "Tenno...Ric...? Engineer... Help?" She begged.

"Help?" Ric asked slowly. "Help with what?"

"She said it would help." The Nyx pleaded. "She said it would make the dreams go away. She said it would make everything better. She lied!" She nearly wailed. "I still dream. I am dreaming. This is all...a waking dream... a waking nightmare."

"Sister..." Ric said urgently. "You are not making any sense. You have intruded in our dojo. Why?"

"Find the MOA, she said." The Nyx said, her voice far away. "Need the MOA, she said."

"Sister, the only MOA that was here is now orbiting this station in about a billion pieces." Ric said quietly. "It blew up."

"No..." The Nyx said in an abject voice. "No." She begged and then to Ric's amazement, she collapsed to the floor and curled up on herself. "I... I have to find the MOA... I have to..." He didn't move. She didn't look armed, but Nyx warframes didn't need weapons.

"Why?" Ric asked gently. "Why have you come here? Who sent you?"

"Can't... Can't... Can't..." The woman said, rocking herself. As she did, Ric saw something on the back of her helmet. Some kind of metallic mass. Then it clicked and he hissed as he recognized something that made him freeze in fear and shock. Something that all of Karl's people were well versed in recognizing. A Sentient enthrallment device.

"Sister..." Ric said quietly. "Undo your faceplate please."

"Locked." The Nyx said sadly. "Can't."

"Sister, I can help you." Ric said with a sigh. "But you have to help me. Undo your faceplate."

"I can't!" She wailed. "I have tried and tried and tried. I can't. Slave. Thrall. Can't."

"Sister, I can't let you near any of the tech in this room with that on." Ric said reasonably. "Is it in your head or just attached to your helmet, sister?" If it was in her head, she was lost, far too dangerous to try and help.

"Dunno." The Nyx replied, still rocking.

"Look on your HUD, sister." Ric said quietly, but with command. "Is the red on the back of your head extending into your skull or just on your helmet?"

"I..." The woman swallowed. "Just on the helmet, but..."

"Then you can open your faceplate, sister." Ric said with a smile. "You can take off your helmet. You can free yourself."

"They are in my head, stealing my thoughts." The woman said with a whine. "Can't."

"Sister, you can." Ric said quietly. "I believe in you, sister. My name is Ric, what is yours?"

"I... Kori..." The Nyx said with a soft cry. "My name is Kori." Ric felt as if he had been sucker punched.

Kori was a Tenno who had been captured by an insane human during the Great War. He had mind controlled her and used her to access Orokin facilities that were off limits to humans. His methods had left Kori broken in mind and body. Will had been Kori's apprentice at the time and he had barely escaped with his life. Will still had huge gaps in his memory from that time period and likely always would. But...

"Kori." Ric said softly. "You were in medical lockdown, receiving psychological help. How did you get a warframe? And how did you get here?"

"She came." Kori said softly. 'She promised. She lied... I..."

"Who?" Ric demanded quietly, although he had suspicions. Kori gave a small cry.

"I can't... I can't..." She pleaded. "Don't... Don't..."

"Easy, sister." Ric said with a sigh. "Okay, whoever took you programmed you to obey. They reprogrammed you so you couldn't talk about who did it and likely what was done as well. That woman..." He said with a snarl. Grina just did not learn!

"I have to find the MOA." Kori said. "'Bring the MOA', she said. 'No harm', she said. 'Pain will end', she said. Can't... can't..."

"Where is the pain, Kori?" Ric asked. "Head?" Kori nodded jerkily, and Ric sighed. "Damn her." Ric took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I may be able to help."

"Wait..." Kori said, staring at him. "No warframe... no!" She recoiled. "No! Danger!"

"I know." Ric said sadly. "But my sister is hurting." He took another slow step.

"Sentient tech!" Kori wailed. "Don't..."

"I know." Ric said quietly as he went to his knees beside the Tenno. "I need you to do something for me, Kori. It may hurt."

"Hurts." Kori said sadly. "Can't think."

"Focus on my words, sister Kori." Ric said gently as he examined her helmet. "Hear my words. You are Tenno, you are strong. No evil technology can stop you. You are Tenno, you are strong." He said, his voice full of confidence as he reached for her helmet. "Unlock your helmet."

"I...am Tenno..." Kori said, her voice hesitant. "Don't touch..." She pleaded.

"It's all right, Kori." Ric said gently. "Sentient tech is powerful, but it takes several minutes to access neural feeds. While my fingers have a lot of nerves in them, the access is limited. Whoever is controlling you may be able to open or close a few of my fingers, but they cannot take control of my body. Not without a lot more time than I am going to give them. You hear that you evil scum?" He said with a snarl. "Kori is my sister. And when I find you, I am going to tell Karl and we will come 'explain' to you that using tech like this on our kin is a bad idea!"

"I... You can't help me." Kori said in a small, timid voice.

"Yes I can, sister." Ric said with a smile. "Unlock your helmet."

As he touched her helmet, a buzz started and he grimaced as it increased swiftly. What he was doing was dangerous. A click was felt rather than heard and he wrenched the helmet off and threw it across the room. A strange glow shone from inside the helmet, but he ignored that as he stared at the tear streaked face that shone now that the helmet was off. Kori had been crying for some time. Many of the lines of tears from her red eyes had dried. She stared up at him, her expression childlike.

"The voices are gone..." She said, her tone wavering between fear and relief. "I... I..."

"It's all right, sister." Ric promised her. "It will be all right."

"What have I done?" Kori begged as tears started to fall again. "No! What have I done?"

"It's all right now, Kori." Ric said with a sigh as he gathered her up in his arms. "Shh, it's okay."

"Ric?" Jac asked from the door behind him.

"Jac, this is Kori." Ric said softly. "She has been brainwashed. Keep everyone away from the helmet. Sentient tech."

"Yuck!" Jac agreed, moving to the com unit. "Is she...?"

"I think it was on her helmet." Ric said with a snarl. "I don't feel any oddness coming from her." He held Kori gently as the woman sobbed.

"You should not be touching her." Jac said quietly. "Mishka stay away from that!" She commanded as she focused on the com unit. Mishka retreated from where she had been looking at the helmet. "Where is everybody?"

"Lockdown." Ric said with a sigh. "We were trying to figure out new ways to handle intruders. Until the alert is cancelled, only a few corridors are safe." He spun to see Mishka picking up the helmet. "Mishka drop that!" The girl did not respond and Ric paled. "Mishka... Jac!" He turned, but... Jac was slumped against the wall, Sara beside her with a hypo! Jac rose, but her eyes were unfocused. "Jac!" He tried to rise, but Kori had his arm in a grip that only another warframe could break. "Kori!"

"I am sorry." Kori said sadly. "I have no choice. The girls are coming with me."

"Kori!" Ric snapped. "What have you done?"

"Medical is off the dojo grid." Kori said quietly. "Jac is fine, the sedative I had Sara inject her with is gentle. I will be careful with her."

"You stupid girl!" Ric snapped. "What have you done? That was Sentient tech. Is Sentient tech that girl is holding in her bare hands!"

"The Sentient tech is not live, Ric." Kori said, rising to her feet. "Where is the MOA?"

"This was a set up." Ric breathed. "To get close to Cecelia. Why not pull the information from my mind or Jac's, traitor?"

"I am not a traitor, Ric." Kori said in a sad voice. "I am trying to save us all. I can't pull information from your mind or Jac's mind without causing irreparable harm, Ric. I don't want to do that. We are going to get the MOA and go to auxiliary airlock four, Ric. You are going to guide us along a path safe from the lasers."

"And if I say no?" Ric said with a scowl.

"Then we are going anyway." Kori said with a sigh. "Jac leading."

"You bitch." Ric said with a snap. "No." He stood and waited. "How long have you got before the others secure the rest of the dojo and come here, looking to mount your head on the wall, hmmm?"

"Ric, don't be stupid." Kori said with a snap of her own. "All we need is the MOA. No one else needs to be hurt."

"The MOA is gone. The remnant is a person. Her name..." Ric said quietly, but with power. "...is Cecelia. We promised her mother we would keep her safe. Right before Mari died saving everything in this solar system. I bet even Grina has seen that report. So go to hell. I won't let you or your master hurt her. She had been hurt enough."

"I am not privy to the Elder's intelligence briefs." Kori said with a sigh. "Ric, don't be stupid. I can make you do what I want."

"Sure you can." Ric said with a snarl. "Subverting two little girl's minds while they are distracted by fear? Child's play if you will pardon the pun. Jac? You had Sara sedate so you could take control of her. Me? Not so much."

"I don't want to hurt anyone, Ric." Kori said with a snarl. "But I will if I have to. Where is the MOA?"

"Ni." Ric said calmly.

"What?" Kori demanded.

"Ni." Ric repeated with a snarl.

"Ric, all you are doing...-" Kori protested.

"Ni!" Ric interrupted her with a savage smile.

"Fine." Kori said, her face sad. "Girl, please bring me my helmet." Mishka stepped close and held out the helmet to Kori who put it on. "Thank you."

"Thanking your slaves?" Ric asked sourly. "What are we, remorseful of the lives we have destroyed for ambition?" The door hissed open and an Ash warframe appeared, he tossed rifle to Kori who caught it nimbly with one hand, still holding Ric with the other. "Well, well, well, more loonies. And 'Ni' to you too, sir."

"Olim, be gentle." Kori commanded. "Jac is pregnant. "

"Right." The Ash said as he stepped to Jac's side, his hands careful as he secured her wrists and then lifted her carefully into his arms.

"Olim?" Ric demanded incredulously "You do want to die under a Rhino's boot, don't you boy? Didn't the last time you ticked Karl off teach you anything, fool?"

"You do not understand." The Ash said sadly. "But you will. We are following our path as you must follow yours. We will welcome you back to the Order, brother." Ric's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, my god." Ric said softly. "She didn't... No. Not even she can be that stupid..."

"Ric, the MOA." Kori pressed. Ric bowed his head and then jerked the arm that she held hard enough that it went snap. "No!" She cried. "Ric, don't!" His world was suddenly going dark, The anti-interrogation protocols were active again.

Then a sledgehammer blow landed in his mind and he knew no more.