Theories
"What a wonderful smell you have discovered…" Mary was holding her nose as she tried not to move. The piles of…stuff were everywhere in the small chamber. Not all of it was junk, but a lot of it was. Computer parts, boxes of rations, water packages… All kinds and sorts of stuff. All lying in haphazard seeming piles. She paused and reached out for something with her freehand. "Is this…?"
"Don't touch that!" The resident of this odd refuge said sharply, batting the girl's hand away from the small device. He retreated a bit, spraying his hand with something from a container. It wouldn't have been so odd… if his entire body hadn't been covered by some kind of shiny silver material that crinkled as he moved. Even his eyes were covered.
"Touch her again and I will hurt you, Lou." Kori's voice was calm, but her body language was anything but.
"We have enough problems without fighting amongst ourselves." The Rhino Prime was stuck somewhere between resignation and amusement. This situation was just… "If you have access to the surveillance feeds, now would be a good time to try it."
"I um… don't… exactly." The odd silver covered Tenno said with a wince.
"You don't?" Kori's voice –impossibly- got flatter. "Then we dropped in here and wasted our time for nothing."
"Hey!" Lou puffed up, affronted. "I didn't say I had access. You assumed I did. I don't. But I can get it."
"Sure you can." Sarcasm dropped from the Nyx's voice. She pulled Mary close as the girl retreated a bit from the odd silver clad form. "You are such an exemplar of technology I am sure you can access anything with the flick of a switch."
"Oh ye of little faith." Lou retorted and hit a control. Something shifted on the wall and Mary gave a squeak that faded as Kori hugged her gently. Something was moving, something that ran from floor to ceiling. "Watch."
"Watch what?" Kori was, if anything, even more exasperated now. The Rhino glanced at her and shook his head, nodding to the petrified girl and the Nyx relaxed a bit. Lou hit another control and a screen activated on the far wall, but all it showed was black. "Oh, a blank screen? Nice." If anything, her sarcasm level increased.
"Watch and learn." The conspiracy theorist said with a snarl and the screen lit up. It showed… the inside of a room with many monitor screens. A security center!
"What the hell?" The Rhino said for everyone, staring at the screen. "You can see what is on the monitors? But if you have a connection…" Lou snorted and shook his head.
"No powered connections." Lou sounded smug now. "That screen is reading the image from a mirror. One that is being fed an image from another mirror."
"A periscope?" Kori asked, incredulous. "You build a…" She paused and looked at Mary who was staring at the screen, entranced. "You built a periscope to spy on the security center?" The Rhino started to chuckle and Kori just shook her head. "Of all the hair-brained ideas…"
"It works." Lou snapped, hitting a control. The screen turned and showed a set of monitors. "No one home."
"Either they are all out looking for us or…" The Rhino stopped in mid word as the screen showed something odd. "Or they are congregating." A host of Tenno in robes and body suits were milling around in a large room, obviously waiting for something. "Do you have sound?"
"Maybe." Lou said with a sigh. "Never tested that, but…" He hit another control and suddenly, the sound of shuffling feet came through. "Yes!" He crowed. "Score one for old tech! Unhackable and untraceable!"
"Any tech can be traced." Kori said sternly.
"Not this, sister." Lou had precious little respect in his voice and Kori shook her head, pulling Mary away from where the girl had leaned just a little too close to a pile of stuff that slid and fell with a crash. "Oh dang it!" Lou nearly screamed. "Look what you did!" Mary recoiled and started to cry, Kori just swept her up and held her, glaring at the silver garbed Tenno. He jumped up and started to pile the stuff back up, muttering curses, only to pause as Kori growled.
"Kid present. Watch the language." Kori's tone was mild, but the conspiracy theorist jerked back. He started to speak, but Kori just shook her head. "You don't want me angry with you, Lou. You don't."
"Everybody calm down." The Rhino said mildly, but placed himself between the silver clad fringe job and the irate Nyx. "We are all stressed. But fighting amongst ourselves won't help." He repeated. The Nyx did not move but after a moment, the silver clad form sat again, his 'armor' crinkling. The Prime shook his head. "What do you know about me?"
"What?" Lou asked, momentarily taken aback.
"Come on." The Prime said with a snort. "A strange Tenno shows up and all hell breaks loose? What kind of conspiracy theorist are you if you didn't do some kind of research when it all went crazy?"
"Ah…" Lou swallowed hard and shook his head. "I blamed the Lotus."
"Big surprise." Kori's words were –almost- under her voice. The Prime shook his head at her but focused on Lou who shrugged. "And then?" She demanded, setting Mary down when the girl indicated she wanted to stand.
"I looked for records on the First like the message boards said before the people stopped posting." Lou said with a sigh. "Not much available."
"I don't think I am the First Rhino." The Prime said with a sigh. "No one believes me, but I don't think that is right. So… Another tack. What do you know about schisms in the ranks of the First Tenno?" Lou spun in place, his entire posture one of amazement. "I am serious."
"Schisms?" Lou sounded scared for a moment. Mary was staring at the Prime as if he had grown another head. "In the ranks of the First?" Lou shook his head. "No one ever said anything about such things."
"They wouldn't." The Prime shrugged. "Would they want it advertised?"
"No." Lou admitted. "What makes you think there was one?"
"A hunch." The Prime said quietly. Kori jerked but did not speak. "Nothing about this is ringing any bells with me. Nothing. So… Either my memory has been altered, or…"
"Or the records have been." Lou sounded cautious now. Cautious but intrigued. "You say these are Orokin nanobots?"
"So I heard a cyberlancer say." The Prime corrected him mildly. "He should know, wouldn't you think?"
"Maybe." Lou turned to a computer set up nearby and started typing fast. "Maybe not. Nobody's perfect." A screen on another wall lit up with information that scrolled quickly. "Let's see…"
Mary tugged on Kori's hand for a moment and the Nyx bent down so the girl could whisper to where the ear would be on a human. Kori nodded and spoke.
"You have a bathroom, Lou?" The Nyx sounded… well, she didn't sound upset. But from her tone, if he didn't he might find a girl seized mess in a corner of his floor. Which wasn't that large. Lou froze and then waved to one side where a small door was slightly visible. Kori led the girl there and exclaimed. "Lou!"
"What?" The cyber sleuthing nut job asked sourly.
"When was the last time you cleaned this?" Kori sounded scandalized. Lou shrugged and she shook her head. "Fine. Don't touch anything with your bare hands, Mary." Mary looked slightly green but entered the room and shut the door. "Disgusting… Just disgusting. Karl would make you clean it with a toothbrush."
"Then it is a good thing the big lunk isn't here." Lou said mildly. "This may take a while…" He said while scanning data faster than normal humans could read.
"Show me how to pan and zoom the periscope." The Prime said quietly. "I'll check out what can be seen in the security center." A couple of gestures later, he was watching the screen, his finger on a ball mechanism that made the view shift. "Why no guards?" He mused.
"All out looking for us?" Kori asked quietly. "Or some kind of trap?" The door opened and Mary stepped out of the facilities, her face very green. She was shaking her head. Kori leaned in, grabbed some paper… something and handed it to the girl who wiped her hands off before tossing the things in and shutting the door quickly. Both females relaxed little once the door was closed.
"They don't know about that. I keep it concealed until I need it." Lou said absently, still scrolling fast through reams of data. "Whoa…" All eyes turned at the recluse's quiet word.
"What?" The Prime asked, stepping closer carefully.
"During the War…" Lou read off the screen. "Despite several localized successes, the Orokin were pushed inexorably back. Twenty five years after the first recorded skirmishes, the Sentients had pushed past Mars and were gathering to assault Earth. The Orokin Emperor were to the Tenno to ask for assistance and was rebuffed." He paused. "Rebuffed? Why the hell?"
"The First were commanded to guard against the return of the Technocyte Virus." The Prime said evenly. "Nothing in that about fighting anyone else." Kori looked at the Prime but he shook his head. Later. Maybe he would tell her what Stalker had said later. Maybe.
"Maybe." Lou didn't sound convinced. "This…says that the Emperor prevailed… But not how or in what. A few weeks after, the first non-Prime warframes were seen in action." He stared at the screen. "What the hell? Redacted?" He hit a few keys, but then shook his head. "This whole set of documents has dates, but no other information. Everything has been redacted. The Lotus at work I bet."
"What is 'redacted'?" Mary asked into the silence that fell.
"Redacted means that someone went through and obscured or removed entire parts of the text from the documents." The Prime said, uneasy.
"Why would they do that?" Mary asked, clearly not as worried as the others, but picking up on their distress.
"To keep a secret." Lou said softly. "Or to keep many secrets. The Lotus does it all the time." Mary stuck her tongue out at him and he scoffed. "Don't stick that out unless…" He trailed off as Kori growled.
"You finish that sentence and I will hurt you." Kori's words were not a threat. No, a promise. The Prime sighed.
"Children…" He wasn't talking to Mary. "So… No information?" The Rhino asked with a shrug.
"No…" Lou said quietly. "And yes…"
"Which?" Kori demanded.
"There is no information on what the Emperor did." Lou stared at the screen and then he started typing again. "And… Nothing on where the new warframes came from."
"Maybe like Will?" Kori asked softly. "He sought us out. Became Tenno through skill and perseverance."
"Maybe." Lou didn't sound convinced. "This was… The middle of the war, so… it is possible. He was what? A teenager when he joined?"
"When I found him." Kori said quietly. The other three turned to look at her and she sighed. "I don't remember a lot, but I do remember that. He was… determined." She said with a soft, sad chuckle.
"But…" Lou shook his head, his foil headgear crackling again. "There is no record of Tenno outside of the Citadel prior to that." Both the Prime and Kori stiffened. He turned the screen so they could see. "See for yourselves if you don't believe me."
"That is impossible." Kori said sharply. "We came from somewhere! Those poor souls who were changed by the Void?"
"We may not like where this leads us." The Rhino Prime said quietly but Kori and Lou didn't seem to hear him. Mary did and she looked worried.
"Let me see… Deep storage records…" Lou said after a few more taps. "I never could get in here when the security guys were on duty. Too many safeguards. But with them gone, it's child's play. Let's see… I…" The conspiracy theorist suddenly froze in his chair, staring at the screen. "No…"
"What?" Kori demanded, but Lou didn't move. "Lou?" The Prime stepped forward, careful of the haphazardly piled junk and looked over the hacker's shoulder. What he saw made him inhale sharply.
'Tenno Emulation Project Phase Two.'
"Oh my god…" The Prime said slowly. "Lou…" He laid a hand on the hacker shoulder and Lou jumped. "What is this?"
"I don't know." For the first time since the trio of castaways had found their way to his lair. Lou sounded completely flummoxed. "It's referencing something in the deep archives. The secure portions. The parts that are only accessible in person." He shook his head. "The only way in is with a proper key. Anyone trying to hack in or break in… well… It isn't pretty." His screen suddenly fuzzed and a familiar face stared out at him from it. "Ahhh! No!" Lou screamed as the Lotus stared at him.
"Cease this line of inquiry, Tenno." The Lotus said. Was she sad? "The only thing that lies on this path is pain."
"I thought you cut coms." The Prime said softly. Lou was actually gibbering as he retreated into a corner, pulling something shiny over himself.
"I did." The Lotus replied. "Mavri is alive." Kori and the Prime exhaled sharply and the Lotus nodded a fraction. "He is hurt very badly, but alive. I believe this is a trap for you."
"That changes nothing." Kori said quietly. "If Mavri is alive, we have a duty to him. A brother in need. We cannot ignore him."
"I agree." The Prime said with a nod. "Will you help?" He asked the Lotus.
"You haven't changed. Always the needs of the many over your own." The Lotus was definitely sad now. "Please, I beg you Tenno, do not pursue this line of inquiry. Save Mavri and we can stop the nanobots on the colony. But you do not want to know, Tenno." Was she begging?
"Probably not." The Prime agreed. "But the truth is out there, Lotus. It will come out sooner or later. The more horrific it is, the worse the reaction will be." He bowed his head. "For now. Mavri. Do you know where he is?"
"He is in the medical wards, on life support." The Lotus said softly. "He was stuck in the skull by a blunt object. For now, he is uninfected by the nanobots."
"Can you reprogram them?" Kori asked.
"No." the Lotus said quietly. "They are preprogrammed dedicated systems. Their systems are designed to counter any hacking attempts. I could brute force through and disable them that way, but it would cause irreparable harm to the hosts." Mary gave a cry and the Lotus nodded. "I will not unless there is no other choice."
"Why are they calling me 'Leader'?" The Rhino Prime demanded. "And what did they mean when they said they wanted to 'cleanse' Kori?"
"I cannot be certain." The Lotus replied. "But I believe the nanobots were intended to build you a base of support." The Prime staggered as if struck and the Lotus nodded. "By who, or even when they were programmed, I cannot say. As for cleansing Kori? Your guess is as good as mine."
"A base of support?" The Rhino asked, deeply concerned. "Could I have done this?"
"You could have." The Lotus replied, making a leaden ball form in his stomach. "But you would not have."
"People change, Lotus." The Rhino said sourly.
"You would not have." The Lotus said gently. She sighed and her tone turned resigned. "Lou… Stop cowering. That emergency blanket doesn't stop any signals at all."
"Leave me be!" The conspiracy theorist did not move from under his blanket. "Go away!" He demanded.
"Whatever." The disapproval in the Lotus's voice was patent. "You can't hide from me, Lou."
"Go away!" Lou snapped. Mary stared from the screen to the cowering recluse and back.
"You are scaring him." Mary said sternly.
"No, Mary." The Lotus' voice turned sad again. "He is scaring himself. I cannot stop being what I am. I cannot stop caring for my charges any more than you can stop loving your mother." Mary swallowed hard and the Lotus smiled at her. "Be brave Tenno. If it can be done, Kori and Richard will do it. Even if it cannot be done, I bet they will find a way." Her smile turned into an urchinlike grin. "After all, that is what Tenno do best. The impossible." She nodded at Mary and then the screen went black.
"Wow." Mary said softly. "That was… way cool." She said with a grin.
"The enemy knows where I am…" Lou moaned from under his odd tarp like thing. "Doomed… I am doomed."
"He is going to be useless." Kori said with a grunt. "Let's get out of here."
"Um…" The Rhino shook his head. "Mary, do you know how to get to the Medical section from here?" Mary shook her head and then pulled free of Kori and stepped to where Lou was cowering.
"She didn't mean to scare you." Mary said quietly. "She needs our help."
"Go away!" Lou snapped. "Just go away!"
"No." Mary replied. "These Tenno need directions on how to get to Medical. You know how. They need you to show them."
"You don't understand!" Lou nearly screamed.
"About monsters?" Mary said with a snort. "Oh, I understand that just fine. Too bad your mom never shot yours."
"Shot?" The incredulous word came from three voices and Lou peeked out from under his tarp.
"Oh yeah." Mary said with a wide smile. "Monster versus mother? Monsters lose every time. She took a Lato and shot the closet three times for me." She smiled at the incredulous snorts from the two warframed Tenno. "She got in trouble, but no monsters since."
"Remind me never to make your mom mad at me…" Lou said weakly as he pulled away from the wall. "Okay… To get to Medical, you need to…"
No one noticed a tiny, nearly microscopic thing jump from the base of the periscope and land on Mary's bare foot. She didn't react. Not that she could after the thousands of nanobots that had propelled themselves across the small open space entered her bloodstream.