Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just have ideas is all.

This is getting to be repetitive.

Asigl

Theodore scribbled on the notepad in his hand as he sat on the roof of an old rusted out sedan, his feet resting on the edge of the hood and the dash were the glass once was. The end of the pen reaches up to scratch an itch behind his ear as a series of screeches cry out in-front of him. Brown eyes lazily glance up as roughly five to seven thralls rush at him and into the wall of fire he was sitting near, seeming to piggy back on one another as they quickly burned alive before the last one launched itself from it's ally's shoulders and landed on the sedan's hood in front of him. Casually, like snuffing out a cigarette, Theodore planted his boot on the smoking skull of the thrall and watched the body disintegrate to ash. He flipped to the back pages of his notepad and made a mark before returning to his previous location in the notepad, embellishing more on the design sketched upon it. That made seventeen attempts today, seems the Hive really want that strange orb back.

"You really shouldn't antagonize them like that." Sophie deadpanned as her shell spun slightly in small bursts of movement within the data field as she floated to Theodore's left, her blue eye turning within the field to look at him. "What if they decide to send eight next time?"

Theodore shrugged in response, glancing down at the green glowing pebble resting in the groove of the window track. It stared back at him with a burning cat-like iris before he retuned his attention to his scribbling. It had been roughly two weeks since the Hive Seeders apparently landed and the 'Fire Line' was put up, during that time Theodore and several other warlocks had spent their time studying, raiding, and in Theodore's case, being a pain in the ass to anyone or anything he could. Currently he was watching over an artifact he found inside one of the ships before they blew it to hell, one point for the good guys. Theodore scratched at the two week beard he had started growing, it was itching like hell but he hadn't found the time to take it off. Another screech as several more thralls rushed the fire wall, attempting the same as their brethren had done. Up until the lead thrall's leg crumbled to ash, causing the one behind it to jump too early and land face first into the fire before disintegrating. Theodore flipped to the back and made another mark, eighteen.

"Think they had eight that time." Sophie gave a small noise of annoyance as she continued to work, a beeping going off in Theodore's ear. He tapped on the small comm receiver. "Maxwell's house of ash, you send them we burn 'em."

"Cute, how many tried to come for it today?" Ikora's voice deadpanned over the comm link, the sound of background chatter filtering in behind her. Theodore tapped the pen against the pad, deciding to add spikes to his creation.

"Eighteen groups so far, batches of six to eight. This thing doesn't seem so important if they only send thralls though."

"Morn seems to think it's important, a link to Crota's soul if I understood what she was rambling about." Theodore's pen stopped moving, sticking his tongue in his teeth in thought as he looked out into the fire.

"Crota's dead." He said after a few moments.

"This is the Hive Theodore, we can't be certain that they aren't trying to bring him back." There was a pause as he listened to her speak at a distance to someone before coming back on the line. "I'm sending a squad out to the Moon to check on it."

"Crota's dead Ikora, and his blade is shattered. They won't find much but a whole load of Hive up there who will be none to happy to see them."

"I'll tell them to pack a few extra grenades then." He scoffed and shook his head. "Figure out anything else about what we talked about?"

"Kind of, I think it's possible to contain a sample, but we would need-" A screech sounded off in front of him, followed by a roar as a Knight charged along with the Thralls, standing in the way as a shield as the fire seemed to wrap around it. Theodore watched as the Knight seemed to be fighting a current within the flames, his once bounding steps coming to a staggered step as he neared the middle. The knight reached back to the thrall in the middle of the others, grabbing it roughly by the throat as it flung the screeching abomination towards Theodore before it's arm crumbled off followed by the rest of it's body into ash. The thrall landed on the hood of the car, crawling up farther than the last as it reached out a claw to the orb. The orb seemed to glow in triumph as the thrall's smoking hand covered it, before it screeched out in pain as Theodore planted his boot on it. He watched with a bored expression as it struggled slightly before it's smoking arm seemed to rip off and it finished disintegrating. The orb dimmed as if sulking as he flipped to the back of his note pad, nineteen. "We would need Freya to help channel it."

"I see, makes sense. How many this time?"

"Nine, plus a Knight. They actually managed to touch it this time." Ikora gave an annoyed noise over the line as Theodore went back to his sketch.

"Just bring the lights-damned thing back already Maxwell..." The line clicked off and he gave a small snort of laughter, that woman has completely forgotten the way to have a good time lately. He heard Sophie's shell click shut, giving her a glance as he held up his pad.

"What do you think?"

"Loose the spikes."

"What? That's the best part!" Sophie's eye gave him a look and he gave a shrug, flipping the pad closed. "Everyone's a critic. How did you manage?"

"I finished decrypting the information on Dr. Sinclair about half an hour ago, I was transmitting some of the files to Virgil so that Dr. Mendez could look them over."

"What, he wasn't satisfied with the last shipment?" Theodore grabbed the orb before pushing himself onto the hood and hopping off to the asphalt, a screech sounding behind him as he walked away from the wall followed by a whoosh of flame and a batch of ash dusting his back. He groaned slightly and smacked at the back of his coat. "Man, I like this coat."

"He apparently wanted to show it to that woman." Theodore paused mid step, looking to Sophie.

"Why?"

"He seems to think she's the woman in the picture, some of the journals support this Theodore."

"The woman's an Awoken, the Doctor is a Human." Sophie bobbed along with this as another screech sounded behind the wall.

"And all Awoken were once Human." Theodore sighed, biting his tongue as he thought it over. It could make sense, her body may have been transformed since then. Trauma of death and resurrection can cause one to loose their memories, still didn't explain Freya. How did Freya fit into the puzzle of a scientist that mainly built and maintained the Exo race? He would have to look over the files when he had a moment alone that wasn't consumed by his duties, a moment that seemed to not come easily it seems as he reached behind him. A gunshot echoed around him as his hand cannon kicked hard from being fired with one hand, the thrall being kicked back from him and shattering into dust as it hit the ground. Twenty.

"Alright let's drop off the rock and see if we can slip away so you can show me what you found."

"One mystery after another isn't it?" A sparrow materialized by Theodore as he swung a leg over, pocketing the fist sized orb.

"Another day in the life of a Warlock." The sparrow leapt to life as he manipulated the throttle, weaving his way through the old streets, almost impacting with the side of a pile of debris as Sophie's voice echoed in his ear from the comm piece.

"Then finding out about a lost orbital platform with an experimental Warmind on it shouldn't phase you, right?"

"Do you know who you are? Where you are?" The voice asked her calmly, a shake of the head no had the figure in front of her giving a sad look as she watched the only part of their body frown. "I see, that's a shame."

"She's useless then, no need to waste time on the dead." A gruff woman's voice replied back from behind her. Dead, useless, a ghost amongst the living. That's all she was to them, all that she could remember besides…

The automatic blinds slid open with a soft whirr, shining light into Lisette's closed eyes and making her groan in annoyance. She tried to roll away from it, a dull ache rippling across her chest as her hand shifted over it and brushed against the body next to her. Her senses kicked back in slowly under the fog of medication as her eyes opened to Freya's sleeping face next to her. The younger woman had been keeping an eye on her the past few days since she awoke, aiding her into some semblance of normalcy again as her body healed quickly. Still, bone was never one to be rushed even in this day of nano-machines born of the Traveler's knowledge that seemed to be able to heal anything like magic. Bone was stubborn, much like herself.

Freya shifted slightly, her lips parting further in sleep as Lisette ran the tips of her fingers along the sleeping woman's brow, pushing aside the black hair covering her face. Freya's features were not unlike her own, despite the difference in height and a few other variables, it was an interesting comparison to make. A frown, why would such a comparison be necessary? Two completely different women, in every way even down to the genetic level. The light caught against her silver skin, for a split second to Lisette's eyes it wasn't so pale, so foreign. She stared at her hand as it rested upon Freya's chest, watching it rise up and down ever so slightly. The soft hiss of the door went un-noticed.

"I see at least one of you is awake." Gregory winced in sympathy as the awoken woman pushed Freya off the bed roughly, the woman landing with a thump and a moan at her rude awakening. He could already see that today was off to a good start, in a manner of speaking. He gave Lisette a pointed look as she pushed herself up and glared at him. "I would prefer not to have to re-admit Miss Sinclair if you don't mind."

"How long until I can leave?" He held out a hand to Freya who took it graciously, the younger woman seeming to bounce back without more than a bump on the head more then likely.

"Go ask the nurse for an ice pack while I look over your friend here, shouldn't take too long."

"Yea ok.." Freya looked to Lisette with a small touch of hurt, Lisette looking down to her sheets as the door hissed closed behind Freya. There was the scratch of pen on paper as Gregory scribbled something on it before a pen light was clicked on.

"Eyes on the light please." Lisette obeyed as he moved the light around. "I'm fairly certain you didn't need to push her off the bed like that, even if you were simply embarrassed."

"I would rather not talk about this." The pen light clicked off and was put away, his hand moving to take her pulse as he looked up to the clock above her bed.

"And I would prefer you to not give me another patient to worry about, it's just finally managed to slow down around here. How's the chest?" He released her wrist after a few moments, scribbling down the results on the pad in his hands.

"Still a little tight. Shouldn't a nurse be doing this?" Gregory gave a shrug, motioning her to lay back, a movement she did stiffly and slowly as he set the pad down to check her chest and stomach.

"Nothing wrong with your healing so far, seems to be coming along nicely. How's walking been?"

"Stiff." He gave a nod as he finished, making a note down to have the bandages changed out since they had become looser. "So what do you really want?"

Gregory made a few notes as Lisette pushed herself up stiffly again, his face unreadable as he checked off things and tapped the send button so it was delivered to the nurse's station. The medical sheet on the pad vanished and he stared down at his worn reflection as the pad reverted to it's black home screen. The closest thing to a mirror he had been around and even now he didn't like what he saw, still it was just the least of his worries.

"Virgil did you get that information from Sophie?" The little red ghost phased into view, his eye staring out at Gregory as he produced another pad from his storage systems. Lisette narrowed her eyes as she watched him set the medical pad down and start flipping through the new one, the pad itself soon ending up in front of her with a picture of a woman on it. "Look familiar?"

The kind face of the woman stared back up at Lisette, aged but still fairly youthful, her features resembling Freya closely. Lisette frowned looking up to Gregory with a small glare. "Is this supposed to mean anything?"

"Her name is Lisette F. Sinclair, born thirty-five years before the Traveler was ever found on Mars. Interesting how she shares similar features to our own Miss Sinclair doesn't it?" Lisette shook her head slightly, why was he telling her all of this?

"So it's her mother then? I don't see the point in this." Her fingers slipped around the pad's surface, the image vanishing from the screen only to be replaced with other files. She tapped on one as Gregory watched, her eyes scanning over the journals and notes rapidly. Images of Exos, schematics, notes on behavioral analysis of the copying process. Gregory had to admit that Sophie was thorough in decrypting the information, having doubled the amount he had previously seen on Venus as she aided Theodore out in Old Chicago. But it was one file in particular that had caught his eye and proceeded to prompt his decision to show it to Lisette, a file he was certain she was staring at right now if her finger hovering over the pad was any indication.

Lisette's eyes were narrowed as she read the journal entry before her: "It took a fair amount of time and trial, but with thanks to the Traveler it seems that the impossible became reality. While purely a selfish desire, everything seemed to simply fall into place with it's guidance. The sample, Ova taken from my seemingly barren womb, actually came alive and began the process of creation. While it required a nanite solution to thrive in, I could scarcely believe my eyes as I watched the fetus take shape...

-Day 38 of observation, I watch my child grow before me. The nanite solution created with the Traveler's knowledge has seemed to accelerate the growth process by at least double the amount of time... Scans of the chamber seem to indicate an almost crystalline structure developing within where the bones should be, is this because of the Traveler? The sex of my child is becoming apparent, it's a...

-The Allied Defense Force came to my lab to complain today, apparently the Over-watch Sentries' algorithms are going haywire. It seems the neural network is beginning to become self aware in a manner not unlike how the War Minds are progressing here in the orbital station on Phobos. If the facilities on Mars weren't so integrated with the main network I'm sure they may be able to fix the minor issues, still this is an interesting development. I'll have to re calibrate the neural interface to allow for simple corrections, or at the very least make it so that they can still retain their new independence while allowing for the Asimov to remain in the background. I haven't noticed anything coming from Pythia in the way that General Higgs mentioned was happening in the Sentries, still it wouldn't hurt to take a peek and find out. I'll get Simon to prepare the countermeasures while I set up the probe and have a word with Pythia. It's nearing the end of five months now, and I still don't have a name for..."

The door hissed open as Lisette looked up to Freya, the pad vanishing from her hands as Gregory slipped it behind the medical pad. "You should be all set to go then, I've made sure you're off the active roster for a month at least. I recommend light exorcise, simple stretches and light walking with support. If I hear about you re-fracturing those ribs again so soon after I fixed them, well, I won't be happy that's for sure. Take it slow for a while and relax, Miss Lisette, Miss Sinclair."

Blue eyes narrowed, meeting his own for a brief moment before he gave a nod to the two women, the door hissing closed behind him. There had been more to the entries she was skimming through aside from the file attachments of the child growing in the large machine, as if the more she was reading the more Lisette felt like she already knew what was coming next. A soft touch as Freya's hand slipped into her own, green eyes looking down with a bit of curiosity.

" Everything alright?"

"Fine." She responded with a small huff, giving a glare to the younger woman. It softened after a moment as she looked away. "Let's just get out of here, I hate hospitals."

Freya gave a nod, calling out for her Ghost as it materialized beside her. Why did that fool of a Doctor show me that? Lisette narrowed her eyes slightly, her hands balling into fists. Another hand squeezed back in her left, causing her to let out a short breath of air. The mutter was rushed slightly, catching Freya by surprise as she looked down at Lisette.

"Huh?"

"I said I'm sorry...for pushing you off." A small smile tugged at Freya's mouth, well at least she apologized so that's something. Freya slid onto the medical bed, her arm wrapping around Lisette's back as she nuzzled at her neck.

"It's alright, I forgive you for being cranky in the morning. Ready to get dressed?" Lisette nodded stiffly, letting the younger woman help her out of the hospital gown and into the cloths brought by her ghost. The light touches and shy looks Freya gave her would be considered adorable, especially a few days ago before she had the information the thrice-damned Titan showed her circulating in her mind. It certainly didn't help her mood when she took a final look in the small mirror of the equally small bathroom inside the medical level's room after splashing her face with water, only to find that woman staring back at her.

The tram was full of idle conversation, it helped to distract Lisette's mind as she hid the lower portion of her face beneath her cloak's scarf. It was the first few moments alone she had received since being discharged from the medical levels, and aside from a little stiffness in her muscles, deemed herself well enough to take a walk. Alone.

Her feet shifted automatically as the tram came to a slow stop at the terminal inside the city, her movements only paused to allow others to pass her first before the slight heel of her boot met the concrete outside and she vanished into the crowd. It was different in the city, that much was certain. If she dressed with as little gear as she could and kept to herself, she almost passed as a normal person. Her reflection caught in the half tinted windows of a store, as normal as an Awoken could be that is. An alley led to a small street, the bustle of the crowds dying out and the causeways becoming more littered as she neared the small diner that her feet seemed to take her to on instinct. A pause.

No, it wouldn't do. Freya knows this place after all, her feet taking her quickly back through the ally and down another side street towards another place where she felt secure. Secure? It had been too long since she had to feel on the run from people trying to find her, not since word had spread amongst the Awoken community on the Tower of her lost memory. It had taken a fair amount of violence and several words from the Speaker before her hand wasn't bloody anymore from having to hurt people, her weapons pointed in the direction of the enemy. She kept a set of knives close though, just in case. It was really the life she knew since waking up in that cold room, next to the Guardian that Solomon was supposed to revive. She paused under a flickering street lamp, the sidewalk still fully illuminated as she looked up to the Traveler.

'What sick and twisted joke did you have in mind when you brought me back?' Lisette asked silently as the alien being remained silent to her ears, to everyone's ears apparently. Sometimes, she wondered why it even came to Earth, why it decided to help humanity. Why it stayed. Even the Warlocks and all their secrets couldn't figure it out entirely, maybe it was just a joke…

The sound of children laughing and a ball hitting a chain link fence drew her attention, a small playground within the concrete of the city playing host to an assortment of children of different sizes and colors. They all seemed to be congregating in small groups; playing ball, climbing and hanging on some geometric jungle gym, drawing in a sandbox with a stick and talking about something that happened in their day. Glowing blue eyes soon found the outcast, sitting on a swing at the far end away from everyone. The little girl's skin was fairly pale, but not silver like Lisette's own, but her hair was stark white. White hair wasn't uncommon among Awoken, but these were human children around the girl. Halfbreed. It was the only thought that made sense when amber eyes peaked out at her from behind the chain of the swing, glowing faintly.

Slowly, Lisette put her finger over a link in the fence, wiggling it in a small wave. A small pale finger wiggled back from the chain of the swing, a small smile tugging at their lips from their hidden places. A voice called out and the girl turned, soon entering the arms of her mother as she was taken away from Lisette's sight. Her heart seemed to sink to her stomach as she watched them disappear, and her mind started to drift towards the files that Dr. Mendez had shown her. Had continued to show her when she asked, away from Freya's prying eyes.

Lisette F. Sinclair, Doctorate in neuroscience and a leading researcher of artificial intelligence that was applied to the Warminds. And, if the files were indeed correct, the so called 'Mother' to the Exo race. Most of the files spoke of Exo construction, maintenance, the complex web of neural pathways in their hidden brains not unlike a human mind. In a way, it seemed to suggest they were more then simply machines. How much did the line blur back then she wondered? Do the lines even still exist anymore? The thoughts unsettled her, making her move down to the city to think. But it wasn't the end of the torment from this dead woman whose name she now shared. In the hundreds of exabytes of data pulled from whatever databank the information came from, were the damn woman's journals. Personal journals, detailing experiments and apparent communication with the Traveler.

The mere thought of it pulled at her mind, and seemed to turn her stomach. The experiments, were in an attempt to create life! Life, from the barren egg of the own doctor's body. Lisette had shut off the tablet Solomon brought her after she read through the entries, entranced, and leaving quickly to find some air. It wasn't the fact that it felt so wrong, so unethical and purely selfish. It was because, deep down, she seemed to understand. Lisette was disgusted with herself that she sympathized with some several hundred years dead scientist, that she agreed to have life in her isolation of computer A.I. and that the Traveler somehow helped to induce it. What cruel sick joke was the universe playing on her, to show her something that played on her mind like the strings of an instrument being tuned? It sounded so familiar, but it couldn't be father from the truth.

Could it…?

"Sugar? That you?" Lisette turned, the young waitress standing behind her with a size too large coat over her frame.

"Iris…"

"Fancy seeing you all the way out here. Haven't seen you in a while, how are you feeling?" Lisette shook her head slightly.

"I'm fine, what are you doing out here?" Iris gave a short chuckle and gestured up to the building they were next to.

"I live here silly, got off work a little while ago." A soft 'oh' came from the older woman's lips as Iris continued. "What about you? Seems a little out of the way from that tower of yours."

"I guess so…"

"Well, do you wanna come up? I can put on some tea, maybe have some pudding in the fridge if your interested~." Lisette bit her lip behind her scarf, glaring slightly at Iris for several seconds before barely nodding. Iris herself beamed in reply, leading Lisette up into the quiet apartment building. She would dwell on it all later, after some tea…and pudding.