Gifts
Mishka was reeling a bit. Mercedes had been quite thorough in her planning. She hadn't had a clue that the older woman had been listening, or had talked to people who had talked to Mishka. Every single one of the tiny, easy to carry things that Mercedes had wrapped up with care to present to her had been well thought out and useful.
The things Mercedes had given Horatius were... slightly less so. Mishka felt her cheeks heat a bit even now, an hour after he had unwrapped the largest of his gifts. It didn't help that he had given her a tiny little garment that was... Well, the less said about it the better. Printed words were probably larger than the actual fabric. Mercedes had been ecstatic though and her response had made Mishka beat a hasty retreat from the room. Albeit with a smile on her face. This time, though, a MOA was following her. Not Sheila, but a regular Corpus bot. It was armed and Horatius had said in no uncertain terms that Mishka would not be left alone again. She hadn't argued. Much.
But that left Mishka in a bit of a quandary. She had no money and nothing to give to either of them. It wasn't huge, the debt between them. Mercedes gifts were a set of packages of sweets, warm gloves and a hat. Horatius had given her a tiny tool that would extend different accessories as needed. Not that expensive. But it wasn't the cost. Or... not the cost in credits. She liked both of them. She wasn't sure even now if she could trust them, but she did like them.
She was pondering the debt as she ran with the other children from the orphanage. She was hardly the only one with an escort. It seemed as if a small army of MOAs was running with them today but it was only ten. None of the kids were talking though and that was never a good sign. Mishka moved up beside +Janna H-15 and nodded to the other girl. Janna H-15 was still not keeping up, but Mishka and another girl were flanking her, providing support. When she flagged? They would carry her if needed. She was trying now, and that was more than it had been.
"They... get you too?" Janna H-15 asked between gasping breaths.
"The reviewer?" Mishka asked and Janna nodded. "Yeah." She said sourly. "Hurt like hell."
"They hurt you?" The other girl asked, to all appearances shocked.
"I don't know what it was." Mishka said with sigh as she continued. "But it hurt. Then Commander Horatius came in and... he was upset."
"Is he as dreamy up close as he looks from a distance?" The other girl asked, her eyes wide. "I could never get close at the party."
"I wouldn't." Mishka said with a smile. "Mercedes is a nice person... but..." She trailed off in a mischievous voice.
"Yeah... She is nice, but... don't poach." Janna H-15 said with a laugh that ended in a gasp. "They had a... medical MOA... when I went." Mishka moved closer, just in case.
"Me too." The other girl confirmed. "Maybe they were worried they had hurt you?" She asked Mishka who snorted.
"Probably more worried about the Reverend Mother or the Commander getting angry. That guy is scary when he is angry." Mishka said with a smile to take the sting from her words. "I am glad they didn't hurt you, Janna H-15." She nodded to the other and the girl nodded back.
"Tiffany R-24." The girl said with a nod. "We didn't get the chance to meet. They spirited you away yesterday."
"I ah... needed to talk to some people." Mishka said with a shrug. "I... probably shouldn't talk about it."
"Then don't." Janna H-15 agreed. "Secrets are secret for a reason." She stumbled but caught herself. Mishka moved to support her, Tiffany R-24 as well. Janna H-15 made a face, but did not struggle. She focused on running.
"I hope the reviewers agree." Mishka said with a sigh as the trio approached the end line. All of the other kids were applauding Janna H-15 who was still running. Mishka and Tiffany R-24 didn't have to hold her much. "I need to think of what to give them. Mercedes and Horatius. I... don't have any money."
"You can make something." Tiffany R-24 said as they crossed the line and Janna H-15 nodded to be released. They did and she walked to cool off, the other two matching her pace. "Materials may be hard to come by though."
"I don't know." Mishka admitted. "I think..." She paused. She felt faint suddenly. Her left thigh stung worse than the cramps of running. "I..."
"Mishka G-52?" Janna H-15 asked, worried. "You okay?"
"I don't..." Mishka shook her head and regretted it instantly as vertigo soared. "I don't know... suddenly... dizzy..."
"What?" Janna H-15 asked, worried, then she blanched. "Mishka G-52!" She called as she and Tiffany R-24 both caught Mishka as the girl fell. "Medic!" She screamed. But then Mishka knew no more.
Moments later
"What happened?" The Reverend Mother was not angry. She was not sad. She was cold. Ice cold.
"We don't know." The lead medic working on the unconscious girl knew his boss. He knew her moods. This one was bad. He spoke quickly as he worked his scanners. The girl looked so pale and lost lying on the track. "I can't find anything wrong with her! Her vitals are fading. We are losing her!"
"Get her to Medical. Now. Top priority!" The old woman commanded, then turned to the kid who were milling. The team or humans and mech bundled the girl up and departed at a run. "Class. Now." She commanded and most of the kids dispersed, but one remained. Janna H-156 was wringing her hands. "Janna H-15?" She asked, her tone moderating.
"There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her, Reverend Mother." The girl was nearly in tears. "She was running fine, then she just... She said she was dizzy and then she collapsed. I..."
"Not your fault." The Reverend Mother laid a hand on the girl's trembling shoulder. "Not your fault."
"Is there anything I can do?" Janna H-15 begged.
"Pray." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh as she turned and walked towards the exit, the way that led to Medical. She was not looking forward to this. But at the door, she paused. Then she turned back to scrutinize the scene. All of the MOAs had left, minus the one that had been escorting Mishka. That MOA stood, oddly dormant. As if... it had no orders. She eyed it and then opened her com. "Full security lockdown! I need a tech team at the Orphanage. Now."
Even Serene might not have bettered her dark tone.
Half an hour later
Mercedes wasn't crying, but she had been. She sat in the tiny waiting area, her hands in her lap. She was speaking under her breath. Praying. Horatius stood, still as a statue near one wall. He was armed. No one would dare argue. Not right now.
"Mercedes...?" The timid voice sounded and both turned to see a medical MOA enter. It shimmered for a moment and then Sheila stood there, her camouflage systems deactivating. "She is alive."
"A... Alive?" Mercedes gave a gasp and then relaxed. "What happened?"
"She was poisoned." Sheila said flatly. Everything seemed to come to a complete stop in the room. Horatius stared from the MOA to his mate and then back, his eyes flat and hard. "The only reason she survived is that we had the full scans... If we hadn't..." The MOA made sobbing noise. "We would be mourning her right now."
"How...?" Mercedes swallowed. "How is she?"
"We have her in a controlled coma at the moment." Sheila said quietly. "She is... very weak. We have her on full support but her vitals are improving. She is..." The MOA that wasn't one paused. "I think... I think she would like you to be with her, Mercedes."
"Is it... safe? For her?" Mercedes asked.
"It is." Sheila reassured her. "She can't see or hear you, but I think... I think she will know, somehow. It has been known to happen." Mercedes looked at Horatius and he nodded. She darted for the door and out. "I..." Shelia made gulping noise and the soldier looked at her.
"What poison?" Horatius asked slowly. "You didn't want to say in front of Mercedes."
"7-Crimson." Sheila replied softly. Horatius actually recoiled and Sheila made a noise of rage. "I know. Neurotoxin. The only reason we saved her was that we had the full scans. Even so, she is going to be unconscious for a couple of days at the very least and in rehab for some time after."
"I knew they were mad..." Horatius said with a swallow. "But... a little girl...?"
"It is what they want, Horatius." The Reverend Mother... was angry. So very angry. "To sow fear. They tampered with the MOA, set up a single shot dart thrower. Then it was just a matter of time. According to the programming we found... it was set to attack any of the girls. Just the girls." Horatius had gone still, his face a mask. But his eyes... Shelia actually took a step back. "If it had shot Janna H-15 with that dart thrower..."
"She would have been dead before she hit the ground." Horatius snapped. "Nothing to revive. Mishka was tougher." He shook himself. "Is tougher. The compound?"
"Locked down as soon as she collapsed." The Reverend Mother said firmly. "No coms. The reviewers are a bit annoyed, but I 'explained' to them. I wasn't very polite."
"My heart bleeds." Horatius snapped. "Leads?"
"The MOA was reprogrammed a day ago. While everyone was at the party." The old nun said with a nod. "Security was on alert, but none saw anything. We need it tighter. Although how to get that..." She sighed. They already had some of the tightest security in the Solar System for this colony. Which was the whole point of this attack, to show that no security was impenetrable.
"Much as I hate them..." Horatius said with a sigh. "They are not all clumsy fools and charlatans. Some of them are actually quite good. They probably tampered with an Osprey and sent it in to target one of the MOA fabricators. Not difficult, if sophisticated. But this..." He shook his head. "Was it aimed at her specifically?"
"Targeting algorithm was any girl." The Reverend Mother said with a shrug. "I think they meant to send a message."
"Oh, we got it." Horatius said with a snarl. "Requesting permission to send a message of my own."
"We could use a prisoner." The old woman said with a nod. "But I am not going to hold my breath. And if you do? We only need one to explain to various people that we didn't do this."
"Hale?" Horatius asked, his tone clinical.
"Able to talk. Or at least be interrogated." The old woman replied, her tone just as clinical. "I... need to... make some calls." She bowed her head. "Too close, Horatius. This was way too close." She paused as he com chimed. "What now?" She keyed it live and froze as an impossible voice issued from it.
"They don't know they failed yet." Janet's voice was furious. "Landing pad 3-A. Intended as a trap. Make! It! HURT!" The com clicked off and all three stared at each other. Horatius nodded and vanished out the door.
"I don't know what is scarier..." Sheila said slowly. "The fact that she knows what happened, the fact that she could get through to you at a moment's notice, the fact that we were attacked here of all places... or what Horatius will do."
"With all of the security thrown for a loop, both by the review and by me trying to protect that poor kid..." The old nun said heavily as she sat. "I need you to reactivate your C&C protocols, Sheila."
"Reverend Mother..." Sheila protested. "I can't do that! If the Board find out I am... not a medical MOA with delusions of grandeur..."
"If Mishka dies, Sheila..." The Reverend Mother said softly. "Then the Red Veil get what they want without them lifting a finger. A purge of blood and fire. Oh, they did not think this through. They would all die shortly after. Either Horatius' vengeance or the Tenno's would purge them as thoroughly as they want to purge everyone else." She sighed. "But right now, I need Security at full speed, Sheila. I know you don't like it. I know it is... uncomfortable for you."
"I like her too." Shelia said with a small sob. "I... Online." She said in a tiny voice. "All proxies reporting status. No anomalies so far." She sounded as if she were crying and the old nun laid a hand on her housing. "Horatius is... gathering a team."
"Let him work." The old woman said as she rose. Sheila followed her into the other room. Mercedes sat by a bed in which Mishka lay still. The girl's face was pale and drawn under the oxygen mask. Mercedes was praying and after a moment, the Reverend Mother moved to stand by the sobbing woman, her own prayers adding to the distraught younger woman's.
Sheila... was busy.
A VERY short time later
The Red Veil had no chance.
Even with time to set up a trap, which they had possessed, they had no chance. The Red Veil were terrorists. They relied on speed and brutality to accomplish their missions. They struck from the shadows and then vanished just as quickly. They were not Tenno by any means, but they were fairly good at asymmetrical warfare. If you were not... You didn't survive long. The cell of Red Veil who operated off the ship were survivors of battles with Grineer, Corpus and Infested. They knew how to fight and when to.
They still had no chance.
If the Clergy had operated as a regular Corpus force, then they would have had all kinds of chances. Corpus forces generally disdained subtle. They swamped the area with proxies and then troops. Most of said troops would be brainwashed crewmen, little better than drones. Dangerous, to be sure, but not the brightest of bulbs. Behind them would be the support elements, Techs and Snipers, Nullifiers and medics. All of which multiplied any Corpus' force's power manifold. But again, all of these had been indoctrinated to serve the Company first, last and only. They obeyed any order given to them by higher authority with no more compunction than a MOA might have. Maybe less. In some cases, they had initiative. Not many. And the Red Veil had learned how to use the Corpus' weaknesses against them. Remove their tech advantage and kill them quickly and efficiently.
The entrance corridor to the ship had been rigged with a series of nozzles. Each led to a tank that contained a fairly nasty caustic mixture. The Red Veil had been trying for a long time to duplicate the toxins that the Saryn warframes could generate so effortlessly, but they had never -quite- managed it. Close, but not quite. Any regular Corpus crewman or proxy entering that corridor would die. Even if they had extra protection, it would only slow the inevitable as the acids ate through the armor and into the body beneath.
That wasn't the problem. The problem was that they had assumed they would be facing regular Corpus troops after their attack.
They were not.
"Yuck." Cass' voice was subdued as he shook his head. He had hacked into the ship's systems. "That is one nasty mix... And mechanical. No way to hack the controls."
"Right. Corridor is out." Horatius said as he checked his weapon. For this... He held an Amprex. The weapon had been modified to Special Forces standards. It wasn't his preferred weapon, more a 'spray and pray' type of weapon than an actual instrument of precise destruction. But it was efficient for all of that. Since they wanted prisoners... the only way Red Veil were taken prisoner was to knock them out. Fast. They always had suicide devices or explosives on their persons or other general nastiness. "Breaching charge?"
"Set." Obmar wasn't a loud man. Ever. But he was also a good hater. And if there was anyone the Corpus Special Forces hated... it was the Red Veil. Some might accuse Special Forces of being fanatics and often times, there was truth in that. In order to fight bad things, sometimes you had to be worse.
"Opposition?" Horatius asked. Cass paused and his body language was perplexed. "Cass?"
"I am reading six, boss." Cass said with a frown in his voice. "But this is odd. They have to know we are here. The lockdown and MOAs surrounding the ship would be dead giveaways, right?"
"Yeah..." Horatius prompted the tech who shook his head.
"They are not moving." Cass said with a sigh. "None of them. The drives are offline. No self destructs or large quantities of explosives I can detect..." Chemical and radiation sniffers were common in space ports. "Only thing off is the tanks lining the corridor."
"It's a suicide mission." Obmar pointed out. "They knew there was no way to get away. Have they already killed themselves?"
"No." Cass said dubiously. "I am reading life signs. But... odd..."
"Odd... how?" Horatius asked, his weapon ready. But then.. everything stopped.
A man sized form stepped out of the ship. It...was a warframe, but... not. It... wasn't any warframe that Horatius had ever seen. It held a bloody scythe in one hand. A bow was slung across it's back and throwing knives on its hips. Horatius and this team aimed, but the warframe... knelt.
"None are dead. They are all yours." Stalker said with a nod as he vanished.
"Merry Christmas."
