Questions
It was...familiar. He was aware. But not. He was conscious. But not. He was not where he had been. A series of noises around him told him where he was. A medical ward. He grunted as pain lanced through him. Rage rose again.
"Easy, soldier..." A voice he sort of recognized spoke from nearby. "We have to get the armor off..."
"Get away from him, doctor!" A familiar scared voice cut through the hubbub of the medical ward like a knife. "Now!" Her knew her. She was... no. Not a friend. But... A colleague? A... compatriot? No. That wasn't right either. He... wasn't thinking clearly. Something touched him. "No!"
"Ma'am!" The voice of the doctor said sharply. "We have to get the burnt armor off!" Then a scream sounded as Horatius moved. Something went 'snap' and he was off the table and on his feet. Five forms in medical garments stood close at hand, one now clutching a wrist that was bent the wrong direction. Two guards stood by a door, but both stood as if terrified.
"Everyone! Freeze!" The old female voice commanded and Horatius turned to see a familiar form. The Reverend Mother looked like hell. Her face was angry, but...also scared. "Horatius... Come back to us. It's okay. Mission accomplished, soldier." The rage... faded a little. He could think.
"No, it's not." Horatius said quietly. "They dosed her."
"You were in time." The old nun said softly, raising empty hands. "Horatius... You were in time. They sedated her. No more. They were prepping her for a mindwipe. You stopped them. And we have prisoners. Well done, Horatius. We will find out who sent them."
"I..." Horatius slumped a bit. "I need to..."
"Horatius..." The old woman took a slow step closer. "You are hurt. Your implants can keep you going for a little while. But you need help."
"Don't..." Horatius swallowed hard. "Don't let her see me like this..."
"I won't." The Reverend Mother said sadly as she reached out with a slow hand and brushed his cheek. "Sleep my friend." Horatius... nodded and the music that he had denied for so long swelled louder in his mind. It...carried him into oblivion.
"Holy profit..." Vina was not crying now. She had been. "I... I thought I knew..."
"Yeah." The Reverend Mother maintained the touch on Horatius' brow while the docs worked to remove the burnt armor from his still form. "Don't jostle me." She warned the nurses who were moving warily. "If he wakes again... in pain... I don't know if I can stop him again."
"Yes Ma'am." The head doctor said warily. Well, he was the head doc now that the first doc had been taken to have her wrist set. "Not long. We can... Holy profit..." He said, staring at his screen. "How much of him is augmented?"
"You saw nothing." The Reverend Mother's power sang around the room. "He is full human. Treat him as human."
"We saw nothing." Vina's eyes went huge as every mouth in the room but hers spoke in unison. "We will treat him as full human."
It didn't take long until the doc had the armor off. A few injections and the Reverend Mother cautiously withdrew her hand. Horatius slept on and she let out a sigh of relief. She slumped a bit and nodded to the docs.
"He will sleep now. Not his fault. It's the training, you see. The training and the augmentation. He will want to apologize when he wakes." She said sadly. "It was reflex for him. Not...conscious." She shook her head. "He was a good man..."
"What should we do when he wakes?" The doc who has spoken asked as he worked on the human shape.
"He will wake upset." The old nun said softly. "Keep everyone away. He will yank out the tubes. Yank off the wires. Do not try to stop him. He won't hurt anyone when he is fully aware, but..." She shook her head. "Put him in a room with nothing breakable. He will find a way to break something anyway. He always does." Fond, exasperated sadness sang in her voice as she turned to where Vina stood, staring. She jerked her head and the Executive followed her into another room. One where Mercedes lay sleeping. The old nun's face hardened on seeing the woman's shaved head. "Do you have a wig? She will feel the violation. But if we can minimize it until we can regen her hair... It will help."
"I... can have something made quickly." Vina said weakly. She tapped some keys and nodded. "Working. The... they were going to..."
"Mindwipe her." The old woman said quietly. "Yes."
"I... I couldn't do anything." Vina was babbling a little and the old woman pulled her close. Vina's tears let loose. "All I could do was watch... They wouldn't let me do anything else... I thought he was dead. Then he got up and..." She shuddered.
"It is what he does." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "What he has done ever since he left the colony. I knew he would be gentle with her. I had hoped she could help him. But... he won't let her in. Not completely."
"I don't understand." Vina said, her sobs coming through strong. "He... He was kind to her. Gentle. She said he was...amazing."
"He is." The Reverend Mother stroked Vina's head, calming, soothing. "He was... so good at instructing the girls. The ones who had no experience for whatever reason. I was too strict with my own daughter. I... didn't realize. Too many other demands on my time. He jerked me up short." She chuckled a bit wetly. "He was... rather rude. But he was right. She was... so much better. After. Mercedes J-54 will live, Vina. Hold to that."
"You are going to take her, aren't you?" Vina said after a moment. She calmed herself and stepped back. A beep sounded and she went to a wall dispenser. She pulled a mass from it and handed it to the Reverend Mother who nodded. It was Mercedes J-54's hair color.
"Yes. She will wake in a few minutes." The older woman nodded. "Horatius is going to go after the people who did this. I do not want her to be here when he wakes. She will be stressed enough. We will ease her into her new role." She smiled a bit gently. "And yes. I think we can swing a girl for you."
"What I want is not important." Vina said savagely. "Take care of her. She is not just a priceless asset for the company. She is a friend." A moan sounded from the bed and both women turned to see Mercedes J-54 open her eyes. "Mercedes J-54?" Vina asked, hesitant.
"What happened?" Mercedes J-54 asked softly. "It... I was in the airlock. You were crying... I... Horatius hit me... But then... people were shooting... He... He..." Vina and the Reverend Mother both moved to her side, each woman taking a hand. She did not notice as the Reverend Mother settled the wig on her head with the other.
"He is alive. He fought his way to you, saved you, Mercedes." The old nun said quietly. Both other woman stared at her and the Reverend Mother sighed. "That is your name now. Your old life has ended. A new one has begun. We have executive assistants by the thousands, Mercedes. We only have one you."
"But..." Mercedes slumped a bit. "I saw him fall. He was still. So still. He was.. how could he fight...?"
"He is Special Forces, Mercedes." The old woman said with a sigh as she sat on the bed, pulling the now crying girl into a loose embrace. "It is what he does. Vina, step back." She commanded as she put a hand inside her robes. Vina paused and then pulled Mercedes hand up to her mouth and gave it a kiss.
"Come back to me, dear heart." Vina said as she laid the hand she had just kissed back in Mercedes lap. "I will be waiting."
Mercedes gave a small smile as she and the Reverend Mother both vanished in a haze of golden energy. Vina slumped a bit, staring at where they had been. Then she turned on her heel and strode form the room, her posture going straight. Her guards -four now- formed up beside her as she strode to another room. As the door opened, screams were heard. Her face was expressionless as she entered the room where two humans lay strapped to tables while machines scoured their brains for every ounce of information they had.
"Report." Her ice cold voice might have given a Tenno pause.
"The doctor is a pawn." Sister Harriet said from where she stood, working the machinery. Her own face was set. "We checked. His family were all found dead a day ago. A 'skimmer accident'." The sarcasm in the last words could have cut steel.
"Salvageable?" Vina said sternly.
"We went deep." Harriet had no emotion in her voice now. "But I think so. He will need retraining. But not as much as some of the kids."
"The other?" Vina glanced at the one with no legs.
"Black ops. Team leader." Harriet confirmed. "The triggers are known. I have worked around some of the blocks. He was working for a subordinate of Board Member Bek..." She raised a hand as Vina inhaled. "I don't think Bek did this. He would know better. He knows what Horatius is." She chuckled, an odd sound in chamber that still resounded with screams weakening as they were. "If he had been the one, he would have sent a lot more than five and some MOAs."
"Okay." Vina said with a sigh. "What do we know?"
"They were ordered to grab her like we thought. " Harriet said with a nod. "Nonlethal, but they were to do a mindwipe as soon as possible. The medical MOA was set up for one. The idea was to use the portal we found to transit to an unused storage facility near Pluto. Then they were going to transit somewhere else. Everyone else on the ship was disposable. Decoys."
"Any idea where?" Vina asked and Harriet shook her head. "But he knows." It wasn't a question but the lay sister nodded anyway. "Can you break through?"
"I can." Harriet said with a sigh. "It will take time. And I do know of a faster method..." She glanced at the door.
"What?" Vina paused as the hardened Clergy lay sister actually grimaced. "Oh... He can?"
"I... read a report of him breaking a Black Ops mental block to get information once." Harriet said with a gulp. "It...wasn't pretty."
"What they were going to do to Mercedes J..." She paused. "No... To Mercedes..." She corrected herself carefully. "...wasn't pretty. What will he need?"
"From the report?" Harriet actually looked bit green. "A spoon and a heat source."
Vina stared at her and despite everything, she felt queasy.
Mercedes was reeling. The transit had been... jarring to say the least. But the old woman's grip on her arm never faltered. So many shocks. So quickly. She... was in love with Horatius. She knew that. She was attracted to him. What woman wouldn't be? Talk, dark, dangerous... and... Kind, gentle and with the most amazing hands... She shivered.
"Easy, Mercedes." The Reverend Mother said gently. "You are in shock. It's been a bad day." She spoke louder. "I need a chair! Did they send the report?"
"They did." A tight female voice sounded as Mercedes felt something behind her knees and hands were easing her down into something. It was... very comfortable. Mercedes looked to find the speaker and she paused as she saw a violet hulled MOA. "Hello Mercedes." The MOA said gently. "My name is Sheila. I am here to help."
"Um... Hello Sheila." Mercedes said as someone laid a blanket over her. "I... I don't know what to do."
"Ordinarily, we have a meet and greet. You meet the staff, and any of the others who want to be social. Usually around a meal." The MOA said calmly. "Not everyone is. Social that is. You don't have to be if you do not want to. We are here to help you. Make your life easier. Because what you are doing will be hard."
"I... thought you would just... stick me in a machine..." Mercedes wanted to pull the words back as soon as she spoke them, but the MOA... laughed. "What?"
"Do you have any idea what the Reverend Mother would do to us if we acted like that?" Sheila fought through her chuckles. "No, we will not just 'stick you in a machine'. You are confused. You are stressed. You were scared out of your mind. We can help." The kindness from a MOA was too much and Mercedes felt tears start to fall. "Ah my dear..." Sheila said sadly. "It's okay. You are okay. Jeselle?"
A young woman stepped into Mercedes' view, a cloth in hand. She held it out to Mercedes who took it and wiped her face. She shook her head when Mercedes would have handed it back.
"Keep it." The young woman's voice held old sorrow, but her eyes were alight with curiosity and compassion. "I will have your meal sent to the room."
"No." Mercedes said. The girl and MOA both looked at her. "They wanted me afraid. They wanted me powerless. I will not be. Where is this 'meet and greet' of yours?" The girl looked at the MOA and the robot that wasn't one seemed to shrug.
"If you start feeling bad, say my name." Sheila said quietly. "I am on duty at all hours. Unlike puny human nurses, I can keep up."
"Don't forget your own downtime, Sheila." The Reverend Mother said severely from nearby. "If I find you reading again when you should be sleeping, I will make you clean the visitor's bathrooms again."
"No, Reverend Mother!" Sheila begged in a comical voice. "Anything but that!"
Mercedes laughed and that laugh seemed to start her on something. A long road. But a worthwhile one.
What? The Lotus sounded upset and the Reverend Mother could relate. Is she all right? Is he?
Mercedes is scared and bruised but no more. He didn't give them time. The Reverend Mother said softly. Horatius is... what he is. I tried. She said weakly. I tried.
I... I am sorry. Of all the thing the Reverend Mother might have expected to hear from one of her greatest adversaries... They did a bunch of scans. They know who he is. What he is. They are pissed.
Yeah. So am I. The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. Anyway... he will get the information once he wakes up. As soon as he does, he will gather a team and strike hard and fast. I still think this whole thing has Bek's fingerprints all over it.
He is the prime suspect. The Lotus said quietly. Maybe too obvious though. He would know not to try that.
The last time he angered Horatius was educational enough. The old nun agreed severely. Two stations and four ships. Even a Tenno strike force would have difficulty matching Horatius when he gets really angry. Against Company forces anyway. Against Grineer or Infested? Tenno would win, hands down. He has said that more than few times himself.
So what now? The Lotus asked. Will you search the storage unit? We can drop the DNA samples there.
No. The Reverend Mother said sadly. As much as I might wish for it to be that easy, whoever the was supposed to meet will not have left such traces. It would be an immediate red flag for anyone with even a modicum of brains. We have to find the main lab. And with them dark? She sighed. Any news on your end?
Not for this. The Lotus said calmly and the Reverend Mother nodded even though the other could not see her. She knew the Lotus wasn't -really- an ally. They had the same ultimate goals. Preserve humanity. Defeat the Grineer. Beyond that? One thing... I may not be able to keep it quiet.
Do what you can, please? The Reverend Mother did not like begging. But... If he finds out... we haven't seen a mess yet.
He is going to learn. Both mental presences went still as a third mind made itself felt. I cannot interfere much, but I can keep you two from doing anything too bad. And yes, it would be... bad.
JANET? The Reverend Mother shook herself No... No, say no more! The less I know, the better!
I can help. A little. The mind of what had been one of her best agents and was now far, far more said sadly. I will talk to him. But you better find that lab. Fast. Then, like waft of dream, she was gone.
It is getting... crowded in here... The Reverend Mother said with a gulp that the Lotus matched. Horatius will get the information. Then he will move.
We will be ready.
Somewhere
"We need to talk." Janet was not looking forward to this. The other nodded. "About Dustin."
"Dustin?" Nikis -grandmaster gunfighter of the Tenno- sighed as he knelt slowly. When one was invited to the innermost sanctum of the Oracles of Saturn, one did not lapse in protocol. They had enough concentrated power to hurt him, badly. Not that any of them wished to. It would hurt them worse. But no one wanted to fight. Not here. Not now. "What do you need to know?"
An important distinction. He knew the Oracle rarely wanted to know things. If she asked about such a sensitive subject, she needed to know.
Janet could not move from her gel filled pool. Machines fed her, took care of her wastes and aided her breathing. The docs promised that she would recover. She had seen some improvement. She could move her hand now and it flattened, beckoning Nikis close.
"We need to do this virtual, Nikis." Janet said sadly. "And not me. You... need to know what I do. And it will piss you off. But if you find out and we didn't tell you... it would piss you off worse."
"I won't hurt you, Janet." Nikis said with hurt in his voice as he reached for her hand to pull her into a virtual world.
"I know. It is not me I am worried about." She took a deep breath as the world shifted to a comfortable room where she sat on the bed and pulled the Nekros close. Then she started to explain.
It was a good thing the room was virtual. Titan was mostly seas and they would have resounded with the Tenno's scream of rage for weeks.
