There are certain people you do NOT anger

Janet was ready. She hoped. This was not going to be easy. But every time she faltered even a little bit she looked down at the horrifically mutilated girl beside her and her resolve formed up again.

"Mira." Rasputin's voice was mocking as it came into the virtual prison. "Oh Mira, our time is now... What?" Janet treasured the poleaxed look on the evil human's face as he materialized inside the prison and she held a finger to her lips.

"Shhh, don't wake her." Janet said softly, but with command. "She has had a bad day. You are right about one thing, scumsucker." Janet said calmly as she stroked Mira's cheek. "Your time is nearly up. I would say something about how it is time to turn back, but you won't. And truth be told? I don't want you to. What awaits you is far, far worse than anything you have done." Rasputin stared at her, obviously unsure of what to say. "What is this?" Janet asked snidely. "The evil one has run out of monologues? The mind boggles."

"Who are you?" The scientist looked warily around, but Janet and Mira were alone in the room.

"My name is Janet, but you knew that." Janet said quietly. "And that is all the information you will get."

"You were in the lab both times." Rasputin said slowly. "You were the one watching."

"Yes." Janet said and did not elaborate.

"Why?" Rasputin asked slowly.

"I am going to quote a friend of mine." Janet said with a nasty smirk. "F*** off." It was delivered totally straight face, almost deadpan. He scientist took a moment to digest that she had insulted him. "You don't get that information."

"I can take it from you." Rasputin said slowly, his face easing as he realized that he was still on his own ground. This prison he had created for Mira's mind was his.

"You can try." Janet replied. "I don't recommend it."

"What possible...?" Rasputin began and trailed off as Janet's smile grew wider. "You are some kind of trap. Did the Tenno send you?"

"What is it with you megalomaniacs?" Janet ignored his question. "Why is it always about you?" She shook her head slowly. "The universe couldn't care less about one selfish stupid moron who probably never got laid in his life. Why should I? I came for Mira here." Her smile turned tender as she stroked the sleeping girl's cheek and Mira muttered something in her sleep. "You will leave her alone." This last was cold and hard.

"Or?" Rasputin asked, his tone turning firm as well. "Trying to make me angry won't work."

"I know." Janet's offhand reply seemed to catch Rasputin off guard. Her grin turned vicious again. "Ask me if I care."

"Why don't you care?" Rasputin was cautious now. Something...wasn't right here.

"Why should I?" Janet asked snidely. "Either your machine works and you die, or the Tenno find you and you die for what you did to one of them. Either way..." She shrugged. "You are dead. Why should I care?"

"I will prove my theories right." Rasputin said firmly. "And you will help."

"Oh?" Janet was still snide as she shook her head. "Ehhh! Wrong answer. Try again." Rasputin obviously did not know what to make of this. She was being as rude and sarcastic as she could. Which was pretty rude and sarcastic. "Come on, pal. You are going to try your wonderful new mind powers, right? Go ahead. I haven't got all day." Rasputin raised a hand and energy flew, but whatever he threw passed right through her to no effect. It was mostly bluff, but she hadn't been able to affect him. It stood to reason that he wouldn't be able to affect her easily, if at all. She smirked at his dumbfounded expression. "So smart and yet, so stupid." She shook her head.

"What are you?" Rasputin demanded.

"You do not get that information." Janet said firmly as she rose. "Ordinarily, I would warn you off your chosen path, try to get you to see how clueless you actually are." She shook her head. "But eleven young lives decided me." Hate sang in her voice now. "You are going to beg for mercy for a long, long time and it will not be granted."

"None of them are dead." Rasputin actually recoiled as Janet took a step towards him. "What do you want?"

"You really think that?" Janet said sternly, ignoring his question. "You are so freaking clueless. Their bodies may walk and talk with you playing puppeteer, but they are gone." Her eyes narrowed. "And you know it, don't you? The flow of energy has dried up, hasn't it? That is why you took Nyx. That was a trap for her all along. I take it back, you do have some cunning. Not a lot of smarts but some cunning." Rasputin snarled at her.

"I have become smarter than any human ever has been!" Rasputin declared. "I will show everyone when I ascend just how smart I can be. How powerful." He flushed as Janet yawned dramatically.

"Yadda, yadda, yadda..." Janet said mildly, buffing her nails on her sleeve. "Been done." Rasputin flushed even further.

"No, it hasn't!" Rasputin snapped, his composure failing.

"Mira? Now." Janet flung herself to the floor and golden energy cascaded from the bed to slam into Rasputin. Mira sat up, her hands outstretched, golden energy pouring from them.

"Bad, bad man!" Mira declared as she threw everything she had at Rasputin who stared at her, shocked. But... the energy deflected as he held up a hand. The power cut off and Mira rose to stand by Janet who laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What have you done?" Rasputin demanded. "Mira, obey me!"

"You do not rule me." Mira said firmly. Only the trembling of her flesh under Janet's fingers betrayed her fear. "I am not your slave!"

"No?" Rasputin said, his tone turning cold. "So be it. Code... Evangeline." Suddenly, they were standing in the lab. Mira's body lay on the table that Nyx had been on. Mira jerked awake and screamed. Janet recoiled as the girl's form suddenly was glowing bright with power. Then she was there, but... golden energy. She was energy form!

"Mira!" Janet cried. "Run! Remember who you are! My friend! I will find you! I swear it!" Rasputin went stock still as Mira's form wavered and vanished.

I will remember... Mira's soft voice was in Janet's head. My friend... Then she was gone.

"It worked." Rasputin said softly. "It really worked." He smiled, only to pause as Janet shook her head. "What?" He demanded.

"So, you used her as a test subject." Janet kept her voice level with effort. "How many have you killed trying?" She asked quietly.

"They were of no consequence." Rasputin replied calmly. "You however...are intriguing."

"Be careful what you try, Peter." Janet said quietly. "You have no idea what you are playing with. The powers in play here are well beyond your pathetic human ability to comprehend."

"My name is Rasputin." The madman was still calm. "And I am going to ascend now. You will bear witness."

"Will I?" Janet kept her voice low and steady, despite her burning desire to rend the lunatic limb from limb. "Really?"

"Yes." Rasputin smiled. "Nyx, restrain our guest please." Janet flinched as power flared around her. She knew without trying that the bonds could hold her. She looked and Nyx stood to one side of the lab, she had been out of line of sight. "Sloppy." Rasputin said with a evil grin.

"Was I?" Janet asked calmly. Rasputin looked at her and then shrugged.

"Your evasion are...interesting." Rasputin said with a sigh. "But of no consequence. Once I have ascended, you will serve me. All will serve me."

"Well, then by all means." Janet said with a matching shrug. "Do it." Rasputin paused and Janet laughed. "I see. The high and mighty wanna-be evil overlord is afraid." She chuckled sourly. "Now that I will bear witness to. Bwak bwak!" She flapped her arms like a chicken in the limited area her bonds allowed and smiled widely at his expression. "Rasputin the Chicken, high and mighty moron of the universe." She had the pleasure of seeing his face turn red. "Or should I call you Peter the Rabbit? Will you run away now, Peter?" She asked snidely. "That is what you are best at, is it not? Fleeing." Her voice was cold now, the anger that had come into her from Nikis surging to the fore.

"Who are you?" Rasputin asked slowly. "How do you know me?"

"Oh, come off it, Peter." Janet sighed in exasperation. "Stop faking your curiosity and do what you said you would. Or don't. I do want to watch you die. Should be...entertaining."

"You are an enigma." Rasputin said slowly. "I can feel your fear. I can feel your anger. But... neither rules you." He shook his head slowly. "Whatever. In a few minutes you will see the truth and you will answer every question I have. One way or another."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda." Janet said again as she crossed her arms and buffed her right fingernails on her left sleeve. "You can shoot me, you can cut me, you can stab me, you can burn me... You can cut my head open and put those machines in me, you can do anything you want, but for the love of god, Peter... Please stop boring me." She declared with a long suffering sigh.

"You...want me to ascend." Rasputin said slowly, confused.

"No." Janet said in a tone as if she were speaking to a not-quite-bright child. "I want to watch you try. You will die. Screaming." She said with a smirk. "And I want to watch." Rasputin's eyes went wide and she smiled wider, a feral promise. "I want to saver every moment of your agony. You have earned every moment of your agony and then some."

"You know not of what you speak." Rasputin said sternly. "I will show you. You will bow to me and I will rule this world."

"Ah..." Janet said with a nod. Rasputin stared at her as she snirked. "Had to have the total global domination thing in there somewhere. It's part and parcel to all the evil overlords, you see."

"You...are very strange." Rasputin sounded part confused, part intrigued. "Once I have ascended... I will ferret out all of your secrets."

"Ah, Peter." Janet said with another long, drawn out sigh. "You have no idea. Literally."

"My name is Rasputin." The evil man said firmly as he strode for the door to the other room. "And you will call me 'Master'."

"Only in your dreams, loser." Janet said with a laugh. "And that is likely the closest you will ever get to a woman. In your dreams." She said nastily.

Rasputin stalked to the tank and opened the top, climbing a short ladder. He started to disrobe and Janet averted her eyes with a grimace. It was pure coincidence that her eyes lit on Nyx. Of course it was. Nyx was shaking her head a little, but the warframe was shuddering. In anger or laughter? Hard to say.

"I hope you haven't eaten within the last thirty minutes." Janet called as Rasputin started to lower himself into the tank, the golden fluid sloshing. "You might get a nasty cramp." She had hoped he would drown, die that way, but he pulled a mask of some kind out of somewhere and set it over his face.

"Shut up!" Rasputin snapped as he immersed himself in the tank. "You will see. Institute plan Alpha. Protocol Seven." Janet jerked as the energy surrounding her suddenly flared bright. "Not so snarky now, are you?"

"I am not the one you need to worry about." Janet smiled grimly as Rasputin stared at her. "Mira? Now."

It hadn't been easy to plan. After all, since Rasputin could and would access Mira's mind at will, anything that Janet told her to do would be instantly available for the evil one's perusal. So Janet hadn't told Mira anything. She had simply told the girl to use her ability to see what should be done. And sine Mira had lots of practice hiding that ability... it came as a complete shock to Rasputin when the tubes that connected to the tank suddenly retracted. Golden fluid spilled out of the tank onto the floor and Janet smiled nastily at the expression on the evil human's face. His eyes went huge under the mask as Mira appeared, standing beside Janet, her face a rictus of rage.

"What have you done?" Rasputin demanded, struggling to escape the tank. But the top wouldn't budge.

"Oh..." Mira said softy, an echo of Janet and Nikis' anger in her youthful voice. "I am not the one you need to worry about? Miss Nyx?" She turned to he still warfame. "I am sorry." She said, abject as she reached out to touch the still Tenno with a glowing transparent hand. Nyx... jerked and a snarl came from her. "I... I can't hold him... for long..." Mira begged Nyx. "I am sorry." She repeated.

"It's okay, girl. Wasn't your fault." Nyx said as she straightened and took a step towards the tank. Energy was suddenly dancing around her. It was... dark. "Well, well, well..." Nyx's voice was cold and hard as she scrutinized the suddenly terrified Rasputin. "You want immortality? You will get it. But first..."

She raised a hand that was suddenly glowing dark! Janet jerked. Dark matter! The same as Nikis' sword? A bolt of energy slammed from the infuriated Tenno and tore across the room to pass through the tank as if it wasn't even there. Rasputin screamed and jerked in the tank.

"No!" Rasputin screamed. His scream tapered off into a rasping gurgle and Janet's eyes went huge as his face went slack and he started to drool! He jerked and recovered his face scared. "What have you...?"

"I just freed one of the poor souls you enslaved." Nyx said with a growl worthy of Nikis. Or...maybe he had learned how to growl from her? Another bolt of energy tore from her, making the man jerk again. Nyx... wilted as Rasputin recovered again.

"Miss Nyx?" Mira was shaking in effort now. "I can't hold him..."

"Easy, Mira." Janet said, trying to touch the energy form to comfort her. But her hand passed right through Mira without effect. "Nyx..." Janet begged.

"So be it." Nyx said with a sigh. "Janet... it was good to meet you. Mira... get clear." Both hands were coming up now and both glowed even more darkly.

"No." Mira's voice sharpened. "If I release him, he will take control of you again." She cried out as her form wavered. "Hurry!" She begged.

This time, five bolts of psychic energy flew from Nyx to tear bits of Rasputin's stolen energy away from him. He screamed loud and long, but Nyx collapsed to the floor.

"Nyx!" Janet cried, going to her knees beside the Tenno. "What can I do?"

"Remember for me." Nyx said softly. "Warn... the others. This... won't stop him. Mira..." She was shaking as she raised her hands again. The dark energy was visibly fluctuating. She was putting all of her... All of her energy?

"No!" Janet cried as Nyx threw every last bit of energy her warframe had at the tank bound evil one. The Tenno collapsed in a heap and lay still. Nothing living was quite so still. Rasputin jerked and screamed again, this time, his face went slack and stayed that way. "No, no, no..." Janet begged. "Nyx... don't die... You can't die on me. Not after all of this."

"She isn't gone, Janet." Mira said firmly. "I can feel her. She is...sleeping. But... so is evil one. I can't stop it. The change."

"Don't... don't overstress yourself." Janet said slowly as she slumped a bit. "Do you know where we are?"

"Yes." Mira said absently. A holo appeared one wall of the room and Janet nodded. A dot was shown flying over the largest ocean on Earth. "Miss Janet... if he becomes like me, there is no way I will be able hold him. What do I do?"

"Mira." Janet said softly. "He is going to become energy form. You need to get away from him. Run!"

"If I do..." Mira said slowly. "He will do this again and more. Worse. A dark man will hunt him, but..." Mira swallowed heavily. "I won't be able to fight him, Miss Janet. He will take me. Make me his again. I... I saw it." She was crying now.

"I know." Janet felt her own eyes burn. "Oh, Mira. I have to do something."

"You will. My friend. You will find me." Mira said with a soft, sad smile as she... vanished. Janet stared at where she had been and then jerked as the tank suddenly vanished as well. It hadn't teleported! It had fallen through the floor!

"Mira!" Janet screamed. She ran forward to see a hatch closing. But, far, far below, she could see water. Nothing but water. "Oh Mira..." Janet knelt beside the still Tenno and keened. A flash drew her attention to the holo which showed a parachute far below the still hurtling rocket. Janet bowed her head. "Earth..."She said softly , but with silky danger in every syllable. "He was on Earth. She is with him. I can find her. And I will."

Hell itself might have flinched from her cold regard in that moment.


Janet hadn't had to stay, but she had wanted to. The ship had touched down lightly and she had waited. She hadn't had to wait long. A horrid rending sound of metal preceded a huge Tenno into the small room as he literally tore a hatch from its mountings.

"Nyx!" The huge Tenno went to his knees beside the still warframe, coincidentally right where Janet was kneeling. She shook her head as she rose and moved to the side. "Come on, Nyx... talk to me! It's me, Rhino. Nyx, come on!" He begged her as he shook her.

"Is that my name?" Nyx asked in a childlike voice. "I don't know you." Then she went still again. Janet recoiled. How much energy had Nyx used?

"Aw shit." Rhino said with feeling and then he touched his helmet. "I found her. She is a mess. We need medics here now!" He gathered the far tinier warframe up and cradled her gently. "It's okay, Nyx. It's okay. It will be okay. It's over."

No, it isn't. I need to warn them this isn't over... Janet thought to herself. But how?