Bonds

(on Mars at just about the same time)

Kaitlin lay back on the couch and fought a groan. Iriana had been kind and gentle, but the scans had been anything but that. So many scans. So many different types of invasive imaging and then the worst part. The mind scan. It had hurt just like she had imagined it would and she hadn't seen what the others had. Some kind of security protocol probably. Once it was done, Iriana had led her away, told her to rest and gone away, leaving Kaitlin to nap on the couch.

Now, she was awake, but Iriana had told her to stay and Kaitlin could not disobey without breaking the fragile trust that the healer had given her, so the Orokin was stuck. She wouldn't access the tower and didn't even dare ask for reading material. If she tried, who knew what some paranoid security type would think?

"Kaitlin Executor?" A voice pulled Kaitlin out of a doze and she sat up to see a woman standing in the doorway. No. That wasn't a woman! She wasn't human from the feel about her. Tenno in an organic body. Her face was remote, but held a tinge of sympathy. "My name is Alicia. I was sent to talk to you. To see if you needed anything and to gather more information."

"I need to know if they found Brianna." Kaitlin said quickly and bowed her head. "I should have known. He planned for everything. I bet he programmed me to do that, way back when."

"No, he programmed you for that just before he took her and altered her caste." Alicia said as she stepped into the room. Was that an Excalibur Prime warframe that took up station just outside the room before the door closed? Kaitlin stilled and Alicia nodded. "He was good. Iriana is better. You are good though. You warned us about that when you delivered Mary and Elena to us. We didn't realize until we replayed the recording that you told us you had been programmed."

"I did? Good. Parts of that are a blur." Kaitlin swallowed hard and relaxed as best she could. "Can they undo it?"

"Iriana did." Alicia reassured her and Kaitlin slumped in relief. "It wasn't much, basically to serve Brianna. To say what you did and that would activate the next step in his protocol. We don't know what he intended after that."

"Nothing good." Kaitlin growled. "Mary? How is Mary?" She all but begged.

"Kid is better." A tender look that seemed utterly out of place on a hard Tenno face crossed Alicia's expression before vanishing. "We don't know for sure, but she didn't seize last night at all, so that is good. She woke up hungry and is clamoring to talk to you."

"So soon? Don't let her!" Kaitlin said savagely, shrinking back on the couch. "She should not have woken for another day at the very least! If he did program me, then I may still be a danger! I don't know what I did! It was all instinctive. Just like hurting her was."

"That is clear from what the docs got, but I just heard from my boss. I need to debrief you." Alicia said mildly as she sat on another couch that unfolded from the wall across the room. Kaitlin stared at her and Alicia shrugged. "There is no need to be rude."

"After what I did to Brianna, if I were in your place? I would be quite rude." Kaitlin shook her head. "What I did was dumb."

"What you did was planned." Alicia corrected her grimly. "The planner could not have planned for Brianna's reaction to him or her tossing him out on his ass, but still… Caution is warranted. That evil piece of trash was sneaky as hell."

"Yes, he was and it is." Kaitlin agreed. "I um… What do you wish to know, Tenno Alicia? There is some I cannot say, confidences that Brianna held dear and others."

She trailed off as Alicia nodded and energy flared around the room's corners. Kaitlin stilled as several things in the walls went 'pop' and smoke started to rise in several others. She paled, but again, Alicia beat her to speech.

"The cameras and microphones will self repair. This was authorized by Kat and the tower." Alicia reassured the stricken Orokin. "This room is now as secure as anywhere in this solar system. I am read in on most of what Brianna held secret. I am a servant of the Empress and of Tenno Intelligence."

"Oh." Kaitlin closed her mouth that had fallen open with a click. "Um, no offense, but… Can that be faked?" Alicia just looked at her and Kaitlin wilted "I… My trust has been abused."

"That it has. Can it be faked? Possibly." Alicia allowed. "Someone could probably impersonate one of us. Could they do it in a way that would not be detectable fairly quickly and acted on just as quickly? I doubt that. We do talk to one another. Gather information. It was supposed to be our only job." Sadness peeked out of her eyes for a moment before vanishing. "That didn't last."

"I know the feeling." Kaitlin settled back in her couch and nodded. "What do you wish to know, Tenno Alicia. If I cannot answer, then I will say that I cannot answer."

"Fair enough." Alicia sat up straight and nodded. "What are your first memories of Lorinos Orokin?"

"My very first impressions?" Kaitlin asked, a bit dubious. Alicia nodded and Kaitlin made a face but then smiled. "This is going to be a long day, but I doubt I will be bored much."

"Good attitude." Alicia smiled back but waited while Kaitlin marshaled her thoughts.

"I think..." Kaitlin mused. "My first impression was 'Bolder than than even a Councilor should be' when he walked into my tower without even a 'hello'. There are protocols for a reason. If I hadn't deactivated my security, it would have fired on him and maybe killed him, Councilor or no. I wish it had. Oh, how I wish it had now!"

"This will be hard for you." Alicia warned. "But we need more information to have any idea what Lorinos was planning. Anyo just did something totally insane, even for him." Kaitlin stared at her and Alicia frowned. "What do you know of Sara?"

"Sara?" That was fairly common name for human females, but there was only one person with that name that she had heard really bad things attached to. The file had been fairly memorable. And terrifying! "Um… The… Uh..." Kaitlin quickly stopped and corrected herself. "Tenno Serene and Amelia Priosa's daughter Sara?" Alicia nodded. "Um… To leave her alone." Kaitlin said fervently. "Lorinos had a file on her that I accessed, but it ended with the note to leave her alone or things would get very bad, very fast. Anyo didn't?" Kaitlin groaned as Alicia nodded. "That is going to hurt."

"Putting it very mildly." Alicia replied. "He sent the Clergy a note that he wanted to open negotiations and that he had a hostage. In that note, he named her." Kaitlin put hand to her face and Alicia nodded. "Bad idea. The Clergy as a whole declared war to the knife against Nef Anyo for his violation of their breeding colony and for that."

"'War to the knife'?" Kaitlin inquired. "Just that sound of that sends shivers up my spine, but I do not know what that means."

"It is a quote that was ancient when Orokin was founded." Alicia said grimly. "There are many who are attributed to saying it or things like it, but no one knows exactly where it came from. 'War to the knife and the knife to the hilt' There are all kinds of connotations, some military, some economic, some religious, some just plain weird. Basically, for our purposes, the Reverend Mother just released all restraints on her people." Kaitlin stared at the Tenno in horror and Alicia nodded. "They had been careful to avoid excessive collateral damage and tried to limit non-combatant casualties. That ended this morning. So far, I know of twelve Corpus ships utterly wrecked with their crews still inside. One of them was very big. I do not know whose they were, but I bet few if any were Clergy supporters. It is only going to get worse. That woman is madder than hell and she is not someone to anger. I saw what she left behind on Neptune and it shook me. He has no idea what he just unleashed."

"Could this be part of the plan?" Kaitlin begged. "To drive the Clergy to such open warfare? From what little I know about them, that is not their way."

"It could be." Alicia allowed. "We need more information."

"Okay." Kaitlin sat back and thought hard. "Lorinos Orokin. Hmmm… He was beautiful as only a true high caste could be. I was dirty, hadn't slept or eaten in a while and I was more than a bit frazzled by everything that had happened. I remember he asked me what was wrong and I replied 'Everything'. He um… He seemed sympathetic..."

This would take while, but hopefully Kaitlin could help. Maybe help Brianna or at least help someone!

Eight hours later

Kaitlin woke from her second nap rested but instantly aware of scrutiny. She opened her eyes and froze as she saw the familiar small form that sat in chair next to her couch! Mary looked like hell, pale with bloodshot eyes. Had she been crying?

"Mary? No! Don't touch me!" Kaitlin begged as Mary reached for her. "I don't want to hurt you again! Guard!" She called but no one answered. "Where is the guard!" She demanded, trying to back away from Mary, but stymied by the wall as the girl moved her chair closer. "Tower!"

"They can't hear you right now. The mikes and cameras haven't self repaired yet. You didn't mean to hurt me." Mary grabbed Kaitlin's hand despite the Orokin's frantic retreat.

"Please let go, Mary!" Kaitlin begged, not daring to move. "I hurt you before, I could do worse this time!"

"Not now that Healer Iriana knows what to do." Mary replied, both of her hands gripping the frozen Orokin long fingers in a gentle, but firm grip. "She saw what you did to save me in your memory and figured it out. She was impressed. She is hard to impress." Mary said with a small, sad smile.

"She seems competent." Kaitlin said softly. "Mary! You can't be here! If they find you here..."

"We do not have time for you to argue!" Mary said with a glower that looked far older than her years. "I need you to talk to someone. You need to hear some things that will bother you."

"Mary! Please!" Kaitlin begged as Mary looked to the side, then she stilled as a tiny gray mass of energy appeared against the wall. Were those sobs coming from it?

"Gretchen." Mary sounded worried now. "Gretchen, Kaitlin Executor is here and awake. You need to tell her. You need to tell her now."

"It is all bad." Came a tiny, scared voice from the gray mass. "Everything is bad. No matter what I do, it is going to be bad!"

"Gretchen, we may be able to fix this, but we need to work together to do it!" Mary sad sternly as Kaitlin stared from her to the energy form and back. "Kaitlin Executor, I know you are angry and ancestors know you have cause. So does Gretchen. She was taken by the same being who imprisoned you and then she was altered into energy form against her will. Just like you." Kaitlin jerked, but Mary wasn't done. "She was pure human and three years old."

"What?" Kaitlin had thought herself beyond horror, but it dawned anew. "She…" She shook her head. "I am no healer, Mary. I don't know how to help her." Kaitlin bowed her head. "I was a monster, never a healer."

"No, you were focused." Mary said sadly as she pulled on Kaitlin's hand. "You can help her! She doesn't need healing. She needs a focus and you do too. What happened to her was awful, but you need to hear the rest. You won't believe it, but you need to hear it."

"Hear what?" Kaitlin went totally still as the door hissed open behind Mary and Micah walked in, followed by a Saryn warframe! "You." Her hate filled voice stilled as Gretchen's sobs increase in volume.

"Micah!" Gretchen pleaded and the unarmored Tenno held out a hand. Kaitlin started to protest as the gray energy swept to his hand, but it curled around his hand and his face was oddly tender as he cupped the energy in both hands. "Oh, Micah!" Was that love in her voice? Grief stricken love?

"Don't cry, Gretchen." Micah said quietly. "What will be, will be." The face he turned to Kaitlin held horror, fear, self-loathing, all of that and so much more. "You hate me, Kaitlin Executor, and you have every right to. So does she." He nodded to the energy around his hands. "I was ordered to bring her to my master. I did." he slumped. "Ancestors, forgive me, I did."

"You tried to help me, Micah!" Gretchen was trying to be stern, but she didn't manage it very well. "It wasn't your fault!"

"Fault doesn't come into it, Gretchen." Micah said heavily. "I brought you to him and I knew it was evil when I did that. Just as I knew it was evil when he ordered me to imprison Kaitlin Executor in that horrid tank. The fact that I could not disobey was immaterial. I knew it was evil and I did it. I have to try and make something better."

"You tried and he punished you!" Gretchen all but spat that out.

"It didn't work.." Micah retorted. "He wasn't about to let any of you run around loose, especially not Beta. All I did was take you from your mother for no gain."

"You tried to save me the only way you could! I don't blame you." Gretchen's energy swirled around the Tenno now. It coalesced and seemed to hover between Micah and Kaitlin. "It wasn't his fault!" She declared.

"Fault doesn't come into it." Micah repeated sadly as he bowed his head. "I had to apologize to Kaitlin Executor. I hurt her just as badly as I hurt you."

"YOU DIDN'T HURT ME!" Gretchen screamed. "DON'T DIE, MICAH!" She swirled closer to Kaitlin who stared at the gray energy as Gretchen started to babble. "Please don't let him die! Please?" Gretchen begged. "He took me into his energy, buffered me when the evil one tried to pull me out. The evil one hurt him, so badly, but he refused to let me go. He planned to show me to someone, maybe another Councilor, maybe a Tenno, but he was discovered and held and I couldn't help him and-"

"Gretchen, stop." Micah interrupted her firmly. "I earned her ire. I had to apologize."

"Die?" Kaitlin said slowly. "You are full Tenno. How can you die?"

"The same way you can. Disruption of energy. My kind were bound to those we served." Micah said with a nod. "Body and soul. We were too powerful to let run around loose." Kaitlin nodded manifestly against her will. "With Lorinos...sequestered… My failsafe will activate soon and I will perish. Brianna Executor could have possibly taken my oath, perhaps found a way for me to serve, but Lorinos' evil touched her through you. It was not your fault." He said sternly when Kaitlin sank back on the couch. "It was Lorinos, not you. He abused us both. He abused so many, used me to abuse to many, and when Brianna Executor woke me, I hoped for a chance at atonement, but it is not to be. All I can do is apologize and hope you accept it. Or at the very least, move past your hate and live anew to spite him."

Kaitlin stared as the Tenno she hated more than anything else in the universe sank to the floor. Then she looked at Mary who bowed her own head. Gretchen was swirling again, but this time, the Saryn had a hand up and sickly looking pale green energy caught and held the gray mass away from Micah. Gretchen was clearly trying to get to Micah, but the Tenno in the warframe wasn't going to let her. But something was nagging Kaitlin. Something important. Her talk with Alicia had reminded her of so much, good, bad, indifferent. She had forgotten so much.

"Why do I hate you?" Kaitlin said very softly, scrutinizing her own memory. "Yes, you imprisoned me, but I never saw you after that. You were not rough. Brianna was not rough. Neither of you were rough. You are Tenno in a warframe. You could have hurt me so much worse. She was inexorable, but she wasn't cruel. Lorinos was cruel. Neither of you were. Why do I hate you?" She asked, more to herself than anyone else.

"Bingo." Mary's soft word had Kaitlin's head shooting up to see Mary was smiling. An odd smile. It looked far older than she was. "Right question." Was that dark green energy behind her eyes? It faded even as Brianna stared at it. Mary's smile was wide now, though. More childlike. Odd.

"He did it before, didn't he?" That was to the Saryn who looked at Kaitlin. "If Iriana found programming in my mind from just before Brianna was changed, did she look further back?" She demanded. "Did Lorinos program me before?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" The Saryn asked softly. "You have every right to anger after how you were treated."

"Yes!" Kaitlin snapped as she moved to the edge of the bed. Micah's eyes were closed now and Gretchen's sobs were grief stricken. He was dying! "Micah imprisoned me, but Lorinos hurt me! Not him. Nor Brianna! I... I remember. Micah apologized as he bound me! He didn't need to! He was gentle! Why! Why do I hate them? I need to know."

"They were the only ones who could possibly help you, free you." The Saryn was sad now and she nodded as Kaitlin felt herself go pale in shock. "Yes, he programmed you to defy them if they tried to help. Brianna tried and you refused to let her."

"What?" Kaitlin staggered to her feet, Mary still holding her hand. "I…"

"You had been unjustly imprisoned, so a certain amount of anger is totally understandable, but this? No. This was imposed. Your memories are fuzzy, but there are parts that have been clear." The Saryn said very quietly. "Brianna was bleeding after Lorinos hit her and stormed out. She knew it was going to get worse. He was doing a lot of things that violated rules that must never be broken. Rules that sent me and those like me to 'rectify' situations. She deactivated the screen, tried to free you and you fought her."

"I… I what?" Kaitlin begged. "Did I hurt her?"

"No." The Saryn reassured her, but the relief was short lived. "You delayed her long enough for Lorinos to come back and when he found her trying to free you…" The warframe looked away. "He reacted badly. He had partial control of the tower. She had no chance. You don't remember. He blocked your memories, but he was not skilled enough to destroy some of them without destroying you utterly and he didn't want to do that. He needed what you knew."

"What have I done?" Kaitlin felt nausea rise. Then it faded the tower soothed her as it had been designed so long ago. By her. Back when she had been young for Orokin, idealistic. Foolish perhaps, but dedicated. She shook her head as she stared at Micah. "No." Her tone firmed. "No!"

"We only have your memories to go on and they are not clear. We can-" The Saryn started, but Kaitlin had heard enough. She pulled free of Mary's hand, careful not to jar the hurt girl. But Mary was smiling! An oddly tender, knowing smile that seemed far older than her years! Later. She would inquire later. If she had a later.

"That is not what I mean." Kaitlin went to her knees beside the now shuddering Tenno and laid both of her hands on his head. "No one else dies for me!"

Many people were speaking, but she ignored them all as she focused her will as she had not in a long, long time. Kaitlin Executor, highest caste of Orokin, did not hesitate as she cast herself into an alien mind.