Medical support
She didn't feel any different. She knew she should, but she did not. It was... Yes, odd was probably the best word for it. Her two legs clanged against the deck as she moved, aware of so many things around her.
Next left, then three doors down to where you meet your contact. Sheila's voice came over the link in her head. It felt... right. But she knew it was wrong. Don't fight it, Healer. The girl said quietly. The body knows what to do. Just let it do what it must. You will see your daughter.
Ordinarily, the scenes that she saw would have been terrifying. Indeed, she was frightened. But no one paid her any heed. The many, many MOAs, Ospreys and Corpus troops that were milling around the area were not interested in another MOA. To all appearances and most sensors, the form she wore was a standard MOA.
I feel... strange. Iriana said silently. It... doesn't feel wrong. Shouldn't it?
Healer... Sheila's voice was gently chiding. You are asking the wrong person. I have always been this way. That door. A holographic trace appeared in her vision and Iriana moved to the door indicated.
The door hissed open in front of Iriana's form and she would have paused. But the body did not. The room was dark, but the MOA walked right in.
"MOA 8763813-A-JIR ready for transport." The voice of the machine sounded and Iriana fought back a mental quaver as the world lit up around her. A Corpus crewman was aiming a weapon at her. "Code." The machine stated.
"Nirrep." The man said quietly and the MOA stepped forward. "Countersign?"
"Feeling numbs the profit." The machine replied and the man lowered his rifle.
"Okay." The man said with a sigh. "This portal code is only good for one transfer. Wait ten minutes, then activate. Readback."
"One activation only. Wait ten minutes and activate." The machine responded.
"Good. Fracking bunch of crazies. All of them. Clergy and Perrin alike..." The Crewman said sourly as he started for the door. "Maybe now the debts are paid, they will leave me alone." Then he was gone.
I doubt it. Sheila's voice was snide inside Iriana's head. He likes to gamble and has expensive tastes.
Is he likely to betray us? Iriana asked, worried.
No. Sheila reassured her. Security knows he is a double agent for the Clergy. They let him do that, it keep them happy. Especially since they think that MOA is filled to the brim with top secret eavesdropping equipment to spy on the Clergy review. Artful innocence sounded in her voice. I have no idea how they might have gotten that idea...
Whose side are you on, Sheila? Iriana asked quietly. Shelia made a noise of sadness and Iriana sighed. Can I trust you?
I want to say yes. Sheila said quietly. I want to help Mishka. But... I really don't know if they put deep seated commands in my subconscious. They would. I know they would if they felt they needed to. The Reverend Mother has not survived as long as she has by being nice. Being kind and gentle is a control technique as surely as chains and neural whips would be. If far easier on the ones being controlled.
At least you are honest about it. Iriana said quietly. What will happen when I portal in?
An alarm will sound. Sheila said with a mental sigh. There is no way to portal in without being detected. So... You come to the main nexus hub. We tell the truth as much as we can. You are a specialized medical MOA with a personality. I asked for your help. Mishka needs your help. Scans of the MOA will show nothing out of the ordinary. But you will be able to talk. If they try to dismantle it...
It self destructs and I wake up with a hell of a headache. Iriana said with a sigh. Sheila, we have a few minutes. I need to ask you something. Have you had any problems?
Me? Sheila asked, curious. No, not that I know of. A few glitches. But they really revamped my chassis after they got me back here. Why?
The second generation of the C&C MOA had some... problems. Iriana said delicately. The brains that were put in were not just brains and the bodies grew inside the shells. The nerves... disconnected over time. It was... bad.
Oh. Sheila made a disgusted noise. Yeah, I guess it would be bad. Yuck. No. Nothing like that. A few... tremors occasionally. A couple of nightmares, subconscious images pulled into focus during my downtime. But nothing else. She sighed. Okay, time. I have no idea how your mind will react to the transfer. So um...
If I come out gibbering and frothing at the mouth, it isn't your fault. Iriana said with a snort and Sheila actually laughed. Then the world lit up golden.
When Iriana could see again, she was standing on a platform in the middle of another Corpus facility. Four MOAs and two guard with heavy weapons were all aiming at her as well as at least three turrets she could see. The MOA's sensors picked up other weapons targeting her. She took a deep breath, or...whatever and spoke.
"My name is Iriana. I am here to help."
A fairly tense ten minutes later
"This... I did not expect..." Iriana knew the voice. She had only heard it once, but no one who met the Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy forgot her unless she wanted them to. "You picked a hell of a time to...drop by."
"I did not pick the time, Reverend Mother." Iriana replied calmly. It was hard. A dozen weapons were aimed at the MOA form she inhabited. The guards had not been pleased with the fact that she had appeared. They had been less pleased with the fact that she wasn't acting like a MOA. The less said about the fact that they couldn't find a reason for her to be talking from the MOA, the better... "And medical emergencies are rarely convenient, no?"
"Good point." The old woman in the nun's habit shook her head. "I find it... very hard to believe that you would take this risk. Especially now. We are being reviewed."
"She is my daughter." Iriana replied.
"I wish I could believe that." The old human woman replied. "But we just had a MOA that was programmed to attack one of our people appear. Now... this..." She waved a hand at the form Iriana inhabited. "This... somewhat strains the limits of credibility, no?"
"Who was it that said 'Truth is stranger than fiction'?" Iriana countered. "Because stories have to make sense to the reader. Life? Not so much."
"The quote goes ' Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.'." The old nun said with a laugh. "And it was someone named Mark Twain. No idea who he was. But his writing usually made sense. If... strange sense occasionally. His... grammar was odd and some of his dialect was...difficult to fathom."
"You were a reader?" Iriana asked.
"Scholar, historian..." The Reverend Mother replied with a shrug. "In my youth. Mainly focused on religious works, but... I read anything I could find. I had lots of time to think. Now? Not so much. What do I do with you?"
"Whatever you want." Iriana replied. The old woman stared at her. "But I warn you, this form is equipped with several advanced self destruct systems. If your people attempt to disassemble it, it will go boom. Not large." She qualified as the old woman looked at the MOA. "But sufficient to render it unsalvageable. I trust you as far as you trust me." She said dryly.
"Not at all." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "But... one thing. If you truly are Healer Iriana, what is your pet name for your daughter?" Iriana hissed. "I had no choice." The old woman stated. "She appeared on our lawn, unconscious and bleeding. A perfect setup. Not that she was. But we couldn't know that."
"And of course all the information you got from her mind is just a fringe benefit." Iriana snapped. "I suppose I should be glad you didn't just flay her mind for the information inside."
"Many might have." The Reverend Mother replied without heat. "I don't expect forgiveness for what I did. It was needed and she did not suffer. She has not suffered. Not... until this..." She looked away. "Please. Her pet name?"
"Mishkling." Iriana said savagely. The old woman stared at the MOA and then slumped a bit. "Well?" Iriana snapped. "If you are going to dismantle this MOA, then do it."
"I am sorry, Healer." The old nun's words rocked Iriana to her core. "I really thought we could protect her. I had a daughter once. I lost her. If I can keep you from that pain... I don't care who or what you are... Or what it costs, I will."
"Words are cheap." Iriana replied.
"Indeed." The Reverend Mother made a motion and the guard all lowered the weapons and left the room. Only after they were gone did the old nun speak and when she did, it was angry. "What the hell are you doing here? Now? Are you insane?" She demanded.
"That is debatable." Iriana replied. "But... a mutual acquaintance said we might be able to help one another. And Mishka will need me. I need to see her."
"You..." The old woman slumped, for a moment looking her true age of hundreds of years. Then she sighed and straightened. "Okay... at least that is a medical MOA. But there is no way we will keep this quiet. Not a chance. Not with so many eyes seeing you arrive."
"I know." Iriana agreed. "I wasn't so sure of that part of the plan, but... Tell me something. If you want to hide something, somewhere no one will find it, where would you?" The Reverend Mother stared at her and Iriana chuckled. "Where did you hide Mishka?"
"In plain sight..." The old woman said slowly, then her eyes lit up and she smiled. It was both grim and humorous. "Oh Janet..." She shook her head. "Okay. We have an... odd medic who just arrived."
"That works. One thing... Is Mercedes okay?" Iriana asked. "She was...stressed."
"Yes she was. Is." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "She is asleep right now. She... really feels for your daughter. Her emotions have been all messed up, due to her condition and what her life partner did."
"I know." Iriana agreed. "So... what now? I am here to help. Not just Mishka if you allow it." The Reverend Mother stared at her and Iriana chuckled softly. "It is what I do."
"Okay." The clergywoman took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The reviewers are very confused by Mishka. That poison is not supposed to be survivable. The scan we did allowed us to counter it, but..." She shook her head. "They keep trying to get hold of a sample of her DNA."
"That won't help them." Iriana replied. "Her DNA is human."
"I know." The Reverend Mother agreed. "But if they cannot determine why she was so resistant, they will poke deeper. Right now, they are focused on getting the sample. If they start thinking more..."
"...they may stumble onto the truth by accident." Iriana finished the comment. "And then all hell breaks loose."
"Yeah." The old nun said sourly. "That is a pretty accurate summation. Let's go."
"The soldiers?" Iriana asked as she followed the nun from the room.
"Special Forces." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "They don't talk. We... pulled a bunch of them in when our security was breached. Commander Horatius was more than a little upset. He likes Mishka too. We all do."
"You can't keep her here." Iriana said quietly as they walked.
"I know." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "Which is a pity. I like her. We all do. But... as was just shown, it is too dangerous. We have too many enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy us. She is a kid, not involved in our squabbles except peripherally. But that involvement nearly cost her life."
"My focus is my daughter." Iriana said quietly. "But... I will help as I can. I will not divulge any information, but healing is what I do. Do you have injured or sick?"
"A few." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. "Most of the injured were Red Veil who were... handed to us by someone who I am pretty sure was not a Tenno although he wore a warframe."
"Red and black?" Iriana asked and the old nun nodded. "That is...the second time he has intervened on Mishka's behalf..." Iriana mused. "Odd. He is...not a benevolent soul."
"Got that." The Reverend Mother said sourly. "He tore through them like a knife through butter. Left them alive for us." She shook her head. "Some kind of plan?"
"Almost certainly." Iriana said with a sigh. "But as to what? I don't know. He plays his own game. We are pretty sure he is driven by a need for vengeance, but against who or why? We don't know."
"A vengeance crazed Tenno..." The Reverend Mother shuddered. "Just what we needed." Her tone was sour as she led the mech into another building. "Our medical center."
Iriana glanced around, but it was standard. White walls to show up discoloration, medical gear ready for use but out of the way. Wide corridors for easy transport of patients. Everything was Corpus in design, but... gentler. Ergonomic and efficient as always, but... softer. The nurse's station that sat at one intersection looked so normal to Iriana's mind that she half expected to see Pat sitting there working on paperwork. Instead, a male nurse was working on a terminal. No! Not a male nurse!
"Zacharias?" The Reverend Mother asked. "Status?"
"No change, Reverend Mother. "The man in scrubs said quietly. "She is hanging in there." He looked curiously at the MOA. "Who sent the MOA?" He paused as the Reverend Mother laughed. There was precious little humor in it.
"She sent herself." The Clergywoman said sourly. "I think you met her."
"We met." Iriana said quietly. Zacharias stared at her and slowly paled. "It...wasn't the best of circumstances, but I am glad you are feeling better."
"You..." The man shook his head, dumbfounded. "Are you insane?"
"Probably." Iriana replied. "But Mishka needs help. From what I understand, the neurotoxin is a three base antagonist that acts directly on the neurons?"
"Yes." Zacharias swallowed hard and shook his head. "We had...full bio scans, we were looking for allergies. Thank god we did." He shook his head. "I... I don't always agree with what we have to do. But it seemed the lesser of two evils."
"I am not here to debate the past." Iriana said firmly. "What was done, was done. I won't pretend not to be angry, because I am. But Mishka is the important one here. You know what will happen if she dies."
"You will stop holding them back." Zacharias said with a nod. "I don't remember much. But you were a bright light in my darkness."
"I won't be able to hold them back anymore. They will roll right over me. As for a light? It is what I do." Iriana said quietly. "Some people fight. Some people build. I heal." She made a noise of worry. "And I need to know. How far past the barrier did the toxin get?" Zacharias stiffened and the Reverend Mother froze. "You didn't tell her, did you?" Iriana asked quietly.
"Tell me what?" The Reverend Mother demanded. Zacharias slumped in place."Tell me what?" She snapped, getting angry.
"Neurotoxins work by blocking or destroying neurons." Iriana said softly. "Most toxins have a great deal of difficulty passing into the brain. A barrier of sorts is in place. We call it the 'Blood-Brain Barrier'. Not very original, but apt."
"And?" The nun demanded of Zacharias who seemed to shrink.
"There is damage." Zacharias said with a wince as the Reverend Mother growled. "We don't know how bad! With her... comatose, we can't tell how bad it is. The scans are... inconclusive."
"Which is why you need me." Iriana said softly. "I know her scans inside and out. I have seen them all of her life. And if worst... comes to worst... I am her next of kin. If I do it... They won't blame you."
"No..." It may have been the first time in centuries that the Reverend Mother looked as if she was going to faint. "You... you can't..."
"You think I want to?" Iriana snapped. "She is my daughter! My flesh and blood. I borne her into the world! No! I do not want to kill her! But...if it is the only to ease her pain... I will." She gave a sigh. "That is why I am here. That is my job. I repair when I can, heal when I can. Ease when I must." Both the Reverend Mother and Zacharias looked horrified. Iriana just sighed again. "It may not come to that. I need to see her and the scans. Then... if it doesn't come to that. I won't be able to stay. I can't maintain this link forever. It gets steadily more unpleasant as time passes."
"You...came here... to..." The Reverend Mother was actually stammering.
"Um... Excuse me?" Iriana turned the MOA body to see a Corpus man she did not know. He wore executive garb.
"Executive Jules..." The Reverend Mother was obviously trying not to groan. "Your timing is... as wonderful as always." Her sarcasm might have cut steel.
"Why are you talking to a MOA?" The man asked, his face concerned. No... it wasn't concern. It was anticipation!
"Because I am not a MOA." Iriana snapped. The man went still and she laughed. "Go ahead, push your master's policy. Go do whatever plots you think you can get away with, but I give one word of advice, Executive. Leave Mishka alone. You will not like what happens if you hurt her again. You won't get what you want from her DNA, it's a polyglot of a number of beings. Just like mine." The Reverend Mother stared from the man to the MOA and back and she... smiled a little.
"How the hell...?" The man paled.
"Mishka's strength came from her compassion and her willingness to help others." Iriana said sadly. "Not her DNA. Touch her again and you will pray for death and I will not let it take you."
"Who are you?" Jules demanded as he retreated a step.
"Me?" Iriana asked coldly. "I am a Healer. But I do know how to cut. And Mishka is my daughter."
"You might want to leave now, Jules." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "Before she gets upset." The man actually bolted and she shook her head with a rueful smile. "And here I thought your sister was the scary one."
"What can I say?" Iriana said with a snort. "You pick up things hanging around people." Then she sighed yet again. Deeper, sorrowful.
"Now... Mishka..."