Evil is as evil does

"Narmer."

Ollie had moved up just a bit to hang right behind Magda as she fought her emotions. Having fallen to Narmer's mind control, the cop had a firm idea of what kind of nasty the cult might envision for the newest Tenno. Iriana's adopted daughter no less!

"You know not to trust them. So…" Magda drawled out her word into a question as she looked from the sentinel that hung in front of her to Tiana who slowly shook her head.

"The message came in my old email and was snagged by my junk filters." Janna said quietly. "I check it as often as I can and clean it out. I still get legitimate messages every so often, but I also get lots of spam so I have to clean it out at least once a week." She had been Corpus, Clergy no less, before she and Iriana had met so… yeah. The Corpus were nothing if not driven by the need for Profit and spamming emails was a time honored tradition for such people. At least telemarketing had gone away, but email spam was and likely always would be an annoyance as long as email existed.

"Considering where you came from and how? I bet you get a lot of spam." Magda dredged up humor somehow and Tiana relaxed a little. "So… I assume you reported the message as soon as you got it?"

"Yes." Janna replied instantly and Tiana's tiny nod reassured the cop a little. The Tenno had dealt with such threats many times since the days of the First Tenno, but Narmer was sneaky as hell even with Ballas gone. "They investigated, but I asked to try out this new remote work technique at Iron Wake where the message said my dad was. After some discussion…" From her tone, lots of and loud discussions. "...the clan agreed. If all else failed, I figured I could be good bait." At that, Magda shook her head.

"You better not let Iriana hear you call yourself that." Magda's voice held more than a bit of reproof and the Sentient seeming form in front of the cop dipped in acknowledgment.

"I am not stupid, Officer Magda." Janna replied, her own tone turning bit frosty. "As soon as I got done reporting what I saw there to my clan, I reported it to her. She was rather upset. With Narmer and with me."

"I bet." Magda winced hard and Tiana shared it. They had both been on the receiving end of Iriana's lectures and such were never pleasant. Then again, Magda had earned the Healer's ire. "So… You went and found the crime scene."

"I did basics scans from a distance. No more." Janna said flatly and Magda eyed her. "I may not be a cop, but I do read so I know about contaminating crime scenes and a bit about chain of evidence."

"Both of which can be a real pain on occasion." Magda forced herself to relax. Janna hadn't really done anything wrong that Magda knew of. Yet anyway. If her clan was okay with her doing such, then Magda had no right to say the girl couldn't. This wasn't the twenty first century in the US where anyone and everyone with access to the internet could demand that their own personal needs and feelings be met by everyone, as silly as that was in hindsight. As long as the law wasn't being broken and Janna's clan was okay with it, Magda could not complain. Much. "I do not like the idea of Narmer hunting you. Whatever they want you for cannot be good." Magda said after a moment. "They are evil, Janna."

"I know." Janna said in a very small voice. "I have seen… Iriana has sent messages. She is working with other healers and what they see… She needed to vent. I was and am there for her to do it. I am glad I am. I saw a bunch of bad in the Clergy, but this… Just from the descriptions, this is worse."

"Yeah. It is. I know. I was taken by them and rescued." Magda blew out a deep breath. "It feels so good in the Veil, but it is so bad." She shook her head, fighting the depression that came form having been taken so easily by the horrible foe. "And now? We go on." She focused on her work. "Janna… I need whatever you got from your scans."

"Yes, Ma'am." Was Janna about to cry? Why? Magda did not dare move as Tiana shifted bit closer to the Sentient looking robot and Janna relaxed. Tiana held out a datapad that Magda took. "I really hope you catch this guy. Gal. Whoever. Whatever is doing this." She muttered as Tiana shook her head. "Just stop this!" She said fervently.

"Have you talked to anyone about what you saw?" Magda asked and Janna went still.

"Not really." Janna said soberly. "It was less than eight hours ago."

"Do it. Soon." Magda all but commanded. Both the warframe and the sentinel in front of her seemed stunned, but Magda wasn't done. "If you leave such horrible memories to fester, it does bad things to your psyche. Believe me, I know. Iriana can and will handle it, I am sure, but the fact remains that Tenno came from humans. We have the same mental foibles, stumbling blocks and sheer crazy that humans had mixed in with our own unique Tenno slant on things. When I saw the first crime scene, I almost broke down myself and I am not studying to be a Healer." It was no surprise at all to anyone that Janna had wished to study healing. To be like her adopted mother. Considering that Iriana had all but thrown her life away for Janna, the girl had no doubt that she was loved and reciprocated. It would have been an utter shock to everyone if Janna had not wanted to be like Iriana. Janna did not seem to know what to say, so Magda continued. "Janna, if you want to observe one of us, we would be honored, but please, not for such as this. I am not proud of where I will have to go, what I will have to do to solve this, if it can be solved at all. Spider White plied her trade for almost a century before she got caught and as much as I hate to admit it, catching her was more luck than anything else. Serial killers are dangerous. Period. Especially the smart ones and this one? He or she is smart. This killer, whoever he or she is… They are good at this. Too damned good and utterly without mercy to kill like that."

"Do you think it is a Tenno?" Janna asked carefully.

"I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation." Magda said flatly, but she did not miss that Tiana gave a tiny nod. The clan leader thought the same, as horrific as that thought was. Only a Tenno would know the specifics of Ariana's crimes to copy them so well and have the means to pull such off with such ease. A Tenno serial killer copycatting the most infamous one in Tenno history. Not good. "We are pursuing all leads."

"Message received, Ma'am." Janna said quietly. "Good luck. Stay safe."

"You too." Magda smiled at the pair which was wasted under her closed faceplate, spun on her heel and started off back towards her ship. Tiana's clan was not about pleasantries. They were respectful and polite, to be sure, but all of them were more about results than pointless formality. Dithering on long goodbyes that were not needed were just insulting to them. As she walked, she spoke softly to Ollie. "I sincerely hope she doesn't want to be a cop."

We could use a Healer. Ollie was subdued for a change. But yeah. I don't want her in this life either. Do you think all she did was look at the Red Veil in Iron Wake? He too knew much of her made a soft noise and Ollie continued. Me neither. I hope she didn't leave other bodies in her wake. I really do not want to arrest that girl.

"Me neither." Magda muttered again as she stalked onto the landing area, making a beeline for where her ship was sliding up into position. "Don't get me wrong. If she did something like that and Tiana or Iriana find out, they will report her to us. You know they will. They hold to the Code if barely scrape by on the Law occasionally. Killing humans outside of battle is forbidden by the Tenno Code barring extreme circumstances."

We can only act on what we know. Ollie said soberly. So, we have a crime scene. Do we go official?

"We can." Magda said slowly as she cycled into her ship. "Iron Wake may have Red Veil in its perimeter, but it isn't just them there. At least it isn't an Arbiters base."

Oh, god don't remind me! Ollie begged as he swept towards his charging station. The paperwork, the paperwork! Ancestors save us from the paperwork!

"It is rather extreme, what the Arbiters demand to search their premises. More than all the other syndicates put together!" Magda said with a growl. "Makes you wonder what all they are hiding."

None of our business unless they get caught breaking a law. Ollie reminded her and Magda relaxed. You want me to start the forensics?

"Yeah." Magda heaved a sigh as she laid the datapad on a console nearby and a screen flashed to life. She did sigh as she saw the scan on it. Yep, an exact match to the others she shad seen. Same cocoon with lifeless form inside. Same- Wait a minute! "Ollie? Check that web against the others we saw. Something looks different."

"It scans as the same material, but the topography of the web is different. I will fun a full set of scans and then do a laser grid match when we get to the site. Do you think it is newer?" Ollie asked through the console speakers.

"I don't know. Maybe." Magda replied, disconcerted for some reason by the image on the web. Was that an 'N'? No. It just looked like the old English letter from one angle. "Okay, who is running the place? Who do I talk to?" She keyed in a search and paused at what came up on her screen. "Wait a minute!" Magda heaved a sigh as she stared at her screen. "Why would I have to talk to the creepy lady? The place was built and run by Steel Meridian! Why is she in charge?"

"Steel Meridian founded it, but they take in anyone who isn't Grineer by all accounts. And, yes, that creepy lady is there. She is apparently psychic." Ollie replied. "Does that make her a leader among Red Veil?"

"I really hope I don't have to talk to her." Magda groaned. "She give me the creeps without even trying."

"Well, yeah." Ollie replied without heat. "She claims to speak for the dead, but the Guardians of the Dead leave her alone, so, what can we do?" He had a shrug in his voice. "If she is not breaking a law, there isn't much we can do. Being creepy or spooky isn't against the law."

"Yeah." Magda took a deep breath as she composed her message, trying to be respectful but also firm. Not as easy as it sounded. "No matter how hard some many in history tried to get it made illegal to act that way, it never actually was."

"Legislating morals never works without mind control." Ollie said softly and Magda nodded, aware he could see her through the ship's sensors. "Magda, if we find the guy…" He broke off as Magda shook her head savagely.

"We ID him and back off!" Magda said with a snarl. "Much as I want this guy stopped, we cannot do it if we die. If this one does know all about Spider White, especially if he is a Tenno, then he can kill us and I don't want to die. Unless he breaks his pattern and selects a new target while we are watching him and we might save his next victim, we tag him and call for backup. Solo busts look great on holovids, but they get cops killed in real life. You know that, Ollie."

"Yes, I do." Ollie said quietly. "I would stand with you regardless, but I am glad to have a companion with a small bit of sense." That was more like her fun loving companion and Magda relaxed. "I am upset. If Narmer is targeting Janna, they are probably targeting other young Tenno as well."

"Yeah.." Magda said very quietly. "The thought had occurred to me too."

On that sobering note, both of the cops went back to their work.

An hour later

"...and who is paying for this?"

Magda fought hard not to sigh as she walked to where Janna had found the body. She had come ready to deal with Red Veil and Steel Meridian. But instead of a clone or the creepy Paladino, she had been saddled with a very obnoxious being who purported to be from the Perrin Sequence. But what kind of a name was Tonald Drump? She remained professional though. He wasn't as aggravating as some she had dealt with.

"We are a privately funded group." Magda repeated for the third time even as Ollie made a noise of disgust. This guy just would not shut up.

"Nothing has happened here." The man repeated for the fifth time. "I would know if a murder happened here!"

"I have to investigate any such reports." Magda was sure of a few things. One, from the looks the guy got as they walked from passersby, he was about as well liked by the other residents here as he was by her and Ollie. Two? This man had no clue what he was talking about. He obviously thought he could either stonewall or browbeat her into complying with his wishes and she couldn't care less. He was not armed and not a danger, just very annoying. She wasn't allowed to use her powers on annoying people to make them shut up or go away, more was the pity.

"There is no murder here!" The man snapped as Magda made her way to the door of the small building that matched Jann's coordinates. "I say there is no murder here so there is no murder here." At that, Magda paused. Those words were familiar and not in a good way. Magda stopped and the man preened under his immaculately dressed hairdo. And no, it wasn't her imagination that it had been badly dyed in a hideous color of orange and then dyed again to cover up the mess! "It is about time! Are you even listening to me?"

"I wasn't." Magda said softly, but Ollie went still in mid-air as the man seemed to swell, but before he could vent his indignation, Magda continued. "Tonald… You…" She shook her head slowly. "Of all the people you could choose to emulate, why him?"

"He was a hero!" The man snapped.

"He was a loon!" Magda replied, fighting hard not to laugh. Of all the people this idiot could have chosen to idolize throughout history, he chose that one?

"He did great things!" The man was getting red faced now.

""Great'." Magda shook her head again. "Well, I guess by some definitions, that is true." She admitted and the man smiled. "The same way that others named 'Stalin' and 'Mao Tsedong' did 'great things'. By killing many of the people who looked to him for leadership just like they did." Her tone didn't change and she was proud of that even as the fool gaped at her. "That is one definition of a 'Great Leader', yes. Also of a 'Fearless Leader' and a 'Fuhrer'." She shrugged. "It is none of my business who you want to deify but I do not have to agree. Let me guess…" Magda cut the man off as he started to reply angrily. 'You simply showed up and declared yourself the colony leader and no one paid you any attention. I didn't know any better, so when I sent my message asking for colony leadership to meet me, you grabbed it to 'prove your legitimacy'." Now the man looked like a fish gasping for breath out of water, as pop eyed as he became. "I guess since you idolize him, you think impeding a police investigation into a murder is perfectly appropriate, since he did the same for many investigations in his time before he was stood against a wall and shot like the scum he was." At that, the man snarled, but Magda wasn't done. All Tenno cops knew about that human. All cops period knew about him. "Personally? I think it was appropriate that the people he screwed so badly brought the firing squad back just for him. His place in history was assured long before that, but he got his wish. He is remembered. Not in a good way, mind you, but he is remembered."

"He was maligned! It was all stolen!" The man shouted at her and Magda sighed. This was an utter waste of time.

"Whatever floats your boat, friend." Magda turned to the door of the building and then spoke to her sentinel. "Officer Ollie, start recording." A light glowed red on the sentinel. Not that he hadn't been recording before this, but she wanted to keep to procedure as much as she could. "Officer Magda entering crime scene at 1347 Local Time."

"THERE IS NO CRIME HERE!" The man snapped, starting forward, only to go still as Magda opened the door and a horrific stench wafted out. Yep, just like the others. At least she was in a warframe, but even then, the olfactory senses overloaded for a moment.

Not just hers!

Magda was quite proud of herself. She did not snicker. She did not laugh. She did not react at all as the buffoon beside her bent over and lost his lunch all over his expensive shoes. At least he didn't get any inside the door!

"Don't contaminate the crime scene, Mr. Drump." A voice Magda had prayed not to hear sounded and yes, Palladino of the Red Veil walked into view around a corner nearby, followed by two humans who were clearly guards. One Steel Meridian, one Red Veil. Palladino waved and the clone who was clearly one of her guards stepped forward to take the man by the arm and pull him not too gently away from the door. Drump clearly wanted to protest, but he vomited again. Palladino snickered even as Magda eyed her and Ollie started his scans. "I wondered what it would take to get him to shut up. It won't last, unfortunately." Magda did not reply and Palladino nodded. "All business then? Good."

"Palladino." Magda said flatly as the guard started urging the still barfing lunatic away from the building. "What do you want?"

"Just like you, I want this stopped." Palladino waved to the building. "Officer, we may not like one another, we may not trust one another, but we are not like him or his hero." She nodded to where Drump was now half being carried away, trying to protest between surges of nastiness. The guard did not appreciate when some of it landed on him! Palladino snapped even as the man hauled back to belt the guy. "Intact! He is crazy and a mess, but he is Perrin and we do not want to anger them right this moment. Get him to the transport pad and out of our hair intact!"

"Yes, Ma'am." The guard replied with a long suffering tone as Drump barfed on him yet again. "I hate my life." He muttered.

"Welcome to mine." Magda gave him a sad nod and he returned it. "Nasty is what I do."

"You are welcome to it." Clearly, the guard had enough now, he slung the still barfing man over his shoulder and strode off, a trail of nasty following him.

"I bet they thought we would shoot him." Palladino said in a mild voice as she walked to stand just behind Magda.

"It is kind of your thing, Red Veil." Magda replied even as Ollie started more in depth scans.

"Yeah. It was a clear provocation, so I prevailed on the others not to." The woman wasn't acting as she had the times Magda had met her before. Before Magda could speak again, Palladino continued. "This has to stop officer and we, Red Veil, are willing to help see that it does."

"Why?" Magda demanded, still half focused on the scene as her trained eyes took in details.

"Because I have discerned a pattern in the deaths that were reported to me when we asked why this house was to be sequestered." At that, Magda spun to face the red garbed woman who nodded. "I do not have all the details and I am not going to. There is no soul for me to commune with here." Magda did not react and the other woman snorted. "And yes, you are still a skeptic. Keep that mindset, Officer Magda. It helps in your line of work."

"And?" Magda pressed, not willing to barter words with the crazy woman.

"Officer, the facts are clear to those who can see them." Palladino said softly. "I believe it is a rail agent or something far worse." Magda did not react and the Red Veil woman sighed. "They had to have reliable transportation to get from Mercury to Venus and now here. It is not one of our people. We have looked. Cressia Tal vouches for hers. I believe her. New Loka might do something like this, but none of the others have the means to do such and keep it concealed."

"And?"

"Can you open the cocoon enough to see the body without contaminating the crime scene?" Palladino asked. "Because if it what I fear, our problems are just beginning."

"Officer Ollie?" Magda asked and the sentinel flew to the cocoon, hovering over it. A flash and part of the cocoon fell away to show… "Oh shit!" The body was human male. He had been young, Maybe eighteen. Younger than the others. That paled beside the Narmer Veil that crowned his head! None of the others had been Veiled, but they had been far more decomposed. If they had been? No one had found anything. "Narmer!"

"As I feared. Someone is targeting Narmer's slaves. For what reason, I do not know." Palladino said sadly. "But attacking Narmer, which means Narmer will react… badly."

"Bit of an understatement there."