What was old is now new
Ai woke up refreshed, but a feeling of fear came over her and she jerked in the bed. That wasn't her fear! She was careful not to move, the nest had to be on hair trigger. She could hear at least two people breathing nearby.
"I am awake." Ai said softly. "Maya is too. How do I… What do I do?" She fought to keep a whine out of her voice. "I scared her as badly as that scum did."
"Actually…" Arisha's voice was close, but Ai still not move. "She is worried for you. She says that what the EXALT goon told her seemed to make sense at first. Then the nasty piece of work drugged her."
"And then he hurt her." Ai slumped a bit. "I do not know the specifics, but that I do know."
"Not just her." That voice Ai knew too. The nest's resident medic. Marina's voice came close and Ai did not react as a careful hand checked her vitals. "He used her to hurt two others in ways that cannot be healed, but they have adapted. This is not what any of them wanted, but they swore to XCom and serve now."
"Ah, survivors guilt on top of guilt for helping that piece of crap hurt her family, even against her will." Ai said softly. "That sucks. EXALT… damn. I never even thought about them."
"No one did." Marina said quietly. "You can open your eyes if you wish. The lights are dimmed for your comfort."
"And if he can see through my eyes?" Ai asked, screwing her eyes tighter shut. "He was in my mind."
"Let's not borrow trouble." Marina urged and a gentle hand rubbed Ai's brow. "Come on, girl. Up you get. I need you in medical to take care of your heart."
"Yes, Ma'am." Ai opened her eyes to see Marina leaning close, look of anger on her face but it was exaggerated, clearly faked for humor. "Ma'am?"
"If you call me Ma'am one more time, I will have Arisha here hold you while I tickle you until you squeal." Marina said firmly, hands poised even as a dark shape nearby resolved into Arisha who sat ready to move. Ai knew how fast Vipers could move and how strong they were. Ai stared at the Viper as Arisha smiled, but did not interfere. Both nestmates were ready to strike, Ai noticed. Probably only to bind and embarrass the hell out of her, but still… Marina had a very good glare that she now leveled on Ai. "My name is Marina. Use it."
That was not a suggestion. From her look, it was an order.
"I…" Ai shook her head slowly and then slumped a bit, surrendering to the inevitable. "You would, wouldn't you, Marina?"
"Yes, she would." Arisha piped up and her face held tinges of embarrassment. "Please don't push her, Ai? It gets so noisy and sometimes messy!" Now, the young Viper's face held hints of a very long story, but AI knew better than to ask.
"Can I walk, doc?" Ai asked as she sat up. Marina eyed her and Ai shook her head. "I learned my lesson about crossing the docs. Nope. Not me." Embarrassment rose, but she banished it. Not quickly enough.
"Oh?" Marina asked as she backed up to give Ai space to stand. Ai shook her head firmly as she rose.
"No! I am not stupid enough to give you any ideas! I know you sneaky doctor types!" Ai said firmly as she tested her feet and rose with a smile that faltered as she staggered a bit. She steadied herself and shook her head again and looked at the others who were impassive. "I um... Yeah. Heart. Right."
"I can fix that." Marina promised, moving to Ai's side, but not too close. "You will be weak for a bit while your body figures out its new limits and then when it has healed, you will need to learn limits all over again. They may not be the same. You should be strong enough to walk to the medical ward I have set up. Alley will likely be by so I want to have you healed before she gets there or she will be tempted to do too much as usual."
That last was sourness mixed with worry. Ai understood all too well. What little she remembered of her own Matron said that the Viper demi-goddess was prone to overextending even as powerful as she became in Ai's time. Now?
"Yeah." Ai agreed, a fond smile creasing her face. "She always does." Then she stopped in mid-stride. 'What do you know about me?" She asked Marina who made a 'Move!' gesture and Ai started off again, the medic and Viper keeping pace.
"Aroa was different when she came back." Marina said quietly. "None of us understood why and all of us were worried about her until Alley called us together and explained. We know who and what you are. You are from a possible future where Alley was forced to make you and many others to fight a war that XCom lost."
"That is it succinctly." Ai said with a nod, focused on walking so as not to trip. Such would not end well with both of these hovering. "I was a mess afterwards. Bad PTSD and other problems. I was seeking help and… She told you about Sam?" She asked Marina who nodded. "He helped me then. I can help him here. Odd, but that is apparently why I am here. To help him and maybe myself. Not to fight no matter what I thought at first."
"It was all you knew, girl." Arisha reassured her, the kindly Viper working to ease tension that Ai felt building in her. Ai appreciated it. "Alley may be grumpy, but she is a lot these days. It is not just you."
"I will do my best to alleviate what I can." Ai promised as the trio walked through empty halls. The walls of the hallway looked odd. Definitely human construction, predating the Elder's arrival and conquest. In places, old looking wallpaper was peeling and in others paint was cracked or fallen off. Other places looked almost pristine. Or maybe recently redone. A glance at the ceiling showed Ai that work had been done and well done at that. Whatever else had been done here, the ceiling was sound. Ai glanced at her walking companions, but neither commented on her scrutiny. "I do not need to know where we are." Ai said flatly. "I do know basic refurbishing techniques from living in a barracks with limited maintenance staff, so I will be happy to help with such."
"We are not sure that we will be staying." Marina said very quietly and Ai gave her another look. The medic's face was pensive now. "This is a good place, but it cannot be secured properly and it stood abandoned for over a decade before we moved in. This building is pretty much the only one we manage to keep fully habitable and this one only with the kids' help."
"Once I am healed, I will happy to help with such. Within the tyrannical doctor's limits, of course." Ai promised with a smile and both of the others smiled back.
"At least it is me doing therapy here and not Kerry." Marina said with a grin as Arisha gave a soft moan. "Hey, buck up, Arisha! She never permanently hurts anyone."
"Physical therapy sucks." Arisha said with a growl. "She is the only person I can say that I truly hate."
"If she is good at her job, then you won't like her." Ai reassured the Viper who perked up a little. "I mean, physical therapists make you hurt! How can anyone sane like that?" Her grin was infectious and both of the others smiled again. "Are you okay?" She asked the Viper who would not meet her gaze. "Arisha?" She asked, worried.
"Yeah." Arisha said quietly. "I am. Now."
"If it is none of my business…" Ai started, but paused when Arisha reached out to pat her arm. "Arisha?"
"You are kin, so you should know." Arisha said very quietly as Marina started off, her face set. She was angry, but not with Arisha or Ai. She left her hand where it was as they walked. "I was made by the Elders to sing, but only apparently solo. To one or two people at a time. Probably to soothe them or put them to sleep or something. Probably not for any good reason." She said sourly. "But I was made to sing, so I do."
"What you do is more than sing." Ai said sternly when Arisha seemed to wilt. The Viper jerked up, staring at her as Ai covered the Viper's hand with her own. "I can sing, I just cannot hold a tune." Arisha smiled, but paused when she realized Ai was totally serious! "You make beauty come to life in your voice! That is something I can never do. My voice is suited to soft whispers in the dark or yelling orders over loud noises. Yours is gorgeous. What happened?" She asked as Arisha looked away.
"I um… I tried to sing in a concert." Arisha said very quietly. "I hurt myself." Ai felt horror rise and Arisha nodded."It is was too much for me. I tried to keep up and I couldn't." Shame sounded in her voice, but Ai was having none of it.
"You are who you are, Aunt Arisha." Ai pulled on Arisha's hand, pulled the Viper close enough to hug. She smiled at the Viper's dumbfounded expression. "I am glad you are okay."
"So am I." Arisha gave Ai a squeeze and then retreated. Ai let her go. "Lots of people got upset with me."
"You collapsed on stage, Arisha." Marina spoke up and Ai felt horror rise anew. "Yes, we got upset. Putting it very mildly."
"She is… You are okay, though, right?" Ai all but begged.
"I am healed, yes." Arisha reassured Ai. "I just cannot do that kind of thing. One song, two I can handle, but more and louder? No. My heart and lungs cannot handle it. My mind keeps saying I can, but then my body gives out. I freaked everyone out when I went down. I don't want to scare people like that." That was very small and Ai reached out to take Arisha's hand again. She did not speak, just held the Viper's hand.
The trio walked the empty halls in silence after that until they got to a door marked with a red cross and a red crescent. Ai looked at Marina who nodded and opened the old style swinging door. International symbols of medicine. They stepped in and Ai got a shock. Where outside, the hall had been sort of fixed and sort of not, this place was brand new, state of the art and spotless. She all but kicked herself for whatever she had been imagining. Just the thought of Marina working in a substandard facility if she didn't have to was ludicrous. A Viper that Ai did not know except in passing nodded to them from where she was working, but Jesse stood by one wall, watching. The nest lived and breathed paranoia, so Ai did not take it personally.
"Part of me assumed Yǎtíng would be here." Ai said with a grunt as Arisha led her towards a medical bed surrounded by equipment that would not have looked out of place in Ai's time. "Has she been told? Um, is she cleared?" Ai asked, unsure.
"She is not one of us." Marina said quietly. "She will be told if she needs to know. She is being debriefed again."
Ai stilled, but then nodded. That made sense. No matter what else happened, Yǎtíng was not really a friend to the nest. They could not trust her, even if she was a copy of Ai. She had been an enemy for goodness sake, kidnapped and tried to brainwash Ai!
"Oh. Okay." Ai gave herself a shake and them smiled at Marina. "Do I need to disrobe? Got one of those flimsy gowns for me to flaunt my lewdness in?" Jesse, Arisha and the other Viper all snickered at Marina's stunned look.
"Just get on the bed." Marina glowered at Ai's grin. "Oh, you may fit in a bit too well around here." The corners of her mouth were curling up, but Ai dared not comment on such. "Ai, this is Ami." The Viper nodded to Ai who returned it as the clone eased herself up onto the bed. "You were introduced, but it was bit intense, so you may not remember."
"I got the name, but I may have trouble matching faces to names for a bit." Ai lay back and tried to relax as the bed curled up around her. Not close enough to be claustrophobic, but enough to keep her in the bed. Ai glared at the sides of the bed and then at Marina who was working on something nearby. "Really, doc? You think I am going to get up and run?"
"She gets miffed when her test subj- Er, patients run away." Ami said in a monotone. Jesse and Arisha both smiled as Ai shook her head.
"Be afraid." Arisha intoned to general mirth. "Be very afraid!"
"People, we want her calm!" Marina was the only one not amused. She growled in annoyance as Ai laughed hard. "Okay, get it out of your system. Hopefully, this will be boring for you." Ai took several deep breath and then nodded.
"I like boring when people are talking about things that can hurt me." Ai said, perfectly serious now. Marina nodded. "What do you need me to do? Besides relax, that is?"
"In a moment, the sterile field will activate and an oxygen mask will pop up on your right." Marina said as a green glow built around the bed. "Put it on so it covers your nose and mouth." Ai nodded and paused as a mask did indeed, pop right out of the side of the bed. A tube connected it to the bed. Ai did as instructed and checked the fit before nodding to Marina again who smiled at her. "The oxygen is mixed with water vapor to soothe any sore tissues and allow nanites access to your lungs. Once they are in, I can get them straight to your heart and repair the damage fast."
"Can I talk?" Ai asked through the mask.
"Can I stop you?" Marina was smiling now and everyone laughed again.
"Tell me to stop talking and I will." Ai said quietly when the mirth had faded. "I know not to anger healers."
"Everyone does sooner or later." Marina glared at Arisha who curled up beside Jesse, her face a study of embarrassment. "But no. Just breathe normally. It won't take long."
"How bad was it?" Ai inquired. Marina looked at her and Ai shook her head. "I am not stressed. I am curious. If it was bad, I would not have been able to walk."
"There is damage, but the nanites can fix it." Marina reassured Ai who relaxed further. "Do you mind if I do some other scans? I am more worried about why your heart stopped in the first place. You are in good health, it shouldn't have." From her tone...
"You know." Ai said softly and Marina nodded. "Alley told you."
"I get that wherever or whenever you were made that she was desperate, but geez!" Marina snapped, her ire rising. "We were made to be disposable weapons! No matter how desperate she got, she would not have done that!" Ai closed her eyes and Marina made a soft noise of shock. "Wait a minute! This… I see what happened and why… She… Alley didn't do this, did she?"
"I cannot answer that, Marina." Ai said flatly and there was utter silence. After a long moment, Marina spoke again.
"This… this degradation…" Marina was beyond shock now into some other world of disbelief. "Oh my god! Ai, this… I can't fix this! I don't think Alley can!" Again, Ai did not react. "No! NO!" Ai's eyes shot open at the raw pain in Marina's voice. She turned her head to see the dark haired medic leaning against her gear, almost in tears! "I will not sit here and watch another member of my family die! No!" She turned to Ai and her eyes were glistening. "What did you do to yourselves! Damn it! Answer me!"
"I cannot talk about that." Ai said very quietly.
"Marina?" Arisha asked from where she and Jesse stood by the wall, frozen in shock at this sudden turn.
"There is a subtle degradation in each and every one of Ai's cells. The cell walls are weakening." Marina was very upset, she was forcing herself to speak. "This is not external. This was no poison. No wound. The rate is regular. This was planned!" Ai looked away, unable to out stare the furious medic. "The reason her heart stopped is that the shock she suffered destabilized several nerve clusters in the cardiac muscle that were already failing."
"What?" Came from everyone else in the room but Ai. For her part, Ai did not react.
"She is dying." Marina said slowly. "And from how she is acting, she knows she is."
"She said as much to me. She said it was to protect humanity." Arisha said weakly. "But… Marina… Why?" The Viper was also almost in tears. "Yes, she is scary, but she is a professional! Why let some strangers kill her?"
"She wouldn't let a stranger do that." Ami's stunned voice sounded and everyone was silent again. "She would have fought anyone who tried to do such. So, it wasn't strangers. It was her own people and she can't talk about it because she knows who did it and why."
"More secrets piled on secrets." Marina sounded almost punch drunk now. "Okay. Ai, you told Arisha that if you got a human body to replace that one that you would accept it. Will you?" She demanded. Ai looked at her and then looked away. "Damn it, Ai! Sam needs you! Alley needs you! We can make you another body. One without this time bomb."
"And if I go nuts in that body, what then?" Ai asked very quietly. "Can you gun me down in cold blood, Marina? Arisha? Ami? Jesse? Could you do that?"
"Oh, my god!" Jesse spoke up and everyone looked at him. The young man's face was pale. "Marina, how much horror can human mind take before it goes completely off the rails? We all heard that she was fighting a war. How much can even the best human mind take? Or an enhanced version of a human?"
"There has to be a way!" Marina snarled as Ai slowly shook her head. "Don't you dare argue with me! I will not watch you die like so many of my nestmates!"
"Marina. Stop." Alley's voice preceded the Viper Matron into the room, but Aroa followed, the team interrogator looking sad. "You do not have all the information, nor do you want it. If we can find a way, we will save her. But if we cannot, what right do we have to prolong her suffering?"
"Alley! Please!" Marina all but screamed that, but Alley stood firm.
"You do not have all the information, Marina." Alley repeated as she slithered to Ai's bedside. "Aroa does. She told me and we will not speak of it." That was to Ai who relaxed.
"Thank you, Alley." Ai said softly. "I am sorry, Marina, but there are good reasons." She paused as Alley held up something. An old ID card? On it shone a face she knew but garbed in a way she did not. Carter! What was that backpack with wires to that odd arm thing he wore? Not important right now. "You identified him."
"Yes." Alley said heavily. "And this is going to be a shitshow. Small wonder EXALT knew so much about X-Com. How X-Com worked and how to fight them."
"Do I want to know?" Ai asked.
"His name was William Carter and he worked for X-Com before he went completely bug-nuts. A rogue operative who apparently now works for EXALT." Alley said heavily. Ai nodded, but Alley wasn't done. "Add to that, the Lady and Jane Kelly both want him dead."
"Okay." Ai said with a frown. That was odd pair to agree on killing someone. "Do I want to know why?"
"No, but you need to. He is supposed to be dead. Several times over, actually." Alley heaved a sigh. "X-Com had a copy of his DNA on file and I just ran it. I hoped and prayed I was wrong, but I am not. Maya's and Mina's father disappeared shortly before their mother was taken in an Advent sweep." Ai went totally still at that. "The DNA matches."
"Fuck me." The unexpected expletive came from Arisha of all people and everyone spun to stare at the kindhearted singer as she shook her head. "He is…" She didn't seem able to finish the sentence.
"Their dad." Alley agreed, her eyes flashing with rage that did not touch her voice. "Who apparently worked for EXALT and left the twins with their mom to Advent. Jane is…" Alley made a face. "I have no words. She is madder than I have ever seen her. Not quite berserk, but close."
"Wait a minute…" Ai swallowed hard. "'William Carter'? I know that name! From the first X-Com! Oh dear!" She had heard lots of stories about XCom in her time. Few of them good.
"Yeah." Alley bowed her head. "William Carter was the X-Com agent who killed Shamash, the Ethereal who reformed into the being we know as the Lady."
Funny how loud a silent 'OH SHIT' could be.