My ally, my enemy
Everything stopped as a Nyx Prime warframe stepped into view in the corridor. She was shaking her head as she looked at the Corpus and then at the Sentients. She had both sword and pistol on her warframe, but had none in hand.
"Get away from him." The Tenno said quietly. She wasn't hostile. Why? Caught between two unspeakable terrors, the Corpus goons seemed to be frozen.
"Or what?" Marlena demanded. "You kill him? Kill us? It is what you do, no?"
"No. Get away from him before the energy he has gathered lashes out and hurts you, Marlena." The Tenno replied! Calm, assured. Not angry at all! Underneath though… Was she worried? For Marlena? "He does not know how to control it!"
Cass stared at his hands and yes, they were glowing ice blue! The glow was getting brighter no matter how he tried to stop it. All three other Sentients floated away from him as Marlena spun to scrutinize him. The three Corpus bolted and no one paid them any mind.
"NO!" Cass shouted, trying to push Lissandra away with his forearms as the energy flared. "Lissandra! Get away from me!" He pleaded, but she clung to him in terror. She was so stiff he was afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her. "Lissandra!" Be begged as the girl cried, holding on to him for dear life.
"Strike me if you will, but you will only only destroy this warframe and you will doom him and her." The Tenno said quietly as she strode forward, her hands coming down to take Cass' glowing ones. Marlena did not move. "He may be guilty of whatever, but is she?"
"What do Tenno care for innocence or guilt?" Marlena asked softly as the other three Sentients zipped from the room. Screams of horror and the sound of energy fire came from outside, but the sound moved away.
"Normally, none." The Tenno replied as she did something and the power faded from Cass' hands. He felt bereft and the Nyx nodded as he stared at her, eyes huge. "Soldier? I can slow it. I cannot stop it. Maybe you can learn control in time to save yourself. Maybe not. Nothing I know of can stop such a transformation once it has begun. That idiot Nef Anyo has a lot to answer for." The Tenno shook her head as she stepped back to the wall where she waited. "I am Nyx." She said by way of introduction. Cass felt his guts clench. Few Tenno in his experience spoke in the field at all. The few who did were almost to a being incredibly powerful and scary even for their kind. But Nyx? That was the type of warframe, was it not? She shook her head as Marlena hissed. "You likely will not know what that means, soldier, but Marlena will. I am the First."
"And you are here… why?" Marlena was not relaxed at all, despite the Tenno apparently not being hostile as odd as that was.
"The Clergy lost Lissandra here and then Sergeant Cass vanished." Nyx replied. "Their normal methods of investigation proved fruitless. The Reverend Mother contacted Janet who contacted me. I was in the area and I owe her." Everyone looked at the Tenno who shrugged. "Is such not allowed?"
"You are not alive." Marlena said very slowly.
"Neither are you." Nyx was one small step short of amused. "My business is my own, but I personally have no quarrel with you or your kind unless you pick a fight with me. I do not suggest that."
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Lissandra screamed in Cass arms. Both of the very scary not human females turned to look at her and she quailed but Cass pulled her close and held her as she shuddered.
"Hell just froze over." Nyx replied, truly amused now.
"You are frightening her." Cass said with a growl as he turned Lissandra so she was looking only at him. "Lissandra, calm down. It is okay. Be calm." He reassured her. "I don't think these want us dead." Lissandra started to cry and he held her. "Can you get Lissandra out of here?" He asked Marlena. "I don't know what I am now, if I am a friend or an enemy, but I cannot fight you and both of us know it. She certainly has no chance against you and you know that too."
"You aided me before. It was in your interest to do so, but you went above and beyond simple self interest." Marlena said slowly. She morphed back into a silver female human looking form. Her skin shimmered and then looked like human flesh. She stepped to the bed and laid a hand on Lissandra's arm. "Girl. Lissandra. Have no fear. We will not harm you. You are in no danger at the moment. You have been rescued. Easy, girl. Easy."
Lissandra gasped and then she relaxed. Was the Sentient doing something? Her breathing eased and she was singing softly under her breath. The same song that she and Cass had sung earlier. Marlena smiled, patted her arm and retreated a step. Cass rocked Lissandra who was still crying, but softly.
"I assume your fighters are clearing the place?" Nyx inquired. Marlena nodded. "I didn't bring anyone with me. I need to do what I need to do alone."
"You didn't do this." Marlena nodded to Cass and Lissandra. Nyx shook her head. "Who did?"
"I do not know." Nyx's amusement had faded. "I have suspicions, but no facts and I would rather not act until and unless I have facts."
"And when you do act?" Marlena inquired and Nyx laid a hand on the hilt of her sword. She still wasn't hostile.
"If the facts are what I fear? Then I do my job." Nyx replied evenly as she dropped her hand from her sword. There was no anger in her words, and no mercy either. Marlena looked at the Tenno and then nodded slowly.
"We need to get these two to safety." Marlena stepped back and Nyx did as well. Both were clearly giving Lissandra time to calm down which she took. Cass rocked the sobbing girl in his arms and she slowly stopped crying. "Do you know who did this?"
"No." Nyx growled, but it wasn't frightening. More comforting as odd as that sounded. "Janet's visions of the possibilities were unclear. Everything she said was 'sort of', 'maybe' and 'might be'. That is Oracles for you." She groaned and Marlena shared it. "That said? I did not expect this." She nodded to Cass who stared at her. "Cyberlancer."
"I am not a Cyberlancer." Cass said weakly. Marlena looked at him and was that pity on her face? No, it couldn't be!
"What is a Cyberlancer?" Lissandra asked, her eyes slowly closing as her adrenaline faded and exhaustion took over.
"A magician." Cass replied and then sighed as she fell asleep in his arms. "Did you need to do that?" He asked Marlena very quietly as he eased Lissandra to the bed.
"Maybe not, but she is scared. Her fear will hurt her. She has cause." Marlena replied. "Her mind has been tampered with. It is bad enough that I can tell such with a simple touch. I bet Nyx can do far more."
"Like you would trust me to do-" Nyx froze as Marlena did. When the First spoke again, it was clipped. "I felt that. You?"
"One of my fighters was just disabled by what looked an awful lot like a Tenno Glaive." Marlena said as energy shimmered around her. "You said you came alone." Her tone was not quite accusing.
"I did come alone." Nyx said as she spun to the open wall, her hand on her sword hilt. Then she sighed. "Damn, I hoped I was wrong. Can you get them out of here? He will be coming and neither of us can detect him if he goes full stealth. I may be able to hold him off, I may not." She might have been discussing the weather now as she moved to stand between the open wall and the trio of mismatched beings. "I think we are about to find out."
There was other no warning. One moment, Cass was staring at Nyx, the next something came whirling into the room, arcing as if guided. It spun towards Marlena, but Nyx was just as fast as it was. The Tenno's curved blade flashed and metal clanged on metal. Cass went still as the Tenno Glaive made of sickly looking green metal flew back out the way if had come and a dark haired man stepped into view in the hall, catching it in mid-spin as if such were utterly natural. He wore armor that was almost a warframe, but not quite. It was thinner for one thing and looked far older. His face was almost as expressive as a warframe's faceplate might have been. Nyx moved to stand between the newcomer and Marlena who recoiled.
"Hayden Tenno." Marlena breathed, horrified. "Oh no… No..."
"Get them out of here!" Nyx shouted as Hayden charged her without a word. She screamed in agony as his triple blades licked out and found a weak spot in her warframe, but she was not idle. She lashed out as well, her own blade cutting deep into his biological armor. He made no sound, simply attacked again, trying to force Nyx away from those she was protecting, but she did not move. She planted her feet, stood her ground and nothing the elder Tenno did moved her. It clearly cost her, but just as clearly she would die before she let him past.
Marlena gathered both of the humans up. Cass didn't struggle. He watched as the two Tenno fought in silence. Neither was asking or giving quarter and inhuman blood flew from wounds that would have killed any human instantly.
"Don't move." Marlena warned Cass. "Hold tight to Lissandra." She gasped as something hit her from behind but silver energy flared around her. "Hold… Hold tight..." She said weakly. Then she cursed as the energy faded.
"You are going nowhere with them." Hayden Tenno spoke for the first time. His voice was calm, cool and utterly devoid of emotion as he bound the other warframe's blade with a twist and then slammed Nyx to the ground. She did a handspring to come back to a ready position and he shook his head. "Nyx, don't be stupid. You don't have a chance against me."
"Who was it who taught me to do my best no matter the odds?" Nyx asked as she moved to block him again, her blade steady despite rivers of ghastly looking fluid falling from tears in her warframe. "Then again, you also told me to trust my heart and my heart is broken. Did you mean any of it? The Code?" She asked, hurt in her tone. "Or was it always about finding a way to power?"
"It was never about power, Nyx." Hayden said as he moved again, trying to get around Nyx, but she was having none of it. "I wanted what was best for the people who looked to me. I always did and I still do."
"And who, pray tell, wiped our memories of your kids?" Nyx inquired coldly and both of the other listeners stilled at the rage in her tone. "Who will you blame this time, I wonder. I checked my memories and I did not tamper with mine. Are you going to blame Anatoly? Trinity? Mag? Nikis?" She demanded angrily.
"No." Hayden replied. "I did that." Nyx did not react and Hayden sighed deeply. "Nyx, it was for the best. If Taliana had just accepted it-" He broke off as Nyx snarled at him, a sound more akin to wounded badger than anything that might have once been human.
"IF SHE HAD JUST ACCEPTED YOU LYING TO HER!" Nyx threw the words and then she threw her sword at Hayden who dodged it. The First Tenno froze as a black metal ax appeared in her hands. She didn't draw it, it was not there and then it was! It was glowing black! Black wasn't supposed glow, was it? She spat an expletive in a language that Cass did not know. From her tension, Marlena did know the language and so did Hayden from his wariness. When she advanced again, ax at the ready, Hayden backpedaled.
"Nyx, don't do this!" Hayden said sharply as Nyx closed with him. From her posture, it was clear that if she go a clean swing, she would cut him in half and then, whatever the ax would do probably wouldn't tickle. Tenno or no, she was going to kill him if she could.
"What was it you called me? The Core of the Code?" Nyx sounded sad now instead of angry. "All lies."
"It wasn't a lie, Nyx!" Hayden Said as she swung and he dodged the swing, but she altered the swing and he twisted just in time, barely avoiding having his arm hit by the ax. From how mightily she was swinging it? It would have taken his arm off, warframe or no. Was it glowing brighter now? "Nyx! Don't do this! Don't make me do this!"
"I wish I could kick you in the balls like Lynn did." Nyx replied and Hayden stiffened only to jump back again. Even with the dodge, the ax missed his neck by maybe four centimeters. She was really trying to kill him. "You deserve so much more than a clean death, but I don't have time-" She gasped as something hit her from the side and another warframe appeared out of nowhere to stand nearby. The Trinity warframe was shaking her head as Nyx backpedaled herself, pulling a throwing blade out of her warframe. "Hello Alicia. I wonder how Tiana feels about this."
Nyx was over-matched as the Trinity moved to stand by Hayden. Neither pressed their advantage. Odd. they seemed wary instead of confident. Then again, Nyx warframes had powers of the mind, so they were damn scary. The First Nyx? Furious? Ouch.
"Tiana won't ever know." Alicia said quietly. "Nyx, stand down. I know this hurts. It hurts all of us. I know this looks bad but we can ex-" She broke off with a gulp as Nyx flashed green energy and then the Trinity clad warframe screamed as similar green energy flared around her.
"NYX! NO!" Hayden shouted as Alicia screamed loud and long. "Don't!"
"Yeah, I am sure you can explain, but first you are going to sit in the corner and rethink your life while the adults have a discussion, you bad little girl." Nyx snapped as Alicia screamed again. Hayden took a step forward, but Nyx shook her head. "Our minds are linked. By all means, strike me down, Hayden Tenno and kill her too!"
The Trinity staggered to a corner and indeed, she sat, crossing her legs. Now she was just crying and her sobs sounded childlike.
"Nyx, I know you are angry, but geez!" Hayden's face was pale. "How is that ethical?"
"Two to one odds when I am rescuing hostages from a known murderer and traitor to the Tenno." Nyx replied coldly. "How is it not ethical? I could have fried her mind instead. Left her energy mindless. You know I could do it to you right now. Should I?"
Hayden seemed at a loss for words, and to Cass' astonishment, Marlena spoke up.
"Nyx, no." Marlena said quietly. "Don't. Don't destroy who and what you are for him. He is not worth what it would do to you." Nyx did not turn to face the Sentient, but her posture spoke of incredulity. "I know I am supposed to be the monster here, but I did enough of that even if I don't remember it. Don't let him win, Nyx. Don't become what you fight."
"You are too late, Marlena." Nyx said softly. "I did. I tried to do the right thing no matter the situation. I thought being able to read minds would give me the ability to make right choices, but I learned otherwise. Sometimes there is no right answer."
She set herself as Hayden drew back his hand to throw the Glaive. She readied her ax to block, but when it flew, however, it didn't fly at her. It flew over her to fly at Marlena. Nyx was way out of reach when it bounced off the ceiling and hit Marlena who staggered. Cass could feel the impact through the metal body and it did something else that he felt as pain, but it vanished as quickly as he felt it.
"You son of a bitch!" Nyx screamed and swung, but Hayden vanished from sight before the ax could hit him, his Glaive vanishing as well. She did not relent, swinging with apparent abandon, but it was clear that she was swinging with purpose when she connected to something that couldn't be seen and Hayden flew from her to hit the wall and roll to his feet, his form shimmering with energy. She had negated his cloak somehow. "Die, you prick!"
She swung at him again and then screamed as the Glaive appeared from nowhere to slam fully into her back. It flared with black energy and she screamed again as green and black energy warred around her.
"Nyx!" Hayden begged. "Stop fighting it! It will send you back in! Nothing more! Nyx! If you fight, it will destroy you!"
"Will it? I taught you how to do that. You learned new tricks and so did I. Oh, and by the way? My name is Galina." The warframe said clearly and then she was sitting in midair as green energy coruscated around her. Hayden turned and ran as energy flared all around her. She turned her head to scrutinize Marlena who stared at her with Cass. When she spoke, it was a bit calmer, but resigned. "Everything in the room will go. Alicia won't be very coherent. Buffer the humans if you can. This transit won't be gentle. I am sending you to someone who may be able to help. I can't. I cannot send you home. I don't have the power."
"Nyx! Um... Galina!" Marlena said weakly. "No! Save yourself!"
"I died a long time ago, Marlena." Galina sounded tired and sad now. "This? This is just a pale copy of the being I was. It is high time I paid for my crimes."
If Marlena replied, the reply was lost in the sudden explosion of green energy that tore time and space asunder. Was it Cass' imagination that he heard the bearer of the first Nyx warframe scream in agony beyond any human comprehension as he was yanked away? He hoped so because her scream cut off with dreadful finality.