A Tenno's Life
It was moments like this that Excalibur really lived for. He was no diplomat, no keeper of the peace, no healer. He was a weapon. He existed for one purpose and one purpose only. To destroy the enemies of the Tenno. Something for which he was well suited.
Another charger leaped at him and he spun away, leaving it to claw nothing but air. His sword licked out, quick as thought and the monster howled as it's spine was severed just behind the head. Chargers were weak individually. It was their numbers that made them dangerous, and the other forms of Infested that came shambled after them. Infested fought as swarms, the fast ones to tie him down, the slower ones to harry and kill. These Infested though...
"I am sorry." One huge one said as it threw a pseudopod at him. He dodged behind a crate and the tentacle missed. "I am so- urg" The voice trailed off into a bestial growl as the misshapen form spurred into a run at Excalibur.
Excalibur knew better than to let the thing get too close. Even though this wasn't one of the green ones -those emitted a nasty corrosive poison- all of the larger Infested were extremely dangerous in close combat. They felt little pain and normally closed with their foes in huge packs that left little room for his sword to work. The big ones were incredibly durable, with multiple redundant organs and thick, tough skins that would shrug off many forms of rifle fire. Let alone swords. The only good thing about them was that they were not very quick or maneuverable. He backed up and paused as he felt a railing behind him. He was still making way towards the lab that the human doctor had told him of, but far slower than he had hoped. Part of him wondered why he hadn't seen any Corpus mechs or Grinneer. He figured he would see them soon enough. He waited as the Infested Ancient charged him. He waited, and waited and waited. At the very last second, he dodged to the side, his sword low to catch what passed for ankles on the brutes. The Ancient slammed into the rail, off balance from the sword that had tripped it and then went over. Excalibur spared a glance over the rail and froze. The Ancient was hanging from the rail by it's tentacle. It looked at him and spoke.
"Stop... Him..." The ancient said clearly, it's voice a mix of beast and sentient. Then... it released its hold on the rail and vanished into the darkness below. Far, far down a brief flash of energy showed the fate of the Infested. Excalibur shook his head. This was way beyond weird.
Friendly Corpus and Grineer he could almost comprehend. Infested that talked and said they were sorry? That was too much. He moved forward again, still on guard. He had to be getting close by now. He saw no more Infested. By his count he had killed about fifty of them, including the Ancient he had helped into the abyss. He paused at one of the quickly decaying corpses and activated his warframe's scavenging circuits. It sucked the pitiful remnants of power from the still form, hastening the Infested's rapid decomposition. He checked his power levels and they were still good. He started off again and boosted his speed as he...
He ducked from a run into a slide as the door in front of him exploded into flames. But... something was wrong. He could hear gunfire now and none of it was seeking him. He slid up to the door in a crouch and let it open before peeking past. What met his eyes was utter chaos. A heavy ambush had been set in the room just past the door. A Grinneer napalm, a Grinneer commander and at least a dozen other Grinneer of various kinds were scattered around the room, most in cover. If he had walked through that door all fat and happy, he would have been toast, literally. But... The Grinneer were firing at each other! Had Kori done something? No. Her warframe was disabled. He had cut the neural feeds. Nothing short of a full repair bay would get it functioning any time soon. And... There was no tell tale green energy anywhere he could see. He stiffened as one of the Grinneer looked his way, but instead of firing at him...
"Go!" The marine called. "We will hold them as long as we can!" Excalibur shook his head, stunned. The Marine fired off a short burst from his Grakata and snarled at the Tenno. "Are you hard of hearing, Tenno? That scum Daniel used us! Took us and used us! We will not be used! Go! We can't stop him! Nika said you can!" Another Grinneer saw Excalibur and with an oath, spun to target him, but the marine who had spoken opened fire on full auto at the other Grinneer drawing it's attention.
Before Excalibur could even blink, something grabbed him. The familiar feeling of a teleport engulfed him and he found himself on the far side of the chaotic room. The Grinneer commander had pulled him. It was a nasty trick that the Grinneer had learned to use against Tenno who preferred to keep distance. But... The Grinneer commander did not attack. Instead, he turned back to the fighting, his gorgon barking in short, controlled bursts. He was ignoring the Tenno at his back! What the hell? Excalibur didn't wait to find out what was happening. He took to his heels and ran. He had no business in this particular battleground. His armor was strong, but the sheer amount of fire that was being thrown around was daunting to say the least. A Rhino warframe might have been able to handle the weight of fire, his own warframe wouldn't even with the upgrades he had.
Excalibur passed other knots of fighting. More Grinneer. Corpus troops engaged with their own mechs. Infested locked in mortal combat with each other. This was just insane. He made his way past the fighting carefully and quickly, using vents, catwalks and other means of moving unobtrusively. Then he was past it all. Ahead he saw an open door and lab equipment. He moved towards the door carefully. This was a good place for an ambush. Then he heard it. A scream from a familiar voice. Alicia! He was through the door and concealed behind a cluster of computers before the scream faded. He saw the human looking doctor bent over a form on a table.
"There, there, young lady..." The doctor crooned. "Just relax. It's all right." Excalibur moved up[ but paused as the doctor spoke aloud. "I wondered when you would get here, Excalibur. Are you proud of yourself, Tenno?" The man asked sternly. "In less than a day. you have ruined centuries of work." Excalibur stiffened as the man turned in place, a needle in hand. "You confused poor Briana and her pets. It will take years to soothe them all to proper servitude again. You crippled Kori. Was it worth it, Tenno?"
"You are insane." Excalibur said calmly, striding from cover, his sword in hand. "You meddled with things that don't appreciate being meddled with." He took a quick glance around. No other beings were in the lab and that raised Excalibur's hackles. There wasn't much furniture. Mainly a series of low tables, one of which Alicia was strapped to. Many computer banks and one small desk filled out the furniture. Odd things hung from the ceiling and Excalibur skirted them. "Orokin technology is dangerous." Excalibur said with a shake of his head. "But you knew that, didn't you?"
"Power is to be used." Daniel said dismissively. "Your precious morals, your silly Code are hindrances."
"You just don't understand." Excalibur said sadly. "Without the proper training, Orokin technology drives it's users mad. Your goal was a noble one. Brianna said you wanted to find way to stop the Infested, to stop the Great War." Daniel paused, staring at him and Excalibur shrugged. "But you lost sight of that, didn't you? Before or after you held the artifact?" He asked with a sigh.
"You don't understand!" Daniel snapped. "You can't."
"You really think that?" Excalibur asked softly. "You think I don't know the temptation?" He shook his head again. "You think we don't know the lure? The draw to use the power unreservedly?" Excalibur snorted at Daniel's expression. "We are Tenno, not gods." He said calmly, moving slightly to get a better view of the sobbing woman on the table. "What have you done to my sister?"
"I have shown her a better way." Daniel said with a smile. "One I will share with you." He brandished the needle he had in hand, but Excalibur didn't focus on it. That wasn't the threat. "A little stick and everything will be better."
"You humans..." Excalibur sighed. "Always with your drugs and mind alterations." He shook his head again, his sword coming up to a guard position. "Haven't you figured out yet that some people don't enjoy being drugged into a stupor?"
"I don't drug them. Daniel said mildly. "I free them."
"From free will." Excalibur agreed softly. He sighed again and took a ready stance. "Go ahead, human, or whatever you are now. Go ahead and try what you will. It won't work."
"I am not going to do a thing." Daniel gloated. "Alicia..." Excalibur went stiff as the restraints on the table undid themselves. Alicia sat up, her face streaming tears. That was wrong. Tenno would not cry in front of outsiders. "Help me educate your brother." Daniel said with a leer. He handed her the needle and he pulled another from a pocket.
"X..." Alicia stammered as she rose and staggered forward, needle outstretched. "I... I can't..."
"It's all right, Alicia." Excalibur said with a sad shake of his head. "It will be all right."
"No..." Alicia begged as her hands came up. She was wearing bits of her undersuit and nothing else. It had been cut away in places to allow access to parts of her body. Her eyes were terrified as she looked at him. "X... stop me..."
"I will." Excalibur said mildly. He looked at Daniel who suddenly looked a lot less confident. "There is a minor problem with using Orokin nanotechnology to transmit the Technocyte virus, human." He said in a vaguely patronizing tone. As if Daniel were a bright child playing with things he didn't understand. Which he was.
"You can't win." Daniel snapped, his hand dipping to a controller. Alicia screamed and her hands jerked to her head, the needle falling to the floor to shatter. Excalibur's eyes narrowed under his helmet but he didn't move. "She is mine. You will be mine!"
"No, I won't." Excalibur snapped right back. "You see, you have forgotten one of the most basic rules of physics." Daniel stared at him and Excalibur shook his head. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. You can't see or sense the imbalance, can you?" Excalibur asked, almost kindly. Daniel paused, confused and Excalibur sighed again. When he spoke again, it was sad. "You are lost, human Daniel. Your life is forfeit now."
"You can't kill me." Daniel replied. "Your swords and guns are no match for my power." Indeed a halo of green energy surrounded Daniel as he spoke, but Excalibur didn't move.
"I don't need to kill you." Excalibur said with a hint of melancholy. "You are already dead, you just don't know it. Alicia..." He said gently. "Come away." He held out his hand to the sobbing Tenno female and Daniel snarled.
"She is mine!" The human declared. "Alicia, stay where you are!"
"Alicia..." Excalibur said gently. "Who are you?" He asked. The sobbing Tenno look up at him and he nodded. "You can do it, Alicia." He encouraged.
"X..." Alicia begged. "I can't... Everything is so blurred. I can't see... I can't hear..."
"Alicia." Excalibur said, his tone turning commanding. "Who are you?" Alicia looked at him, her eyes confused.
"I am Alicia." The female Tenno said slowly, then her eyes slowly lit on the warframe. "I am Tenno."
"Good." Excalibur said with feeling. "Come here. Let's get you out of here."
"Alicia!" Daniel snapped, his hand flying to his control. But then he screamed and convulsed. "What have you done?" He bit out.
"I did nothing. I didn't have to. Orokin technology and the Technocyte virus do not mix, human Daniel. During the war it was set up so they couldn't." Excalibur said mildly. "Your meddling has and will cost you. You only just managed to get the Orokin reactor hooked up or this would have happened far sooner." He stretched out his hand further. "Alicia, come away."
"He put it in me." Alicia said slowly. "It hurt... I..."
"Alicia." Excalibur said quietly. "Please. Come away. You have got to come away and you have got to do it now."
"He... hurt me..." Alicia's voice turned hard as she looked at the human who was curling up on the floor now, gasping and moaning. "I..."
"Alicia." Excalibur said with a hint of sternness. "He is doomed, and so are you if you don't get away from him, right now." Indeed, Daniel's form was starting to glow green and the glow was brightening. "Alicia, please!" He snapped.
"I..." Alicia staggered forward, stumbling away from the now brightly glowing form on the floor. Daniels cries had faded to animalistic grunts of pain. Soon those would fade as well. When that happened... "X, help me!" She begged.
She was in reach! He grabbed her and pulled her close as he spun in place and activated his dash. In moments, they were back in the corridor that had been a warzone. But now, there was stillness. Nothing moved as Excalibur ran with Alicia clinging to him. He ran and ran until the rumble of an explosion behind him threw him into a wall. He rolled, careful to shield Alicia's still form with his own. Finally, the blast wave passed and he cautiously looked up. Nothing moved in the corridor he was lying in. Alicia lay, still as death.
"Alicia?" Excalibur asked softly. "Alicia?" He asked again when she did not respond. "Alicia!" He demanded, his heart in his mouth as he laid her out gently. She moaned and he smiled as he relaxed.
"Hurts..." Alicia said, her face still slick with tears.
"Let's get you home, Alicia." Excalibur said softly.
"Had the weirdest dream, X." Alicia said as he rose and lifted her carefully. "Dreamed I was caught by a nasty doc and turned into an Infested."
"Just a dream, Alicia." Excalibur said mildly as he carried her towards the detention center and the others. "You are Tenno. He could warp your mind, but he couldn't change you. He tried and it killed him. It's okay, Alicia. I have you."
"I knew you wouldn't leave me." Alicia said, her arms circling him. "But I am sorry X. I was sloppy."
"No, you weren't." Excalibur said mildly. "The trap was strong, but they were not expecting me. Oh, and Alicia?" She looked at him and he smiled under his helmet. "My name was Will."