What can beat the darkness?
"Well..." Nikis said into the silence as all three of the other humanoid Tenno aimed at the newcomer. Kori was snarling, her back mounted turret aimed as well. "I guess this answers if they managed to talk to the Sentients... Might want to get lost." He told the not-really-a-woman. "Especially before her brother finds out about this. Things will go boom."
Considering how Miguel felt about his sister? He had access to every weapon the Orokin Marine and Tenno arsenals? Oh yes. Things would go boom.
You. The mechanoid with the half human face focused on Nikis. You... we remember. Gunfighter. Guardian. Monster.
Nikis ignored the newcomer. He pulled two stakes out of somewhere and extended them to the woman beside him. She was quivering in fear of the newcomer.
"Ignore her, Honey." Nikis said firmly. "It is a sending. All it can do is talk unless you let it do more." The woman who had been Cindy S-79 took the stakes with some trepidation. But in her hands, they were inert gray metal with one end coming to a wicked point.
"How use?" She asked as she examined the stakes.
"Pointy end in the bad ones, girl." Nikis said quietly. "Hard. Then let go fast. They heat up." She looked at him and nodded before moving to where Pieter lay, feebly thrashing.
You do not need to do that. The mechanoid form said calmly. We can undo what was done.
"They can't." Nikis said as the not quite human anymore woman paused. "They lie, girl. It is what they do. They try to warp and twist. Some of what they say may be true, but the costs... You never see the hook buried in the bait until it is far too late."
We lie? The Mechanoid asked Nikis. You served the golden scum. You lied. You did not do what you said. Do not, human. We can help them. Help you.The woman who had beenCindy S-79 shook her head. Human. Think.
"Me am thinking." The human retorted. "Me no like you." She said with a sniff as she buried the stake she held deep in Pieter's chest. She jerked back as it heated, but he was too far gone to scream as dark power coruscated from the stake all over his form.
Stop. The Mechanoid snapped. They are ours! They pledged to us!
"Somehow, I doubt that." Nikis retorted evenly as he stepped to where Pieter' form was slowly starting to disintegrate. He thrust a hand into the energy and pulled out something that... was darker. A spot of blackness shone on his hand and then was gone. So was Pieter. "They were young, not completely clueless."
You lie. The Mechanoid retorted angrily. You always lie.
"Only to enemies." Nikis retorted evenly. "Go on, Honey. They cannot hurt you while I am here." He promised, placing himself between the mechanoid form and the human woman who wasn't one anymore. She nodded and stepped to where Henry lay. He was closest. He did not react as she stabbed him with the other stake. Nikis moved, careful to stay between the Sentient sending and the human woman. He bent down and took a spot of darkness from Henry before the boy's body vanished.
"Take me..." Georges' voice was hollow, thin. "I want... to live... To be cured."
"Oh you idiot boy!" Nikis snapped as the Mechanoid smiled wider. The woman who had been Cindy S-79 stared at him and he shook his head. "There is no cure for stupid." He and the Mechanoid both stepped towards Georges. "He has something inside him that does not belong to him. I will take it and leave the fool to you." He said to the mechanical form.
And we should trust you this time? The mechanoid retorted. Nikis shrugged and gestured. The mechanoid looked to where Karl, Olim, Serene and Kori all had weapons aimed at it.
"Trust is an alien concept to you. You learned it from interrogating your thralls." Nikis said quietly as he laid a hand on Georges. "It does not compute. It does not make any logical sense. You use the words, you ape the mannerisms. But you will never understand." He pulled another fragment of darkness from Georges and stepped back. "Frankly? You are welcome to him. Honey here would kill him, but she was a good woman. Not a monster. Not like me. Not like you." The Nekros stepped back to where the human woman stood, unsure.
"You good." The woman who had been Cindy S-79 said firmly. Then she gasped as the mechanoid produced a metal... thing. It laid the thing on Georges' head and he screamed as it encompassed his skull.
"Don't watch, Honey." Nikis took hold of the human woman, turning her around. "Like I say, there is no cure. As soon as they realize it..."
Fool! The mechanoid thundered, but not at Nikis. At Georges.You betray us! You drain us! It spun to scream at Nikis. You tricked us! Monster!
"Who is the more monstrous?" Nikis retorted evenly as the mechanoid screamed. It was...dimming. "The insane human or the malevolent extra solar entity?" He chuckled darkly. "I didn't do a thing. You did. Your avarice for something that was powerful blinded you to the danger. Go on, take your new toy and go back with it. See how long you last with him draining every ounce of energy from you."
The wall shimmered and the mechanical from seemed to wilt. Was it? Yes it was! Pieces of it were crumbling off.
You have transgressed again. The overpowering voice snarled as the human flesh fell off the metal, falling to ash moments before it touched the floor. Some kind of covering. It wasn't a human face underneath. Not even close. You will pay!
"You keep saying that..." Nikis said mildly as he watched the machine disintegrate. "Get lost and stay lost!" He snapped as the machine collapsed in on itself. "You keep showing up and I will get angry. You don't want me angry."
This is not over! The voice declared as the machine crumbled completely. And the ashes of it swept into the wall. The machine thing fell off of Georges' head and the flesh under it looked...wrong. The machine crumbled to dust and it took flew into the odd thing on the wall. He wasn't breathing now. We will return!
"And we will be waiting." Nikis snapped right back, his hand coming up as the woman beside him gave a cry and jerked forward a step. "Let her go!"
That is ours! The voice screamed. You will not take what is ours!
"I... No... Yours!" The woman who had been Cindy S-79 said firmly. "I no serve you! I..." She jerked again but Nikis laid a hand on her arm and she recoiled away from the wall. "Go away! Monster! Go away!" She snapped. The field gave a shrill cry but winked out and she shuddered and fell. Only Nikis' strong grip held her upright. "What... What was...?" She begged.
"A horror from the past, Honey." Nikis said gently as he eased her to the floor. "Sit and rest for a moment. I got something to do." Serene moved to squat beside her.
"They... make me... monster..." The human woman started to cry. "I no... want..."
"For most, it is a choice." Serene said as she gathered the woman into her arms. "The boys chose to embrace their darker natures. You chose not to. Easy, Honey. Easy." She soothed the crying woman.
She held the woman as Nikis laid a hand on Jacques' still form and extracted another bit of pure blackness from it. Then his hand came down and shoved the stake in all the way. The body disintegrated and he turned to where Georges body was lying. It looked..wrong. It wasn't easy to say why it was wrong. Just that it was. He sighed and unlimbered an odd weapon. Serene stared and then pulled the woman into a tighter embrace, careful to keep her head pointed away from the body.
"Don't look." Serene cautioned the woman as Karl and Olim stepped close to Nikis. Karl held an Ignis flamethrower and Olim a Flux Rifle. "Don't look." She begged the woman who cried into the Banshee's shoulder.
The woman who had been Cindy S-79 stiffened as Nikis activated his weapon, the whirring chatter of the Panthera's teeth turning meaty as he cut the body into pieces. As he did, Karl incinerated each piece, with Olim catching any small ones that fell clear. The work was grisly, but necessary. Any remnant of Sentient tech could and would cause all kinds of problems. Especially if the Corpus got hold of it. Serene held the crying woman through it all.
"They... yours?" The woman Serene as holding asked her after the sounds behind her faded. "Boys?
"In a way." Serene admitted. "They were made from me. To hurt me. To break me. They failed and the Company threw them away. They were... insane from the beginning. Broken. Monstrous."
"Me sorry." The woman hugged Serene tight. "Me no want you sad."
"Ah, Honey..." Serene said gently. "It is not your fault. They took you. They hurt you. But you were better than them. Are better than them."
"Hunger... rising." The woman said sadly. "No can control. Must end. Soon."
"Yeah." Serene said sadly. She looked but the others were done. The only remnant of the evil that had been there were some charred patches of deck plate. "Lie down and close your eyes, Honey. I will make it quick."
"No." The other woman said firmly. "You no do. Me no make you do." She did not struggle, but it was clear she would not obey.
"Honey..." Serene begged. "I have to end this."
"No." The other said firmly. "You no fault. You hurt. Me... feel you hurt." She touched Serene's chest armor gently. Serene stared at her. "No fault."
"But..." Serene stammered then she went still as the human embraced her tight.
"You no mother to evil ones. You no fault." The other woman said firmly. "Me need end. But you? No. Not you." She eased her hands up and slowly extricated herself from the Banshee's grip Serene could have stopped her easily. But the Banshee was heaving in grief. "No cry." The other said gently. "Best way. Me... no... remember... but me feel... Love beat darkness. Always."
"I..." Serene was sobbing as the woman bent forward and kissed her helmet.
"Not you." The human woman said as she rose, stepped two steps away from Serene and then lay down again. "Me ready. Need..." Nikis was at her side, a stake in his hand. He held it out to her and she took it. "Me thank you. All you. Me die free. Me no monster."
"No." Nikis said as he knelt beside her. "No, you are not." He took her hands in his and guided the stake to the proper place. "Just a shove, Honey."
"Me name... Cindy." The woman said with a soft smile. "Me... scared. But me know... best."
"It is okay to be scared, Cindy." Serene said through her tears. "It is natural."
"Only fools have no fear. And if there is any justice in this mad universe... Cindy..." Nikis emphasized her name heavily. "You will find your husband and son wherever you go. You will find peace."
"Help her." Cindy declared as she shoved the stake home.
Serene was still crying. Kori sat beside her, offering her strength silently. Karl and Olim had gone to check the remainder of the area, to find any other bodies, to clean up the mess. Nikis stood silently. A watchful angel of death. The only signs of the fearful struggle or the deaths in the room were a few burnt patches of deck plating.
"Her last thought... was to help... me... She won't join the database, will she?" Serene finally managed to croak out. Nikis shook his head. "I... I guess... that is a good thing..."
"Yeah." Nikis' voice was sad. "If she had? Her shade would hunger too. This is better. But we have a loose end."
"No, we don't." Serene said softly. Nikis looked at her and Serene swallowed. "I just had word. She is on her way." Nikis stared at her and then slumped. "Nikis... is she...?"
"I don't know." Nikis said softly. "Without direct examination, there is no way to know. When?"
"The ship... will dock in a few minutes." Serene said softly. She sighed and rose slowly. "We should meet them in the hangar bay." Kori rose with her.
"Yeah." The Nekros agreed.
The odd trio walked through the silent Corpus facility. The Corpus personnel had no idea what had happened. The ones who were working were still working. The ones who were sleeping, still slept. None of them knew how close they had come, several times, to being wiped out. By the insane boys, by the Sentients... With luck, they would never know what had happened. Just that their systems had been hacked and several guards were missing or dead. They would blame Tenno and go on with their lives. None would know. Or care.
Others would.
The two black warframes and the Kubrow waited at the door as the Corpus transport landed. In form, it was very similar to the one the boys had used. But it's cargo was far different. Two squads of Special Forces fanned out from the hatches as soon as they opened. Commander Horatius followed them a bit more sedately, but his favored Penta was ready in his hands. He nodded to the two warframes and stepped aside as two women in habits stepped from the ship.
The Reverend Mother had an excellent poker face, but her eyes lit on Serene and Nikis. René... looked terrified. Serene sighed and stepped forward, her hands empty.
"René." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "Go."
"I..." René shook her head. "I scared." She said softly.
"You have a right to it, René." The Reverend Mother said firmly. She strode to the girl and took her arm in a gentle grip. She stepped forward, but the girl did not move. "Please, René. We need to know."
"Scared!" René wailed as the Reverend Mother led her forward. "Mom! No! Scared!" She went still as the Banshee warframe... knelt and opened her arms. "Mom...? I..."
"She is your mom too." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "It's odd, I know. But go on. We need to know, René."
"Mom... too?" René asked, confused. "I no understand."
"I know." The Reverend Mother said gently. "It is weird." She looked over her shoulder as Horatius coughed. "You hush." She gently pulled the girl forward, despite her resistance. "Come, René."
René was making small noises of fear as the Reverend Mother led her to where Serene knelt. She stared from the Reverend Mother to the Banshee warframe and back. The Reverend Mother eased her down in front of Serene who slowly closed her arms around the shuddering girl. René froze, but then relaxed when Serene did not hurt her.
"Don't look, René." The Reverend Mother said firmly as Nikis stepped forward. The Nekros was terrifying at the best of times. Serene held René gently as the Nekros stepped close and laid a hand on her head. She jerked, but did not move otherwise. She gave a small cry as energy played around her, but it did not hurt and she relaxed as a sound came from the Banshee. A croon. The Reverend Mother looked at Nikis who shook his head as he retracted his hand with the blackness in it. "Oh, René..." The old woman's pain and grief were palpable.
"What wrong?" René begged, still not daring to move.
"You were made wrong, girl." Nikis' voice was soft and gentle. René jerked, but Serene held her gently. "There is nothing anyone can do to fix it. But... you do not hunger as they did. The boys tried to get you to eat and you didn't, did you?"
"How you know?" René asked. "Was bad. Sick. Wrong. They... bad."
"Yeah." Nikis said softly as his hand caressed her head. "Girl... We cannot take the chance. You have the hunger, you just never expressed it. Never fed."
"Me... like them." It wasn't a question. Serene hugged her gently. "Me no want be like them." René begged. "Help. Please."
"René..." The Reverend Mother said, horrified. "Oh, René..."
"They evil, mom..." René said firmly. "All... that... is...required..." She trailed off, looking confused. "Me no remember rest."
"'All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.'" Serene's voice was nearly inaudible as she hugged René tighter. But the pain in her voice... "Oh, René."
"They stopped?" René pleaded.
"They are stopped." Serene and Nikis said in unison.
"Then... me need stop." René said firmly, only to have all three of the ones surrounding her shake their heads. "Wha-? Me bad. Stop."
"René, you haven't done anything." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "The others?"
"No traces of them, but some dead and then the ship." Nikis nodded to the other transport. "It's a mess."
"We will clean it up." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "It is what we do. This did not happen. Can you... I..." She shook her head. "She is a good kid."
"We will take care of her." Nikis promised. René jerked in Serene's hands, but the Banshee did not release her.
"Mom?" René asked, confused. "What?"
"I love you, René." The Reverend Mother bent down and laid a kiss on the girl's cheek. René smiled but then crumpled as the Reverend Mother withdrew a hypo that she had injected the girl with. Her eyes were glistening as she retreated a step. "Take care of her."
"We will." Serene promised as she rose, cradling the girl in her hands. "Her son?"
"In neonatal ICU." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "He... is not going to make it. We... haven't let her see. It... isn't pretty."
"We will need corroboration." Serene said quietly. "But we will take care of her. Until she dies. It... won't be long. A year. Maybe two. If the hunger comes...we will make it painless and quick."
"Good." The Reverend Mother reached out to stroke the sleeping girl's cheek. "Now I just need to figure out how to placate the Board." She paused as Nikis coughed. "What?"
"That is handled."