Chapter Text
Avantus sighed loudly as she slotted a thin glass tray into a chunky micro-analyzer. She looked back at Koeppla and Tezz, the pair having successfully changed into their jumpsuits, both looking a touch uncomfortable. Avantus was not remiss to the amount of tugging they were doing, trying to get the seams of the form-fitting clothing to rest comfortably. It would be some time before the analyzer actually produced any meaningful results, and Avantus hated the sound that particular machine made, so…
“Tell me,” she grunted, having to hop slightly to sit on Koeppla’s bedside, her back to the pair, “How did two unusual souls such as yourselves come to meet?” She was loathe to pry, but the question was driving her mad.
“Ehm…” Tezz shifted uncomfortably, “That’s a kinda-sorta awkward question, considering how stupid illegal every lil’ bit of it was.”
Avantus rested her hands on her lap, shoulders relaxing slightly. “I have been educated on the surgeries both of you have undertaken, and the history of those like you. But I am confused rather, why you elected to remain as you are.”
“Ah… Well, y’see, we didn’t have a choice.” Tezz took Koeppla’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I was the only one left for a bit… Hidden away inna Corpus auctionhouse after the Lotus declared Dolls like me t’be contraband… t’be forcefully reverted or t’be destroyed.” She tapped her teeth together, the lenses in her eyes widening as they lost focus. “I never gotta decent reason why. They just turned me implants off and left me t’rot in the cellar.” She shrugged, brushing her stringy hair from in front of her eyes. “There was never a good reason for me to still be alive,” she said slowly, accent fading a touch. “Then they threw the most raggedy-ass lookin’ Warframe into me room.” She smirked, looking over at Koeppla as the Graxx snorted.
“I mean, coming off two years of hard labor and multiple owners,” Koeppla whispered, flaring her nostrils. Her heavily lidded eyes opened a crack, staring at the ceiling. “I was just gonna be another trophy for the auctionhouse to sell… Anyo decided otherwise. He had me converted into a Doll without the house knowing. Tezz and I bonded after that… We were sold together, kept each other sane, considering her implants had reactivated.” She crossed her legs, wincing as she moved her bruised ankle. “I have no clue how the pair of us haven’t been killed yet.” She sniffed, wiping at her nose.
Avantus licked her lips, staring at the analyzer. “Yours is a strong bond. I’m not at all surprised you’ve managed to survive, thrive.” She slid from the bedside, stretching her back. “Like the Ostron Snihyate Limpet, once you’re attached to something, or someone, it’s nigh impossible to separate you.”
“Speakin’ from experience?” Tezz asked innocently.
Avantus rubbed grouchily at her rear. “Never again shall I swim in the ocean,” she growled, “As little as I think of my status, I feel I may be too egotistical to bare my ass to a cackling Ostron surgeon ever again.” She threw a look back at the pair, seeing Koeppla to be hiding her eyes behind her hand and Tezz turning a worrying shade of red.
“Did it hurt?” Tezz asked, voice breaking as she tried not to laugh.
“The Devil’s touch would hurt less that the bite of that horrible creature,” she muttered, Tezz finally cracking.
With the pair’s laughter ringing in her ears she pressed her face against the visor of the old imager, staring at the roots of Adara’s hair. Already the once pale follicle had turned black, the hair itself seeming to deconstruct beneath the weak radiation of the imager’s eye. Astonishing. Without the constant flow of energy provided by the Void Adara would simply fall to dust. A shiver rolled up Avantus’ spine at the mere thought of it.
She hated it, she hated the thought. She hated every single bit of Adara’s situation. She hated the fact there was next to nothing she could do to help her. Avantus growled quietly, muttering a string of profanity directed toward Hatshem. Would that she had the guts to excommunicate that entire branch of the family when she had the chance. Would that she curbed the ego that was forever linked to bearing Executorial blood. Would that she petitioned her fellow Executors to order the execution of her despicable children when the affair with their Dax became known.
“So many what-ifs,” she whispered, the faint vibration of her voice compelling the few fragile structures of the hair to fall apart completely. “If only…” She looked back as the analyzer let out an obnoxious buzz. The sequence had finished, now it was time for the comparison.
Avantus fluttered her lips as she pulled the sample slide from the slot, running her fingers through her own hair, coming away with too many strands. As carefully as she could, she cut an overlong strand short with her nail, pressing it into a fresh slide. She could already feel that malignant energy buzzing beneath her skin, the taint Leona had given her in her mercy. It preserved her just as it had Adara, and it was going to claim her all the same. She huffed loudly, a thin line of silvery mucous dribbling from her nose as she slotted the slide into the side of the old machine.
An eyebrow was lifted as she looked back at the pair, not remiss to their staring. “Is my back so very interesting?” she asked, “Or am I shedding silver again.”
“Sheddin’,” Tezz whispered.
“I knew I wasn't hallucinating,” Koeppla muttered.
Avantus let her eyes droop closed. Seems they didn't miss anything those two. “It’s a disease, infuriatingly it is a disease the Archimedeans must cure, I’m merely a Lorist. All I can heal are physical ailments… not philosophical ones.”
“Does it hurt?” Koeppla asked, voice remarkably small.
Avantus drew herself to her full height, which was still considerably shorter than the pair of woman sat before her. Her nostrils flared widely as she scowled. “Every damned day,” she grunted, slouching, wincing as the analyzer let out an annoyed buzz. “A moment, if you see me shedding, it’s merely because I wish to turn my deceased son into a fine paste and jettison it into the vacuum.”
“Wha-?”
Avantus wasn’t listening, pulling the slide from the device, drawing a simple projection from its face, the old holographic crystal buzzing quietly as the results were projected onto the wall. There were sixty thousand datapoints Adara needed to match in order to definitively be both true Orokin, and Avantus’ full-blooded granddaughter. The former Executor leaned against the foot of Koeppla’s bed, holding onto its stout frame as point after point flashed red.
Her teeth grit as her anger flared, a spiraling spike of pure Voidflesh curling from her shoulder-blade as the list of points was run through, a side-by-side comparison projected before her. Adara was a true Orokin, but she did not share the same amount genetic material as her grandmother. She sat on the ground, head buried in her hands, tears snapping and crackling as they began carving through the floor.
“Were all of my children monsters?” she asked herself, looking at the floor then back up at the results. She shook her head, letting it fall. “All I breed is failure,” she whispered shakily. The bed behind her shook as a spike of Voidflesh spit from her spine, spearing the hardened steel.
“Then I’d suggest doin’ the best job you can with lil’ Adara, eh?” Tezz huffed, patting the weeping Orokin on the head, cringing slightly as how cold she was. “B’sides, Keppy an’ I promised to help off her bitch of a sister, we’ll make sure that lil’ mistake doesn’t come back to haunt ya.”
“What?” Avantus looked up at her, eyes wide and streaming, “Hat-… Hatshem, yes, yes. I suppose her animosity has a reason now, but… how did she know?”
“Can’t rightly say,” Tezz whispered, not wanting the Orokin to throw the fragile mental equilibrium she was striking into the deep end by speculating. “All I know is that she gave up her right t’keep livin’ tryin’ to off her lil sister like that.”
“Adara was the firstborn,” Avantus said tonelessly, “Gods I was so proud of her, despite her oddity.” She took a shuddering breath. “It makes no difference, Corphel and Irilia perished aboard the Zariman, their punishment has been rendered…” She flinched as Tezz chopped the top of her head gently. “Can I help you?” she asked flatly.
“Yer rambling, and yer leaking goo.”
Avantus groaned as she saw a small pool of Voidblood fanning out from where she was sitting. “Gods… Please tell no one of this, I’ve very little pride left and it’d be a shame to lose it at this point.” She blinked at Tezz’s offered hand. “Are you sure you want to touch me? I’ve no clue if I’m contagious.”
Tezz said nothing, just waggling her fingers impatiently.
After a moment’s scrutiny, Avantus took the hand offered, allowing herself to be dragged to her feet. The Warframe muttered something about keeping watch outside while Avantus changed clothes, slipping through the door, keeping it slightly ajar behind her. It was a kind gesture… unexpectedly so.
Oftentimes those bedecked by tragedy become cold, indifferent, apathetic. It was rare to see one, so broken by her past, emerge from that tragedy with a sliver more kindness, compassion. Perhaps Avantus could understand, just a touch why Koeppla fell for that woman.
...
“Sand in my everything,” I whined as Dagath finally set me down, letting me shake a desert’s worth of sand from my hair. “Why must it be as it is?” I asked absentmindedly.
“Cuz that’s how it’s wont to be,” Dagath replied, sand falling from the cavernous emptiness in her head as she shook herself roughly. “Hopefully that Vessel puts the fear a’ the gods into ‘em.”
“She’ll do good,” I whispered, taking Dagath’s hand as we skirted our way past an enormous glowing orb that seemed to be resting casually in the entry hall of the Necralisk. “Qinoha can be terrifying when she wants. Or she’s scolding me for stealing her snacks, one or the other.”
“I’d kill for a snack right now,” Dagath muttered, “I gotta get wunna them surgeries that gives me skin ‘n stuff.” She tapped the spot where her mouth would be. “I don't know why, but I really miss having lips…”
The door to the Necralisk hissed open as the pair of Margulis approached it, sending somewhat fragrant air swirling into the room, battling the stench of ozone and raw Void. I looked back at the odd glowing orb, blinking a few times. I could have simply been hallucinating from the stress and the sand in my eyes, but I could have sworn I saw myself standing at the foot of the orb thing, grinning. Then the door shut behind us and I promptly forgot about it. It was only a hallucination after all, a good nap and a good cry and I’d be back to normal.
Dagath was still talking about snacks, which was nice. I’d honestly love it if she had skin, a big ‘f*ck you’ to dad, since I’m almost certain he was responsible for Dagath being turned into a Warframe in the first place. At this point I’d do just about anything to spite his memory.
Hmm… Maybe I am a spiteful person...
...
Enna carefully took Set’s hand as the pair were escorted from the crew ship, the cacophonous roar of the busy landing bay making their ears ring. The Grineer were actually quite polite in their own gruff way, not laying a hand on either woman. They were directed from the landing bay, a troupe of grey clad Steel Meridian marines waiting for them in the large corridor beyond.
Their leader, a female in somewhat rattier armor than the others, offered her forearm. Set tilted her head, the gesture dredging up something from the depths of her memory. She bumped her forearm against the Grineer’s, getting a faint chuckle from her.
“Good to see you remember,” she whispered, voice raspy with age. Her rifle rested on her shoulder as she knocked it back, removing her facial shield, giving Set a grin. “I’m also glad to see you’re both doing well.”
The Grineer’s face struck a faint chord, her name slowly rising to the forefront of her mind, pushed the rest of the way by the faint scarring that spiraled across the ancient Grineer’s face. “Takh?”
“Inexplicably alive,” she gave a small curtsy, “Come along, I’d like you to fill me in on your adventures, Qinoha doesn’t know you’re here yet, so we can take our time.” Looking back at the Grineer, she gave them a short wave and a few gestures with her hand, dismissing them. They saluted and dispersed without a word. “New kids from Ayell’s most recent batch. Looks like Regor managed to breed some sort of compassion back into the Grineer.”
“That explains how gentle our capture was,” Enna noted, squeezing Set’s hand a bit tighter.
“Indeed,” Takh laughed, swiftly pulling the magazine from her rifle, stowing it in an open satchel on her leg. “Come on, we can talk as we walk, I’m very curious to hear how you two have been passing the time.” She turned on her heel, Enna and set walking beside her as she walked toward a far doorway.
“We’ve not really been doing much of anything,” Set explained, “We decided, after the Paradox finally collapsed, to just, stay away from the plot.” She carefully disentangled her hand from Enna’s putting an arm over her shoulder as she tried to bury her face into Set’s side. The lights were getting to her already.
Takh chuckled, “The plot… what a perfect way of phrasing it. I’ve been doing much the same.” she smirked, teeth flashing in the yellow light, her face falling as she saw how Enna was clinging to Set. “Is something the matter.”
“She prefers blue light, yellow makes her anxious.”
“Ah…” Takh looked forward, “Thankfully much of the old Grineer lighting system has been overhauled, it’s only yellow in a few places.” She put a bit more speed behind her steps, the doorway before her opening without complain, sending bright white light cascading across the floor. “Hopefully this is a bit more tolerable?”
“It is,” Enna whispered, squinting slightly, looking up at the ceiling.
“Lovely.” Takh smiled, several thousand questions swirling across her mind, all begging to be asked, all demanding to be answered. Unfortunately there was no polite way for her to ask a question quite as blunt as ‘what the hell happened to Enna?’ “Now, are the rumors I heard true?” she wondered aloud, “Did the Queen of the Infestation finally marry?” She grinned as Enna went red, thin lines of blue spores leaking from her skin as she clung tightly to Set.
“It seemed about time,” Enna whispered, eyes darting forward to see a Warframe pacing in front of a hastily constructed barricade, “We’d been talking about it before the Paradox fell apart.” She chewed on her lip. “It was the right time.”
“Honestly I’m a bit shocked you didn’t do it sooner,” Takh sighed, pausing at a junction, pursing her lips as she was halted by the Warframe. “Please let us pass,” she sighed, “We need to speak with the boss.”
“You’ll need to take the detour like everybody else,” the Warframe, a fluorescent colored Saryn, growled. “Rank will not gain you special treatment.”
Takh sighed quietly, looking back at Enna and Set, “Believe it or not I was not told of there being a detour.” She shrugged, “Adara must have passed through here.”
“Probably a bit toxic, eh?” Set whispered, making to follow Takh, grunting quietly as Enna stood her ground. “What’s up?”
“It smells familiar,” Enna huffed, hold slipping down to Set’s hand as she walked up to the Saryn. “Let me through, please, I’m curious about something.”
The Saryn visibly sagged, shoulders slumping. “It’s death past the wall, I’m not letting anyone past, it ain’t safe.” She let out a little snorting noise as Enna pressed a finger against the front of her helmet. “Annoying me won't do anything, lady.”
The Saryn let out an indignant scraw as a wall of coiling blue foliage exploded from the floors and walls, wrapping her tightly. She kicked and struggled, thick strands of some vicious smelling substance leaking from her body, slowly melting through Enna’s vines. Enna’s face was flat as she hoisted the Saryn higher and higher, splaying her hand wide as the poor Warframe’s back pressed against the ceiling. With the sounds of a thousand sheets of paper ripping apart, the vines exploded out, melting into dim grey chitin, cementing the Saryn to the ceiling.
“I don't intend to annoy you,” Enna muttered, ducking underneath the barricade, “I just want you out of the way.” She took a deep breath of the somewhat rancid air, a handful of heavily clothed Tenno researchers jumping as she dropped Set’s hand, running over to a large pool of steaming silver blood.
Enna locked eyes with the Tenno, daring them to voice their complaint.
Clearly they weren’t being paid enough to be confrontational, simply shrugging and returning to their scans. Enna smirked, turning her attention back to the shimmering pool of liquid poison inches from the tips of her toes. Licking her lips she wriggled her fingers about, thin strands of shimmering Infestation coiling about above her palm. A faint grin tugged at her mouth as she began stretching and forming the web, carefully casting the near translucent construction over the Voidblood.
Enna blinked, watching the Infestation float atop the voidblood, remaining completely intact as that same substance slowly cut through the floor. She pouted, a thin layer of sweat sprouting across her forehead as she spurred a thin layer of blue skin to grow across her hand. Nothing happened as she rested her hand atop the pool of mercurial blood, it wasn't even cold. She nodded, satisfied.
“I’ve made a discovery,” she announced, hand still dripping as she wandered back to Set and Takh. “I’m kinda shocked by how convenient that is,” she whispered as she looked at her hand, willing the skin to peel away, trapping the silver that clung to it within its confines. “Too good to be true, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Set ruffled her hair, easily scooping her up. Enna let out a little squeal, legs kicking as she was carried from the hall, Takh lifting the barricade to let them through. “Dangerous,” she huffed, throwing Enna over her broad shoulder. “Don’t be so reckless with your health,” she whispered, “I don't want to lose you.”
“I… I’m sorry,” Enna murmured, going limp. “I got a little too excited… You… You know how I get when I’m like that.”
“All too well… Which is why I’m keepin’ an eye on you, goober.”
Takh held her silence as Enna and Set fell into a whispered conversation, doing her best to hear every word they said. Something had happened, something devastating. She looked ahead, wondering what could have taken Enna, once a skilled diplomat, a queen, a force of nature, and lowered her to the point where she lacked basic impulse control. She winked at the pair, looking back, pointing down a hallway.
It terminated in a single doorway, the entrance to the bridge, and Qinoha… probably.
Enna and Set said their thanks, leaving Takh where she stood. Her smile waned as they slipped onto the bridge, unclipping her facial shield and fastening it back over her face. As loathe as she was to do so, she needed to ask the one person she knew would have a hand in Enna’s shift.
Something told her, in no uncertain terms, that Regor would be absolutely delighted to see her.
...
“It’s good to know she’s still kicking,” Enna whispered as Set let her down just past the heavy steel doorway. “Probably the oldest Grineer alive at this point.”
“Not showing any signs of slowing down either,” Set chuckled, taking Enna’s hand, scanning the large but cluttered space. “Now… where the hell is… Qinoha… I just wanna call her Oppy.”
“Almost disturbing that she has a name,” Enna whispered, eyes locking onto a distant form. “Also really weird how I’m nothing like her, even though we’re, identical.”
Set huffed, spying the same figure. “Were, at one point.” She set off, giving Enna a gentle tug as she got distracted with the mat of cables that completely cluttered the floor. “We’ve all changed quite a bit over the years.” She waved widely as the distant woman spun about, coat billowing widely as she locked eyes with Set. “Heya, Sue, how’s life!?” She was given pause as Sue began silently sprinting at them, her coat and hat ripped away.
Set let out a quiet grunt as the narrow woman wrapped her in a flying hug, breathing heavily. A disbelieving laugh fell from the Archimedean’s lips as she let go, wrapping Enna in an even tighter hug, getting her spine to pop. Sue was panting as she looked between them, frazzled hair flying about as she shook her head, staring at them somehow harder.
“You OK?” Enna asked.
Sue nodded. “Yeah, yea-,” she coughed as her voice broke. “I jus’- I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Like… I’m reaching the age where stuff like that starts happening, I just…” she looked between them, breathing heavily.
Enna and Set just couldn't react, they were too shocked, only returning to themselves as Sue fell to her knees, bawling.
