Escape?
MiMi stood to attention outside the doors to the operating theatre, she found it odd that Dib had them move their whole facility to some old Council base,
but who was she to doubt him. Every now and again a scream of profanity echoed from the surgery. Its heavy door muffling the worst of it. After a while the
noise dropped to a barley audible whimper as Dib strode out of the room. MiMI fell into step beside him.
"MiMi, prep subject zero one for transportation back to her cell." Dib said in a flat voice.
"I take it that the reprogramming didn't take?" MiMi asked.
"No it did not, it seams what ever allows her to survive the uploads is also stoping all forms of mental manipulation... if only I knew what."
"So shall I take her away?"
"Yes, she has healed most of the cyber gear so Gaz is ready for transport."
MiMi turned and headed back to the theatre, as she pushed open the door she spotted Gaz lying on a blood stained stretcher numerous drips hooked up to her
body. She could see several metal discs, hardpoint docks by the looks of it. So the master wants her to be more like us MiMi mused. She knew Dib would never be
suited for the task he had given himself as long as he had... distractions. Carful she removed a syringe form her pocket. Reading the labels on the drip feeds
she chose one, inserted the syringe and pushed the plunger.
Gaz stirred as slowly her eyes opened. Before she could say anything MiMi placed a hand over her mouth. "If don't want to die you will listen to me
very carefully, understand?" she hissed into Gaz's ear. Gaz slowly nodded.
"Good, we don't have much time." MiMi wheeled Gaz's stretcher out of the theatre and carefully pushed it towards the cells, half way there
she took a turn and headed down a different corridor, Gaz made out a sign saying "armory". MiMi pushed Gaz's stretcher through the door way
before closing it behind her.
Gaz tried to get up but her body seamed to be dead from the neck down. "Why can't I move?" Gaz rasped.
"You have been heavily upgraded with a large amount of cyber gear. In order to restrain you, your brother hooked a neural block into the base of your
skull, until it is removed you are helpless."
"So what do you plan to do to me?"
MiMi walked over to a storage locker and started pulling out a hard suit. "Simple, I plan to give you a suit of power armor and set you
loose."
Gaz stared at MiMi. "Why?"
MiMi ignored the question as she started pulling out the drip feeds.
"Why?" Gaz repeated
MiMi stoped and turned. "You are a distraction, nothing more."
"What dose that mean?"
"Simply put, my master has more important things to deal with than you."
"So your letting me go so I don't get in his way? What if I decide to stay?"
"Then he will keep trying to break you, either through constant cybernetic upgrades or mental manipulation. One way or another, he would make you one
of his blades."
MiMi smiled at the look of disgust that passed over Gaz's face. She carful piled the armor on to Gaz's stretcher and wheeled her out.
"So now what" Gaz said, it wasn't so much a question as almost a demand.
MiMi wheeled the stretcher down several more identical corridors before stoping at the entrance to the cell block.
"I will equip you, give a short run down of what your armor dose and set you off, then you will be someone else's problem." MiMi replied as
she grabbed Gaz surgical gown and pulled it off.
"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing?" Gaz exclaimed
"Do you know how to hook up and activate this sort of thing? No, then shut up and I'll show you."
Gaz glared as MiMi manhandled her into the body glove, not really paying attention.
She let out a slight hiss of pain as MiMi started to hook the armor to the hardpoints covered her body.
"Quit complaining, you get used to it after a while, now there's one last thing to do." MiMi said as she picked up the helmet. "I've
uploaded a map along with the quickest escape route, but before that, theirs something you need to do."
"What?' Gaz asked.
"I need to make this look convincing, so I need you to injure me."
"You need me to what?" Gaz exclaimed.
"It is simple, your escape must be convincing. Therefore, you must hurt me, badly."
"You're insane! Why the hell would I even want to hurt you?"
"Everything Dib has done to you was for me, every experiment, every upgrade, it was all duplicated and passed on to me, in a way, I am a monument to his
sins."
MiMi managed to kept the grin off her face as she saw Gaz expression turn to one of pure hate.
"In a way Gaz, I am your replacement." MiMi continued. Gaz was reacting just as she expected. She carful pulled the neural plug from the back of
Gaz's skull and lowered the helmet on to Gaz's head. "Now, you ar-" MiMi was cut off as Gaz buried her fist in her gut, before MiMi could
even react Gaz was behind her. Gaz grabbed MiMi by the back of the head and slammed her into the stretcher.
MiMi staggered back mildly stunned, Gaz was reacting according to plan, maybe even better. Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as Gaz grabbed
her cyber arm and ripped it from its mount. She bit her lip to stop from screaming in pain. Gaz spun her around and punched her in the chest, there was the
sound of glass light bulbs popping as MiMi's ribs snapped.
Gaz grabbed MiMi by the collar and was about to deal another blow when alarms started to go off. "What the?" Gaz dropped MiMi "what's
going on?"
MiMi struggled to speak. "M... m... My... ... reco... very... beacon, ... .you ... triggered it." Stoped as she started too coughed up blood. "They will... . Come for
you... . Run."
Gaz let go of MiMi and watched as she hit the floor. She kicked the prone blade a couple of more times before running out the door.
MiMi laid their, her body screaming in pain as her vision blurred, she heard panicked voices, a commanding bark silenced them, she was dimly aware of
several hands gingerly picking her up, her vision cleared long enough to see Dib staring at her, for a second she thought she saw concern in his eyes, she
tried to speak but the pain over whelmed her and everything went black.
***
MiMi lay on the bed in the infirmary, her mind going over her plan, it was worth it, Dib had become more focused that ever, he even upped the training of
the other blades. She winced as the small drone worked on her shoulder, Gaz attack had ruined the mounting for her cyber arm.
The drone hovered back and gave a bleep to say its job was done when the door opened and Dib strode in.
"Ah, I see you are fully operational MiMi." He spoke, his tone sounding almost... happy, which put MiMi on edge, Dib was only happy when something
bad was about to happen.
"I am fully functional sir and awaiting orders." She replied.
"i am not here for that, I wish to talk to you about subject zeros escape."
"... you are, I thought my report covered everything?"
"So it would seam, but the more I read it the more I had to question it. For starters, while I am well aware that Madigan most likely knows of this
facility, you sated that a Scimitar came here for the sole purpose of stealing subject zero, but how, I ask my self did they know of her. You and I are the
only two who know of my sisters presence in this city and considering the fact that your Psi shields combined with the fact that you have had nothing to do
with Scimitars means that their was no way for Madigan to know of this."
MiMi looks down at her lap, unable to met her masters eyes as he continued.
"Then there was the stolen suit of mark six armor, a unit that had been in use by the Scimitars for some time now, if the "intruder" was
going to steal something, why not the broad sword prototype or the data on project Golem?"
He walked up to the bed and placed a hand on MiMi's good shoulder.
"I think it's obvious what happed, isn't it MiMi?"
She slowly nodded.
"You saw Gaz as... a hindrance, didn't you? Now due to your programming, you couldn't kill her or put her in a situation were she could die, so
you did the next best thing... didn't you."
MiMi's voice came out in a barely audible whisper. "Yes sir."
Dib sighed. "I should thank you for removing Gaz, she was a distraction and would of probably lead to me back to my old ways... something we can not
afford." MiMi looked up, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"But, there is that fact that you went against me, your actions were born by logic, not emotion. Of all my blades you are my biggest success and
failure."
"Failure sir?" MiMi asked
"yes, failure, of all my blades you are the most... inhuman, you act based off facts and data, you lack the spark of creativity the others have. I put
this down to the fact that unlike the others, you seam to fail to understand the term "down time". I believe you to be using missions as a way to...
avoid the questions raised by being partially organic now." MiMi winced, she knew he was right, but it still hurt to hear it.
"as such, I feel that you need to "learn" about your human half. When you are finished here you are to head to Nerva and have two weeks of
down time."
"Sir... but-." Dib cut her off with a raised hand.
"Think of this as your punishment for what you have done, you will have time to reflect on what you have done." Dib gave her a smile devoid of all
warth and humanity. "And remember, if you try such a thing again, you won't get off so lightly."
MiMi was only vaguely aware of Dib leaving the room. Two weeks with no missions. She would be forced to deal with her body, it's demands, it's
disgusting biological demands and more worrying, it's emotional ones. Slowly the full enormity of her punishment dawned on her, and her body reacted the
only way it knew how. She touched her face, feeling tears roll down it for the first time ever.
MiMi stood to attention outside the doors to the operating theatre, she found it odd that Dib had them move their whole facility to some old Council base,
but who was she to doubt him. Every now and again a scream of profanity echoed from the surgery. Its heavy door muffling the worst of it. After a while the
noise dropped to a barley audible whimper as Dib strode out of the room. MiMI fell into step beside him.
"MiMi, prep subject zero one for transportation back to her cell." Dib said in a flat voice.
"I take it that the reprogramming didn't take?" MiMi asked.
"No it did not, it seams what ever allows her to survive the uploads is also stoping all forms of mental manipulation... if only I knew what."
"So shall I take her away?"
"Yes, she has healed most of the cyber gear so Gaz is ready for transport."
MiMi turned and headed back to the theatre, as she pushed open the door she spotted Gaz lying on a blood stained stretcher numerous drips hooked up to her
body. She could see several metal discs, hardpoint docks by the looks of it. So the master wants her to be more like us MiMi mused. She knew Dib would never be
suited for the task he had given himself as long as he had... distractions. Carful she removed a syringe form her pocket. Reading the labels on the drip feeds
she chose one, inserted the syringe and pushed the plunger.
Gaz stirred as slowly her eyes opened. Before she could say anything MiMi placed a hand over her mouth. "If don't want to die you will listen to me
very carefully, understand?" she hissed into Gaz's ear. Gaz slowly nodded.
"Good, we don't have much time." MiMi wheeled Gaz's stretcher out of the theatre and carefully pushed it towards the cells, half way there
she took a turn and headed down a different corridor, Gaz made out a sign saying "armory". MiMi pushed Gaz's stretcher through the door way
before closing it behind her.
Gaz tried to get up but her body seamed to be dead from the neck down. "Why can't I move?" Gaz rasped.
"You have been heavily upgraded with a large amount of cyber gear. In order to restrain you, your brother hooked a neural block into the base of your
skull, until it is removed you are helpless."
"So what do you plan to do to me?"
MiMi walked over to a storage locker and started pulling out a hard suit. "Simple, I plan to give you a suit of power armor and set you
loose."
Gaz stared at MiMi. "Why?"
MiMi ignored the question as she started pulling out the drip feeds.
"Why?" Gaz repeated
MiMi stoped and turned. "You are a distraction, nothing more."
"What dose that mean?"
"Simply put, my master has more important things to deal with than you."
"So your letting me go so I don't get in his way? What if I decide to stay?"
"Then he will keep trying to break you, either through constant cybernetic upgrades or mental manipulation. One way or another, he would make you one
of his blades."
MiMi smiled at the look of disgust that passed over Gaz's face. She carful piled the armor on to Gaz's stretcher and wheeled her out.
"So now what" Gaz said, it wasn't so much a question as almost a demand.
MiMi wheeled the stretcher down several more identical corridors before stoping at the entrance to the cell block.
"I will equip you, give a short run down of what your armor dose and set you off, then you will be someone else's problem." MiMi replied as
she grabbed Gaz surgical gown and pulled it off.
"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing?" Gaz exclaimed
"Do you know how to hook up and activate this sort of thing? No, then shut up and I'll show you."
Gaz glared as MiMi manhandled her into the body glove, not really paying attention.
She let out a slight hiss of pain as MiMi started to hook the armor to the hardpoints covered her body.
"Quit complaining, you get used to it after a while, now there's one last thing to do." MiMi said as she picked up the helmet. "I've
uploaded a map along with the quickest escape route, but before that, theirs something you need to do."
"What?' Gaz asked.
"I need to make this look convincing, so I need you to injure me."
"You need me to what?" Gaz exclaimed.
"It is simple, your escape must be convincing. Therefore, you must hurt me, badly."
"You're insane! Why the hell would I even want to hurt you?"
"Everything Dib has done to you was for me, every experiment, every upgrade, it was all duplicated and passed on to me, in a way, I am a monument to his
sins."
MiMi managed to kept the grin off her face as she saw Gaz expression turn to one of pure hate.
"In a way Gaz, I am your replacement." MiMi continued. Gaz was reacting just as she expected. She carful pulled the neural plug from the back of
Gaz's skull and lowered the helmet on to Gaz's head. "Now, you ar-" MiMi was cut off as Gaz buried her fist in her gut, before MiMi could
even react Gaz was behind her. Gaz grabbed MiMi by the back of the head and slammed her into the stretcher.
MiMi staggered back mildly stunned, Gaz was reacting according to plan, maybe even better. Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as Gaz grabbed
her cyber arm and ripped it from its mount. She bit her lip to stop from screaming in pain. Gaz spun her around and punched her in the chest, there was the
sound of glass light bulbs popping as MiMi's ribs snapped.
Gaz grabbed MiMi by the collar and was about to deal another blow when alarms started to go off. "What the?" Gaz dropped MiMi "what's
going on?"
MiMi struggled to speak. "M... m... My... ... reco... very... beacon, ... .you ... triggered it." Stoped as she started too coughed up blood. "They will... . Come for
you... . Run."
Gaz let go of MiMi and watched as she hit the floor. She kicked the prone blade a couple of more times before running out the door.
MiMi laid their, her body screaming in pain as her vision blurred, she heard panicked voices, a commanding bark silenced them, she was dimly aware of
several hands gingerly picking her up, her vision cleared long enough to see Dib staring at her, for a second she thought she saw concern in his eyes, she
tried to speak but the pain over whelmed her and everything went black.
***
MiMi lay on the bed in the infirmary, her mind going over her plan, it was worth it, Dib had become more focused that ever, he even upped the training of
the other blades. She winced as the small drone worked on her shoulder, Gaz attack had ruined the mounting for her cyber arm.
The drone hovered back and gave a bleep to say its job was done when the door opened and Dib strode in.
"Ah, I see you are fully operational MiMi." He spoke, his tone sounding almost... happy, which put MiMi on edge, Dib was only happy when something
bad was about to happen.
"I am fully functional sir and awaiting orders." She replied.
"i am not here for that, I wish to talk to you about subject zeros escape."
"... you are, I thought my report covered everything?"
"So it would seam, but the more I read it the more I had to question it. For starters, while I am well aware that Madigan most likely knows of this
facility, you sated that a Scimitar came here for the sole purpose of stealing subject zero, but how, I ask my self did they know of her. You and I are the
only two who know of my sisters presence in this city and considering the fact that your Psi shields combined with the fact that you have had nothing to do
with Scimitars means that their was no way for Madigan to know of this."
MiMi looks down at her lap, unable to met her masters eyes as he continued.
"Then there was the stolen suit of mark six armor, a unit that had been in use by the Scimitars for some time now, if the "intruder" was
going to steal something, why not the broad sword prototype or the data on project Golem?"
He walked up to the bed and placed a hand on MiMi's good shoulder.
"I think it's obvious what happed, isn't it MiMi?"
She slowly nodded.
"You saw Gaz as... a hindrance, didn't you? Now due to your programming, you couldn't kill her or put her in a situation were she could die, so
you did the next best thing... didn't you."
MiMi's voice came out in a barely audible whisper. "Yes sir."
Dib sighed. "I should thank you for removing Gaz, she was a distraction and would of probably lead to me back to my old ways... something we can not
afford." MiMi looked up, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"But, there is that fact that you went against me, your actions were born by logic, not emotion. Of all my blades you are my biggest success and
failure."
"Failure sir?" MiMi asked
"yes, failure, of all my blades you are the most... inhuman, you act based off facts and data, you lack the spark of creativity the others have. I put
this down to the fact that unlike the others, you seam to fail to understand the term "down time". I believe you to be using missions as a way to...
avoid the questions raised by being partially organic now." MiMi winced, she knew he was right, but it still hurt to hear it.
"as such, I feel that you need to "learn" about your human half. When you are finished here you are to head to Nerva and have two weeks of
down time."
"Sir... but-." Dib cut her off with a raised hand.
"Think of this as your punishment for what you have done, you will have time to reflect on what you have done." Dib gave her a smile devoid of all
warth and humanity. "And remember, if you try such a thing again, you won't get off so lightly."
MiMi was only vaguely aware of Dib leaving the room. Two weeks with no missions. She would be forced to deal with her body, it's demands, it's
disgusting biological demands and more worrying, it's emotional ones. Slowly the full enormity of her punishment dawned on her, and her body reacted the
only way it knew how. She touched her face, feeling tears roll down it for the first time ever.