Spider's Web - Conflicting Loyalties
Following an exchange in Pocket D... Prae-Deanna AKA Psy-Shot/Latrodectus is really going to be regretting her choices.
The usual small warning: Swearing, Psychic enslavement stuff.
Deanna stepped lightly among the platforms and walkways hanging precariously off the buildings surrounding Grandvile's central tower. The feeling of the Bane Spider Network being so close, as so many among their ranks worked on the Tangle and the platform structures, gave her chills. Most didn't pay her any mind beyond a salute or shuffling out of the way, she was a Fortunata under orders, you did not get in their way.
Don't break them free. They are Fine. Don't break them free. They are Fine. I hate this. I hate this. IHateThis.
Those words repeated in the depths of her mind, beneath the filter that kept her thoughts from being read but still allowed her to read others' thoughts. Being a former Praetorian Seer around the Bane spiders... the similarities of the two made her twitch and squirm. It'd be so easy, Just give the banes' bonds to each other a nudge. She wanted to watch it spread through their ranks as the bond that kept them enslaved was turned against their conditioning and broke others loose.
But she couldn't do that.
She was a Widow and Fortunata of Arachnos, and she was under orders to check on a particular Bane that'd been acting aberrantly.
It was a test of loyalties, there were plenty of other Fortunatas that could be sent to correct it, ones that had proven themselves. She had been in their ranks for a month at most.
Deanna finally spotted her objective's unique uniform. The lighter, purple and grey-hued Wolf Armor stood out among the heavy silhouettes of Bane or Crab armors, the wearer only appearing that much smaller with a feminine frame.
Deanna's voice cut through the sounds of idle chatter and welding, even though the full helmet she wore muffled her words slightly. She just barely managed an official-sounding tone while continuing to suppress her unease.
"Operative Arza."
Arza instantly spun around from watching a couple of her 'brothers' work, snapping to attention. Deanna could sense her momentary confusion in trying to recognize the likewise rather unique Widow uniform in red on black, instead of one or the other. She could hear the thoughts of the other Banes when Arza pinged them trying to figure out who it was she was facing. Finally managing a response a second later, creeping dread in her tone, "Widow Latrodectus."
Deanna was glad for the full helmet she wore. As faceless as it made her, it hid the pained grimace that crossed her face that she barely kept from her tone. "If you'll come with me, we need to talk... and all the psychic activity up here is giving me a headache."
The lights on the sides of Arza's helmet all blinked but she gave a nod, visibly swallowing a poorly hidden fear. -PleaseLetThisNotBeWhatIThinkIt'sAbout. PleasePleasePlease.-
Deanna flinched at the thought from the rogueish bane, briefly glancing toward the other ones as she turned away to locate the nearest elevator. What exactly Arza thought it was about was well-hidden but. Why were the other Banes not jumping on her? Couldn't they pick that up too?
No. Her bond is too weak, it's lost in the static. She's more her own person than the rest, more flexible and adaptable with the advantages of being linked up to others... No wonder she's a squad commander, how is she not higher ranking?
Deanna lead Arza to one of the elevators scattered around the Tangle's many levels, wanting to get down to the ground level where it was a little quieter. Suddenly the bane piped up again "I can survive the jump down mostly unharmed unless you're wanting to stab me in the cramped space."
Deanna paused, glancing off the nearest edge of what had to be at least a two hundred yard drop. "-Seriously? You can survive that fall? I... I don't think I want to know how you learned that."
It sounded like Arza had managed to relax a bit with the subject "Short-range teleport shifts my momentum enough I can hit and go into a roll... Still, kinda hurts but between the armor and augments nothing major is damaged? Though that's also assuming I can't drop onto any lower ledges first which also still kinda hurts but it's better than a higher drop."
Deanna shut her eyes and considered for a moment "... Ok I know this is supposed to be some official business thing or whatever but I kinda want to see that if you're actually willing to do it- and don't try to make that an escape method because I can fly very fast."
Arza huffed softly and started walking toward the edge "I'm gonna guess you're really new to the Widow ranks and not just someone that's flown under the radar despite having a uniform looking like that- What's up with those colors anyhow? You're like-"
"-A cross between a Night Widow and a Fortunata?"
"Yeah. Is that... actually let's get to the ground first."
With that Arza just hopped casually off the edge, quickly dropping out of sight. Deanna quickly bolted forward in flight and past the edge to look down. It took several moments for her to spot Arza on a lower ledge and moving to drop to another.
Is everyone in Arachnos out of their goddamn minds- Yes. Yes, we are. Hope has it right. What The Fuck.
Deanna shook her head, gathering her nerves before flying down to settle into a low hover over the ground in front of the tower. Arza wasn't far behind, her last jump ending as she'd initially described: a short-range teleport close to the ground that adjusted her momentum enough she could safely tuck into a roll. Armor clattering softly against the metal structure with her impact and turning to softer footfalls as she smoothly stood from it and walked over. "Ta daaaa I'm... maybe a little bruised from that last one." she rolled a shoulder before falling into a more official stance, "But you didn't come to get me just to see me show off a little."
Deanna inhaled carefully, she couldn't sense anyone else in earshot of their conversation, unless one of them had a bug on their uniform or there was a spiderling nearby. She let that breath out, just as carefully. "I did not. You've shown some behavior that someone higher up in the chain of command has seen as concerning for a Bane."
The lights on Arza's helmet shut off "... In my defense, my link is weak as hell and my squad drives me half insane-"
"-You were near another bane spider when she registered a rogue... asset." she paused and gritted her teeth at her words, taking a moment to steady herself before continuing, "You went offline for an hour after."
Arza slumped a bit. "Right... That. That happened in Pocket D. No one has jurisdiction there. I needed... time for a mental reboot, I believe she did also from the way she bolted off. No idea where the third that set us off went."
Another stray thought from Arza was snatched up by Deanna's psychic senses. -This is going to hurt. None of that was a lie.-
The Widow sighed softly, carefully weaving her psionics around them both in a veil that'd only be noticed if one were looking specifically for it. "I'll be honest. I don't know why I was sent to deal with this since I'm not trained for it." she paused, switching over to telepathy.
-I want to help you.-
Arza inhaled sharply "Check up to decide if I'm worth sending someone that knows what they're doing in to deal with based on your report? Or see if you would try something yourself?" she managed a shrug, though her responding thought was panicked.
-You want to do WHAT?? Are you insane?? We're both in Networks--
Deanna rolled her eyes at both conversations and gave a dramatic sigh to the vocal one "Which probably means paperwork."
--Networks that can't currently hear our exchange.-
Arza shifted, taking several moments to respond "-Yeah. Paperwork is always a pain, but you shouldn't have to deal with as much of it as I have to."
-You walk a very dangerous line Latrodectus.-
Deanna couldn't quite hide her smirk from her voice "Well, not yet at least, we'll see where I end up... Speaking of, you're a squad leader?"
-I'm quite aware. Former Praetorian Seer, the feel of the network you're in is... disquieting to me.-
"-Oh. Er. Yeah. The... 'Rejects'." Arza slumped, "Most've us are sent out when no one else is available or how big of a mess is made isn't cared about."
-Oh god. I can only imagine. I find it weirdly comforting at this point but I'm used to it. Hard to pin it on personal preference or conditioning for me, maybe one and the same by now.-
Deanna frowned deeply at both conversations "The... Rejects? That's actually a thing? From what I heard you're a scary effective Operative not..."
-Er... Is that common among you guys? If you're comfortable with it... doesn't seem like it would be.-
Arza sighed "We get the job done, sure, and I can function alone or with them. We're just not one of the elite squads."
-I... don't know. The line is really hazy and the conditioning makes it hard to tell. I'm comfortable with it because of how long I've been hooked up, feels wrong not having that background noise. Mind's too quiet alone when I disconnect from how weak my bond is. But... Maybe it is the conditioning...-
Deanna shook her head slightly, switching fully to telepathy -Too quiet, that I can get... kinda why I'm able to tolerate the Widows' mind link. The presence and support of a bunch of sisters but little to no control.-
Arza nodded, faintly. The subject of the conversation slowly dragging out her true opinions from the far corners of her mind -And you want to free mine from their-our enslavement. That's not easy. Rogues are hunted down and executed. Early catches get locked back in stronger than before because they went through retraining and reprograming by a fucking 'Nata. Which is what you should be doing to me right now.-
Deanna tilted her head slightly, she could sense that bitterness that was surfacing and it was painfully familiar. -Conditioning.-
Arza's helmet lights blinked... then blinked again as she processed that word. The internal conflict was palpable, some small part of her was screaming for freedom, somewhere buried under the conditioning. It came into conflict with yet another part of her that was loyal to her squad, not Arachnos. -Y... yeah.-
Deanna grit her teeth. It hurt, it all hurt. She strengthened the veil around them. She needed to change the subject. -Earlier you were thinking about something but it was too hidden for me to pick up. About why I was here. What was that?-
Arza took a deep breath to steady herself, -Sparks. One of my Operatives, a Crab spider. She doesn't want to be in Arachnos. I tried to hook her up with some heroes in Paragon that could maybe pull her out but they've gone quiet and she's still firmly rooted here...-
An image of the operative in question surfaced in Arza's mind. She was small built and looked too young to be a soldier, let alone one augmented like the crab spiders were. The metal backpack connected to her spine with four weapon-equipped arms coming up to hang threateningly over her head.
-... If you're going to help someone from my squad. Help her.-
Deanna shut her eyes, those last words were so desperate. Arza didn't think she'd have a chance outside Arachnos. Sparks would be better off, her potential could shine if she weren't so afraid to show it. The Widow took a careful breath. She had to hide this conversation in a longer-term manner than the veil she had up.
-I'll see what I can figure out, still working on assets and connections on both sides. In the meantime... I'm sorry.-
Arza stiffened as Deanna stopped hovering to take a step forward. Panic was clear in the bane's voice "What are-"
Deanna placed a hand to Arza's helmeted forehead, her focus falling almost entirely on the soldier's mind in a rush of psychic power. Arza weakly tried to fight back on reflex but it was quickly smothered and shut down as silver-red tendrils swarmed into place within her mindscape. Memories of their conversation were locked up and buried deeply where it'd be difficult to recover them without help. Rebellious urges were suppressed under a psychic lock, and her bond to the Bane network was re-initiated and strengthened at least temporarily.
It might not have been Arachnos' standard procedure but it was what she knew how to do.
Deanna released the bane, stepping back as Arza collapsed to her knees, shaking slightly from the experience. Suddenly there was a slow clapping and another woman's voice sounding almost tauntingly impressed, "Well done Latrodectus... Didn't think you'd have it in you for a minute there."
Deanna spun toward the new voice and recognized the light and dark purple uniform almost instantly. Lavender Spinner, a powerful Fortunata that largely kept a low profile within Arachnos. How long had she been hovering nearby? Didn't matter now, she had a pleasant grin on her face, somehow still giving off an almost predatory feel as she continued. "Normally I might've handled this one myself but I felt it'd be a good test to see how you would handle it instead. I've heard of your quick rise in skill within Arachnos with a rarer fighting style as well as your origins..."
The usual small warning: Swearing, Psychic enslavement stuff.
Deanna stepped lightly among the platforms and walkways hanging precariously off the buildings surrounding Grandvile's central tower. The feeling of the Bane Spider Network being so close, as so many among their ranks worked on the Tangle and the platform structures, gave her chills. Most didn't pay her any mind beyond a salute or shuffling out of the way, she was a Fortunata under orders, you did not get in their way.
Don't break them free. They are Fine. Don't break them free. They are Fine. I hate this. I hate this. IHateThis.
Those words repeated in the depths of her mind, beneath the filter that kept her thoughts from being read but still allowed her to read others' thoughts. Being a former Praetorian Seer around the Bane spiders... the similarities of the two made her twitch and squirm. It'd be so easy, Just give the banes' bonds to each other a nudge. She wanted to watch it spread through their ranks as the bond that kept them enslaved was turned against their conditioning and broke others loose.
But she couldn't do that.
She was a Widow and Fortunata of Arachnos, and she was under orders to check on a particular Bane that'd been acting aberrantly.
It was a test of loyalties, there were plenty of other Fortunatas that could be sent to correct it, ones that had proven themselves. She had been in their ranks for a month at most.
Deanna finally spotted her objective's unique uniform. The lighter, purple and grey-hued Wolf Armor stood out among the heavy silhouettes of Bane or Crab armors, the wearer only appearing that much smaller with a feminine frame.
Deanna's voice cut through the sounds of idle chatter and welding, even though the full helmet she wore muffled her words slightly. She just barely managed an official-sounding tone while continuing to suppress her unease.
"Operative Arza."
Arza instantly spun around from watching a couple of her 'brothers' work, snapping to attention. Deanna could sense her momentary confusion in trying to recognize the likewise rather unique Widow uniform in red on black, instead of one or the other. She could hear the thoughts of the other Banes when Arza pinged them trying to figure out who it was she was facing. Finally managing a response a second later, creeping dread in her tone, "Widow Latrodectus."
Deanna was glad for the full helmet she wore. As faceless as it made her, it hid the pained grimace that crossed her face that she barely kept from her tone. "If you'll come with me, we need to talk... and all the psychic activity up here is giving me a headache."
The lights on the sides of Arza's helmet all blinked but she gave a nod, visibly swallowing a poorly hidden fear. -PleaseLetThisNotBeWhatIThinkIt'sAbout. PleasePleasePlease.-
Deanna flinched at the thought from the rogueish bane, briefly glancing toward the other ones as she turned away to locate the nearest elevator. What exactly Arza thought it was about was well-hidden but. Why were the other Banes not jumping on her? Couldn't they pick that up too?
No. Her bond is too weak, it's lost in the static. She's more her own person than the rest, more flexible and adaptable with the advantages of being linked up to others... No wonder she's a squad commander, how is she not higher ranking?
Deanna lead Arza to one of the elevators scattered around the Tangle's many levels, wanting to get down to the ground level where it was a little quieter. Suddenly the bane piped up again "I can survive the jump down mostly unharmed unless you're wanting to stab me in the cramped space."
Deanna paused, glancing off the nearest edge of what had to be at least a two hundred yard drop. "-Seriously? You can survive that fall? I... I don't think I want to know how you learned that."
It sounded like Arza had managed to relax a bit with the subject "Short-range teleport shifts my momentum enough I can hit and go into a roll... Still, kinda hurts but between the armor and augments nothing major is damaged? Though that's also assuming I can't drop onto any lower ledges first which also still kinda hurts but it's better than a higher drop."
Deanna shut her eyes and considered for a moment "... Ok I know this is supposed to be some official business thing or whatever but I kinda want to see that if you're actually willing to do it- and don't try to make that an escape method because I can fly very fast."
Arza huffed softly and started walking toward the edge "I'm gonna guess you're really new to the Widow ranks and not just someone that's flown under the radar despite having a uniform looking like that- What's up with those colors anyhow? You're like-"
"-A cross between a Night Widow and a Fortunata?"
"Yeah. Is that... actually let's get to the ground first."
With that Arza just hopped casually off the edge, quickly dropping out of sight. Deanna quickly bolted forward in flight and past the edge to look down. It took several moments for her to spot Arza on a lower ledge and moving to drop to another.
Is everyone in Arachnos out of their goddamn minds- Yes. Yes, we are. Hope has it right. What The Fuck.
Deanna shook her head, gathering her nerves before flying down to settle into a low hover over the ground in front of the tower. Arza wasn't far behind, her last jump ending as she'd initially described: a short-range teleport close to the ground that adjusted her momentum enough she could safely tuck into a roll. Armor clattering softly against the metal structure with her impact and turning to softer footfalls as she smoothly stood from it and walked over. "Ta daaaa I'm... maybe a little bruised from that last one." she rolled a shoulder before falling into a more official stance, "But you didn't come to get me just to see me show off a little."
Deanna inhaled carefully, she couldn't sense anyone else in earshot of their conversation, unless one of them had a bug on their uniform or there was a spiderling nearby. She let that breath out, just as carefully. "I did not. You've shown some behavior that someone higher up in the chain of command has seen as concerning for a Bane."
The lights on Arza's helmet shut off "... In my defense, my link is weak as hell and my squad drives me half insane-"
"-You were near another bane spider when she registered a rogue... asset." she paused and gritted her teeth at her words, taking a moment to steady herself before continuing, "You went offline for an hour after."
Arza slumped a bit. "Right... That. That happened in Pocket D. No one has jurisdiction there. I needed... time for a mental reboot, I believe she did also from the way she bolted off. No idea where the third that set us off went."
Another stray thought from Arza was snatched up by Deanna's psychic senses. -This is going to hurt. None of that was a lie.-
The Widow sighed softly, carefully weaving her psionics around them both in a veil that'd only be noticed if one were looking specifically for it. "I'll be honest. I don't know why I was sent to deal with this since I'm not trained for it." she paused, switching over to telepathy.
-I want to help you.-
Arza inhaled sharply "Check up to decide if I'm worth sending someone that knows what they're doing in to deal with based on your report? Or see if you would try something yourself?" she managed a shrug, though her responding thought was panicked.
-You want to do WHAT?? Are you insane?? We're both in Networks--
Deanna rolled her eyes at both conversations and gave a dramatic sigh to the vocal one "Which probably means paperwork."
--Networks that can't currently hear our exchange.-
Arza shifted, taking several moments to respond "-Yeah. Paperwork is always a pain, but you shouldn't have to deal with as much of it as I have to."
-You walk a very dangerous line Latrodectus.-
Deanna couldn't quite hide her smirk from her voice "Well, not yet at least, we'll see where I end up... Speaking of, you're a squad leader?"
-I'm quite aware. Former Praetorian Seer, the feel of the network you're in is... disquieting to me.-
"-Oh. Er. Yeah. The... 'Rejects'." Arza slumped, "Most've us are sent out when no one else is available or how big of a mess is made isn't cared about."
-Oh god. I can only imagine. I find it weirdly comforting at this point but I'm used to it. Hard to pin it on personal preference or conditioning for me, maybe one and the same by now.-
Deanna frowned deeply at both conversations "The... Rejects? That's actually a thing? From what I heard you're a scary effective Operative not..."
-Er... Is that common among you guys? If you're comfortable with it... doesn't seem like it would be.-
Arza sighed "We get the job done, sure, and I can function alone or with them. We're just not one of the elite squads."
-I... don't know. The line is really hazy and the conditioning makes it hard to tell. I'm comfortable with it because of how long I've been hooked up, feels wrong not having that background noise. Mind's too quiet alone when I disconnect from how weak my bond is. But... Maybe it is the conditioning...-
Deanna shook her head slightly, switching fully to telepathy -Too quiet, that I can get... kinda why I'm able to tolerate the Widows' mind link. The presence and support of a bunch of sisters but little to no control.-
Arza nodded, faintly. The subject of the conversation slowly dragging out her true opinions from the far corners of her mind -And you want to free mine from their-our enslavement. That's not easy. Rogues are hunted down and executed. Early catches get locked back in stronger than before because they went through retraining and reprograming by a fucking 'Nata. Which is what you should be doing to me right now.-
Deanna tilted her head slightly, she could sense that bitterness that was surfacing and it was painfully familiar. -Conditioning.-
Arza's helmet lights blinked... then blinked again as she processed that word. The internal conflict was palpable, some small part of her was screaming for freedom, somewhere buried under the conditioning. It came into conflict with yet another part of her that was loyal to her squad, not Arachnos. -Y... yeah.-
Deanna grit her teeth. It hurt, it all hurt. She strengthened the veil around them. She needed to change the subject. -Earlier you were thinking about something but it was too hidden for me to pick up. About why I was here. What was that?-
Arza took a deep breath to steady herself, -Sparks. One of my Operatives, a Crab spider. She doesn't want to be in Arachnos. I tried to hook her up with some heroes in Paragon that could maybe pull her out but they've gone quiet and she's still firmly rooted here...-
An image of the operative in question surfaced in Arza's mind. She was small built and looked too young to be a soldier, let alone one augmented like the crab spiders were. The metal backpack connected to her spine with four weapon-equipped arms coming up to hang threateningly over her head.
-... If you're going to help someone from my squad. Help her.-
Deanna shut her eyes, those last words were so desperate. Arza didn't think she'd have a chance outside Arachnos. Sparks would be better off, her potential could shine if she weren't so afraid to show it. The Widow took a careful breath. She had to hide this conversation in a longer-term manner than the veil she had up.
-I'll see what I can figure out, still working on assets and connections on both sides. In the meantime... I'm sorry.-
Arza stiffened as Deanna stopped hovering to take a step forward. Panic was clear in the bane's voice "What are-"
Deanna placed a hand to Arza's helmeted forehead, her focus falling almost entirely on the soldier's mind in a rush of psychic power. Arza weakly tried to fight back on reflex but it was quickly smothered and shut down as silver-red tendrils swarmed into place within her mindscape. Memories of their conversation were locked up and buried deeply where it'd be difficult to recover them without help. Rebellious urges were suppressed under a psychic lock, and her bond to the Bane network was re-initiated and strengthened at least temporarily.
It might not have been Arachnos' standard procedure but it was what she knew how to do.
Deanna released the bane, stepping back as Arza collapsed to her knees, shaking slightly from the experience. Suddenly there was a slow clapping and another woman's voice sounding almost tauntingly impressed, "Well done Latrodectus... Didn't think you'd have it in you for a minute there."
Deanna spun toward the new voice and recognized the light and dark purple uniform almost instantly. Lavender Spinner, a powerful Fortunata that largely kept a low profile within Arachnos. How long had she been hovering nearby? Didn't matter now, she had a pleasant grin on her face, somehow still giving off an almost predatory feel as she continued. "Normally I might've handled this one myself but I felt it'd be a good test to see how you would handle it instead. I've heard of your quick rise in skill within Arachnos with a rarer fighting style as well as your origins..."
Characters: Psy-Shot <SC-B2>, Operative Arza <SC-B2>, Lavender Spinner <SC-B2>
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