(Written by Ringmaster and @Jeremi )
Part One: The Pledge
Oddly enough, I rather enjoyed the House of Mystery. Maybe it was a taste of home in the magic inherent in its atmosphere that I sensed whenever I came close. Maybe it was the fact that scattered among the members, I found familiar faces and I could pretend if even for a moment, that my friends were alive and well. Or maybe it was just down to my personal taste in friends and the people I knew. Sabrina, back when she was alive used to prod me when I had off time. Elizabeth too... They didn't deserve what happened to them. Of course, that didn't go both ways, at least not entirely. Not everyone appreciated my presence as a member, even with folks like Zatanna vouching for me. I understood perfectly, I really did. It was like seeing a gorilla in the same hotspring, like finding a discordant note in the symphony you were listening to.
On a deep, primal level it had everything to do with Magic.
Not magic as in the type of spells they could cast or the variety, but rather Magic as a whole. It was traditional and its rules were engraved in the passing of centuries. You've heard the stories at some point, right? Three witches on the heath, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. That sort of thing. I guess it didn't help much either that the last priest like me turned out to be some nihilist who pulled a Murder Game of his own. That kind of thing seems to stick with people, and I've learned to wear my cross beneath my clothes as a result. No sense picking a fight for no reason.
That and I can't cast magic at all. I never learned and never really had the inclination to learn the more complex spells. To do would require me to leave the Multiversal Emergency Unit and remain base-bound for years in apprenticeship. Years that would have been better spent using the skills I did have for the good of my cause. Which brings me back to what exactly, I do for the M.E.U. as a whole.
I'm not a wizard. I sure as hell aren't a witch. Nor warlock, sorcerer or summoner. I've seen my share of battles and I've hunted most things that hunt you, supernatural and otherwise. But those were a dime a dozen in the organizations we allied ourselves in. No, what I brought was something that added a new dimension to the casters of the House of Mystery.
Where others fought like mages or warriors, I fought like a detective. I saw the things no one else saw, heard the whispers missed by everyone else. I couldn't so much as produce a fireball at a monster, but I could identify it with a few clues beforehand and during. I dunno.
Maybe they just liked me as a mascot? All I know is that eventually, they more or less accepted me as their own and I've tried to remain worthy of those friends I still have around here since.
Which is why I waited at the door, with my new friend in tow who had been growing steadily more impatient the more we stood. Saber Alter scowled and spoke in a low growl.
"Why must we wait so? The messenger surely delivered the news we were here by now!"
"They did." I said absently before adding with a shrug."They're just testing us right now."
"Do they not trust you? Your own people?" Saber smiled coldly, her gold eyes reminding me of my partner currently on her own missions. I missed her, I really did. She was a tall amazon of a woman, with the most amazing grey eyes and a formerly emotionless mask that had cracked, reflecting the woman beneath. I hadn't trusted someone like her since...Well, since the past. She was the best friend I had in a while now.
I wonder what she'd think of Saber, who seemed impatient with me the more I reminisced. Finally, I sighed out and spoke. "Its politics. They just like to push me, see how much I take from them. Mostly, I ignore it. I have no quarrel with them and we're in no danger now. Patience is a wonderful trait in times like this."
Saber pouted. "Witches were burned at the stake for less insolence in my time as King." I merely nodded, unwilling to continue the conversation. I knew of Saber- Both from my own world as well as the records of the Games that had passed down, describing a knight in silver and blue. Though superficially she resembled one such as those in the records, it was there the likeness ended. Among other things...For one, the sword I pulled on her making her flinch. Her weakness in comparison to the stories. She was skilled, no doubt...But the power was strangely absent and she seemed to have no trouble doing what she liked. Saber she may have called herself. But a Servant class spirit, she was not. Which begged the question...What was she?
Why did Locus and his team leave her crying alone in the dock? Why hadn't she gotten the command to kill herself to hide secrets? I eyed her- Currently dressed in a nun outfit, arms crossed as she tapped her foot and index finger. I may have wrangled an oath from her and she may have been obedient to my commands for now.
But if she was dangerous, I couldn't afford to let her in till acknowledged by an actual magus of power.
So better to wait, then for people to get hurt.
..... So with this in mind, I took out a silver dollar and began to perform stage tricks. Making it vanish, flick from hand-to-sleeve, all in the name of my niche. I may not be able to cast magic.
But at the least, I could understand the foundation and the principles.
The entrance to the House of Mysteries would open and reveal a quite fetching lady in a top hat and fishnet stockings.
"Hello, Lucifer."
It was quite rare for one of the Coven to open the door for a freelancer, but then again Zatanna was a rare one in her own right. "And Saber, or do you prefer Artoria?" While Zatanna had been around the block a few times the fact that female king Arthur's existed had her chuckling slightly.
"I take it you're here because of her? Come on in, and mind the gap. The House has been...acting up as of late."
Zatanna Zatara.
A smile despite itself flashed over my features in response to the real warmth she exuded. She was one of the few allies I could also call friend around here. Someone who saw beyond my gender and well...My blood. Maybe it was experience? I heard she knew another kind of bat, but I never did have much truck for rumors. Seeing her was always nice for me though and with a bow of my head, I stepped inside the House of Mystery. The invitation, given.
Alter unfortunately, seemed downright thrilled to finally meet someone to snap at.
"How dare you leave us standing out here for so long? Is this the courtesy of the magi of this era? We had been standing for three hours, at the whims of those who-"
"-Its fine."
I emphasized and to my surprise, Saber grunted and crossed her arms, pouting. It was strangely....Adorable? I shook the thought out of my head and turned to Zatanna as I spoke.
"Sorry. If anything happens, I'll claim responsibility. As it is though, I am glad to see you. Means I can cut out the middle-woman."
Hands in my pockets, I walked in step and explained what I had found out. "I was called in to a prison off the records- Coalition involved, for hiding away mystic practitioners. They wanted an M.E.U. member to examine it and I was the closest."
What he was especially curious about though, was why they didn't hear about it till they had no choice. Lucifer didn't like it- He could read the signs, see the way the wind was blowing. But that would wait as he continued on.
"They were so intent on making sure no one magical broke out or in, they missed out on a glaring loophole...Mundane means. At least five people, all folks with a very powerful array of skills. They left her behind." He gestured towards Saber, who was trying her best not to be curious about her surroundings and failing. He frowned and continued.
"....She was crying. She felt absolutely wrong to my senses, but she was crying. So I made a gamble with my life, long story short shes with me now. I know we've had people like her before...But I don't think shes like them. Skills right, but the reaction and strength is all wrong. That and she hasn't faded or been commanded to kill herself- Seems odd, doesn't it?"
I eyed the magician next to me as I said quietly.
"I decided then to bring her directly here, instead of the WAND division. Way things are going, I think she'd just complicate things for em....And I'd rather she felt less threatened coming in."
"Ah yes. The Servants. It's interesting I guess, using famous people as bodyguards." Zatanna replied giving Saber Alter a look over. "Well if you have magical woes you've come to the right place."
Zatanna skirted the issue, but it wasn't happenstance for her to be at the door when Lucifer came a knocking. "Come on, let's go some place to try and figure this out. You too your majesty." The magician replied giving Saber a mock bow before beckoning them both to follow.
"I will be honest..." Zatanna spoke breaking the silence from what seemed to be a very long and narrow corridor. It was as if the House itself was trying to keep them from their destination. "Once I figured out it was you on the other side of the door I thought it was best to come and get you. As you know we've had some...differing opinion about hired help of the...male persuasion, as of late."
"It would have been worse if I actually knew magic." Lucifer said with a somewhat characteristic sad smile. It all came back to ritual and to rules...That and his supporters were few now. Sabrina was dead, eaten alive from the inside out by a power she didn't understand. Elizabeth...Dead trying to help him on a lead to Yomi. Zatanna was a Coven member and high on the hierarchy, but she was just one. Wanda...Well, he hadn't seen Wanda in a while either. He sighed aloud and spoke.
"I know I joined only to keep an eye on my friends at first... But it feels now like home, despite everything. This was where they were happy, where they studied and where they dreamed of a better world, connected by their powers and gifts. I'd leave if they asked me straight out- I don't want trouble, but till then I'd rather...I'd like to honor their memory, doing what I can here. Does that make sense Zatanna?"
His smile turned twisted briefly.
"Because now that I say it aloud, it sounds horribly convoluted to me."
"I get it." Said Zatanna smiling at Lucifer. "Just don't mess with Morrigan and you can, even if begrudgingly from her point of view, stay." She continued to walk before turning back realizing something.
"Not the green haired one, the black haired one. The green haired Morrigan's like that to everyone...I think." She added before sighing in frustration. "Ugh, pretty sure this corridor isn't suppose to be this long."
"I've yet to meet her, beyond that first meeting when you vouched for me. I'd like to keep it that way, if only to keep the peace." He said with a smile. Strange how these things worked out...Hardly anyone would have pegged Lucifer for a violent man, until they saw him in a fight. Then he seemed to switch off, his eyes grew hard and calculating as he drew on experience and skills he had spent a long time developing. Bid the awkward, polite man goodbye....And enter the Executor. But he never sought out a fight, if he could help it. Not the verbal sort anyway.
Why rock the boat if you're in it too?
He sighed out at the news before frowning. "Odd. Maybe its me- Or maybe its her." He gestured behind him at Saber, who had devolved into silence as she frowned thoughtfully."Maybe whatever she is, the House doesn't like her? Who were we going to see who could identify her?"
"A woman named Harold." Zatanna responded. "And yeah, I made that joke to her the first time I met her...she didn't really care. Fair warning she's not much of a people person..."
Finally the corridor would turn to the left and soon enough the trio would find themselves in the research room of the building. Zatanna would stop them from entering. "Fair warning. Don't eat or drink anything she gives you. Thank me later." With that she opened the door.
Inside they would find a short girl working on some sort of experiment, oblivious to the people who just entered her den."Harold!" Zatanna finally shouted to get her attention.
Even with that the turn towards them was slow.
"Oh Zatanna...is this the test subject?" She asked hopefully.
"The woman you are going to figure out what she actually is, yes." Zatanna corrected her. "Lucifer, Saber, meet Harold Berselius. She's our resident magical...uh well scientist I guess."
"Talk is cheap, get that girl on the table so I can get a closer look at her." Harold replied clapping the slab at the middle on the room beckoning Saber Alter to lay down.
The look in Saber Alters eyes was answer enough, but Lucifer was more alarmed by the outfit change. From her nun outfit to her armor, as though prepped for a fight. Not the best idea here and he spoke sternly.
"Saber. Is this how you pay back your debt? How you conduct your service? Do not lay a hand on anyone here- They won't hurt you."
It was a small, quiet thing. Hardly perceptible but with Lucifer's eyes, there was a faint tremor. Something revealing and one she was trying her hardest to suppress, looking not at Harold.
But rather, at the examination table.
Lucifer cursed inwardly for his foolhardiness as he cleared his throat.
"....Would you like me or Zatanna to hold your hand-"
"-I do not require such base acts of affection!" Saber Alter snapped, glowering now as she stomped to the table and hopped on.
In full armor plate.
Thankfully, the table held as she clutched the edges and glared.
"....Conduct your examination leech. But know I will not tolerate attacks upon my person."
Artoria's outburst would only make Harold giggle.
"Hehehe...you wouldn't even know if it was happening." She'd flip a switch on the ground which caused some sort of mechanical device to lower down from the ceiling.
"Now let auntie Harold take care of you...also don't move unless you want to be fried by ethereal energies."
Wait, wat. The briefly worried look would flick over Saber Alters expression, before she went stock still.
With that the machine would burst to life and a light would shine down on Saber Alter to scan her on all considerable levels.
Zatanna would look on arms folded at the investigation. "What do you expect to find?" She replied slightly hushed to Lucifer. "She's a bucket full of sunshine isn't she?"
Lucifer was concerned as he eyed her throat, her eyes...Every little detail telling him everything he needed to know. Enough so that when Zatanna spoke to him, he was ready with a low rejoinder.
"Shes afraid...You can see it in her breathing, in her way her eye twitches on the table. She associates the examination with pain and fear and it affects her. I don't know what exactly we'll find...But shes not human. And shes not servant. I just want to know what we're dealing with. Beyond that?"
He was quiet for a moment before he said softly.
"She could have killed me in my sleep, but didn't. She could have gone back on her word, but refused. Her comrades left her crying and abandoned and well...I couldn't leave her like that. Much less at WAND mercy."
He threw another sad smile.
"Might have been harder for all involved, but this was the right thing. I'm sure of it."
"You're such a bleeding heart." Zatanna joked, knowing had she been in his situation then she would've know doubt done the same and brought her here.
"The important thing is that we have her now. Whatever she is the M.E.U. are not going to let her end up in whoever created her."
Harold meanwhile would still be scanning and looked transfixed on the numbers popping up on the screen. "Oh boy...I can taste the scope of this! You truly are a fascinating specimen..."
"I am no ones specimen."
Saber Alter said quietly, the air vibrating with the intensity of her words. Metal creaked with the clutch of her hand squeezing into a fist and Lucfer stepped forward. "You're not...I promise. Ma'am, what is it? What did you discover?"
Harolds reaction was startling. And throwing an uneasy glance with Zatanna, he prepared himself for the worst.
Harold wouldn't beat around the bush and just responded to Lucifer. "What's the word I'm looking for...she's...emotions."
"Come again?" Zatanna asked the resident scientist.
"Negative ones to be exact! Made flesh! A despair...golem as it were. Her use...more than likely a weapon."
"But why give her the form that she got?"
Harold just shrugged. "I guess that's something you need to take up with her creator now isn't it?"
There was only one particular group that dealt with that sort of power. Who had used it in the past, though never to this particular extent. Those who delighted in turning friends against each other. He had hunted them before...And lost friends in doing so. Sabrinas face flashed across his mind, standing in the ruins of a dead city as she crowed with triumph, before he plunged his weapon into her heart. Tzeentch's grasp on her released at the last, to better drive in his own grief at what he wrought.
He thought of Elizabeth's death, the rift that had sucked her in where he lost a hand, seeing her scream as she fell away. And then there was the past records themselves, depicting the Order. Time and again, they seemed to come back to these monsters and their ilk.
But.....
Lucifer looked at Saber Alter, who was currently staring at her hands in her lap now that she was revealed for what she was. He thought of her tears and the way she acted...Before finally saying quietly.
"If she was a weapon, it was a failure for them. Thats why they left her behind. You may not be Arturia...But they gave you her shape. Her skills...And I'm willing to bet, her memories. Didn't they?"
Saber Alter looked up, glaring at Zatanna and Lucifer as tears threatened to spill.
And then a quiet look of resignation passed over her face as she looked glumly down at her hands again.
"....Yes. They did. I am a weapon- The first of my kind, harvested from the Black Creation and spun into...This. They selected Servants for their skills and experience. I was the first successful product...But when I left...I couldn't. I couldn't strike down anyone, despite orders. There was no honor in it. And so the green-armored man shot me and left me to die."
"Locus." Muttered Lucifer, thinking about his meeting with the mercenary himself as he rubbed his jaw.
"So now you know. I am a personification of your organizations worse enemy. Build from a lifeforce anathema to all you stand for." Saber Alter raised her chin defiantly. "What will you do with me now that you know?"
"Well if you asked around then we'd probably have to melt you back down to your basic components, but if you ask me." Zatanna pointed at Lucifer's. "You're his problem now, worst enemy or not."
A sly smile aimed at both Lucifer and Saber Alter. "Besides you seem to be all bark and no bite anyway so..."
"Ooooh, does that mean I can run more tests on her?" Harold replied hopefully.
"Well check ups..."
Saber Alter flared and would have leaped up at the insinuation, before suddenly freezing as Lucifer said simply."What do we call you then?" Confusion took the place of anger as she stared at Lucifer, the latter with his arms crossed before speaking.
"You'll need a name. If you want to keep the moniker of Saber, that's fine. But a name should mean something beyond the weapon they envisioned for you." Saber was at a loss for words, considering before she frowned and tilted her chin up. With a calm majesty, she spoke.
"I am Arturia. Implanted though my memories are, I will make them and that name my own." Lucifer smiled in reply before he glanced at Zatanna. "That said...People really will be after her, if they know what she is. I'll be hard pressed to defend her, if that's the case. Dr. Harold." He turned his stare back to her as he spoke.
"Could I count on you as well, so long as I return as often as possible to run tests? To show willing cooperation as well as the fact that she's not a threat." At least, not to them.
Harold's eyes would go all star eyed at the suggestion for more tests. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I vote for this to be what we'll do!"
Zatanna rolled her eyes at Harold's outburst. "Don't worry about it Lucifer. I'll get some of the Coven and we'll talk to Morrigan...she's not going to like it, but she'll do it all the same."
Harold would look over to Arturia with a smile on her face."We're going to become best friends soon enough."
Arturia's expression didn't change, but she made the smallest of steps in the opposite direction from Harold, the plate armor clinking as she did. Lucifer hid a smile as he addressed Zatanna.
"Thank you Zatanna. I appreciate this." A thought suddenly occurred to him though, brought on by an offhand comment from Harold as he asked Arturia.
"I hate to ask if it causes pain, but I need to know...Is there anything you remember about your creation. Anyone you could tell us?" Arturia looked startled at first, before pained as she looked at her feet. A moment later, she said quietly.
"I remember the roar of a crowd. Applause, darkness...And a man. No- A monster!" Fear flickered in those eyes again as she shuddered. "...There was a sign when he sent his men to pick me up. A neon sign, garish and gaudy."
"Is it possible we could examine this memory? With permission?" Lucifer asked. Arturia paused for a long moment before breathing out as she nodded. An act of trust that Lucifer hoped would not be disappointed as he looked at Zatanna.
"If we could find the place she was made, we could discover more on the process...And stop it in its tracks."
"Well my schedule's free, I'm sure I can rope some other people along to help." Despite everything going on in the M.E.U. right now, if opposing forces are working to create more beings like Arturia.
"Here let me give it a try." Conjuring up her wand she'd give it a little wave and pointed it Arturia. "!teg yromem"
Arturia stiffened and within the mind, the memory flashed across Zatanna's senses as though she was present there herself.
A great city, garish and bright with pyramids radiating halos of light. The constant noise, the stench of technology rampant. A sign advertising a magic show with a familiar face upon it to Zatanna.
A flash and then there was pain. Bright light and a sore throat as a cane tapped impatiently out of sight.
"-Well then Mr. Kadabra, I'm not seeing any progress."
Another flash and a brief glimpse, a feel of deep horror. A room full of identical Sabers, all dead from various wounds.
Then darkness fell...And the voices spoke.
"Success? Finally?"
"Subject number 56 or so I believe."
"Good. Take her with the others. We'll see how well they operate in the field."
"Finally! A chance to blow this joint! New Detroit blows."
The memory ended and Arturia let out a heavy sigh.
Lucifer looked worriedly to both, prepared to step forth to help either one if they needed him.
While dazed Zatanna was otherwise okay. "T-That was something..." She replied turning towards Lucifer. "Seems like they really wanted their Saber army...but at least we got a location. A place called New Detroit. And if it's anything like regular Detroit we'll probably have a bad time there."
"...You puzzle me." They really did. The doctor was easy enough to uncover, mostly because of her obvious desire for her to examine. That was a reason she could get behind. This altruism that Zatanna and Lucifer displayed for her, even knowing the truth confused the construct mightily.
Even if it was a lie. She wasn't Saber- Not even a good Saber at that. Everything fake or implanted, to create something new. But...She could only go with the values she knew best and so she took in a deep breath.
"If you go, then take me with you. I need to...Face this as well. I give you my-"
"I'm fine with that." Saber blinked again. Lucifers words had no hesitation, no waiting. Simply agreement to her coming without a struggle. Saber felt more discomforted as she looked at the two.
".....You're not afraid I'll stab you in the back?"
"Should I?"
"No!" She said hotly, flaring as her honor was called into question. Lucifer smiled. "Then I wouldn't bother about it if I were you. That said- Zatanna." Lucifer glanced at the Coven member, a frown on his face.
"Its clear we need to investigate, but the only problem I see is the source of information....Do you think Lady Morrigan would sanction a mission based on Sabers memory?"
Somehow, he had a feeling the answer was no.
And if that was the case, then they may just be too late to find answers.
[TBC.....]
Part One: The Pledge
Oddly enough, I rather enjoyed the House of Mystery. Maybe it was a taste of home in the magic inherent in its atmosphere that I sensed whenever I came close. Maybe it was the fact that scattered among the members, I found familiar faces and I could pretend if even for a moment, that my friends were alive and well. Or maybe it was just down to my personal taste in friends and the people I knew. Sabrina, back when she was alive used to prod me when I had off time. Elizabeth too... They didn't deserve what happened to them. Of course, that didn't go both ways, at least not entirely. Not everyone appreciated my presence as a member, even with folks like Zatanna vouching for me. I understood perfectly, I really did. It was like seeing a gorilla in the same hotspring, like finding a discordant note in the symphony you were listening to.
On a deep, primal level it had everything to do with Magic.
Not magic as in the type of spells they could cast or the variety, but rather Magic as a whole. It was traditional and its rules were engraved in the passing of centuries. You've heard the stories at some point, right? Three witches on the heath, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. That sort of thing. I guess it didn't help much either that the last priest like me turned out to be some nihilist who pulled a Murder Game of his own. That kind of thing seems to stick with people, and I've learned to wear my cross beneath my clothes as a result. No sense picking a fight for no reason.
That and I can't cast magic at all. I never learned and never really had the inclination to learn the more complex spells. To do would require me to leave the Multiversal Emergency Unit and remain base-bound for years in apprenticeship. Years that would have been better spent using the skills I did have for the good of my cause. Which brings me back to what exactly, I do for the M.E.U. as a whole.
I'm not a wizard. I sure as hell aren't a witch. Nor warlock, sorcerer or summoner. I've seen my share of battles and I've hunted most things that hunt you, supernatural and otherwise. But those were a dime a dozen in the organizations we allied ourselves in. No, what I brought was something that added a new dimension to the casters of the House of Mystery.
Where others fought like mages or warriors, I fought like a detective. I saw the things no one else saw, heard the whispers missed by everyone else. I couldn't so much as produce a fireball at a monster, but I could identify it with a few clues beforehand and during. I dunno.
Maybe they just liked me as a mascot? All I know is that eventually, they more or less accepted me as their own and I've tried to remain worthy of those friends I still have around here since.
Which is why I waited at the door, with my new friend in tow who had been growing steadily more impatient the more we stood. Saber Alter scowled and spoke in a low growl.
"Why must we wait so? The messenger surely delivered the news we were here by now!"
"They did." I said absently before adding with a shrug."They're just testing us right now."
"Do they not trust you? Your own people?" Saber smiled coldly, her gold eyes reminding me of my partner currently on her own missions. I missed her, I really did. She was a tall amazon of a woman, with the most amazing grey eyes and a formerly emotionless mask that had cracked, reflecting the woman beneath. I hadn't trusted someone like her since...Well, since the past. She was the best friend I had in a while now.
I wonder what she'd think of Saber, who seemed impatient with me the more I reminisced. Finally, I sighed out and spoke. "Its politics. They just like to push me, see how much I take from them. Mostly, I ignore it. I have no quarrel with them and we're in no danger now. Patience is a wonderful trait in times like this."
Saber pouted. "Witches were burned at the stake for less insolence in my time as King." I merely nodded, unwilling to continue the conversation. I knew of Saber- Both from my own world as well as the records of the Games that had passed down, describing a knight in silver and blue. Though superficially she resembled one such as those in the records, it was there the likeness ended. Among other things...For one, the sword I pulled on her making her flinch. Her weakness in comparison to the stories. She was skilled, no doubt...But the power was strangely absent and she seemed to have no trouble doing what she liked. Saber she may have called herself. But a Servant class spirit, she was not. Which begged the question...What was she?
Why did Locus and his team leave her crying alone in the dock? Why hadn't she gotten the command to kill herself to hide secrets? I eyed her- Currently dressed in a nun outfit, arms crossed as she tapped her foot and index finger. I may have wrangled an oath from her and she may have been obedient to my commands for now.
But if she was dangerous, I couldn't afford to let her in till acknowledged by an actual magus of power.
So better to wait, then for people to get hurt.
..... So with this in mind, I took out a silver dollar and began to perform stage tricks. Making it vanish, flick from hand-to-sleeve, all in the name of my niche. I may not be able to cast magic.
But at the least, I could understand the foundation and the principles.
The entrance to the House of Mysteries would open and reveal a quite fetching lady in a top hat and fishnet stockings.
"Hello, Lucifer."
It was quite rare for one of the Coven to open the door for a freelancer, but then again Zatanna was a rare one in her own right. "And Saber, or do you prefer Artoria?" While Zatanna had been around the block a few times the fact that female king Arthur's existed had her chuckling slightly.
"I take it you're here because of her? Come on in, and mind the gap. The House has been...acting up as of late."
Zatanna Zatara.
A smile despite itself flashed over my features in response to the real warmth she exuded. She was one of the few allies I could also call friend around here. Someone who saw beyond my gender and well...My blood. Maybe it was experience? I heard she knew another kind of bat, but I never did have much truck for rumors. Seeing her was always nice for me though and with a bow of my head, I stepped inside the House of Mystery. The invitation, given.
Alter unfortunately, seemed downright thrilled to finally meet someone to snap at.
"How dare you leave us standing out here for so long? Is this the courtesy of the magi of this era? We had been standing for three hours, at the whims of those who-"
"-Its fine."
I emphasized and to my surprise, Saber grunted and crossed her arms, pouting. It was strangely....Adorable? I shook the thought out of my head and turned to Zatanna as I spoke.
"Sorry. If anything happens, I'll claim responsibility. As it is though, I am glad to see you. Means I can cut out the middle-woman."
Hands in my pockets, I walked in step and explained what I had found out. "I was called in to a prison off the records- Coalition involved, for hiding away mystic practitioners. They wanted an M.E.U. member to examine it and I was the closest."
What he was especially curious about though, was why they didn't hear about it till they had no choice. Lucifer didn't like it- He could read the signs, see the way the wind was blowing. But that would wait as he continued on.
"They were so intent on making sure no one magical broke out or in, they missed out on a glaring loophole...Mundane means. At least five people, all folks with a very powerful array of skills. They left her behind." He gestured towards Saber, who was trying her best not to be curious about her surroundings and failing. He frowned and continued.
"....She was crying. She felt absolutely wrong to my senses, but she was crying. So I made a gamble with my life, long story short shes with me now. I know we've had people like her before...But I don't think shes like them. Skills right, but the reaction and strength is all wrong. That and she hasn't faded or been commanded to kill herself- Seems odd, doesn't it?"
I eyed the magician next to me as I said quietly.
"I decided then to bring her directly here, instead of the WAND division. Way things are going, I think she'd just complicate things for em....And I'd rather she felt less threatened coming in."
"Ah yes. The Servants. It's interesting I guess, using famous people as bodyguards." Zatanna replied giving Saber Alter a look over. "Well if you have magical woes you've come to the right place."
Zatanna skirted the issue, but it wasn't happenstance for her to be at the door when Lucifer came a knocking. "Come on, let's go some place to try and figure this out. You too your majesty." The magician replied giving Saber a mock bow before beckoning them both to follow.
"I will be honest..." Zatanna spoke breaking the silence from what seemed to be a very long and narrow corridor. It was as if the House itself was trying to keep them from their destination. "Once I figured out it was you on the other side of the door I thought it was best to come and get you. As you know we've had some...differing opinion about hired help of the...male persuasion, as of late."
"It would have been worse if I actually knew magic." Lucifer said with a somewhat characteristic sad smile. It all came back to ritual and to rules...That and his supporters were few now. Sabrina was dead, eaten alive from the inside out by a power she didn't understand. Elizabeth...Dead trying to help him on a lead to Yomi. Zatanna was a Coven member and high on the hierarchy, but she was just one. Wanda...Well, he hadn't seen Wanda in a while either. He sighed aloud and spoke.
"I know I joined only to keep an eye on my friends at first... But it feels now like home, despite everything. This was where they were happy, where they studied and where they dreamed of a better world, connected by their powers and gifts. I'd leave if they asked me straight out- I don't want trouble, but till then I'd rather...I'd like to honor their memory, doing what I can here. Does that make sense Zatanna?"
His smile turned twisted briefly.
"Because now that I say it aloud, it sounds horribly convoluted to me."
"I get it." Said Zatanna smiling at Lucifer. "Just don't mess with Morrigan and you can, even if begrudgingly from her point of view, stay." She continued to walk before turning back realizing something.
"Not the green haired one, the black haired one. The green haired Morrigan's like that to everyone...I think." She added before sighing in frustration. "Ugh, pretty sure this corridor isn't suppose to be this long."
"I've yet to meet her, beyond that first meeting when you vouched for me. I'd like to keep it that way, if only to keep the peace." He said with a smile. Strange how these things worked out...Hardly anyone would have pegged Lucifer for a violent man, until they saw him in a fight. Then he seemed to switch off, his eyes grew hard and calculating as he drew on experience and skills he had spent a long time developing. Bid the awkward, polite man goodbye....And enter the Executor. But he never sought out a fight, if he could help it. Not the verbal sort anyway.
Why rock the boat if you're in it too?
He sighed out at the news before frowning. "Odd. Maybe its me- Or maybe its her." He gestured behind him at Saber, who had devolved into silence as she frowned thoughtfully."Maybe whatever she is, the House doesn't like her? Who were we going to see who could identify her?"
"A woman named Harold." Zatanna responded. "And yeah, I made that joke to her the first time I met her...she didn't really care. Fair warning she's not much of a people person..."
Finally the corridor would turn to the left and soon enough the trio would find themselves in the research room of the building. Zatanna would stop them from entering. "Fair warning. Don't eat or drink anything she gives you. Thank me later." With that she opened the door.
Inside they would find a short girl working on some sort of experiment, oblivious to the people who just entered her den."Harold!" Zatanna finally shouted to get her attention.
Even with that the turn towards them was slow.
"Oh Zatanna...is this the test subject?" She asked hopefully.
"The woman you are going to figure out what she actually is, yes." Zatanna corrected her. "Lucifer, Saber, meet Harold Berselius. She's our resident magical...uh well scientist I guess."
"Talk is cheap, get that girl on the table so I can get a closer look at her." Harold replied clapping the slab at the middle on the room beckoning Saber Alter to lay down.
The look in Saber Alters eyes was answer enough, but Lucifer was more alarmed by the outfit change. From her nun outfit to her armor, as though prepped for a fight. Not the best idea here and he spoke sternly.
"Saber. Is this how you pay back your debt? How you conduct your service? Do not lay a hand on anyone here- They won't hurt you."
It was a small, quiet thing. Hardly perceptible but with Lucifer's eyes, there was a faint tremor. Something revealing and one she was trying her hardest to suppress, looking not at Harold.
But rather, at the examination table.
Lucifer cursed inwardly for his foolhardiness as he cleared his throat.
"....Would you like me or Zatanna to hold your hand-"
"-I do not require such base acts of affection!" Saber Alter snapped, glowering now as she stomped to the table and hopped on.
In full armor plate.
Thankfully, the table held as she clutched the edges and glared.
"....Conduct your examination leech. But know I will not tolerate attacks upon my person."
Artoria's outburst would only make Harold giggle.
"Hehehe...you wouldn't even know if it was happening." She'd flip a switch on the ground which caused some sort of mechanical device to lower down from the ceiling.
"Now let auntie Harold take care of you...also don't move unless you want to be fried by ethereal energies."
Wait, wat. The briefly worried look would flick over Saber Alters expression, before she went stock still.
With that the machine would burst to life and a light would shine down on Saber Alter to scan her on all considerable levels.
Zatanna would look on arms folded at the investigation. "What do you expect to find?" She replied slightly hushed to Lucifer. "She's a bucket full of sunshine isn't she?"
Lucifer was concerned as he eyed her throat, her eyes...Every little detail telling him everything he needed to know. Enough so that when Zatanna spoke to him, he was ready with a low rejoinder.
"Shes afraid...You can see it in her breathing, in her way her eye twitches on the table. She associates the examination with pain and fear and it affects her. I don't know what exactly we'll find...But shes not human. And shes not servant. I just want to know what we're dealing with. Beyond that?"
He was quiet for a moment before he said softly.
"She could have killed me in my sleep, but didn't. She could have gone back on her word, but refused. Her comrades left her crying and abandoned and well...I couldn't leave her like that. Much less at WAND mercy."
He threw another sad smile.
"Might have been harder for all involved, but this was the right thing. I'm sure of it."
"You're such a bleeding heart." Zatanna joked, knowing had she been in his situation then she would've know doubt done the same and brought her here.
"The important thing is that we have her now. Whatever she is the M.E.U. are not going to let her end up in whoever created her."
Harold meanwhile would still be scanning and looked transfixed on the numbers popping up on the screen. "Oh boy...I can taste the scope of this! You truly are a fascinating specimen..."
"I am no ones specimen."
Saber Alter said quietly, the air vibrating with the intensity of her words. Metal creaked with the clutch of her hand squeezing into a fist and Lucfer stepped forward. "You're not...I promise. Ma'am, what is it? What did you discover?"
Harolds reaction was startling. And throwing an uneasy glance with Zatanna, he prepared himself for the worst.
Harold wouldn't beat around the bush and just responded to Lucifer. "What's the word I'm looking for...she's...emotions."
"Come again?" Zatanna asked the resident scientist.
"Negative ones to be exact! Made flesh! A despair...golem as it were. Her use...more than likely a weapon."
"But why give her the form that she got?"
Harold just shrugged. "I guess that's something you need to take up with her creator now isn't it?"
There was only one particular group that dealt with that sort of power. Who had used it in the past, though never to this particular extent. Those who delighted in turning friends against each other. He had hunted them before...And lost friends in doing so. Sabrinas face flashed across his mind, standing in the ruins of a dead city as she crowed with triumph, before he plunged his weapon into her heart. Tzeentch's grasp on her released at the last, to better drive in his own grief at what he wrought.
He thought of Elizabeth's death, the rift that had sucked her in where he lost a hand, seeing her scream as she fell away. And then there was the past records themselves, depicting the Order. Time and again, they seemed to come back to these monsters and their ilk.
But.....
Lucifer looked at Saber Alter, who was currently staring at her hands in her lap now that she was revealed for what she was. He thought of her tears and the way she acted...Before finally saying quietly.
"If she was a weapon, it was a failure for them. Thats why they left her behind. You may not be Arturia...But they gave you her shape. Her skills...And I'm willing to bet, her memories. Didn't they?"
Saber Alter looked up, glaring at Zatanna and Lucifer as tears threatened to spill.
And then a quiet look of resignation passed over her face as she looked glumly down at her hands again.
"....Yes. They did. I am a weapon- The first of my kind, harvested from the Black Creation and spun into...This. They selected Servants for their skills and experience. I was the first successful product...But when I left...I couldn't. I couldn't strike down anyone, despite orders. There was no honor in it. And so the green-armored man shot me and left me to die."
"Locus." Muttered Lucifer, thinking about his meeting with the mercenary himself as he rubbed his jaw.
"So now you know. I am a personification of your organizations worse enemy. Build from a lifeforce anathema to all you stand for." Saber Alter raised her chin defiantly. "What will you do with me now that you know?"
"Well if you asked around then we'd probably have to melt you back down to your basic components, but if you ask me." Zatanna pointed at Lucifer's. "You're his problem now, worst enemy or not."
A sly smile aimed at both Lucifer and Saber Alter. "Besides you seem to be all bark and no bite anyway so..."
"Ooooh, does that mean I can run more tests on her?" Harold replied hopefully.
"Well check ups..."
Saber Alter flared and would have leaped up at the insinuation, before suddenly freezing as Lucifer said simply."What do we call you then?" Confusion took the place of anger as she stared at Lucifer, the latter with his arms crossed before speaking.
"You'll need a name. If you want to keep the moniker of Saber, that's fine. But a name should mean something beyond the weapon they envisioned for you." Saber was at a loss for words, considering before she frowned and tilted her chin up. With a calm majesty, she spoke.
"I am Arturia. Implanted though my memories are, I will make them and that name my own." Lucifer smiled in reply before he glanced at Zatanna. "That said...People really will be after her, if they know what she is. I'll be hard pressed to defend her, if that's the case. Dr. Harold." He turned his stare back to her as he spoke.
"Could I count on you as well, so long as I return as often as possible to run tests? To show willing cooperation as well as the fact that she's not a threat." At least, not to them.
Harold's eyes would go all star eyed at the suggestion for more tests. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I vote for this to be what we'll do!"
Zatanna rolled her eyes at Harold's outburst. "Don't worry about it Lucifer. I'll get some of the Coven and we'll talk to Morrigan...she's not going to like it, but she'll do it all the same."
Harold would look over to Arturia with a smile on her face."We're going to become best friends soon enough."
Arturia's expression didn't change, but she made the smallest of steps in the opposite direction from Harold, the plate armor clinking as she did. Lucifer hid a smile as he addressed Zatanna.
"Thank you Zatanna. I appreciate this." A thought suddenly occurred to him though, brought on by an offhand comment from Harold as he asked Arturia.
"I hate to ask if it causes pain, but I need to know...Is there anything you remember about your creation. Anyone you could tell us?" Arturia looked startled at first, before pained as she looked at her feet. A moment later, she said quietly.
"I remember the roar of a crowd. Applause, darkness...And a man. No- A monster!" Fear flickered in those eyes again as she shuddered. "...There was a sign when he sent his men to pick me up. A neon sign, garish and gaudy."
"Is it possible we could examine this memory? With permission?" Lucifer asked. Arturia paused for a long moment before breathing out as she nodded. An act of trust that Lucifer hoped would not be disappointed as he looked at Zatanna.
"If we could find the place she was made, we could discover more on the process...And stop it in its tracks."
"Well my schedule's free, I'm sure I can rope some other people along to help." Despite everything going on in the M.E.U. right now, if opposing forces are working to create more beings like Arturia.
"Here let me give it a try." Conjuring up her wand she'd give it a little wave and pointed it Arturia. "!teg yromem"
Arturia stiffened and within the mind, the memory flashed across Zatanna's senses as though she was present there herself.
A great city, garish and bright with pyramids radiating halos of light. The constant noise, the stench of technology rampant. A sign advertising a magic show with a familiar face upon it to Zatanna.
A flash and then there was pain. Bright light and a sore throat as a cane tapped impatiently out of sight.
"-Well then Mr. Kadabra, I'm not seeing any progress."
Another flash and a brief glimpse, a feel of deep horror. A room full of identical Sabers, all dead from various wounds.
Then darkness fell...And the voices spoke.
"Success? Finally?"
"Subject number 56 or so I believe."
"Good. Take her with the others. We'll see how well they operate in the field."
"Finally! A chance to blow this joint! New Detroit blows."
The memory ended and Arturia let out a heavy sigh.
Lucifer looked worriedly to both, prepared to step forth to help either one if they needed him.
While dazed Zatanna was otherwise okay. "T-That was something..." She replied turning towards Lucifer. "Seems like they really wanted their Saber army...but at least we got a location. A place called New Detroit. And if it's anything like regular Detroit we'll probably have a bad time there."
"...You puzzle me." They really did. The doctor was easy enough to uncover, mostly because of her obvious desire for her to examine. That was a reason she could get behind. This altruism that Zatanna and Lucifer displayed for her, even knowing the truth confused the construct mightily.
Even if it was a lie. She wasn't Saber- Not even a good Saber at that. Everything fake or implanted, to create something new. But...She could only go with the values she knew best and so she took in a deep breath.
"If you go, then take me with you. I need to...Face this as well. I give you my-"
"I'm fine with that." Saber blinked again. Lucifers words had no hesitation, no waiting. Simply agreement to her coming without a struggle. Saber felt more discomforted as she looked at the two.
".....You're not afraid I'll stab you in the back?"
"Should I?"
"No!" She said hotly, flaring as her honor was called into question. Lucifer smiled. "Then I wouldn't bother about it if I were you. That said- Zatanna." Lucifer glanced at the Coven member, a frown on his face.
"Its clear we need to investigate, but the only problem I see is the source of information....Do you think Lady Morrigan would sanction a mission based on Sabers memory?"
Somehow, he had a feeling the answer was no.
And if that was the case, then they may just be too late to find answers.
[TBC.....]
