Nothing in the 'Verse Can Stop Me [Fringe]

[Lina Ovmar]

*~Fringe Confederation~*​

*~Annaj~*​

*~Clone Research and Development~*​

The facility was quiet at this time of morning. Its corridors dark save for the eerie glow cast by the cloning tanks. Manned mostly by droids, the facility still ran automated tasks, still nurtured its precious assets. There was one doctor on duty, tucked away in an office, her stubbed out his umpteenth cigarette wondering how he'd pulled this shift for the third time this week. Someone up on high must hate him. Getting to his feet he past a wrinkled hand over his weathered face, before pulling out another cigarette from his front pocket. Sparking it up he set himself on his routine walk, in the hope he might return some blood to his numb backside.

He'd gone but ten steps before an MD-3 droid fell in step with him, its mechanic steps adding to the already inhuman noise of the facility. "Doctor Cottle." It greeted with mechanical monotone.

"Emdee." he grunted in return, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"Are you aware of the health implications of smoking, Doctor?"

Cottle raised an eyebrow "No I stole some pour souls identity, and just pretend I'm a doctor."

"Truly, sir?" There was perhaps a touch of alarm in that monotone voice.

"Sarcasm really is lost on you, isn't it, Emdee?"

Whatever response the droid had it was drowned out by blaring alarms, set at the kind of pitch that makes your ear drums rattle. Clapping his hand over his ears he yell "What the feth is going on?"

Calm and unhurried, the MD-3 droid moved to the nearest terminal and after a moment, the alarms stopped.

"One of the tanks on level eight has breached early sir."

"We have an alarm for that?"

"No, sir, someone set off the alarm manually."

"What?!"

​

***​

Twenty minutes. Twenty gorram minutes to get a security team together. Force help them if they are ever in any serious danger. Still better they go in first than him. He held back as they stormed in, before giving the all clear. "Doc, you need to get in here."

He didn't need telling twice. To the left of the door, sat beneath the control panel sat the clone, her head tilted back to rest against the wall. She opened her eyes as Cottle knelt beside her. "How in the nine corellian hells did you do that?" He asked glancing up at the rewiring.

Grey eyes regarded him for a moment. "I'm going to need some clothes." she croaked.

 

[Arage Bao]

~*Fringe Confederation*~​

~*Annaj*~​

~*In Bed*~​

Early in my life I had learned how to block off my mind from the outside world during my sleep. It gave me a small measure of peace and above all control over my mental faculties, lucid dreaming, it was a functional experiment for the time being. Today was a day of dreamless sleep, slipping into the void and just wait until the rays of the sun would bathe my face in the light, forcing me to awake again for a new day of intrigue and power struggles.​

That had been the plan at least, but life never appreciated when mere mortals made plans for the far future and as it seems… neither for the near future. As the Governor of Annaj I had a feed on everything that happened on my planet, as the Councilor of Homeland Security… this control reached even further.​

A little alarm blinked in and out of existence as my body transitioned from metaphorical stasis to the apathetic existence that I had grown so used to. With a grunt I swung my legs across the bed, I was getting used to Carach’s body taller, stronger… made it increasingly more awkward to jump between bodies.​

Stood up and got myself some coffee, took me ten minutes to get everything together and set out to the cloning facility.​

***​

‘How is she?’​

‘Cold mostly, asked for some clothing. Fixed her up with a standard jumpsuit.’​

‘Did she tell you where she came from?’​

‘Sir, it’s just a faulty clone. She literally came from the tank, we are checking procedures as we speak.’​

‘I see.’​

The scientist was wrong of course, the moment I stepped foot inside the facility I knew something was off. Her presence filled the duracrete on which this building was build and with her… came another presence, one I hadn’t been expecting. One I had only heard whispers of, such… curious company you keep Monroe, but then again. ​

You never were a simple woman to begin with.​

I stepped into the room and even more I could feel darkness radiating from her.​

Everything had a cost.​

A second chance at life wasn’t an exception to this simple rule.​

‘Black suits you, Monroe.’​

I had made sure nobody was around for this, cameras were deactivated and the men held their distance. No one had to know for now who she was, until she was ready herself at least.​

​

[member="Mia Monroe"]​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

She was focused on her hands, touching each finger to her thumbs. Coordination was still off. Cottle said it would take time to come to her and Mia wondered just how much time she had. She didn't look up as Ovmar came in, though her lips did curl into a small smile. Finger to thumb, finger to thumb, over and over again. She stopped reached for the caff cup set before her and lifted her grey eyes to look at him and fixed him with a piercing stare as if she was trying to look through his very soul.

Jared Ovmar, the man who had nothing if you took away the force. An enemy or a friend? It was difficult to say. She knew where she was, Fringe were shady on whose side they were on at the best of times, and Jared was most definitely a sith. But did that make him her enemy? She realized she'd not responded to him, merely stared at him for almost a minute. She brought the caff cup to her lips and took a sip. She didn't spill any this time. Better.

She pushed herself to her feet and moved two steps back from the small table and began to pace, slowly placing her feet as if she were walking a tight rope.

"How long?" she asked.

There was no measure of time on the other side.

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Much had happened since the last time they had spoken, the boy had grown up to be a man, and after some years taking unarmed combat classes… wasn’t entirely useless anymore without the Force. Though still useless compared to the likes of Monroe, of course. A man couldn’t shed away what he was in only a few years, that much was known to me, even though I had tried.

​

Years in power with the Confederation, years spent in the Corporate World had transformed me. Had always been a pretty solid guy, but authority radiated from me which was pretty… ruined by the lazy grin I flashed her at that point.

​

‘Three months, nineteen days, seven hours, twenty minutes and nineteen seconds. or so I am told.’

​

I tilted my head slightly.

​

‘Are you planning on using my clone facility more often?’

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia smirked. "You've been keeping tabs on me. That's cute."

She shook her head at his question and stopped faux tightrope walking. She pursed her lips. "I don't plan to, but then I never planned to die in the first place. Circumstances force my hand." She shrugged "I wouldn't advise attempting to charge me for its use, though."

She'd just spent over three months arguing with an echo of Velok and walking round echos of her own memories. Now was not the time to antagonize her.

"What did I miss?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

I snorted in reply towards her remark, first of all. The hon just traveled through space and time to get into that body, she ain’t got any fight in her left, or she had to be really good. First time I managed to snatch myself a new body, I was KO for at least a day or two, then again… I hadn’t had him as my training partner so it wasn’t a completely honest comparison.

Didn’t really matter in the end though, I wasn’t planning on charging her for the usage of the clone. Which I told her in my own way.

‘ Ain’t aiming at cash, Monroe. I was just thinking it would probably be handier if I set you up with a facility with some… separate clones. Last thing we want is you to teleport into a body that is just about to be flashed, ain’t sure if that would go well for anyone here. Technique you are using ain’t exactly pin-point, dig? ‘

For some reason she brought my other side above board, the one that spoke in slight slang and had the manners of a former street boss. Only a few did that to me, Sargon, Spencer you know the crowd. Might be because she seemed… genuine to a level, ain’t here to play around and all that.

‘ A lot. You left quite a power vacuum. Mandos are in a war with the Sith for now, but the moment the Mandalore is dead and nobody is there to replace him… ain’t looking so good. Republic is still getting its ass handed to them, Protectorate got beaten back for now. Licking their wounds, I wager, they lost their Lady Protector, Cater crashed their flagship into the Imperial Palace in retaliation. Sore loser.’

A seat flew out with a wave of my hand, and I sat down pondering what else there was.

‘ About it really. CIS is rebranding itself under new leadership, setting their eyes on the Protectorate again. Was to be expected after Druckenwell. Anything you wanna know in specific? ‘

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia closed her eyes and shook her head. If the Mando's were at war, they had rushed in fuelled by anger. She'd told Gilamar they needed to keep their heads. They didn't know what had happened to Ordo, nor did she until she'd died. "Buir, gar di'kut." she muttered sinking back into her seat. By the sounds of it, the Lord Protector lost his head too. She buried her face into her hands for a moment. Coruscant remained in Sith hands. Ordo was possessed by the Dark Lord. And she was in no fit state to run to help her people. Not yet. She shook her head finally.

"No, I'll catch up on specifics later. I need to lay low, gather my strength. Are you content for me to remain here to do so?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

The less questions were being asked the better, having her stay here would only raise them instead of quench them, even now the doctors were planning on wiping the ‘clone’ from her memory; thinking it’s some kind of faulty imprint or whatever.

So keeping her here was out of the question…. but where to put here instead. Could just shove her in one of the safe houses I had around town, which would immediately make it useless for future use., oh Monroe you love making life hard for me don’t you.

‘Ain’t smart. You can stay at my place for now, until you are ready. Can ya move now, or need some time to resettle?’

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia raised an eyebrow in response.

[member="Jared Ovmar"] was a sith. It didn't matter to Mia what side of the battle he was on, though she was content to put money on him fighting for the One Sith. So far as Mia was concerned, her was her enemy, and she would put him down just like she would put down the rest of his kind. There was a whisper in the back of her head. Hypocrite.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. She walked a darker path for her people, for her family, not for her own desire or needs. What she did, she did for them. Yet she used the knowledge of a sith to get back here, and she would continue to exploit that knowledge. Were they all bad?

"Why should I trust you?"

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

I snorted.

‘You saved my ass back on that station, I remember my debts.’

Wasn’t anything else to say really, maybe telling her about Zaiden all those years ago had made them square there and then… but it hadn’t felt like that, this would put them at balance in his mind.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia shook her head. This went above and beyond repaying her debt, all she'd done was see off a handful of thugs. So what now? Did she trust him? If she didn't then what? He was right, staying here wasn't smart and she hated that he was right. Still she needed more than a house. She needed training facilities, access to the holonet, to a ship. This wasn't a simple case of keeping his mouth shut if she went with him, this was a case of him giving her the means to get back on her feet, retrain and rejoin the fray.

"No." she replied simply "This is above and beyond the debt you owe me. This puts me in debt to you. That's not something I'm content with."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

I studied her for a while as she spoke again, she really was a paranoid little thing, though I suppose that in a world like these men and women couldn’t afford any less. Just common sense and yet… it was insulting to a degree.

‘What have I ever done to you and yours to earn this level of disrespect? You talk about trust, while forcing yourself into my facilities and then threaten me when you think I will charge you for the use. The Fringe and the Mandalorians have always had a good relationship, have we not treated you fair? Have we not come to your aid when you asked for it? My help is but an extension of said treatment and the repayment of an old debt, cause problems for the One Sith… that is the only thing I care about.’

‘Hmm, ain’t like you have anything else for offer that I might be interested in.’

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"Personally?" Mia replied utterly nonplussed by his irritation. "Absolutely nothing. But then you have done nothing personally to make me trust you either. I don't care about the them, I don't care what the Fringe has or has not done for my people because I am not talking to the Fringe. I am talking to you." Her eyes glittered with something akin to anger.

"I need more than just a roof over my head. I need facilities to train. I need access to a secure holonet connection, I need a ship and I need weapons. This is not just about hiding me. If you own these facilities, then let me use them. They don't know who I am, nor do they need to know. Express your curiosity in wanting to see me develop. When I'm physically fit, I might take you up on the offer of coming to your house. Right now I'm vulnerable, and you are mentalist of which I have no defense against. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

I waved my hand. ‘That will be taken care of and if you think that you are safer here than in my home, the process has severely afflicted your mind. It will take time to get everything set up, and at the moment all my safe houses are… otherwise occupied and I ain’t gonna put any of my plans in danger just because miss. Skinwalker here decided to drop into a body she doesn’t own.’

‘So either you get your ass into gear and follow me to my home, where you will be relatively safe or I will leave ya here. Note that behind this door are ten armed security guards and four scientists who are very interested in the reason why a clone simply woke up, do understand that if any of them get hurt you won’t have a good time running from the Confederation.’

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia passed a hand over her face and blew out a sigh. There was no arguing with his logic, as much as she wanted too. Too stubborn for her own good, half the reason why she was here now, wasn't it? Because she was too damn stubborn to simply die and let her brother be consumed by a sith spirit, to damn stubborn to let her people fall apart. Ten guards wasn't a concern, at least it wouldn't have been had she been in top condition, which she most certainly was not. Hiding from the Confederation was not a concern either. She'd disappeared from the galaxy before, she could do it again.

But that wasn't the point in all this, and while her hubris wanted to spit these facts back at Ovmar, she was not in a position to do so.

"Fine." she said finally.

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

I didn’t provide her with a quip or a triumphant smile, that had been the scoundrel street rat in me who had enjoyed to put people in their place. That wasn’t how I operated anymore, there was no reason for such crude methods, once I had read a book… most of it was still somewhere residing in the back of my head, waiting for me to remember parts of it. But one sentence comes to mind and always has when I had found myself in situations like these ones.

‘When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you.’

Monroe wasn’t my enemy, but the hubris that filled this room was tangible, comparable to a certain degree with Varanin. The difference? Varanin was far more successful and had more reasons to be as arrogant as she was. All of this was useless to point out and instead I simply nodded, standing up from my seat and waited for her by the door.

‘When we step through that door, do not say anything. I will do the talking and my people will make sure you are removed from the records. It will be as if you have never existed.'

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia pushed herself slowly to her feet and took a deep breath, fighting fatigue as the weight of what she wanted to do lay heavily on her shoulders. There was a great deal of work to be done and she was placing a great deal of trust in Jared Ovmar. If he had not been associated with Ashin, then perhaps this outcome here would have been different. Somewhere in another reality, another Mia Monroe was probably trying to fight her way to freedom.

She followed Ovmar silently, her expression becoming vacant, as it should be for a clone, who'd been awake for a few hours.

[member="Jared Ovmar"]