Chapter Text
Beta stared down at the 3D schematics lighting up her workbench, her piercing green eyes looking for any errors or imperfections in the design she’d created. So far she’d found at least three areas which could be improved upon, and with nimble fingers she selected each area and added written annotations, detailing what she could and would do to solve each problem.
The new rig which would transport GAIA to HEPH’S (currently unknown) location was going to be at least 137% more durable and half the size of the one that Beta had had to hastily construct the first time they’d captured the rogue AI. She’d also been working on a malware programme that would ensnare HEPH like a fly in a spider’s web so that GAIA would simply have to descend on it and wrap it up in her own programming – and not need Aloy and Beta to help secure it this time.
Beta was itching to get started on the device’s construction so that they could retrieve HEPH sooner rather than later, before it managed to create apocalyptic machines that could wipe out her new home and everything in it. Including Aloy. A familiar feeling of panic began to grow in her stomach, making her feel suddenly nauseas. Images of terrifying machines passed through her mind, each deadlier than the last, tearing through human bodies like they were made of paper, scorching the each until there was nothing left, destroying everything in their path...
Beta gripped the edge of her workbench as the waves of terror rolled over her, making her heart beat fast and her breaths become shorter until she began to feel faint from the lack of oxygen.
Close your eyes and breathe...whispered a kindly voice in the back of her mind. Deep breath in...Beta followed the softly spoken instruction, managing to take in a lungful of air and concentrate on holding it. And slowly let it all out...she did as the voice asked and exhaled until she felt as if her lungs were fully deflated, then repeated the process over and over until she felt calm and in control of her thoughts.
Thank you, Zo. Beta finally felt steady enough to open her eyes. Memories of the kind and compassionate Utaru woman coming to her during past panic attacks and patiently teaching her methods of control over her wild thoughts were forefront in her mind as she closed the projection of her focus and tidied her workbench. She gave a rueful smile as she remembered how resistant she was at first, certain that there was no hope of quieting her riotous mind. But Zo had sat with her for hours at a time; talking, teaching, and sometimes just keeping her company when she failed to keep her fears at bay.
For a second her hand hovered over her focus and she considered opening a channel to speak to the Utaru, but in the next moment she shook her head and dropped her hand back to her side. She was fine. The panic attack had passed. There was no sense in bothering any of Aloy's friends unless there was a real emergency.
“Aloy?”
Beta spun around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice echoing down the stairs to the basement. Fear reared within her once again and her hand flew back up to her focus. “GAIA! Who is that?!” She hissed.
GAIA answered promptly. “Greetings, Beta. The visitor's name is Talanah. She is a close acquaintance of Aloy's. She has passed through the Base on previous occasions with Aloy's blessing. I am 99.63% certain that she poses no threat to you.”
Beta gritted her teeth in annoyance. She would have to talk to Aloy about allowing strangers free roam of the Base, especially when there was nobody around to keep an eye on them. In this strange new world, allies could easily become enemies at the drop of a hat, and oftentimes a person's true agenda could be well hidden until the moment they struck, at which point it would be far too late. The memory of Tilda trying to force Aloy onto the Zenith ship came to mind then, and for a second Beta let the unexpected sense of loss settle around her shoulders like a heavy blanket. Then she shook it away with a literal roll of her shoulders. There was no time to unpack any of that right now.
“Aloy?!”
The shout came again, closer this time. With a stab of apprehension, Beta picked up the spear Aloy had given to her months ago, when the Nora Warrior had insisted on teaching Beta how to fight – or at least defend herself somewhat. The spear was a simple construction; a shaft of wood with a sharpened shard of metal attached to the end. Beta held it in both hands and tried to think of it as an extension of herself, as Aloy had told her to. But the weapon felt as alien in her grip now as if had the first time she'd held it.
“Aloy! Are you down there?”
Shit. There was no more time to worry about whether she could effectively use the spear. Beta had to move. She hurried to exit the basement and climbed the stairs as fast as she could. If this Talanah was hostile, she didn't want to have the upcoming altercation on the stairs, where Beta would be at a tactical disadvantage. She readied her spear as she burst through the door at the top of the stairs.
“Al-”
“She's not here.”
The fresh call for Aloy died on the dark lips of the woman as Beta made her presence known, and two perfect eyebrows knitted together as two deep brown eyes studied her closely. Beta kept her spear up, as Aloy had trained her to do.
“You're...not Aloy?” it sounded like both a question and a statement at the same time.
“No.” Beta replied shortly, keeping her eyes firmly on the woman's. Never take your eyes off your opponent, rang Aloy's voice in her head. She gripped the spear tighter, causing it to tremble in her grasp.
The woman...Talanah...dropped her gaze to the weapon and a second later the ghost of a smirk passed over her painted lips. “You're going to need something with a bit more weight to take me down, little sparrow.”
Is she...teasing me? Beta wondered, feeling her body temperature begin to rise. She wasn't sure if she was angry or embarrassed or both. She glared at Talanah. “What do you want?”
A long moment passed in which Talanah studied her with surprisingly intelligent eyes. Then she crossed her arms over her middle and leant nonchalantly against the closest wall. “Well, the first thing I want is for you to relax. I'm not going to hurt you.”
Beta did not relax. “I can’t be sure of that.”
“Sure you can.” Talanah chuckled, “Believe me, if I wanted to hurt you, you’d already be hurting.”
She grinned and winked devilishly at Beta, and the heat that had started beneath Beta’s collar began to spread up along her neck.
“I see you’ve got one of those little gadgets, just like Aloy.” Talanah tapped the side of her face, indicating Beta’s focus, “Can’t you use it to check me out, or something?”
Still watching Talanah closely, Beta slowly released one hand from the spear and lifted it to her focus, which she tapped quickly with one finger. The glowing digital interface appeared before her eyes and immediately locked onto the only living thing in view: Talanah. After a moment of calibration, information began to flood the space in front of Beta. She read and analysed the steaming data at a speed which would have made a pre-2030’s supercomputer blush, and then quickly shut down the projection.
She focused her gaze back on Talanah, who hadn’t moved an inch whilst Beta completed her scan. “Talanah Khane Padish. Carja. Sunhawk of the Hunter’s Lodge located in Meridian. Slayer of the thunderjaw named Redmaw and...” she paused and finally lowered her spear. “long time friend of Aloy.”
Talanah grinned. “Told ya.” She pushed off the wall and walked towards Beta, gleaming armour clinking as she moved. She came to a stop approximately three feet away from Beta and put her hands on her hips. “So, now you’ve got me at a disadvantage. You know everything about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”
Freshly unnerved by Talanah’s sudden closeness, Beta moved away to place her spear on the table where Erend used to spend all his time playing strike and listening to awful music.
As if sensing Beta’s need for distance, Talanah stayed where she was and simply watched as Beta put herself at a more comfortable range. When she could put it off no longer, Beta quietly asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Lets start with your name.” Talanah suggested. “You’re not Aloy, even though you have her face.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, “And she never mentioned having a sister. So, who are you, exactly?”
That’s a more complicated question than you think. “My name is Beta.” She answered, deciding to stick to the basics.
“Beta...” Talanah said slowly, as if she was tasting the name. As if she was savouring it in her mouth. “Okay, Beta, wanna tell me why you look exactly like my favourite Thrush?” She looked Beta up and down then with her deep brown eyes and gave a lopsided grin. “Well, almost exactly like her. I can tell there’s something very different about you, and it’s not just the hair.”
Without thinking, Beta ran a hand through her short locks. It was a style of convenience, chosen by her Zenith caretakers, and was indeed very different from Aloy’s fiery mane. “Aloy and I are the same, genetically.” She started, but she could tell by the look of confusion on Talanah’s face that she’d already lost her. How can I explain this? “We came from the same mould,” she tried again, searching Talanah’s eyes, hoping for understanding, “we were created from the same blueprints, like many of the machines out there.” She said, moving her hand to indicate the outside world. She did feel like a machine sometimes. A human supercomputer born to store knowledge and be of functional use. Like a refined tool.
“Okay,” Talanah looked bemused, “can’t say I really get it, but there’s a lot about Aloy I’ve never understood.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “but I know she’s a good person. And if you’re from the same ‘mould’, as you say, you must be too.”
“That’s not-“ Beta started, but then she stopped herself. There was no point in continuing this conversation. She decided to change trajectory. “What did you need Aloy for?” She asked.
“Well,” Talanah began, “I was hoping she could help me take down some of those big bad machines you’ve got wandering around here.”
Images of horrendously large and savage machines flashed through Beta’s mind, immediately putting her on edge. “Why, are they causing trouble?” Had HEPH managed to get a cauldron up and running? Was it already pumping out machines even deadlier than the Apex line?
“No more than usual, I assume.” If Talanah had sensed Beta’s sudden panic, she didn’t show it. “But I want the Hunter’s Lodge ready in case they ever migrate to the Carja lands.”
“That...makes sense.”
“Since Aloy isn’t here, I better be on my way.” Talanah lamented, “My Thrush is waiting for me at a nearby Utaru camp.”
Beta watched as Talanah readied herself to leave. She should let her go. The sooner she was gone, the sooner Beta could relax and get back to her preferred solitude.
“I could help you...” Beta immediately wanted to reach out with her hands and snatch the words back. Why had she said that?
Talanah stared at her, dark lips curving into an amused smile. “No offence, but you don’t look like much of a fighter, Beta.”
Beta rolled her eyes. “Not everything is about brute force, you know.”
“Hm.” Talanah eyed her thoughtfully. “Okay then, show me what you’ve got, Little Sparrow.”
Why does she keep calling me that? Beta shook her head and headed over to the counter where they kept all the spare focuses. “Over here, please.”
The chink of armour plates colliding signalled Talanah’s movement towards her. The fine hair on the back of Beta’s neck stood on end as the Huntress came closer, and she quickly attributed it to the fact that Talanah was still a stranger to her. Nothing more.
She picked out a focus and turned to Talanah, who was observing her with curiosity. She was so close that Beta could now see the flecks of gold in her deep brown eyes. They were very beautiful eyes. Objectively beautiful, she corrected herself in her mind, any normal person would think so. Those eyes dropped then to the focus in Beta’s hand, breaking the sudden hold they had on her mind.
“Wow, are you bringing me into the inner circle? That’s a high honour.” Talanah chuckled.
The words caused Beta to pause a moment. Would Aloy be okay with this? Perhaps she should contact her and ask? Dusk had fallen, however, and she was away with Alva. At this time of the day there was a high chance that Beta could interrupt...something. Her cheeks pinked at the thought. No, it was fine. Talanah had been Aloy’s mentor and now they were close friends and allies. Aloy would be fine with it. Probably. She lifted the focus to Talanah’s ear.
“You’ll need it.” She said by way of explanation. “Hold still, please.”
Talanah did so as Beta carefully attached the device to the Huntress’ ear. Despite her intention to focus entirely on her task, Beta couldn’t help but notice how soft the cheek was beneath her palm, nor could she stop the scent of Talanah invading her senses as she fixed the focus in place. It reminded her of the flowers Alva liked to place randomly around the Base in order to brighten the place up. Beta had never taken much notice of them before, but now images of bright desert blooms passed through her mind, robust and vibrant, just like Talanah.
Beta pulled away quickly when the focus was fixed in place, unnerved by the way her body was reacting to Talanah’s closeness. She let out a long breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding and stepped away, putting some distance between them.
“What now?” Talanah asked quietly.
Beta glanced at her. Was that the hint of a blush she could see on the Huntress' soft cheeks? Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. “Tap it with your finger to project the interface.” She instructed. Talanah seemed confused by most of the words she’d said but she did as she was told and tapped her focus. A moment later her eyes widened with surprise and wonder, pupils darting about as they tried to take in everything they could see. Beta waited, giving Talanah time to process what she was seeing.
“So, this is what Aloy sees.” Talanah finally murmured, her voice full of awe.
“Sort of.” Beta replied, activating her own device. With a few swipes of her hand she made contact with Talanah’s focus and took control of her interface.
“Wait, it’s changing. What’s happening?” Talanah’s brow was furrowed with confusion.
“I’ve taken control so I can show you how to use it.” Beta explained.
“I do love a woman who takes control.” Talanah smirked and shot Beta a mischievous wink.
Beta’s face flamed and for a moment she lost track of what she was doing. Ignore it! Her mind shrieked. Pretend you didn’t hear anything! “What kind of machine were you planning to attack?” She finally asked, hoping her voice sounded even and unbothered. She did not feel even and unbothered.
Talanah’s eyes twinkled as if she knew her comment had hit its mark, but then she directed her gaze back to the interface of her focus. “I think the locals call it a Tremortusk. It’s a huge, mean sonofabitch. I saw some Tenakth hunters trying to take one down out in the desert. They didn’t stand a chance.”
“You saw that and decided you would try it yourself?” Beta couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice. Did everyone in this land have a death wish?
“No, I saw that and decided I needed help. And here I am.” Talanah grinned.
Beta shook her head in disbelief but went ahead and found the data Aloy had gathered on the deadly Tremortusk. Moments later a 3D rendering of the machine was floating before them, recreated in perfect detail.
“Wow,” Talanah breathed, “I feel like I could just reach out and touch it.”
“You can...sort of.” Beta made a pinching motion with her fingers in mid-air pulled it around until they were looking at the back end of it. Then, using both hands, she compressed the image until it was no bigger than a teacup before returning it to it’s original size.
“Wow...” Talanah whispered as she watched Beta manipulate the rendering with an expression of awe.
Beta felt a stab of pride at being able to impress this woman who had probably spent her whole life fighting and bringing down machines much like the one projected before them.
“Okay, how does this help me?” Talanah finally asked, now casting a more critical eye over the Tremortusk.
“Well,” Beta opened up the tool panel and searched through the options until she found the right one, “using this we can highlight the machine’s weak spots such as power cells, elemental canisters, and biochemical sacs.” Several parts of the Tremortusk began to glow a bright yellow and labels naming each part appeared all around the projection.
“Ah, okay...” Talanah replied thoughtfully, moving around the image and leaning in closer to read the digital labels. “So if I hit these with some well placed arrows I should have a fighting chance?”
“It would certainly...elevate your odds.” Beta said diplomatically. “You should also consider removing or destroying it’s weapons before you even think about getting close.” She selected another option and the Tremortusk’s mounted cannons became highlighted in neon purple. “There are two between the tusks, two behind its head, and one by each rear leg. Six in total.”
“Damn, I’m gonna need a lot of arrows.” Talanah bit her lower lip in contemplation.
“You shouldn’t take this machine on alone, Talanah,” Beta warned, her tone quiet ans serious, “it was built specifically to destroy humans and it is very good at its job.”
Talanah nodded seriously, “Yeah, I can see that.” She studied the projection a little longer before asking, “when will Aloy be back?”
Beta shrugged, “She’s returned to the east, to speak with the Noras and the rest of the tribes in that region. It could be months.”
“She left you here alone?”
“I can take care of myself.” Beta said indignantly.
“Hm,” Talanah’s mouth quirked up at the ends, as if she didn’t really believe that, “well, I better get going.” She reached up and plucked the focus from her ear before setting it down on the nearby counter.
Beta watched her do it, brow furrowed in confusion, “You should take that with you,” she said, “it will give you all the data you need, when you need it.”
“Nah, feels like cheating.” Talanah grinned and then laughed when Beta rolled her eyes.
“Just keep it with you, then,” Beta insisted, swiping the device off the counter and holding it out, “you can use it to contact Aloy if you need further advice.”
Talanah’s eyes dropped to the focus and then rose again to meet Beta’s. “Can I use it to contact you?” She asked, her voice strangely soft now.
Beta's heart fluttered in her chest as Talanah's gaze held her captive, conveying a message that her brain couldn't quite decode, though her body seemed to know what it was. “If you want to.” She finally answered quietly, tearing her eyes away when she couldn’t take the intensity of the moment any longer.
“Alright, you've convinced me.” Talanah plucked the focus from Beta’s hand and slipped it into a pouch attached to her belt. “I'll be sure to keep you updated on how things go with the Tremortusk.”
“Sure...” Beta replied, her body still thrumming with tension. She watched in silence as Talanah gave her one last smile and turned to leave, armour clinking as she walked towards the exit. Beta gathered her wits together just in time to call out her name. “Talanah, wait!”
“Hm?” Talanah glanced expectantly over her shoulder at Beta.
“Just...be careful,” Beta murmured awkwardly, “please.”
Talanah grinned, “I always am, Little Sparrow.”
And then she was gone.