[b]"Trinity"[/b] [i] "Sara'leigh. Lara'leigh. Donna'leigh. The New Monarchy's... 'Custodians of Knowledge'. The rest of us know them as Trinity. They're not all one person. I've met all three of them. Most people don't even know what their role is, and half the people who know their role don't get what it's about. They're [b]Custodians[/b]. Not Librarians. They aren't in charge of keeping all of the information---I know who [b]is[/b], but that isn't what you asked me---they're in charge of keeping it clean. Cleaning it up. New Monarchy? New Monarchy wants to be able to define what dirty is. Like they did with me. What's crazy is that they can do it. They're an enemy to anyone who wants to know the truth." ~ Fox[/i] ************************************************************************** "A query from Executor Hideo." Sara began, already grinning. "As you know---" in her best Hideo impression, which she'd had plenty of time to practice "---recent events both fortuitous and unfortunate have created a necessity for action. You know that I absolutely abhor the obligation to bore you with politics. But---" Sara sighed, rolled her eyes, and set down the glowing datapad holding the message. "---but I insist on wording these in the longest possible way. Because I think I sound [i]really[/i] good when I talk, and people around the Tower have been eating up my bullshit lately." Lara continued for her. She was across the room, going through the always extensive process of pinning her hair back in a way that was functional enough to fit under her helmet. "I'm going to say a bunch of crap about our 'mission' and how much we---we meaning I---appreciate what you do, I'm going to apologize for making you work with that armored freak who likes to land on people's heads, and then I'm going to ask you to do something dirty and underhanded. I'll pay you handsomely for it. Handsome. Hmm. I certainly am handsome, aren't I?" Lara's Hideo impression was worse than hers. Sara laughed. "Attached to this file, you'll find the latest act of assholery I'm excusing as being for the greater good. Because I am a child with too many shiny new hammers, and 'verse is just chock full of [b]nails[/b]." Lara dropped her impression as well. Turning away from her mirror, folding her arms over her chest and leaning against the counter behind her, she arched a blonde brow at Sara. "Did I miss anything?" Sara loved her sister. Her sister[u][i]s[/i][/u], but one was necessarily absent at the moment. Already off beginning to handle one of the many problems someone else didn't seem to be able to solve for themselves. Lara had this way about her, this habit of being abrupt and condescending and sometimes outright rude. She was impatient; she never seemed to have time for anyone or anything. She never had time to explain, and would rather improvise than plan. Sara was more careful, more considerate, but couldn't quite manage the ease by which Lara navigated life. Lara was always the same level of irritable. Somehow her blatantly haughty attitude and cynicism made it difficult to wallow about anything at all. Levity in the form of a general disdain for the rest of the world. "...no. No, you didn't miss anything." Sara chuckled quietly, shaking her head. "He's reminding us about the... [i]Vanguard Attack Force[/i] problem. They've started to diversify. Blowing up Golden Age stations and hacking Clovis Bray wasn't enough for them, apparently. They're starting to look an awful lot like they want something. Like they're looking for something. Whatever it is, it would probably throw a wrench in a plan if, say, that plan were to unite the City under one absolute power..." Sara trailed off, then shrugged. "Vanguard Assault Lance. Don't ask me what that even means. [i]VAL[/i] is catchier than [i]VAF[/i], though. That just sounds stupid." Lara turned back around to finish what she was doing. She was, at the moment, only in the form fitting body suit worn hidden beneath any Warlock's robes. It contained the basic functions of any Hazard Environment and Life Support suit. The same acronym, [i]HEaLS[/i] which everyone Guardian probably felt the need to make a joke about at least once. Even through the matte black mesh which was far more complex than its fabric like appearance would suggest, Sara could see that she and Lara were built in practically identical proportions. Figures that were more agile than ample. Curved where curves ought to be, but instruments of war rather than decore. Donna was built precisely the same. Of skin that didn't see enough direct sunlight, and golden hair. They were triplets. This, apparently, held some significance to everyone who wasn't them. To Sara, they were the sisters she'd known in many lives, and were as much a part of her as her own arms. She liked to watch Lara do her hair for the reason Lara and Donna liked to watch her read, and they were all entertained by Donna's love for stabbing things; it represented a part of them that they didn't need to be bothered with because one of the others would handle it. "Are we going to do something about them? This is the second time he's asked." Lara continued. She'd finished pinning her hair up, and Sara watched her turn left and right. Making faces in the mirror at herself, posing, despite the fact that no one else was going to see much more of her than her helmeted head, her red and white robes, and the business end of her Vanquisher. The poses were for her and her sister's entertainment. She caught Sara watching her in the mirror, winked at her and blew a kiss. "I don't know. They have a few names from those files we 'forgot' to delete. I don't want to deal with that right now. I don't see that we need to, either. After Philadelphia, I doubt they're going to get anything else useful..." Sara trailed off. "But?" Lara pressed. She moved away from the mirror, tapping the number pad on her locker quickly. "...we need to suit up, Sara. Time to go be 'Siren'." "What if they're on to something? This could be more than just an opportunity to deal with Fox. Donna might be upset if we don't go through with that but... I don't know. I just---I don't know." Sara looked back down to the data pad. Reading the request again. She shook her head. "I'm already tired of playing politics. Angel can obviously handle at least three of them at a time." "It's Hideo. He doesn't care if he can have them killed, he cares if they can be[i] controlled[/i]. And he cares if they have something we don't. Which they do." Lara sounded so flippant about it all. Sara glanced at her, and she was casually trying on different gloves. "We know more about them than they know about themselves. Especially with Donna hanging around them. I mean---" Sara began, Lara cut her off. "Then why don't we just ask them if they want to trade info, rather than figuring out how we can get them into the wild and beat it out of them?" Lara followed the suggestion with a sigh. "You've already thought through this, why're you asking me about it? Lets just suit up, call Donna, and go. I know you don't quite buy our image, but everyone else does. Shit, Donna has two different alias. Is she Dusk, or the third member of Trinity? Who knows! Find out next week---or never, probably never. Either way..." Sara lifted her eyes to her sister to see her sauntering over, two helmets in her hand. She dropped one on the table in front of her, blocking her view of the data pad. "...we have work to do. Call Donna. Didn't she say that some of them are tired of that Titan not telling them anything? We meet with them, as Trinity. They've already worked for us before. We've watched them do their thing, they can't surprise us. And we offer to trade." Sara stared up at her for a moment. Blue eyes, just like her own. A soft face which was far kinder their her voice was. It was like looking into a mirror at someone who not only wasn't her, but was everything she wasn't. It was still a little disorienting, for reasons she couldn't quite place. Familiar, comforting, but disorienting. "What if they don't want to trade? Or they know something worth... 'cleaning up'." "Then we do what we always do, Sara. You'll do what Siren always does. I'll do what Wraith always does. Donna will do what Dusk always does. It's not complicated." Lara shrugged. "Always?" Sara asked, half to herself. She was already standing, though. Lara was right, this time. She usually was in the end. "How long've we been doing what we always do?" "Unless you think [i]they[/i] know, I don't really care at the moment." Lara replied. "And they don't. Right?" Sara didn't reply. She'd gone to the mirror, helmet tucked under her arm, to pin her hair up exactly the same way Lara did. For a moment she focused to look behind her, and saw Lara staring at her. "Truth with each other's all we've got, Sara." Lara reminded her. It was a common refrain, among them. "I know." Sara muttered. "Call Donna. Lets go get some truth. And keep it to ourselves, however we'll manage that." Lara nodded. Sara went back to fixing her hair. "Like always?" She heard behind her. She couldn't quite tell what Lara's tone meant. "Like always."