Lin made her way down the stairs slowly, thinking over what she'd been told and what she hadn't been told about this new career she was embarking on. Sentient weapons that were partners, energies undetectable by standard scientific equipment, creatures made of this energy; the thought process looped back around to its beginning. Dr. Michaels had told her that she had to find her weapon before sending her down the stairs, but had not told her how.

The room below was empty, echoing, dimly lit by torchlight, its walls lined with rectangular stone tiles with glyphs on them. There was nothing in the room that he could recognize as a weapon, and she took measured steps into the center of the space, looking around. There must be something more to this than what she could see.

There you are, someone said. She sensed a sudden, powerful impression of another personality present, like feeling the heat of the summer sun radiating against her skin. The someone was impatient, intense, irritated nearly to the point of anger. You should have come sooner.

"Excuse me," she said, with dignity. "I've only been in suspended animation in some kind of pod for who knows how long. I had no control over that. I'm told that you're the catalyst for my waking, actually. I assume you're my partner?"

You're my partner, the someone said, in the annoyed tone of someone making a correction. Come and pick me up already. To your left. No, further, he instructed, as she turned. Stop. Forward.

She reached out to the wall, her fingers brushing over a glyph on a tile.

Wrong! Higher, the voice hissed. But she had already moved her hand, feeling a distinct sense of rejection from the tablet she'd touched. Up to the next, and then one more, and here her hand stilled, feeling that powerful sense of presence under her skin. It wasn't a physical feeling, not quite, but she could clearly tell that she had found him, even before he instructed, Take me down.

She dug her nails into the crack between two tablets, but she barely had to pull at all. The tablet fell easily away from the wall, and she huffed as she caught it with both hands. It blurred, somehow, and changed even as she held it. The object in her hands was now a large hammer, square-headed, decorated with geometric patterns and spiked all along its top surface. A snakelike decoration twined down the handle, and she held it awkwardly, feeling the tug of its weight on her shoulders. It. Him. "What am I supposed to do with you now?" she asked, frowning.

Keep me, he said, sounding almost satisfied. The hammer blurred again, and she got ready to catch the stone tablet, but the weight simply lifted from her hands as he vanished. Something pinched sharply at her ear, and she squawked and put her hand up to find that a heavy, jeweled loop hung from her ear, set inside the helix.

"The ********," she said, as the sharp sensation subsided to a slow, dull throb. "Did you just pierce my ear?"

I will heal it for you.

"Not the point -- you can do that?"

I am your weapon, he said impatiently, as though that should explain everything.

"I guess it's done now," she grumbled. "What do I even call you?"

Anax. I am Anax.

"I'm Lin."

I know.