Take note! I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters and etc. Because you know if I did, I would be helping to put Mass Effect 3 into stores on the given due date.
UnSpoken
Prologue:
Bullets flew all around me as I dove for cover behind a nearby stone pillar. The shields for my battle suit depleted as they hit zero just as I got around the pillar, bullets slammed into the pillar. Quickly getting to my feet I caught my breath waiting for my shields to recharge as I watched my teammates weaving through the wreckage that littered the once-elegant indoor park. Bullets pinged off where my squad mates hid behind a group of rocks at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The enemy held the high ground at the top of stairs with large pillars on either side, the stairs being the only way up. The enemy rained down gunfire at the rocks protecting my squad mates, a rocket zipped by my cover hitting a nearby rock turning it into a smoldering black crater.
"- don't have a shot, got to p- through befo- its too late!" Static buzzed in my ears through the speakers in my helmet.
"No S- I know!" I yelled knowing that the enemy's jamming signal was too powerful and my reply would fall on deaf ears.
A soft pong announced that my shields were done charging and back at full strength, though if I got hit by one of those missiles a full shield wouldn't stop me from becoming pink mist. I stood straight using hand signs to signal the squad what I was about to do and told them to cover me when I gave the signal. I relaxed into a crouch getting ready to run as soon as the next missile was fired. My heart pounded as gunfire continued to rain down all around me, the bottom half of my helmet was open so my breath would not cloud my visor but the smells of burning plants, flesh, and superheated metal left a vile taste in my mouth. A round cut through the stone pillar hiding me and my shields flared bright blue as it made contact with me but it did not hit me. I slide back just a little, I had to wait for the next rocket to be fired or I would not make it to the next pillar so I could nail these bastards good and hard. I rechecked the assault rifle in my hands more out of habit than concern, grasping the handle and grip as I waited while the world continued to burn around me.
"W-'re get-g -illed here, we need - mov- now!" My speakers managed to pick up.
"Not yet!" I shouted knowing full well they would not hear me.
I turned to signal but stopped as I heard the high pitch noise I had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity. A bright red blur flashed past and exploded into a tree turning it into thousands of toothpicks.
"Now!" I screamed giving the signal as I bolted forward from what remained of the stone pillar.
The world around me slowed as I ran through the open walkway exposed to the enemy, my shields flared bright blue as enemy rounds deflected off my shield, rounds flew over my head as my squad mates fired at the enemy position as I sprinted. Five yards was all I had to cover to get to the base of the flight of stairs and then I could lob a grenade up and push the enemy back. I got two yards away when I heard the piercing beeping that told me my shields were down to less than 20%. If I stopped now I would die here, there was no cover for me to hide behind so I kept going crossing the front of the enemies kill zone, only one yard to go.
An enemy round slammed into me and I fell hard, the suits speakers screaming in my ears that my shields were now gone and they would need to recharge but by the time they did I would be dead riddled with rounds from the enemies weapons. I struggled to get up my arm and leg burned with pain from falling on the hard floor, my assault rifle still gripped in one hand as I raised my head trying to get my bearings. Thats when I spotted a single enemy at the top of the stairs his gun barrel aimed right at me, there was nothing I could do. I froze in terror knowing what was about to come next, thats when I heard the shot and knew my life was at an end.
Chapter 1: Fear & Confusion
Four Months Earlier-
I opened my eyes slowly not fully awake yet my head throbbed painfully. My whole body felt stiff and sore, cracking my joints loudly as I moved my fingers and toes, keeping my eyes closed letting my headache fade. Then I tried to move my arms and legs to stretch even more, I tried to move but my limbs remained fixed in place not responding to my to command. I opened my eyes looking down to my legs my headache forgotten and sleep no longer clouding my mind. I was standing straight up with my arms sticking out to either side with my legs stuck together but was not the worst of it I was being held by invisible bonds in a large blue shimmering bubble, this took a minute to set in as none of it made sense. I looked past the blue surface of the bubble trying to see outside of it, what I saw was not inspiring. I was in a massive room that looked to be made of a fade blue tile with a flat floor with a oval ceiling that went back till it got to a drop off down a large shaft of some sort. The room was empty of stuff and I could not see anyone in the room, the only thing I could see was a odd box that came up out of the floor about 10 feet to my left side just out of my line of sight. I swung my head to the left as far as I could trying to look at the only interesting object in the vast room, my temple connected with something hard and my head exploded with pain!
"Awwww! What the frick!" My arms strained against the invisible bonds that held me trying in vain to clutch my throbbing head.
"Who is there?" A pained voice said behind me.
"The guy with the splitting skull, who the hell are you! I barked harshly as my headache began to fade even so slowly.
"I am sorry but you hit me." The female voice stated in a firm but pained tone.
"So who are you?" She asked again. The question caught me off guard because no answer came to mind.
"My name, yeah my name is-." I trailed off no answer coming to mind as the more I thought the more my headache got worse.
"Is what?" She asked calmly.
Lowering my head I squeezed my eyes shut from the shimmering blueness that surrounded me and thought hard. But the harder I thought the more intense my headache grew which was not helping; I exhaled trying to relax in this odd pose just enough to remember my name. That's when it hit me full force I jerked my head up.
"Dante!" I exclaimed. "It's Dante, that's my-." I said till I was interrupted.
"Dante is it?" A heavy masculine voice boomed out from behind me. My head whipped to the right trying to see whom this new voice belonged to but that ended as my right temple connected with something hard and my head exploded in pain.
"Owww!" I exclaimed in a mixture of pain and surprise, my arms straining at my invisible bonds in vain.
"Stop hitting me!" The women behind me yelled at me, anger and pain mixed in her tone.
"Sorry, but who the hell was that?" I stated I could feel the knot that I had hit twice now. As it moved across the back of my head, she must be right behind me in the same position but there must have been a little space between the two of us because I could not feel any other part of her touching touch me other than the knot at the back of her head.
"How cute, a lovers quarrel." The heavy masculine voice once again cut in.
"Hey pal come over here and say that to my face!" I taunted too angry to really care.
"Don't worry once I get through this barrier I will and once I do you will beg for me to kill you swiftly." The unknown enemy said tauntingly. Heavy footsteps echoed in the silence that followed as they grew fainter and fainter till nothing but silence once again filled the room.
"So-" I said trying to fill the silence. "He sounded nice." Trying to lighten the mood, I slowly turned my head left trying to see this woman behind me, she seemed to have the same idea but she was looking towards my opposite side. We both seemed to be in a the same position within the blue bubble, I could see through the corner of my eye the green and white material of her clothes but not her hands or her head.
"Are you serious, that Krogan is going to kill us both in some horrible and painful way and your making jokes?" She stated.
"Krogan?" I asked aloud my mind drawing a blank. "What a Krogan?" I asked confusion racking my brain on this one word. I felt her hair knot sliding across the back of my skull as if she was trying to look at me.
"You do not know what a Krogan is? She asked sounding surprised.
"No, should I have?" " I answered honestly.
"Who are you? She said with utter confusion in her voice. My mind throbbed as I racked my brain as I try to remember, I only succeeded in making my headache worse.
"No, I can't even remember how I got here, let alone where here is." I said panic creeping into my voice. I still tried to remember anything of value, though this only made my headache worse.
"I know I'm Dante but nothing else makes sense, ugh I need some painkillers my head is killing me." I groaned more depressed than in pain.
"Dante, right?" She said calmly.
"What, our friend the Krogan said irritated not knowing what a Krogan was.
"We are at a Prothean dig site I have been excavating this site for the past two years. I was working when the Krogan and Geth troops with him trapped me. I activated the old Prothean barrier system to protect myself, but when I did I was knocked out and awoke in our current position, as to why your here with me I don't know" She finished in a calming voice.
"There is no other staff? I asked.
"No, I work by myself." She replied evenly. "Other than when a supply ship stops by to resupply me. There is no one else on this planet or I thought there was no one else." She finished.
This woman was odd to say the least. I had mixed thoughts about her that ranged from sever anti-social disorder to a loner with whole planet to herself. But it was now her and me verses the Krogan with his Geth troops, neither of which I had a clue as to what they were other than some form of alien species. As distant as she was she is the closest thing to a friend I have on this whole planet, at least she seemed very intelligent if not socially awkward.
"So do you have a name, or shall I keep calling you, you?" I asked half joking.
"No, my apologies for not saying my name earlier, I am Dr.- " She stop suddenly.
"Is someone out there? Can you hear me? We're trapped we need help!" She called out loudly.
"What is it?" I asked twisting slowly trying to see but not smack my head in the process.
"Shut up! Are you trying to get us killed?" A new voice stated bluntly, this was not the Krogan voice from before.
"Sorry, my apologies." My cell/bubble partner replied.
"Dr. T'soni, are you alright?" This new male voice questioned, well at least I now knew my cellmate's late name.
"Yes listen to me, this thing is a Prothean security device I need you to get us out of here alright?" T'soni said in a rush voice.
"Yeah um, there is a barrier in the way or had you not noticed?" The man said annoyingly.
"The barrier kept me safe from the Geth, but I must have hit something else because we became trapped in here." T'soni said.
"You turned it on, you can turn it off, and you're the expert." He responded putting emphasis on the expert.
"I can't move and I only know how most of it works." T'soni stated back annoyance creeping into her voice. "There is a control console there that deactivates the system." T'soni continued. "You'll have to find another way in, but be careful there is a Krogan with the Geth and they have been trying different ways to get in." T'soni finished.
"Who's that behind you?" The guy asked.
"This is Dante, he is with me." T'soni said to my surprise. "He has signs of a concussion if not amnesia, now please hurry and find another way in." she said urgency in her voice.
"Just hang around." The guy grudgingly replied as I heard a couple pairs of boots walking away and faded into silence.
"Hang around, sure thing asshole, like we are going to leave." I muttered under my breath, seething. I could feel Dr. T'soni's knot moving against the back of my head remembering her words moments ago that saved me in more than one-way.
"Thank you for what you said to them, but why did you lie to them, you don't know me Doc. I don't mean to sound ungrateful I am, but I could be an enemy." I stated honestly waiting for a response.
"That is one such probability." T'soni said calmly. "But it is one probability out of many Dante, I don't think that you are my enemy. Like these Prothean ruins around us the correct answer is not always the most obvious one. Besides you are with me, in here with me so I did not lie to them." T'soni finished slyly, I could feel her trying to look at me, which reassured me even more.
"Thank you, Dr. T'so-." I started.
"Liara." T'soni said stated.
"Excuse me?" I asked confused.
"My full name Liara T'soni. Please call me Liara, Dante." Liara said, It had a nice ring to it as I repeated her name again several times to myself to make sure I got it right.
"Thank you again, Liar-."
A loud boom sounded from somewhere and the place began to shake uncontrollably and violently. Dust fell from the ceiling as a low grinding noise filled the air with enough force to make my teeth rattle. Then it stopped just as suddenly as it started it ended, dust stilled fell from the ceiling making it hard to breath as both Liara and I coughed repeatedly.
"What was that?"
End Part #1
Well hope you enjoyed the ride, please R&R!