Breaking Zero
by Coross Legions
Chapter One:
Consequences
"I'm telling you, Vakarian, that this is going to work! You're just getting in the way!" I spat at the turian, who let out a low growl in response. "Give me one reason why you think this plan will go to shit, detective, and I'll gladly give you my response."
"There are civilians in there!" Garrus exclaimed fervently. His clawed hand appeared to be trembling in anger. "You can't raid a place filled with civilians, Strauss, the risk is far too high!" I shook my head, fingers putting pressure on my temples.
"I can tell a civilian from a drug dealer, you've got to give me more credit than that, Vakarian! If you don't want to go, fine! Then stand down!" I shouted, shoving the turian backwards. Garrus growled again, his hand clenching into a fist.
"I can't let you do that, Detective Strauss," he muttered softly. "The ends do not justify the means!" I let out a laugh, one that appeared to make Garrus nervous.
"You know what? Fine! If you have an issue with this plan, take it up with Pallin! We've got an untapped line to C-Sec command in the skycar." I give the turian the biggest scowl I can muster, and Garrus returned the favor.
"I'll do just that," Garrus muttered, walking over to the vehicle on the nearby landing pad. I followed him, lagging a little behind him. He climbed into the skycar, where I pulled out my omnitool and shorted out the vehicles controls. It entered standby mode and shut, locking the detective in. As I walked away, I could vaguely hear the sound of a pissed off turian slamming his fists against the bulletproof glass of the patrol car.
"Everyone, gather around!" I shouted to the group of officers Pallin had provided us for this operation. "Detective Vakarian has opted to stay behind during this raid," I explained, turning off my omnitool. "Here's the situation. A small time drug ring has set up shop beneath a human fast food distribution chain. The workers in the upper levels are civilians and are not to be harmed. Down below, though... We've got some tweakers and addicts with high-end weaponry."
"Whose supplying them?" one of the officers asked. Gomez, I think his name is.
"We're not entirely sure. Scans outline a massive cache of element zero in the basement, which means we can safely conclude that these are the guys who have led to the recent spike in red sand on the Citadel," I replied. "It is safe to assume that these guys probably get their equipment from the always-illusive Bishop. Until we get down there and take them out, we won't know."
I pulled open a hologram of the building on my omnitool and outlined the three entrances in yellow, blue, and red. "Alpha team will go through yellow. They will be with me. We are going through the main entrance as a frontal assault of sorts. Two smaller teams, Bravo and Charlie, are going in the back and left to flank any resistance. Any questions?"
"How many guys are we looking at?" another officer asked.
"There are thirty civilians in the upper levels. You are not to fire unless fired upon, understood?" All officers nodded in agreement. "Good. Down below, we're looking at less than twenty men of various species. Most of them are human, but a couple of turians and salarians are down there as well."
"Outmanned and outgunned. Just how I like it," Gomez replied with a grin. "Maybe we can pop some flares, that way we lose the element of surprise. Just to keep it interesting."
"Shut it, Gomez," I replied with a scowl. "Let's keep it professional. Without Vakarian, we're down a sharpshooter. Telarus, I want you to take position on the building across the street. We'll mark civilians as we go through. Avoid them at all costs." Telarus nodded and saluted in response. "Remember, this is standard CQC engagement protocols. Assault rifles for precision to avoid the civilians, and shotguns once we get to the lower levels. Don't do anything stupid that will get yourself killed."
"Roger that, sir!" they all exclaimed.
"Alright! Telarus, I want you on that roof yesterday! Gomez, you're leading Bravo team! Corelius, you've got Charlie! I've got Alpha! Everyone, join the communication channel and be ready to breach on my mark!" I looked down at my omnitool as it started buzzing. Incoming Transmission from Garrus Vakarian (Det.). I put my omnitool on silent and moved to my position, where I began to hack the door.
The building was relatively normal for one on the Citadel. It was the size of a factory floor, with windows high up. Inside, various workers were sorting the products being given to them from below – most of them didn't know that a drug ring was planting red sand throughout their shipments. Every two hours, large industrial transport freighters would arrive to transfer the goods. The last ones had left only ten minutes ago. If we wanted to strike, now was the time to do so.
"Waiting on your mark, Strauss," Gomez whispered on the comm channel. Corelius gave a similar confirmation moments later.
"Prepare to breach in three... two..." On one, I finished the hack and the door opened, assault rifle raised. Several people frantically glanced over here and ducked under the machinery. Two men drew side arms, but I peppered them with assault rifle fire before they could fire off any rounds. "Hostiles eliminated! Tag the civilians! We don't want Telarus to hit any collaterals!"
"Upper floor cleared, sir," came Corelius reply. Gomez had yet to respond.
"Gomez, is everything alright on your end?" I asked.
"We've engaged hostiles at the back of the factory! It looks to be some kind of break room of sorts for the guards! Daedali was hit, but we've got medigel on it! We could use some support!" Gomez shouted on his end of the comm channel.
"Corelius, flank the hostiles!" I ordered, walking over to the two guards I had shot. Both of them were no longer breathing. "This room is clear! Michaels and Invius! You two stay behind and make sure no one gets out! Understood?"
"Understood, sir!" they confirmed. I beckoned for the rest of my team to follow me to the back of the factory, where Corelius was supposed to be giving Gomez some covering fire. When I found a closed door, I opened up my omnitool.
"What's the situation?" I asked as I began to hack the door. The progress bar began to slowly inch across the screen as I attempted to crack their passwords.
"Gomez and Daedali were both injured, although not mortally. We've moved them to a safe location for the remaining duration of the raid. However, upon inspecting the hostiles, we noticed that they have ping jammers," Corelius explained.
"That's why they didn't show up on the scans," I realized, cursing under my breath. "Well, we're lucky there weren't any casualties. Regroup on me, I'm about to breach the next level."
"Sir, if I may, I recommend abandoning the raid. Already, our scans are inaccurate. We don't know how many more are down there," Corelius replied.
"No!" I shouted. "I've got the situation under control! We continue with the raid!"
"Understood, sir. Regrouping on your location." After he finished, the hack had completed, and the doors slid open to reveal a dark stairwell. At the bottom, a red hue slowly bled upwards into the darkness.
"Moving forward," I said as I placed my assault rifle on my back and replaced it with my shotgun. As I was about to make the roundabout, a bullet pinged on the metallic walls. "Shit! Hostile fire! Anyone got any grenades?"
"Only flash! Didn't want to take chances with civilians present," Officer Zachary offered. I grabbed them from him just as Corelius arrived on site.
"Flash grenade, out!" I shouted, tossing it past the curve. I heard a few people begin cursing loudly before the bang, and a flash of brilliant light illuminated the basement for a millisecond. I rushed in there and began firing my shotgun at targets who were still moving. Once my shotgun overheated, I pulled out my assault rifle and began spraying.
"HELP ME!" shouted a sharp feminine voice as the gunfire began to dwindle. "PLEASE! HE'S CRAZY!"
"Hold your fire!" I shouted, and the officers behind me stopped pulling their triggers. A man stepped out from cover with a woman caught in a headlock. A pistol was being pushed against her temple, causing her to be in tears as the man slowly walked forward. "Drop your weapon!"
"Like hell I will! I'll let the bitch go if you let me out of here!" he shouted, reassuring his grip on the woman. A steady stream of tears was flowing down her face, and I could see a bruise where I presume she was hit with a pistol.
"Sir, drop the weapon!"
"I'll shoot! Don't fucking test me, 'cause I'll do it!" he exclaimed, pushing the pistol further into her head. She was still sobbing loudly, but the pressure caused her to recoil in pain. "I'm just going to walk out of here. Try anything, and I'll blow her head off!"
I slowly put down my assault rifle in order to calm him down. I also ordered the other officers to stand down. "Let her go, and you're free to walk."
"Like I'd believe that steaming pile of shit!" he replied. He continued to shuffle closer towards the door. I slowly put my hand down and rested it on the pistol strapped to my belt. "You fucks better not follow me, or she'll be fucking dead!"
I waited for my chance as he reached the bottom of the stairwell. He stumbled when he reached the first step, which allowed me to pull my weapon with lightning fast accuracy. I fired off a round that struck him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop the sobbing woman. Another bang echoed in the room, but the junkie dropped to the floor. I fired another round, this time hitting him square in the chest. The life seeped out of him as a puddle of crimson formed around him.
I ran up to the dead thug to make sure he was dead and, sure enough, nothing but a corpse was left. I stood up and walked towards the woman, only to see that a pool of blood was spreading around her as well. "Shit! We've got wounded!"
Two Years Earlier
"She's not breathing!" I shouted at Monica as I stood frantically by her bedside. "Call 911! Now!" Monica jumped into action, pulling up the phone app on her omnitool while I tried to remember my CPR training. I tilted her head back and looked to see if anything was lodged. When there was nothing that I could find, I turned to make sure that her blood continued circulating. Both palms on her chest, and... one, two, three, four, five...
"911, what's your emergency?" One, two, three, four, five...
"Our daughter isn't breathing!" Monica exclaimed in a panic. "Please! I don't know how much longer she can-"
"What is your current location, ma'am? I need you to remain calm." One, two, three, four, five...
"495 West Maryland Avenue!" she shouted, breaking out into tears. One, two, three, four, five...
"An ambulance is currently on it's way, ma'am. Is there anyone else with you?"
"Yes! My husband! He's doing chest compressions!" My vision grew blurry as tears streamed down my face. "What else can we do!?"
"Make sure he doesn't stop until the paramedics arrive. If he gets tired, switch." I tuned out the conversation as my muscles grew weary. One, two, three, four, five... "Ma'am, you need to remain calm. Everything will be alright."
Before Monica could offer a reply, the sound of a siren and a skycar landing on our apartment roof signaled the arrival of the paramedics. Two men knocked on the door, and Monica sprinted into the main hall to let them in. "She's in the bedroom!"
One, two, three, four, five...
One, two, three, four, five...
One, two, three, four-
"Sir, we can take it from here!" the first paramedic said as he put a hand on my shoulder. I shoved him off, and continued to do the compressions. "Sir! You need to move away from the girl!" When I refused to comply, the second paramedic grabbed me and pulled me away while the first began to pull out equipment.
"Sir. You've done your job. Now let us do ours." The look on that man's face, one of pity, yet admiration, will forever live in my memory. All I could do was watch. I held one sobbing Monica in my arms as I watched the paramedics try to save the feeble young life of my baby girl.
One, two, three, four, five...
"Time. I'm calling it, detective. 16:32," said the medic on site. "Detective, you're doing chest compressions on a corpse. You need to stop, now."
One, two, three, four, five...
Gomez limped over, his arm in a sling from his wound during the raid. "Alex, it's over. She's gone. You heard the medic." He put his good hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, Strauss. Pallin is waiting for us."
One, two, three -
"STRAUSS!" roared an incredibly loud voice. "WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT PIECE OF SHIT?!" A low growl filled the basement of the facility as footsteps clammored down the stairwell. I knew that voice all too well.
"Detective Vakarian, he's in the middle of some kind of-"
"You son of a bitch!" the turian roared as he lunged for me. His talons scraped across my face as his fist connected. I toppled over, unable to defend myself. I simply raised my hands as his claws raked across my forearms. "Look what you fucking did!"
"Vakarian!" Gomez shouted as he tried to pry the turian off. He was successful for a moment, until Garrus pulled away and jumped on me once again. One slash struck deep, causing a gash from my eyebrow to my lower right cheek to bleed profousely. Another officer showed up to aid Gomez in pulling the turian off of me.
"She's dead because of YOU!" the turian shouted, flailing uselessly to get another punch at me. The medic pulled me up and took a look at my wounds, but then told me to shrug it off. Just a bunch of sratches. "YOU killed her! YOU DID!"
"Vakarian, that's enough!" boomed an authoritative voice that caused the entire room to descend into silence. "Detectives, front and center!"
"Executor, sir!" Garrus exclaimed as he jumped to a salute. I simply gazed forward as I had been doing since I had been pulled away from... her.
"At ease. Now, what the hell is going on here?! You two are partners!" he shouted in anger.
"Sir, Strauss proposed a plan that had the potential to injure various civilians on site. When I attempted to argue against said plan, he locked me in the patrol car! By the time I get out, two officers have been shot and a civilian was killed!" Garrus explained.
"Detective Strauss, is this true?"
"Yes, sir."
"Wait!" Gomez shouted, jumping into the argument. "I looked over Strauss' plan, sir. I wouldn't have agreed to it if it wasn't worth the risk. I was wounded because the men inside had ping jammers, which meant that they had far more numbers than initially thought. And yet, we still only got out with two injuries!" Pallin nodded as he listened to the officer. "And the civilian? She was a hostage! The hostile in question was going to kill her, no doubt about it. But Strauss took the shot when he could. If he hadn't taken that chance, she would have died no matter what he did."
"That doesn't change the fact that Strauss' plan put her in danger in the first place," Garrus growled softly. Pallin appeared to ignore it for the time being.
"Is Officer Gomez correct, Alex?" Pallin asked, and I simply nodded in response. "You put me in a difficult position here, detective..." the Executor muttered. "You didn't clear the plan with me or anyone at C-Sec command. And, if you had... well, I would've supported it. The plan would've worked. It did work."
"Sir-"
"Enough, Vakarian," Pallin growled. "Unfortunately, you didn't clear it with us. Therefore, the death of the civilian is on your hands. It is your responsibility. Do you understand me, Alex?" I nodded. "As Executor of C-Sec, I am officially discharging you from active duty, effective immediately. You cannot hold another position in C-Sec or any other Council-affiliated police force. Due to the outcome of the raid, though... I'm feeling generous, Alex, due to the fact that you eliminated red sand smugglers that we've been hunting for months."
"Sir, Strauss should be put on trial-"
"I said that's enough, Vakarian!" Pallin shouted. "Maybe with a decent sharpshooter, doing his job, we wouldn't have lost a civilian today!" Pallin sighed and turned back to me. "But he's right, Alex. What you did today was reckless and irresponsible. I cannot condone your actions. But," he said, turning back to Garrus, "no trial. We've seen enough life wasted today. Throwing you in prison would be wasteful. Vakarian, meet me back at the Academy for a newly assigned partner. Strauss? I never want to have to see you again. Understood?"
"Understood, sir."
AN: Heyhey! I'm back! Sort of! You all probably know me from Shattered Skies! Well, I'll get to that in a second! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of what I hope to be a fantastic story! As you can probably tell, I draw inspiration from Breaking Bad, which I draw upon heavily for inspiration. I just finished the show last night and... if you haven't seen it, you need to. Now. I highly recommend it! As a side note, I'd also like to give a shoutout to iNf3ctioNZ! Why? This isn't an SI, I swear! But... well, I'll just say this. Any and all characters I use from Masses to Masses belong to him! You'll see why next chapter! It'll be important, I promise.
Now to what you all probably care about: Shattered Skies. I've been on a hiatus for almost a year (woah!) due to life being... stressful. I'll spare you the details. But the point is that I got distracted and couldn't continue writing. Now, however, I will! And that includes Shattered Skies! I won't be doing a reboot and rewriting it. I'm just going to finish it. A lot of you have been messaging me about it, and I promise, I'll finish it. I just need to get back into gear! Release schedule will be Mondays! It will alternate per story, so next week, the next chapter of Shattered Skies will be out! Hooray! Anyway, this Author's Note has dragged on long enough! Coross, OUT!