I'm overextending myself and I goddamn well know it. I got two other pieces going that I really should get back to but I just can't shake this idea from my head and in my opinion these two incredible series go extremely well together.

A Razor's Edge

Chapter One: Awaken

"You have been selected for the prestigious honour..."

The words resounded inside his head, echoing a dozen times over. He remembered it as though it had only been yesterday.

"The process will be long, arduous, and some of you may not come out of it the same way you went in..."

They had promised a lot of things. Mostly pain, they'd delivered on that one if nothing else.

"There will be days when you will do nothing but vomit and hope to whatever deity you believe in that this day will be your last. But you will overcome..."

They had overcome. He was damn glad and even more proud to say every one of his unit – Razor Team – had made the grade.

"Because you, ladies and gentlemen, are the best of the best..."

They'd proved it on the numerous exercises and combat situations, each of them rising above and beyond the challenge put to them.

"The suits will turn you into something else. Something more than human..."

Even then, they'd never lost sight of what they were – soldiers. There to serve and defend their planet.

"You are all that stands between us and them. Planet. Nation. Home. You are united here not through treaty, or truce, or even by blood, but by species..."

The Ceph were brutal, they were unforgiving, and they were everywhere. They were humanity's line of defence where other methods burned in the face of the inhuman onslaught.

"The day will come – and if nothing else men and women of Earth I assure you that the day will come – when the inhuman scourge looks at each of you not as something to be destroyed – but something to be feared..."

They annihilated any inhuman warrior in their path, trapped and destroyed their machines with precise teamwork, and burned through areas too heavily infected with the alien virus for ordinary humans to manoeuvre through.

"We will take back our home one goddamn step at a time! On the beaches, the cities, the countryside, the jungles, the deserts, and the caps! You will flush the enemy out wherever it may reside..."

The fighting was much less glorious than it was described. Numerous surgical strikes against key locations or structures, guerrilla operations in burnt-out cities and blasted landscapes, very rarely were they ever among anyone but others like them.

"It will not stop just there my friends oh no! This is jus t the start! The past three years have shown us that we are not alone in this universe. Our lives previously spent in blissful ignorance have ended. We must be prepared in the event of another threat..."

He remembered it all so vividly, the propaganda – even when it was obvious that humanity was on the cusp of victory, posters, radio and television broadcasts (where such luxuries were still available) discussing and exaggerating the Ceph threat were all too common. He felt himself swimming inside his own head, and became suddenly aware that he was dreaming. Sifting through the memories that ended at...

Yes. He remembered indeed. He shut his eyes and let it flow into his thoughts. He and his team had been mustered for the assault on the Ceph home base, the team led by the one designated 'Prophet', a man shrouded in myth and legend, some of which ranged from awe-inspiring – like taking on an entire army atop a Ceph ship that emerged in Central Park – to simply absurd – such as coming back from the dead.

They numbered in the hundreds. Men and women from all different nations, prepared to deal the final blow to the enemy. Of the three and a half thousand Nano-warriors who had existed as of 2026, barely half that could be gathered for the attack, the rest were still scattered across the globe maintaining order, hunting Ceph stragglers, or dead.

It was more than enough.

He remembered breaching the vast alien structure with his team, all five of them entered from underground while all sorts of artillery pelted the ship above ground. They cut their way through power plants, armouries, and alien factories, racing with the other nanosuit teams to the heart of the structure, where they would plant as much explosives as they could and evac, where they could simply wait and mop up anything that survived.

Whether or not they succeeded or not, he didn't know, he and his team had been attacked in an ambush, he'd been too preoccupied with the Devastator to know how his team had fared, he wished them well, and hoped they'd survived. The thought made him wonder – was he dead? Was this the afterlife? It was a pretty pitiful place if it was – left alone in darkness, just remembering your life, would he be doing this over and over again? He'd probably go mad, no this couldn't be it, it just –

"... waking... -ed-team... -orm the Dire..."

'Hm?'

He gasped as he felt two thunderous jolts in his chest. He gasped, just managing to draw a quick breath before another similar impact resounded through his body.

"-ke up Cap. We ain't done yet."

He recognised that voice. It couldn't be... Could it?

Another jolt forced the breath from his body, and he became acutely aware that he was freezing cold, so damn cold.

Another jolt, more pain, he'd hoped that had ended for a moment, then realised that he was kidding himself 'the pain never stops' his drill instructor had told him a long time ago, it looked like he was proven correct. Another, final, agonising thump and Captain Daniel Cutting opened his eyes.

The first thing he realised was that he was in a big glass tube, filled with some kind of clear fluid, not water, there was more resistance when he moved his arm – or maybe that was just him. The next thing he noticed was that he was still in his suit, as evidenced by his visor heads up display making itself visible, although it seemed like it was getting some sort of interference.

"Checking vitals. Running diagnostics... User functional." His suit chimed. He shivered involuntarily, he'd never gotten used to that voice, particularly when it sounded like it actually came from inside his head.

"Hey Cap. As they say, welcome back to the land of the living." There was a slight shake in the tone, but it was unmistakable. He looked to his left and saw Second Lieutenant Claire Underwood grinning at him. She was out of her nanosuit, wearing a strange uniform and her naturally red hair was beginning to grow back, Daniel found himself wondering what she'd look like when it grew out fully. He barely nodded in acknowledgement before casting his eyes around to better grasp his location. He was definitely in some sort of facility, though nothing like he'd ever seen before; the people were dressed in a similar outfit to Claire's.

'Just how long have I been out?' he asked himself.

"Alright, I'm sure you've got a lot of questions – none of which I can answer I'm afraid – gotta leave that to Director Dunn. Nah, I'm mostly here to make sure you don't freak out or something. You... We... Have been gone a long time Cap, I still can't get my head around it" she chuckled and glanced away for a moment "Though honestly, it was only a couple of weeks ago that they thawed me out so I guess I've got an excuse. Heh." She paused and looked back at Daniel.

"Listen, I'm not really supposed to be here too long, just to get you to calm down but... I want you to know that we all made it out okay. What's more... We won..." she took a breath, then turned to leave.

"Talk to you soon Cap, we'll all have a lot to discuss I'm sure." With that said, she walked out of Daniel's field of vision, leaving him in the care of the dozen or so personnel who he assumed were tasked with keeping him alive. He felt slightly touched that someone seemed to care so much for his own wellbeing.

'Processing' as they called it took the better part of two hours, during that time; Daniel tried regaining as much control of his own body as possible. He was still stiff, and the staff had said it'd take at least a day or two of regular exercises to get him back to his former mobility, other than that he was fine. He was currently sat on the bed in what he assumed was a patient's room, wearing a uniform similar to what Claire and everyone else was fitted with. He curled and uncurled his bare hand repeatedly; it felt strange feeling the air on his skin after spending so much time in the nanosuit. He felt almost naked without it, and began to wonder if he'd ever don it again. His mind wandered back to what Claire had said almost immediately. She'd said the others were here, but only she had come to see him, why was that? Captives? No, nothing he'd seen in the body language of Claire or anyone so far had indicated that that was the case, and he silently berated himself for even considering such a ridiculous assumption. Some of the personnel had said that he'd need to go through exercises to regain the full control of his body again, were the rest of his squad doing the same? Why wasn't Claire? He slapped himself on the head and chided himself again; she'd told him that she'd been around for at least two weeks.

Daniel sighed, evidently being comatose or asleep or whatever had taken a toll on his intellect as well as his physical being. He remembered reading an article in a magazine arguing that 'cryostasis' could potentially cause brain damage, and wasted a few moments wondering if that could be the case before dismissing the thought. He heard the door hiss and a thin, elderly man stood by the open portal carrying some sort of chart, he ushered in – and Daniel had never before been so glad to see them – his team. Claire headed the group of four up, an 'I-know-more-than-you-sir' smirk plastered to her face that usually went with some sort of hilarious joke she'd pull in the next five minutes. Master Sergeant Aakash Kuruvilla followed immediately behind, a friendly smile on his face, which told him immediately that Claire was up to something if nothing else; the two had been partners in crime since they first met. Corporals Aleska Ratajczyk and Eoin Carroll stepped in seconds later. All looked healthy and in reasonably good spirits, and despite being told, it still warmed him to see them all again.

"Hey Cap. Brought the rest of the squad along, thought you'd appreciate the company of old friends." Claire was the first to speak of course, and she wasn't wrong.

"Yeah, though honestly, whether or not Claire here had gathered us up, we'd have dropped by anyway, even if we had to sneak in to do it." Aakash grinned at him and Daniel reminded himself that his right and left hands were up to something he didn't know about. However he had more pressing issues than a practical joke. He had questions and wanted answers. Stat. But before he could so much as open his mouth, Aleska cut him off.

"We know you have questions sir and we will answer in time, but they said you should be eased into things. Rushing would be..." she paused, checking her grasp on the English language "inadvisable."

"I don't know about you lot, I'm still not over it. Fuckin' messed is what it is." Eoin muttered to himself, his brogue thick and his temperament seemingly guarded as ever. What he'd said made Daniel even more curious – what could possibly be so potentially damaging that his own team would hide it from him?

"Earlier. When I was still in that... tank. You said we'd won, that we succeeded." Daniel spoke, looking at his team for confirmation.

"Oh yeah, we won alright. I can't wait to see your face when they finally break the news to you." Claire smirked, then turned to Aakash "Hey Aak, what time is it?" Aakash's face lit up like a lightbulb.

"Dunno, let me check..." He looked at his wrist for a few moments and moved his fingers like he was interacting with something... Then his arm was encased in orange. Daniel reeled.

"What the fuck?" he yelled in surprise, backing away as if the NCO had performed an act of sorcery in front of him.

"That was five minutes Cap; don't tell me you didn't see it coming." Claire leaned on Aakash's shoulder, grinning like a Cheshire. At that moment in time, were he not so surprised, Daniel would have liked nothing more than to see that look wiped violently off her pixie face.

"I– I never– Claire–" Daniel sputtered like an old car engine, trying vainly to find the right words, as it was, he seemed incapable of any coherent speech. The door hissed as it opened, and another figure entered the room, dressed smartly in a suit that lacked a tie, yet seemed strangely fit wihout. The man looked to be in his mid thirties, short, cropped blonde hair and unnaturally good-looking – Daniel had seen enough before to know cosmetics when he saw them – and roving sea-green eyes that seemed to notice all before him. He cast a disapproving eye over Aakash, who was suppressing a laugh and trying to hide the glowing device on his forearm.

"Master Sergeant Kuruvilla what did I say about bringing anything that... unsubtle... to your CO's attention?" Aakash sighed and motioned towards Claire, who was trying her best (and failing miserably) to look innocent. The newcomer raised an eyebrow at them both.

"We'll discuss this later you two, and I feel I ought to remind you that technically speaking, you're no longer part of any sort of armed forces branch. If the idea appealed to me – and I might add that it's looking marginally more attractive than it did before I entered the room Ms. Underwood – I could have you executed and dismiss it as merely defending my facility from a roving band of marauders. Generally they don't tend to show up on Citadel databases so the explanation wouldn't be difficult to accept." He took a cigarette from a pack inside a suit pocket before remembering he was in a patient's room and thought better of it, stowing it back deep into his suit.

"In fact, the only reason that doesn't seem so much like an option to me at present is due to the –"

"Suits, I got that when you woke and explained it to me personally Director." Claire interrupted, unnaturally coldly, and turned her head slightly towards Daniel, rolling her eyes comically. The newcomer did not seem amused.

The 'Director' strolled towards Daniel's bed, and extended an arm towards him.

"Director Elias Dunn. I've been told a lot about you Captain Cutting, most of it rather flattering if the Lieutenant is to be believed." He glanced briefly at Claire, who seemed to have shied away ever so slightly. Strange, but Daniel didn't dwell on it, he concentrated on Dunn for a moment before taking his arm in a light, but wary embrace.

"I'd introduce myself but you seem to know already. That and I'm still not entirely sure what exactly the fuck is going on." Dunn didn't seem taken aback by his tone, he probably expected it.

"Yes. I am truly sorry for the shock Captain. I had intended for your transition to be somewhat... smoother..." He paused, glancing at the two jokers, who seemed to be looking anywhere but at him.

"Unfortunately it seems a certain pair has jumped things along rather more quickly than I had planned. You see Mr. Cutting, you have a lot of catching up to do, and truthfully, even your team doesn't quite know how much you've missed in the time you were frozen." That perked everyone up.

"We've told them the gist of things, and had all but Corporal Carroll here – who was thawed just three days before you were mind – outfitted with the most basic equipment you can get in today's society. However we've purposefully neglected to tell you everything. Hopefully you'll understand as I go along. In fact, it is my hope that you and your team will be working directly under me and my supervisors in rather high places by the end of the week when all of you should be fully restored and functional. We've got plenty planned for your team and those suits, but we'll talk business after I fill you all in."

With that, he began – with the assistance of a multitude of screens, images that seemed to appear out of thin air – to explain the current situation. It almost seemed like a wild fantasy for a moment, aliens, faster-than-light travel, other species (friendly species, with their own histories that spanned longer than humans had walked on Earth much to Daniel's awe), the Citadel. Daniel knew that even if he had a whole year to study he'd never know even an iota as much as the man in front of him did. It was all just so overwhelming.

Eventually, he was finished speaking, and waited for the team to speak up. None did, each was as awestruck as the other, and none could find any words to relay how they felt. Director Dunn sighed to himself.

"I should have guessed it wouldn't be as easy as that – like bringing vorcha into a sewer and asking them not to eat anything. I guess you can come in now, it'll spook 'em into saying something – anything if nothing else." He spoke loudly. The door opened, and Daniel saw his first alien.

It was a strange thing to be sure, like something he'd seen on films, yet unlike in the movies, there was no strange pixilation, or sheen, or anything indicating that this was a computer generated image (that is if they even used computers in this time any more). This was one-hundred percent real.

The alien stood a little taller than most humans, around seven feet, with bony, avian features and a light-grey carapace, with what looked like mandibles around what Daniel assumed was a mouth, strange red tribal markings decorated its facial features. It was dressed in a blue form-fitting (or it certainly looked form-fitting, though Daniel hardly considered himself an expert on alien anatomy) suit. To his and his team's great surprise, the alien seemed to chuckle at their reactions.

"Well that's one way to great a guy. Good day. I'm Executive Syglar Kryik, though feel free to call me 'Director' Kryik seeing as how I effectively run this company while my friend here elopes around the galaxy personally overseeing our projects." It spoke jovially, good-naturedly, were it not for the obvious issue of appearance, Daniel had no doubt he would have warmed to him immediately.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed in that short introduction but 'Director' Kryik here has been after my post for quite some time. I'm beginning to wonder if he'll ever get over his fear of discovery and actually hire those assassins to kill me so he can reluctantly but graciously accept the Board's unanimous decision to place him in the seat." Director Dunn spoke with a wide grin on his face. He walked over to the alien and grasped his hand in a firm handshake, the alien – Kryik, responded in kind.

"I'm sure I'll get to it eventually Mr. Dunn, for now, assuming your responsibilities – which I might add are piling up with each day – is enough for me. The bonus in pay for taking on said responsibilities is a nice touch too though." The alien replied light-heartedly, and Daniel could almost see a grin grace its avian features.

Kryik turned to the human team gathered at the bed before him, none had spoken since Dunn had started talking. He looked at the humans in turn before turning back to his colleague.

"Hey Dunn, call me slow but I don't think these people have seen a turian before." Dunn smirked, and Aakash barked out a laugh once, a clear sign of good humour from him. Kryik looked at him and gestured with a hand.

"Well at least one of them can speak, I was kinda hoping the others would have regained the use of their tonsils – or tongues, never sure with you bunch – for starters it'd make communication a whole lot easier." Dunn nodded in agreement, and opened his mouth to speak when a muffled crack of thunder echoed and a slight shudder rippled through the room. Dunn glanced at Kryik, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me; you're the one who authorises the weapons testing in these places."

"That's just it. This isn't one of those places." Dunn murmured to himself worriedly, he brought up another one of those glowing devices on his arm and appeared to cycle through several programs Daniel couldn't make heads or tails of. His eyes widened at the most recent cycle.

"No..." he whispered. "That can't..." He shut his eyes, when he reopened them, they were focused and alert.

"I was hoping that it'd be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, as ever this far into the Terminus Systems it seems said sailing is a luxury only the extremely wealthy or the extremely secretive can afford and it looks like we weren't secretive enough. I am truly sorry for this but you five are going to need to suit up immediately, exercises and tests be damned. Shame as I'd really like to familiarise myself with those suits' capacity but evidently that's going to have to wait until we're somewhere less easy to locate than this place.

"There are several shuttles located in the facility, Security and the other staff will guide you to them, they've all been briefed – your safety and the preservation of those suits are of the utmost import, if anyone you see fails to comply with that then they're either hostile or negligent and should be dealt with as such. Me and Kryik must attend to other matters before we evacuate, we'll meet you at a nearby station – provided fate is kind." With that he turned smartly on his heel and left the room, Kryik followed suit, before motioning left with a finger. A distant explosion shook the facility again, and spurred Daniel's previously inactive team into action, Lieutenant Underwood's steely visage replaced Claire's playful grin, and Daniel saw himself gazing upon soldiers. Corporal Ratajczyk helped him up from his bed and Master Sergeant Kuruvilla was at the door, ready in case anything hostile should enter, with Corporal Carroll at his back in case the Sergeant let anything slip past.

Underwood snapped Daniel a crisp salute when he was standing (supported by Corporal Ratajczyk), and spoke clearly and fluidly those words he'd never thought he'd hear again.

"Orders Captain?"

And that's the first part; our heroes are introduced to the world of tomorrow. I quite liked writing the last few pages, Kryik in particular.

For starters: timeline. I'd planned for it to be set sometime before the first game and have Razor Team link up with Shep and co. on the citadel during Sovereign's attack. Unfortunately I got about halfway through planning before realising that everything I put down to make that happen was absolutely retarded (seriously, I had one idea of having them flung through a mass relay a la Ilos and then remembered that the Mako barely made it as is). As a result, I've decided that this will be set a little before Shepard's trial and will culminate during the Reaper invasion of ME3, hopefully enough info will be released by the time it's at that point for me to add canon changes to the overall plan.

References abound, for starters: Director Dunn, not sure how well known this is but Nomad – the player character from the first game – is named 'Jake Dunn'. I figured naming him the director of the organisation dealing with the nanosuits would be a fitting homage to a guy whose fate I'd rather know about. I enjoyed Crysis 2 as much as the first but seriously, where the hell were Nomad, Psycho and Rosenthal? There was barely any mention of them at all save a line or two hinting that they might be dead. I tell you, what a slap in the face. Captain Daniel Cutting is also a reference to another great game, I'll see if you lot can't guess it, if not then I'll probably spill in the next chapter, or the one after who knows, it's a similar story with the name of their team. There's a couple more references in there which are hopefully more obvious to spot, I won't insult your collective intellects by naming them as you should be able to call them out yourselves.

Until next time folks. As usual, 'read and review' would be greatly appreciated – they don't call it 'Constructive' criticism for nothing.