Mass Effect II – Through the Fire and the Flames
Chapter 1 - The Past Never Rests
Sitting at his console, fingers interlaced with his four-day growth stubble chin resting atop them, Shepard read the message over and over again, thinking; about the past, mostly. The message on his console was one he had not expected. Anderson, the Council maybe, hell even that annoying hero-worshipping pain in the ass Conrad Verner. Not this, though.
After surviving and destroying the Collector base, with both his team and crew completely unharmed except for a few scrapes and bruises, and a concussion with a small case of hurt pride in Hawthorne's case, this was the last thing he had expected to be waiting for him n the return through the Omega-4 Relay.
Leaning back slightly to read the message once again, for the umpteenth time, it went:
To Mr. Jeremy Shepard,
This is a notice informing you that your lease on Storage Space ten is currently overdue on payment. We request that you forward your rent fee promptly or close your lease within the next two weeks and remove your possessions.
Thank you for your patronage of Armstrong Secure Storage.
'Thirteen years, two of them I spent dead, and now it's come back into my life once again' Shepard thought, closing his eyes. Memories of his past came to the forefront of his mind, unbidden and unwelcome. His life as a Tenth Street Red hadn't been bad. For six years, they were like his family; his brothers and sisters. They all lived for one thing: 'Live by the Creed, die by the Creed'
Pulling out of his surge of melancholy, Shepard glanced at his desk clock. The holographic projection showed ten-thirty. Raising an eyebrow, he wondered where Tali was; usually she would be coming up to bed around nine. "EDI?" Shepard called out. The projector behind him lit up with the AI's avatar "Yes, Commander?". "Where is…" before he could finish his question, EDI said "Tali is currently on the crew deck".
"How…" Shepard began, but again EDI chimed in "Tali'Zorah's location has been your main question for the last two weeks in the evening hours, and I intuited that it would be the same tonight." Feeling a little like an open book, Shepard said "Thank you, EDI." As Shepard made his way to the door, EDI stated her usual goodbye and the projector went dark. Stepping into the elevator, two thoughts crossed his mind. The first was "EDI, intuiting a human question?" the thought just caused him to shake.
Ever since unlocking her restricted databases, the AI had become more like those old sci-fi vids with AI's in them. 'I wonder if she'll be more like HAL 3000 or Sonny from I'robot". The second thought that went through his head was "Tali must have gotten caught up with engineering reports again and lost track of time". That thought brought a small chuckle from him, as the elevator made its slow way down towards the Crew Deck.
The slow ride down gave Shepard the time he wanted to think about how he was going to approach Tali with this. He had never fully opened himself up to anyone about his past, even when Liara had researched it he still gave little to no detail as to the events leading to, during and after. Very few knew about the true details of his past, except Anderson who had more information than most. His extranet bio only mentioned that he was in a gang as a kid but left as soon as he turned eighteen. No one knew how or why, though.
The thought of telling Tali about his past; she was strong, her spirit and character a thing of true beauty in an otherwise dark universe. But would telling her about who and what he was before the Alliance, would that…frighten her. Scare her away from me? He thought to himself. A deep sigh and he squared his shoulders 'do it now or it will come back to bite you in the ass' he thought ruefully. Stepping off at the Crew Deck, he turned left, around the wall of the elevator shaft and saw her sitting in a chair at the second table.
As always, his eyes were drawn to the suit wrapping itself around her body. The fabrics pattern swirling and shifting slightly with even her smallest movements. She had three datapads arrayed out in front of her, and her omnitool was open. She was tapping at the screen, her movements seeming to float over the aerogel display as she typed notes into her tool for quick reference.
Silently, Shepard came up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she jumped, her head spinning around to see who it was. Relaxing at seeing the smirk on his face, she said "boshtet", and returned to her datapads. Sliding his hands down, across her shoulders, onto her ribs and finally lacing his fingers across her stomach, he nuzzled the side of her helmet. His movements brought a small intake of breath from her. Raising his mouth to where her ear would be, he said "you know it's late, right? the Normandy will be fine should you go to bed."
Seeing the time, she jumped again. Turning her head slightly to see him in the corner of her eye, "I'm sorry, I didn't even realize." Tali said. Shepard gave her stomach a squeeze and a smile "I understand your need to keep the Normandy in perfect shape, but you still need time for yourself." He gave her another squeeze, and she gave a small laugh "with me, hopefully."
Rising from her chair, Tali gathered the datapads and stacked them together; as she turned, Shepard grabbed them from her hands and tucked them into the crock of his left arm while sliding his right arm around her waist. Another small laugh, and the two proceeded to the elevator. Entering the elevator, he let go and stood to the side of the car with an uncertain demeanor about him. "Tali, I…" he didn't know what to say or how to say it.
"What is it?" she asked, concern plain in her voice. Shepard couldn't meet her eyes, even through the tinted mask. Staring at his uniform boots and fiddling with the cuff of his Cerberus officers' jacket, a habit of nerves, he didn't respond. Tali stepped forward, and as he had done with her when she came to his cabin before the mission, she placed her hands on his ending their nervous motions.
Glancing up into her mask, he found a margin of strength to speak "I received a…message. From my past…" saying that only made saying what came next harder, "…not many people know the full details of my past. Most just know I was in a gang, a few have more in depth knowledge; Liara for one, and Anderson especially, but…" he broke off. He couldn't find his voice to continue, it was too painful, the memories both good and bad flooding his mind.
Raising a hand, Tali caressed his face; "Jem, you have always been a friend to me, and now we are more. You have always listened and helped me; let me listen now and help you." Her words, and the use of his nickname, reassured him. Reaching for the lift controls, Shepard tapped Deck 1. With the elevator rising, he began the story of his life he never thought any living soul would truly know of.
"I never had parents; I was abandoned in front of a fire station in a city back on Earth. From there, I was sent into foster care but as I grew older I began to act out and foster parent after foster parent, eventually, wanted nothing to do with me. In the end, I ran away from the foster system at twelve." The elevator reached the cabin, and the door opened onto the landing. Stepping toward the door, it opened at their approach. Immediately upon closing, the air was cycled, filtered and cleared of any particulates and bacteria.
Shepard had EDI initiate this operation anytime Tali entered the cabin in the evening, so she needn't worry of getting sick from a bit of airborne dust when taking her mask off. Tapping her omnitool, Tali gave herself a mild anti-biotic cocktail. It wouldn't prevent infection entirely, but would strengthen her immune system at twice the rate that it would naturally without aid. A small gift from Mordin's ever-inventing mind.
With the drugs in her system, Tali unlatched her mask and then her helmet pieces. Seeing her unmasked face was always a wonder to behold for Shepard. Her hair was black as obsidian, short bangs down to just above her eyebrows while farther back it was a couple of inches above her shoulders. A slender face, as if a sculptor had carved it from a grey marble. And her eyes glowed with an inner bioluminescence. Shepard had thought Tali was beautiful before, her personality and beliefs of selflessness and serving others endearing him and others of the first Normandy to the young Quarian.
Her physical beauty only a margin of her true self. Tali blushed at his attentions, her skin lightening slightly, and Shepard realized he had stopped talking. A short cough, he took her hand and led her towards the couch. "After running away from foster care authorities, I was on my own for about a week. I stole food to eat, from anywhere I could. I was fast for a kid, so running from irate shopkeepers was easy. It was also easy to run away in the city where I grew up."Tali sat on the couch, but Shepard remained standing. "What city did you grow up in?" she asked.
Turning to look through the large ceiling viewport, he said "Los Angeles. In the past it was a major metropolitan of different industries. When I lived there it was more of one giant slum. The rich built tall skyscrapers, as tall as is now physically possible to escape the poor areas of the city. Some places are still good, but most of it…people just don't care about anymore. They don't care about the once proud neighborhoods, the old movie-making industry or about the roadway system; the roadway system is so extensive, it would have cost exorbitant sums to demolish. It was all left to just rot away."
Turning back to Tali, Shepard continued his tale. "One day, I tried to steal from this guy I came across. He looked like he had money. But he caught me, took one look at me, and gave me a candy bar" Sitting on the couch next to Tali, his eyes downcast with a faraway look in them, remembering that day. Raising his eyes to hers once more, Shepard looked away before continuing "He introduced himself as Billy. Billy Watson. He offered to take me with him to where he and some friends lived. Said he would take care of me, like an older brother. That's what he and his friends were; brothers and sisters really. He took my hand and we walked a while before got to what he called his 'ride'".
Los Angeles, California
United North American States
June 4, 2166
The 'ride' as Billy called it was…well he didn't know what it was. But it was beautiful, at least to his twelve year old mind. It was long, sleek, with an exposed engine suspended on a chassis between two large tires with a pair of handle bars suspended over the seat. "What is it?" he asked. Billy glanced down, and then back at the wheeled machine. "That, little dude, is a motorcycle. You won't see many nowadays, with all those skycars flying above" Billy said this last part with a sickened look on his face, practically spitting "skycar" out of his mouth like it tasted bad.
Looking down once again at his new young friend, Billy jerked his head toward the 'motorcycle'. Swinging a leg over the high seat, Billy grabbed the kid around the waist and set him on the seat. Reaching into compartment on the side, Billy gave him a helmet and a pair of old goggles. "These are my girlfriends when we ride together, but you're about her size in the head" Billy said, knocking him on the head like knocking on a door.
"What's your name kid?" Billy asked, "Jeremy" he responded. Billy crooked an eyebrow, "…and?" "Shepard" he finished. Billy seemed to think about his name for a second, his index finger scratching the rough stubble of his left cheek. "Interesting. Your name in Hebrew means, basically, 'God will uplift'. And Shepard, well a person who takes care of a herd. You've got a very strong name Jeremy Shepard, be proud of it" Billy grinned, and put on his own helmet, then fixed Jeremy's helmet and goggles.
Turning to the console in front of him, Billy pressed the ignition button. The motorcycle came to life, with at first a low rumble and then roar of power which grew as Billy twisted his right hand. Turning back, he said "put your arms around my waist and hold on tight as you can". Doing as he was told, Jeremy wrapped his arms around Billy's larger waist, and grabbed onto his belt for safe measure.
Billy throttled the motorcycle once more, and kicked a switch at his feet. The back wheel spun, smoking, and the motorcycle turned in a tight circle completely the other direction down the short alley. Billy released the front break and they shot down the alley, onto the street and turned left, skidding once again, and flew down the street. Buildings, street signs and people flew by in a blur.
Holding tight to Billy, Jeremy took notice of the big red ten on his back. But he was more entranced by the sight of buildings flying past, peoples blurred faces. And the inexplicable joy this gave him. This motorcycle was amazing! He felt free; the speed-driven wind over his arm, the scenes of buildings and people mesmerizing, and the roar of the engine sounding as if the machine was alive. Jeremy realized it wasn't just the engine that was roaring, but also music. Coming from the same console when Billy started the bike; the music was fast, with a lot of guitars and drums.
Riding down a trash-strewn street lined with closed and dilapidated shops, Billy sat with an ease of experience as the air whipped passed him. After about ten minutes, they arrived in an old warehouse district. The old structures mostly boarded up except one. Turning the handlebars of the motorcycle, Billy throttled down on the accelerator. Touching a control on the console, the warehouse doors slid open, shrieking as old metal and gears stressed under the weight of the old doors. With only four feet of space open, Billy guided the bike in gently, thumbed the door control again and the doors slid shut.
Grey light filtered through the large windows, stained with dust, grime and age. At the far end of the warehouse was a two-tiered office with a rusted metal staircase connecting the two levels barely hanging on to the front by old rusted is not what kept Jeremy's eye, however; before the offices, which clearly were repurposed sleeping quarters was a fine living space. A low carpet, several chairs and couches all surrounding a large vidscreen, a very old model still using a frame and stand instead of a holo-projector.
Sitting around the screen, watching an old action vid, were near a dozen other people, dressed alike to Billy: blue jeans, some wearing their leather jackets, others tossed nonchalantly over shoulders or used as pillows. Every one of the jackets, however, bore the same red ten. The people lounging in front of the vid screen looked up and around to see the approaching motorcycle. One of them, a woman, got up, and stepped around the couch she had been lounging on. She had a stunning figure, even Jeremy thought she was beautiful.
Red hair down to her shoulders, eyes the deep blue of the ocean, with a stance which spoke volumes of confidence. She wore tight blue jeans with a black leather belt and ornate buckle, rider boots with her pant legs tucked inside, and in place of a jacket she wore a vest which looked to have once been a jacket, but was now missing the sleeves. Finally shutting the engine down, Billy stepped off the bike and Jeremy followed suit. The woman walked over, grabbed Billy by the front of his collar, pulled him down and gave him a deep kiss. Embarrassed, Jeremy looked away.
Breaking the kiss, Billy said in a breathy voice "and hello to you too". Shifting his gaze back to the couple, Jeremy caught the woman studying him. He felt his cheeks go red, and averted his eyes. A chuckle, and the woman stood right in front of him; she knelt to look into his eyes. "Hello, my name is Isabella, what's yours?" she had a soft voice, with a lilt giving it a musical quality. "Jeremy" he said, his voice squeaking on the 'r'.
Isabella giggled, another beautiful sound; "it's very nice to meet you Jeremy, would you like to watch the movie with us?" He nodded. Isabella stood, and led him to the couch she had been sitting on. Patting the seat next to her, Jeremy sat on the couch; it was comfortable and conformed to his body. In ten minutes he was fast asleep.
He was warm, comfortable; and he felt safe. His head full of fuzz from his nap, Jeremy sat upright on the couch. Billy's jacket, under which he had slept, slid from his shoulders. Looking around, the living "room" was empty except for one unfamiliar person. He wore the same basic outfit, jacket and jeans, with the addition of glasses, which he wore now while reading a book. A real book! Jeremy had never seen one, let alone held one. But there it was, paper, cover and all. Thumbing to the next page, the guy looked over at Jeremy.
Smiling, he closed the book and strode over to Jeremy. His skin bespoke of mixed ancestry, Mexican-American primarily, and he towered over Jeremy, well over six feet. Sticking out a big hand, the guy said "Sebastian Creel, little man". Shaking it, "Jeremy" he said. Breaking into a grin, Sebastian said "Awesome name!". Holding out the book he carried, the title read 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. "One of the main characters in this book's nicknamed 'Jem', short for Jeremy", Sebastian let out a big, booming laugh which echoed across the wide area of the warehouse, up and down its length, even startling a few pigeons out of their roosts.
Jeremy gave a small grin, unsure of what to make of Sebastian. He stopped laughing, but the merriment never left his eyes, "Billy asked me to watch over you during your nap. Their out to get food; you want something to drink?" Jeremy nodded, a little thirsty. Sebastian went to a fridge standing against the base of the sleeping quarters; opening it, he grabbed four bottles, handing two to Jeremy. One was a soda, the other water. Sebastian opened his water first and drank it down in one big gulp.
Smacking his lips, "always good to get water in your system. Cleans yer' insides out real nice" he said while opening the soda. Jeremy followed Sebastian's example, and drank the water before the soda. The soda was spicy, with many flavors, too many for Jeremy to identify. But he liked it, a lot really. Tapping his own bottle, Sebastian said "Sarsaparilla, the original way root beer was made. The ONLY way it should have been made, personally"
The two of them drank their sodas in silence, but not an uncomfortable one. At the far end of the warehouse, the great doors rumbled and shrieked open. At the forefront was Billy, with the rest of the gang following close behind. The bikes stopped over in what looked like a garage, tool chests and workbenches arrayed around in a U-shape. Killing engines the group of bikers dismounted. From the bags lashed to each of the bikes, bags of food and cooking supplies were pulled out and were moved over to the 'kitchen' area, adjacent to the living area.
Looking over, Billy saw Jeremy and walked over "Have a good nap, Jeremy?". Jeremy nodded in response. "Did Bas' look after you well?" Billy asked, nodding towards Sebastian, who rolled his whole head in conjunction with the roll of his eyes. Nodding again, more enthusiastically this time, "he gave me a nice soda, sasper; sarspar…" Jeremy couldn't pronounce what Sebastian had said, but Billy threw up his hands and turned to Sebastian, "you gave him that 'original' stuff?" he said, emphasizing original.
Sebastian gave Billy a crooked grin, but said nothing. Billy turned his attention back to Jeremy, "anyway, were cooking some burgers. How many do you want?". Surprised, Jeremy took a moment to respond "you…you want me to…to eat with you guys?" Billy laughed, a big laugh that filled the whole of the empty space around them.
Billy stopped laughing abruptly, suddenly serious. "We don't want just to share our food with you Jeremy, we would like you to accept an invitation to join us" as Billy said this, the group at large gathered behind him, in a single-file line. Straight backs and heels together, all looking forward with resolution in their eyes; Billy stood at the very front, their proud leader. In a voice of authority, Billy said "Jeremy Shepard, will you join us in our creed, our code and in how we choose to live our lives. Will you become one of us, the 10th street Reds, a brother in all things but blood itself. Will you accept our tenets of Freedom, Honor, and METAL. Will you, Jeremy Shepard, accept all we have to offer and stand with us?" On his feet again, Jeremy said without hesitation "yes".
As that part of his story came to a close, Shepard felt a three-fingered hand cup his right cheek, turning his face to look directly into Tali's beautiful luminescent eyes. "I've heard about your old gang, a little, but I never would have expected them to be like how you described". Shepard nodded understanding "when Billy asked me to join, that was before…" the memory surfaced, bright with recollection and cold in the events which took place, when his family, for the second time in his life was ripped away from him.
Tali saw the pain in his eyes from the memory; she turned his head again and gave him a deep kiss. When they broke apart, Shepard was smiling again, a thankful smile. "The Reds had changed when I left; they became nothing more than thugs, with a perverted sense of what they used to be". Before Tali could ask another question, she yawned widely, and Shepard gave a small laugh. "Let's go to bed, your clearly tired" Shepard said as he stood. Tali stayed on the couch, "I am tired, but now I'm more interested in your tale". Shepard laughed again, "I'll tell you in the morning, I swear, now bed".
Nodding once, Tali stood as well. Removing her suit was a long process, but once the last buckle was unfastened she was free. Borrowing a long shirt from his drawer, Tali slipped it on and got into bed. Shepard, comfortably in a simple shirt and boxer-briefs, slid into bed as well. The lights dimmed automatically, courtesy of EDI, and Tali slid closer to Shepard. Her hand caressing his right forearm, Shepard took Tali into his embrace. Together, under the endless expanse of stars beyond the thick material of the ceiling window, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy and Jeremy Shepard fell asleep peacefully as their ship sailed through the vast emptiness of space.
Authors Note:
Most of the characters in this work are products of the amazing video game Mass Effect II and the company of Bioware. I hold no claim, title or presumption of any form of possession thereof to either.
Characters who are the products of my own mind:
Personality and unique character of Jeremy Shepard
The names of the gang members of the 10th Street Reds are all my own creation, including their personalities and tastes. The vehicles ridden by the gang are also products of my own design, with liberal inspiration from multiple sources.
I wrote this for my own enjoyment, and I post it to test the waters and consider posting future works. If you enjoyed this piece, I will consider a continuation, which I plan. Read and review if you wish, but only constructive comments and critiques. I'll not read anything with excessive cursing or derogatory comments, those will be immediately deleted and forgotten.
Thank you for reading. Arrivederci,
Tutor Verum (a loose Latin translation for "defender of truth")