The lights were low and the room warm as I set up my console. I'd be out for six hours and there was no way in hell I wanted to wake up freezing cold. In my yoga pants and cami, I lay down and placed the headset on. Sliding the visor down, I sighed. "This better not be a creeper-fest, Marcus," I muttered, pressing enter.
The game started up and I grimaced. I hated the warping sensation of the VR take over. It felt like falling through sludge; thick and sickly, dragging my mind away from my body. I felt my body go slack in the real world and braced for the jolt into the virtual.
I landed on my feet and wobbled. Disorientated, I backed up and slid down the wall behind me. I really hated this feeling. "This is why I don't dive anymore," I said, blinking the stars from my eyes. They say it gets easier, the more you dive, but I never planned on doing it that much.
"VR link stable. Calibrating," a disembodied voice said. "User Amy Wren. Confirm?"
"Confirm," I agreed, pulling myself to my feet. "Password BlackJack1."
"Username input required."
"Just go with Amy," I told it, rolling my eyes.
"Accepted. Please proceed to character selection and story mode."
"Thanks," I murmured, walking through the door that appeared in front of me.
I found myself in a small, dimly lit room with a mirror in front of me.
"Select race," the voice said, bringing up a list on the large glass panel beside the mirror.
Human.
Asari.
Krogan.
Drell.
Turian.
Salarian.
"Human," I muttered. I'd seen the different races on the info sheet that came with the game and other than Asari or Drell, the others freaked me out. I didn't want to be blue or lizard-like either. "I don't want to change my race or my appearance, thanks," I said, dismissing the mirror.
"Confirmed. Standard user settings accepted. Please select combat skills."
The race selection vanished to be replaced by a huge list. I rolled my eyes again.
Adept: Adepts are biotic specialists, capable of disabling and killing enemies with raw biotic power. While they lack advanced combat training, they are the best at defeating enemies without firing a shot. They are outfitted with L5x implants that can spawn a micro-singularity, damaging enemies and pulling them into the air.
Weapon training: Heavy pistols: Submachine Guns: Heavy weapons.
Powers: Warp: Throw: Singularity: Pull: Shockwave: Biotic Mastery.
Soldier: Soldiers are pure combat specialists. No one is tougher or ...
"Jesus. I'm not reading all of this," I groaned. I rubbed my head, confused by the wall of text in front of me. "I've always played the mage in these games, so let's go with Adept," I said, pressing the class I wanted.
"Confirmed. Please choose your armor," the voice told me.
"Just pick anything, but make it black, please," I said, waving a hand. I really hated this process. It was one of the things that turned me away from dive games; the endless selection processes that you had to go through just to get into the game.
"Please choose casual clothing."
"For god's sake ... just something easy to move around in."
Nothing happened, but I hadn't really expected it to. Changes made here didn't come into effect until I stepped into the VR Lobby that would connect me to the game itself.
"Would user like to select previous game info?"
I shook my head. "Just go with what everyone else is doing. I'll figure it out."
"Confirmed. Full Paragon set, profile name: Full Completion. Please take the Omni-tool provided. This will be your link all information, skill-levelling, exit protocols and contacts." A small table rose from the floor. On top of it sat a pale orange wristband.
I took it and slipped it on. Almost all games had these things, now. It meant I could keep in touch with Marcus in game and if I got stuck on a mission, ask for help.
"Final selection process. Please choose starting position."
I looked at the glass panel again. The list was smaller than the last, thankfully, with only three options to choose from.
Citadel: You will be a person of interest to the Illusive Man. A dossier will be created for Commander Shepard. You will be on the Citadel for one week game time where you will become acclimated to the world and train in the weapons and powers of your class. This option is favored by Soldier or Soldier Mix classes.
Omega: You will be under the tutelage of Aria T'Loak. You will meet Commander Shepard during one of her early missions and be taken on board after aiding her with said mission. You will be trained by Aria T'Loak. The game will automatically program characters to have been on Omega for six months game time.
Bekenstein: You will be a captive of Donovan Hock. Commander Shepard will be given a dossie with your details before she begins a mission on Bekenstein. This is the best selection for Tech using classes.
"Well, I guess I'm going to Omega," I said, shrugging. It didn't really matter to me where I started out. I just wanted to actually start the game. My armor clipped to my body, startling me. True to what I'd asked, it was all black and fit perfectly.
"Proceed to exit."
"Thanks," I said, following the voice's direction. Expecting something beautiful, as promised by my best friend, I instantly regretted my choice of starting point.
The smell that hit my nose was like a wall of rotten, pungent garbage. All around me, the walls of Omega rose, bathed in a red, oppressive haze. Everywhere I looked, people scurried around, heads down and hands hovering near their weapons.
I was in some kind of market, surrounded by people and shops. I'd read about the races in game and knew what they looked like, but nothing could really prepare me for the sheer size of the Krogan, or the pure alinenness of the Vorcha. Turians were just as strange, with their dinosaur-like faces and oddly shaped bodies.
My wrist buzzed. Opening the mail I'd received, I smiled. Marcus was diving too, it seemed.
"Ames, I'm guessing you went Biotic and by now you're on Omega. Get your ass to the club to start the training. I'm already on the Citadel. It's so amazing here, you'd love it. If you get the chance, head there and see for yourself. Marcus."
"Of course you've already started, Marc," I muttered, closing the omni-tool. I glanced around, not seeing any evidence of the club he'd mentioned. I walked to the nearest store. "Excuse me," I said to the Turian working there. "Where's the club?" I tried not to study the bright yellow markings that covered his face, but they were fascinating.
He studied me, the mandibles on his face twitching. "Follow this path. You'll find it." His voice sounded so odd to me, as if two people were talking at the same time; like a dual-tone. Though it wasn't unpleasant, I knew it would take a while to get used to.
"Thanks," I said, turning away. I wandered down the path as he'd instructed. Soon enough I could hear the sound of thumping music. As I got closer, I could feel it vibrating under my feet. "I guess that's the club."
A long line of people waited to go in, but based on my choices during start up, I didn't think I'd have to wait. I walked over to the bouncer. "Hey, I'm here to see Aria," I told him, trying to sound confident.
"Name?" the Batarian asked, his golden eyes scanning me. He sounded bored.
"Amy Wren," I said, watching him check his list.
He frowned, looking up at me. "You're late. She's waiting for you," he said, amused. "Never make her wait."
"I'll remember that," I muttered, moving past him and into the club. The music was almost unbearably loud, making me want to cover my ears. The door ahead of me opened without me having to do anything, so I walked in and looked around.
This is ... different, I thought, watching Asari girls grinding on poles and waitresses weave through the mess of people that cluttered the dancefloor. "Nothing like The Ugly Duckling, that's for sure," I said to myself, walking towards the bar.
I had no idea who or where Aria was, so I ordered a drink. Everyone was given a small amount of in-game currency when they started the game and I knew I was going to need the dutch courage later on. The bartender handed me a slime-green drink and moved away, leaving me alone at the edge of the bar.
My foot tapped to the music and I sipped my drink. It wasn't half bad, if a little sour. Pulling a face, I almost choked as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I swallowed and turned around.
"Aria wants to see you." A Batarian stood in front of me, his golden eyes curious. "You're her new biotic, right?"
I nodded, finishing my drink and placing the glass down on the bar. "Yeah, I'm Amy," I told him.
He gestured for me to follow. "The name's Grizz." He said no more as he led me through the crowd and up a small ramp to the VIP area. People watched us as we went, their faces full of curiosity. I guessed that not many people got to see the owner of the club.
"So, you're the one," a sharp voice said, drawing my attention to the long sofa at the back of the large space. Her pale eyes stared into mine, freezing me in place. Power radiated from her. Leaning forward, she dismissed Grizz with a wave of her hand.
"I'm Amy," I said, voice wary. This woman was dangerous. I could feel it in my bones. I didn't want to step closer, but had no choice as she beckoned me. Pulled by invisible strings, I stopped in front of her.
"You're a strong one," she murmured, the lights of the club hitting her face, giving me a clear view. Lithe and slender with markings only a shade or two darker than her skin, she was rather beautiful ... and terrifying.
I shook myself, pushing aside my fear. "Nice club," I said, letting bravado take over. I wasn't going to be cowed by a character in a game. She was pixels, she couldn't hurt me.
Aria smiled. "You're brave. Good." She stood and circled me. "You have a lot of strength, but you haven't done much physical fighting, have you?"
I shook my head. "Bar fights don't count, do they?" I asked, crossing my arms. Her eyes felt like x-rays, burning to the pit of my soul.
"Follow me," she said, walking away.
I followed her out of the club, exiting through the back into a long, dark tunnel. "Where are we going?" I asked after a short time. My boots clunked loudly on the metal grating and I winced at the echo.
"We're going to my training room. I want to know just how strong you are and I don't want my enemies to know it."
"Enemies?" I asked, frowning. What kind of bar owner has enemies?
"I rule Omega. Everyone wants a piece of it," she responded, arrogance in every word. Aria looked at me, eyes alight with fierce pride and greed.
"You rule ... Omega? As in, the whole place?" I asked, flabbergasted. Surely she wasn't being serious. How could one person run a place this big? "I thought you just ran a bar."
Aria laughed, long and loud, before spinning around to face me. She stalked towards me, pushing me against the wall. Her hands were cold on my neck as she lifted me a little. "I am the Queen here. Don't forget that."
I hated being pushed around. Anger swirled through me and my hands glowed blue. "Don't fucking touch me," I snapped, channeling my anger in ways I didn't yet understand. A wave of blue light left me, hitting her and sending her back into the wall opposite me.
She gasped for a second, before straightening up. "You're not pathetic, that's good," she said, voice full of approval and eyes once again full of greed. "But you're untrained. Strong, but untrained."
Still angry, I put my hands on my hips. "Well, duh. I just got here." When she just smiled and carried on walking as if I hadn't almost put her on her ass, I rolled my eyes and followed.
"Your training is going to be intense, but luckily it doesn't't take long. A month or two of biotic training and some basic physical training and you'll be exactly what I need." Aria swiped her omni-tool across a panel on the wall and waved for me to follow.
"Need for what?" I asked, walking into a huge room with a mat on the ground. At one end I could see a shooting range and a wall of guns and on the other, I could see training dummies standing all in a row.
"To take out those who want to take Omega from me," she said, an evil grin on her face. "Now, the first thing about biotics is control." She walked to the center of the mat and gestured for me to move aside. Her hands glowed blue and she swept a huge wave of power across the map, hitting the dummies and destroying the one in the center.
"When I'm through with you, you will be able to harness the power inside you and destroy anything in your way." She smiled, evil and cold. "I want you to feel the power and let it build in your hands like you did before."
"I was pissed off then," I muttered, struggling to feel the same thing I had when she's pinned me to the wall.
A hard slap cracked across my face, sending my head to the side. I hadn't even see Aria move. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I rubbed my cheek, the sting fading.
"Now you're angry," she said, dismissively. "Anger is a good way of focusing your biotics, but you need to control it. Lashing out like a child won't work against skilled opponents. You need to weald your biotics like a knife and only use all of your power when you have no other choice."
"Okay," I said, letting my anger spin my biotics up, filling my hands with blue fire. The feeling was something I couldn't describe. It made me feel powerful ... strong ... undefeatable.
Nodding when she saw my face, she began to teach me, slowly at first until I could control my biotics enough to not send myself flying and then she got more aggressive.
Every day she taught me something new, until we were sparring, using small amounts of power to score hits. She said it was to help me learn the weaknesses of my enemies and after a day or two of screwing up, I got good; not as good as her, with my strength not even near her level, but good enough that she soon declared me ready.
When I'd finally learned everything she had could teach, she called Grizz into the training room. It'd been a month of constant, brutal training and my body was bruised and sore. I leaned against the wall, panting.
Aria waved her hand, dismissing me. "Take her to Jarett. I can teach her nothing more"
I almost rolled my eyes, but restrained myself. Turning away, already exhausted from training, I followed the Batarian through the long, winding corridors behind Afterlife. True to form, Grizz didn't speak to me, but I didn't take offence. He didn't speak to anyone, really. I got the feeling he just hated the world.
We walked in silence for a long time, until we finally reached the second training room; we only used this one when we damaged the main one too much. "He's in there. Don't use your biotics. Aria wants you to learn hand to hand and guns only."
"Great, and what happens when I die?"
The Batarian laughed, shoulders trembling as he vanished around the corner. Yep. Hates the world, alright.
"Fantastic." I opened the door of the other training room with a swipe of my omni-tool and stomped inside. In front of me, standing with his back to the wall, stood a very large Turian. Dressed in blue armor, he was an imposing figure and I stopped dead.
"Jarett?"
"And you must be the new meat," the turian declared roughly, his voice rumbling and reminding me sharply of old war movies with drill instructors. "Alright, new blood, you may be Aria's favorite today, but recognize that it can change very, very quickly. When you're in here, I expect you to do what I say, when I say it."
"Are you done?" I asked, pissed off already. I stepped close to him, bristling with aggression. He was so much taller than me that I had to look up sharply. Even as the last words left my mouth, the man seemed to simply appear beside me he moved so fast.
His knee lashed out like a viper into my stomach. My eyes bulged, and I struggled just to breathe, but he wasn't done. An armored fist gripped my neck, driving my head back and upward hard enough to lift me off my feet before slamming me into the mat below us. As dizziness washed over me and the world started to fade into darkness, his face came into view.
With a look of amusement and a pinch of pity, he said softly from where he looked down at my writhing half-conscious body, "Yeah, I'm done."
A/N Hello, all! Welcome to another chapter! Now, I know this has gone a little fast, but I don't want to write a billion chapters of her training. I hope I've put just enough in that you can follow, but not be bored! Anyway, I have some special thanks to my best friend Bahoogasmif, for helping with writing Jarett's scenes. The character is his OC and written fantastically. So give him a huge thanks.
Please read and review, let me know if you like where I'm going with this or what you think I can change! Thanks for reading! Until next time!