Well god damn...Has it really been a year already? God that time just flew by...
Alright, look I know more than a few of you are probably a little pissed at how I just dropped off the radar with no explanation. I do have a few reasons for that though:
First and foremost, sometime after finishing chapter one I completely lost all motivation to continue. Why? Doubt mostly, I couldn't help but think I wouldn't be able to do either Naruto or Mass Effect justice and I didn't want to continue with something I wasn't ready to do. For a newbie like me this was especially troubling.
Second: The first chapter was written completely on an impulse. I won't say what brought it on but one day I just wanted to try my hand at crossing over these two series and see what happened. Thus, I didn't exactly have a story plot to follow up on and I spent some time ironing that out. I don't want this to be just a rehashing of the game so I did my best to add in elements to make this more...'my own' I guess is the best term.
Third: College...need I say more? I've been trying to get better about studying and not procrastinating and that's a slow road, let me tell you.
All reasons aside. I should have posted something to let you all know what the situation was. So let me just say this, I'm sorry. I'm truly, truly sorry. I don't like that I just left this like I did, but I do not plan on leaving this incomplete. Know this much: Sooner or later, one way or another, I WILL finish this story!
Well that's all that out in the open. Nothing more left to say except for "I don't own Naruto or Mass Effect"-
-and please enjoy the chapter!
-Chapter Start-
Ch.2 Awakening
2320 Hours
January 26, 2185 (Earth Calendar)
Crystal Cavern
Shepard, Mordin, and Jacob could only stare in disbelief. Within the giant crystal was a human! The gravity of the situation had them rooted to the spot, their shock at such a thing freezing their mental processes. An actual example of this world's humans was right there, plain as day, and yet they couldn't bring themselves to react.
Shepard was the first to shake off his stupor. He got his teammates attention before giving orders. "Mordin, do a quick scan of the crystal to make sure it's safe to move. Jacob, go to the ground team and ask them to start making preparations to load the crystal on the shuttle." His teammates nodded their ascent. Mordin brought up his Omni-tool and began running scans for radiation; Jacob ran over to the cavern entrance and began exchanging words with Christian. Shepard absently noted that Jacob kept sending quizzical glances toward the crystal and shaking his head as if to dislodge cobwebs.
Shepard turned back to the crystal and took a closer look at the human inside. The human appeared to be anywhere from 5'8" to 5'11". It was impossible to discern any other features because the human was wearing a black cloak with a hood that covered its entire body along with a white mask that was painted in the likeness of an animal, the elongated snout suggesting some sort of canine.
"My god..." A new voice, heavy with amazement, made Shepard turn his head to see Christian and half the ground team standing just behind him. He could see the disbelief in their eyes through the visors on their re-breather helmets. "...A human, an actual human. Perfectly preserved...this-this has so much potential..."
"Not perfectly preserved...Alive." Mordin interrupted his train of thought, amazement in his own voice as he stood to face the two.
Christian and Shepard both stopped and stared at the salarian. "What?"
Mordin inhaled, preparing for an explanation. "Was scanning crystal for radiation; detected none, not even your Echo Waves. Shifted focus. Where did it go? Theorized: Crystal not the source of radiation, merely a conduit. Adjusted scan for other possible sources. Did not find Echo Waves. Instead detected life signs inside crystal." He inhaled again. "At first, believed this impossible. Omni-tool results skewed by ambient radiation permeating rock. Adjusted. Scanned again. Same results. Again. Same results. No other explanation. This human is alive!" He finished with a tone of absolute certainty.
Christian's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible! If that were true then this human has been alive for over 800 years!"
Mordin replied. "Thought the same, still do. But Omni-tool scans are conclusive. The human is alive! Check yourself!"
Christian brought up his own Omni-tool, intent on doing just that. He looked at the display and his eyes widened when he saw signs of a slow but steady heartbeat. "This can't be..." he said as he repeated his own scan. The same results popped up and he staggered and fell to his knees right in front of the crystal, staring at the human inside.
Shepard, who until this time had zoned out after hearing that the human was alive, snapped back to reality and narrowed his eyes. "Something just occurred to me..."
Mordin looked at him curiously. "If this human has been kept alive up to this point, it's safe to assume it's been because this crystal was connected to the cave as a whole right?" Mordin thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, since we disconnected the circuit, so to speak, what happens to our friend here?" Shepard pointed at the crystal.
Mordin brought his hand to his chin. "Likely no danger. This human has survived over 800 years without air, food, or water. Disconnecting crystal not like disconnecting life-support. Still...wonder how it's possible."
Shepard nodded. "You and me both."
Suddenly, Jacob's voice came over their helmet's comm system. "Commander Shepard."
"Go ahead Jacob." Shepard replied.
"Yes sir. Do you remember the glowing crystals in the cave walls as we came in?" Jacob asked.
Shepard adopted a quizzical look. "What about them?"
The comm was silent for a moment. "...I'm not sure why, but they've stopped glowing."
Shepard looked at the crystal on the floor and narrowed his eyes. "I think I've got a pretty good idea what happened."
"You think that our friend in the crystal had something to do with this? That seems unlikely?" Jacob said.
"Not as unlikely as you might think..." Shepard trailed off.
"What do you mean?" Jacob replied.
Shepard sighed; this wasn't going to be easily explained. "Mordin ran a few scans for radiation on the crystal. He didn't find any but he discovered that the human inside is somehow still alive."
There was silence for a moment. Most likely because Jacob was trying to regain his mental faculties, but eventually he forced out a-"What?"
"I know how you feel. It was a shock to us as well, but we can wonder about how this is possible later. How quickly can we get the crystal out of here?" Shepard said, his voice shifting back to an authoritative tone.
Jacob chuckled. "Right. Sorry commander, we're at the shuttle now. It shouldn't take us more than a few minutes to get there, collect the crystal, and get it on board."
Shepard nodded at Mordin, who nodded back. "Crystal is safe to move. Will require LOKI mechs to transport."
Shepard spoke into the radio. "Did you get that Jacob?"
Jacob responded almost immediately. "Yes sir. I'm sending the mechs as we speak."
Shepard let an unseen smile grace his lips. He turned to Christian. "Radio the Alexandria and let them know what we've found. Tell them to also get a bed ready in the med-bay; no doubt once they hear about this they'll be eager to start running tests."
Christian accessed his helmet's radio and made his way out of the cavern, most likely to lessen signal interference.
As Christian left, Jacob and the LOKI mechs appeared with a hover-cart. They loaded the crystal on board and began the trek back to the shuttle. As they were walking, Shepard noticed that Jacob was falling back behind everyone else. He slowed his steps and eventually fell beside the Cerberus operative. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Jacob said quickly.
"Does it have to do with the crystal?" Shepard pressed.
Jacob's eyes narrowed for a moment, before he relented. "Alright, there is something. I don't know what it is but when I get too close to that thing my biotics start acting up."
Shepard furrowed his brows. "Acting up? What do you mean?"
Jacob looked at the ground for a moment. "I don't know, sir. It's like this, when I get too close the biotic amps in my head start buzzing. It's not a problem, as soon as I got out of the cavern the buzzing stopped. I even tested my biotics in the cave and everything worked fine. It's just something about that crystal..." He trailed off at the end, uncertainty in his voice.
Shepard stared at the crystal in the cart for a moment. "Well it's obvious that there's more to this human than we know. With all that's happened so far I wouldn't be surprised if your biotics are reacting to something that has to do with it. We'll talk to the scientists on the Alexandria when we get back, see if they have any explanation." Jacob seemed to accept this and turned his gaze back forward. Inwardly, Shepard felt worried, but hid it for others sake. From what he saw in the Alexandria's med-bay to what had transpired in this cave, he began to wonder just what these people were capable of if one of their own was still alive after eight centuries like this. Furthermore, if they were capable of something like this, what happened to the rest of them?
These thoughts plagued his mind as he and his teammates boarded the shuttle. He took one last look at the crystal before it was secured in the cargo area and thought, "Who are you?"
-30 Minutes Later: Alexandria Shuttle Bay-
The mechs had just finished loading the crystal into a cart when professor Crull found them and demanded to examine the crystal. His mouth hung open with wonder as he gazed upon the visage of the human frozen in crystal. "This is remarkable..." He breathed. He quickly turned to Shepard. "We need to get this up to the med-bay immediately!"
Shepard nodded before motioning with his hand for his team to move out. He walked in front of the cart with Crull, while Jacob and Mordin walked along the sides of the cart, Mordin using his Omni-tool to direct the cart forward into the elevator. The mechs were ordered to follow behind.
On their way up to the medical bay Jacob decided to voice his concern about the crystal. "Professor, do you have many biotics on your crew?"
Professor Crull gave Jacob a confused look and shook his head. "No, we don't have much of a need for biotics here, except for the occasional heavy lifting and even then we just use the mechs. Why do you ask?"
Jacob tensed up. "Ever since we cut this thing out of the cave, every time I've been near it, my biotic amps start buzzing and humming." He paused for a moment before adding. "I'm not really sure why it happens, and it doesn't appear to have any noticeable effect on my biotics."
Even before Jacob finished professor Crull was using his Omni-tool to run various scans trying to find the cause of the phenomena. "That is very interesting Mr. Taylor. To help allay your worries let me assure you that your situation is not uncommon, it just means that your biotic amps are coming into contact with a foreign energy or radiation."
Shepard connected the dots. "You mean like the Echo Waves?"
Professor Crull nodded. "Precisely commander. Working from there I can assume that there is still some form of energy stored somewhere in the crystal, or perhaps even the human itself."
"Is that dangerous?" Shepard asked.
The professor thought for a moment, then frowned. "I don't believe so. Any residual Echo Waves lingering with the crystal shouldn't have any more effect on you than they did on our teams over the last few weeks."
What was left of the elevator ride passed in silence; they disembarked on the medical deck and were almost immediately swarmed by overeager scientists wanting a close up of what could be one of the greatest archaeological finds of the century.
Crull immediately started barking orders to the mob. Telling them to prepare a bed to lay the crystal on as well as ordering specific equipment to study his team's incredible find.
As the mob dispersed to carry out their orders Miranda, Jack, and Garrus forced their way through the crowd. "Shepard, we heard you...found...something..." Garrus trailed off as he got closer and saw the crystal and the human it contained.
Miranda's eyes widened as she walked right up next to the crystal. She put her hand on its glowing facets and whispered. "Wow..."
Jack's reaction was much more subdued than everyone else, her past experiences teaching her to keep her feelings hidden from others. Nonetheless, her eyes still widened a fraction behind her visor and her jaw hung slack unable to form words.
Miranda was the first to recover from shock. "When we heard about what you found none of us believed it. Is it really still alive in there?"
Mordin smiled and nodded. "Astonishing isn't it. Didn't believe it myself."
"Do you have any ideas as to how this is possible?" Garrus asked him.
Mordin shook his head. "Impossible to determine. Omni-tool not suited for such in-depth analysis. Need more advanced equipment." He turned to Professor Crull. "Would like to assist in examination of crystal and human inside."
Professor Crull, who up until this point had been focusing exclusively on the crystal, narrowed his eyes. "That won't be necessary. My team and I have this more than well in hand" He spoke in a voice containing veiled contempt.
Mordin was taken aback; he blinked a couple of times in confusion. Shepard chose that moment to intervene on his behalf. "Are you sure? It looks like you could use all the help you can get?"
Crull answered almost immediately. "It's fine Commander. My team and I team are more than enough to handle this." He all but hissed. "Besides we're dealing with a human here. Who better to do an examination of a human than another human?" Everyone in the hall could tell he was just trying to end the conversation.
Shepard narrowed his eyes. 'That's bullshit if I've ever heard it.' He was about to speak until Mordin him to it. "I understand. Situation is...delicate. Will not interfere, but would like chance to examine human eventually."
Shepard's and, surprisingly, Crull's eyes widened at his statement. "...We'll see what we can do." He said with a degree of reluctance.
"Hold on!" Shepard spoke in a raised voice. "I don't know what your problem is but Mordin easily has more experience with this sort of thing than anyone else here. Is your petty prejudice your only reason why he shouldn't be here to help examine this thing?"
At this accusation the eyes of just about all of the people around widened, the professor took it a step further by letting his mouth hang open. Everyone stared at Shepard for a minute before Crull grit his teeth and managed to ground out a response. "My personal bias is none of your business Commander. But since you were so kind as to point it out, yes that is part of the reason I don't want him-" he pointed at Mordin "-examining the human."
"Only part of the reason?" Garrus cut in, his voice dripping with skepticism and his fists clenched. Although he might not know Mordin that well, prejudice was never something he let slide. Especially if it was directed toward someone whom he would probably have to trust with his life sometime in the future.
"Yes. I'll be one of the first people here to admit I don't like aliens. Ever since humanity became part of the galactic community we've been distrusted and scorned merely because we're more proactive and aggressive than most. Those feelings against us only increased when we accomplished in mere decades what other species are still working towards today, attaining a seat on the citadel council. But that's just part of the issue, the rest is you, Commander Shepard." He spat the last few words.
"Me? Really?" Shepard said with amusement, his arms crossed.
"Yes, you. The Illusive Man informed us of your distrust of our organization as a whole. So, quite frankly Shepard, I won't trust the examination of such a find to someone whose loyalties to Cerberus are...questionable." He spoke.
"Sounds like you're planning to do something to this human most would consider unethical." Shepard accused.
"As anyone in Cerberus will tell you, you can't play it safe all the time and expect to get anywhere. You have to be willing to do whatever is necessary." He spoke with conviction. He turned away from the Normandy team and focused his attention solely on the crystal, at this point choosing to ignore the looks of anger he was receiving from Shepard, Jack, and Garrus. Mordin, Miranda, and Jacob choosing instead to sit the argument out.
After everyone calmed down they continued making their way towards the med-bay Shepard shifted his focus and filled in his team as to what happened planetside. Inside the med-bay they found that a special containment area had been set up to protect the crystal from any foreign particles or bacteria that could be detrimental to the human inside. Surrounding one of the beds was what looked like a giant glass incubator. At this point the mechs were ordered to carefully lift the crystal out of the cart and place it into the chamber for sterilization.
As soon as the environment was sealed. A scanner, located above the crystal, began analyzing it and the human inside. A moment later the results appeared on a screen next to the bed.
Miranda, being the closest one to the screen, read the results. "The scanner has picked up on the human's life signs. I'm seeing a slow but steady heartbeat, and minimal neural activity. The scans have also picked up an unusual energy source emanating from the human as well." She turned to Crull, hoping for an explanation.
"That's to be expected. After all, his race evolved and thrived on a planet that put out several types of unknown radiation. It's to be expected that the organisms that once called that world 'home' emit the same signature." He explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
She nodded in understanding and then turned to face the rest of the Normandy team. "We should report our...discovery," She gestured at the crystal. "...to the Illusive Man. I have no doubt he'll be very interested in learning about what we've found."
Shepard nodded and turned to the professor. "The Normandy has a quantum transmitter linked directly to the Illusive Man's office. We'll use that if it's alright with you."
The professor thought for a moment before answering. "That sounds agreeable commander." He gestured to his subordinates to take over the medical bay before following Shepard out the door.
None of them noticed a small crack beginning to form on the crystal's underside...
- Normandy Communications Room-
Shepard stood in front of the conference table with his team and Professor Crull. He turned to Miranda, "Have we transmitted all the relevant data?" Shepard asked his XO. "Affirmative Commander. The Illusive Man is requesting to speak to you, as well as Professor Crull."
The professor stiffened slightly at the news. It wasn't very often that the Illusive Man requested to speak to someone personally, most, if any, contact he had had with the Illusive Man occurred in the form of discreet extranet messages or orders from one of his direct subordinates. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to calm his nervous breathing before the table in the middle of the room sank into the floor and a large cylindrical hologram appeared in the space the table once occupied.
As Shepard and the professor walked into the hologram the communication room's door opened,revealing one of the members of the Alexandria's crew. He wore a look of concern and urgency.
Miranda looked at him quizzically, wondering why he was here. "Is there a problem?" She asked.
XXXXXXX
Inside the hologram itself, Shepard and Crull were greeted by the sight of the Illusive Man in his office. He was currently standing up and looking at the two with what could only be described as a look of smug satisfaction.
"Gentlemen." He greeted before turning to face Crull directly. "I just finished looking over your report professor and congratulations are in order. What you've found is undeniably one of the greatest archaeological finds in humanity's history."
Crull nodded and let a prideful grin form on his face. "Thank you sir." He replied.
"What happens now?" Shepard queried.
The Illusive Man turned his attention to the commander. "You, commander, are to resume your original mission. Thankfully, the Collectors still haven't made any noticeable forays into Terminus space."
Shepard blinked in confusion. "Excuse me? I thought that this cell needed a team like mine to keep them safe from potential Geth attacks?" He asked.
"That's correct, but your original mission takes precedence. I asked you to come all this way because you and your team were the only readily available team of any Cerberus personnel I could send. As of now, however, I've taken the liberty of hiring a team of Eclipse mercenaries to serve as protection for the duration of the Alexandria's assignment. They are currently on their way now to relieve you. It's unfortunate that despite their skills they aren't up to your team's caliber, but I'm confident they'll be more than enough for this mission." The Illusive Man explained.
Both Shepard and Crull nodded at this news, they both knew that Shepard's mission there was temporary due to a lack of Cerberus personnel with experience fighting the Geth.
"However, I'm afraid that the human will have to go with Shepard when he leaves."
This statement surprised them both. "What-but sir..." Crull tried to protest began before being cut off.
"This is non-negotiable Professor. The Alexandria is an exploratory research vessel. It doesn't have the proper equipment for such a delicate procedure as examining a living member of what should be a dead race." The Illusive Man spoke before turning to Shepard. "After you and your team's departure; head to Omega. Once there, a Cerberus team will meet up with you and take the human to a secure facility to be studied in-depth." He finished with a look of self-satisfaction on his face.
Shepard frowned. He saw what had happened with things Cerberus studied "in-depth", usually culminated in dead civilians and the occasional population of a small colony mysteriously disappearing. "What sort of "in-depth" study do you have in mind?" He asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
The Illusive Man remained impassive, easily seeing the Commander's thinly veiled accusation. "There's nothing for you to worry about Shepard. The human will be treated with the utmost care." He answered curtly.
Shepard, however, was unconvinced and about to voice his concerns when he was interrupted by the voice of his XO.
"Pardon me-" Miranda said as she walked into the hologram. "-But I'm afraid that a problem has arisen that requires our immediate attention." She addressed Shepard and the professor.
"What's happening Miranda?" The Illusive Man queried.
Miranda looked uncomfortable before answering. "Something is happening with the crystal that we didn't foresee. We need Shepard, along with his team, and the professor to come to the med-bay immediately!" Her tone was steadily growing more urgent.
The Illusive Man nodded. "Very well then." He said to Miranda before turning the other two. "Gentlemen, we'll have this conversation another time. End transmission."
With that the hologram disappeared, leaving the three people standing there. "Come on!" Miranda rushed them out the door.
XXXXXXX
-Alexandria Corridor: 5 minutes later-
"What exactly is happening Ms. Lawson?" Crull asked as they all but ran through the Alexandria's hallways leading to the med-bay.
Miranda didn't stop running as she responded. "One of your subordinates, professor, came in just after you began talking with the Illusive Man. He needed you to come to the med-bay because apparently the crystal surrounding the human is beginning to break."
Professor Crull looked both livid and shocked at this news. "What the hell happened Ms. Lawson?"
As they rounded the corner near the med bay Miranda had opened her mouth to answer when-
BOOOOM!
An explosion came from the corridor leading to the med-bay.
Shepard and Miranda immediately dropped to the floor, Miranda making sure to pull the professor down for his own safety.
After the shocks subsided Shepard was on his feet again rushing down the corridors towards the med-bay trying to get a hold of anyone down there via comlink. While Miranda stayed with the professor to make sure he was alright.
"Someone answer! What's the situation!" He all but yelled into his comm.
He was somewhat relieved when Garrus answered. "We're all fine here commander. A few cuts and bruises from the explosion but no serious injuries. There is one thing though..."
Shepard was about to ask for clarification when he rounded the corner next to the med-bay and found the rest of his team, plus a couple of lab techs currently tending to minor injuries sustained in the explosion.
Garrus waved him over. "What happened?" Shepard asked as he reached them.
Garrus answered him. "I assume Miranda already told you about the crystal beginning to crack?" He questioned. At the commander's nod he continued. "Alright, well when you were talking with the Illusive Man a technician rushed in and demanded to speak with the professor. When we explained that he was preoccupied he instead asked us to come down here and help. The explanation he gave was that there was "a problem with the crystal". When we got here, to the med-bay, we saw what he meant. Cracks were forming all over the thing and were spreading at an alarming rate."
"What happened? Did we damage it when we moved it?" Shepard asked.
This time it was Mordin who answered. "No, no damage. Ran scans on crystal and discovered a large amount of energy growing inside, leading to molecular destabilization and explosion." he paused to let it sink in.
"But then where did that energy come from? Did the human inside the crystal have anything to do with it?" Shepard asked.
Mordin put a hand to his chin in a thinking gesture. "Possible. Energy being generated could have been dispersed through the crystals in the cave. When disconnected, energy had nowhere to go and began to build, eventually causing explosion in order to break crystal and free the human." He paused to inhale. "Fascinating. As for where it came from, only logical conclusion is that it came from the human itself. Possibly biotic in nature, but not one hundred percent sure."
"And the human?" Shepard inquired. "Is it still in one piece?"
"Looks fine from where I'm standing." Jacob chimed in while holding his aching head, pointing through the destroyed window to the human who was still laying on the bed, it's cloak barely ruffled and it's mask still on its face despite the explosion. The human could have easily have been mistaken for dead if it weren't for the gentle rise and fall of the chest, indicating it was breathing.
Shepard nodded turned to the rest of the people in the hallway. "Is everyone alright?"
A series of nods and muttered 'yes's, along with a more than a few curses, courtesy of Jack, met his inquiry.
"What the hell happened here?" An angry voice spoke up from behind them. They turned to see Professor Crull walking down the hall, looking positively livid, with Miranda beside him.
It only took a brief moment to bring the professor up to speed on what had occurred, not that it did anything to improve his mood. He instead tried to take his mind off of matters by taking charge of the situation at hand.
"You two." He said, pointing at two of the techs. "Go in there and make sure that its unharmed. After that I want a full medical screening. That explosion served some good in that we don't have to waste time cracking open that infernal crystal. Use what sedatives we still have to keep it asleep until we can transfer it to the Normandy."
Shepard turned to Crull and pointed at Mordin. "Mordin can help as well. If he's coming on my ship then I want one of my crew here for a medical examination." The tone in his voice made it clear there would be no negotiation.
Professor Crull looked like he was about to argue, but relented, exhausted by the events thus far. "Fine." He said in a defeated tone. He turned to Mordin. "Do whatever you want. Just hurry up and get that thing-" He spat. "-off of my ship. It has quickly become more trouble than it's worth!" And with that he began walking off, all the while muttering darkly about Shepard, The Illusive Man, and a growing need for migraine medication, in the form of a tall scotch.
They nodded and immediately set to work. At the human's beside one of them rolled up the cloak's sleeve and prepared a spot to administer the sedative while the other tried to repair the machine used to monitor the human's heart rate and neural activity. Mordin, knowing that was a fool's errand, hung back and began trying to re-acquire the it's biological parameters since most of the machines that would normally fulfill that task were good for nothing more than scrap metal due to the shards of the crystal that now permeated their circuitry.
Mordin merely observed while he adjusted his Omni-tool as the other tech returned with a syringe full of sedative. "Get that mask off." He told his partner. Said partner nodded and began reaching for the mask while the other began lowering the syringe to the human's skin. What happened next, however, happened so fast that only Mordin was able to see everything.
Now Mordin, like all other Salarians, was blessed with powers of observation far beyond that of a normal human. His senses conveyed more information to his brain, and his brain could process that information far faster than a human's could and not forget a single thing. These traits combined gave him unparalleled perceptive abilities, especially when it came to small details. Mordin was standing at the end of the table when the tech moved to inject the sedative; this gave him an unobstructed view of every one of the human's limbs, whereas the techs, standing on the left side of the table, only paid attention to the human's left side.
Mordin's position at the end of the table allowed him to see something the techs missed. Just before the needle pricked its skin. It was brief, practically unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but Mordin saw it, the briefest of twitches from the human's right hand, indicative of someone tensing their muscles in preparation for action.
Time seemed to slow for Mordin as his eyes narrowed and his hand immediately went for his gun, much to the brief surprise of everyone both inside and outside the med-bay. What surprised Mordin was that the human, almost as if it knew it was found out burst into action at the same time.
Less than 1.15 seconds...
That was how long it would take for Mordin to draw his weapon and take aim, the muscle memory built up by years in the STG once more coming to his aid.
In that same time frame the human sprang into action, suddenly turning onto its left side and lashing out with the right foot, knocking the tech with the syringe to the ground while using the momentum from the kick to flip itself off the bed and land feet first. From there it quickly spun the second tech around, grabbing the back of his uniform with its left hand, and quickly drew it's right hand into the sleeve and brought it back out holding two double-sided knives one of which was quickly thrown in Mordin's direction while the other was quickly placed at the techs throat.
At this point Mordin had his gun out and trained on the now awake human but was forced to dodge to his right to avoid the knife. Mentally cursing as he had lost the optimum position to get a clean shot at the head. Now he was standing in front of it with the rest of the Normandy crew, the lab tech obstructing his line of fire.
All of this before anyone else even had their guns drawn.
Time seemed to speed up again as the rest of the Normandy crew drew their own weapons and trained them on the now fully awake and aware human.
A tense standoff ensued; Shepard and his team staring straight at the human's masked face and it staring straight back. Neither side moving.
A million thoughts raced through Shepard's head as he tried to make sense of what had just transpired. Somehow, the human was now awake scant minutes after being free for the first time in centuries. It had taken a hostage and was currently poised to kill said hostage if anyone opposite it made a wrong move. Shepard knew that the person standing across from them was probably more scared and confused than anything. He couldn't help but think back to the day he awoke in that Cerberus lab. Remembering how confused he was back then, he couldn't help but empathize with the human a little. But these were thoughts for another time; right now he had to focus on getting the lab tech out of the way without killing him.
Off to his side he couldn't help but smirk as Garrus said. "Why is it that whenever we're involved in things like this it always goes bad? Every. Single. Time."
He sighed mentally. 'Just another day in the life.' He thought to himself.
-Chapter End-
Another cliffhanger...sort of. Sorry but this chapter really fought with me.
Honestly, this chapter does not feel like my best work. It just seems like there's something missing...
Well next up is chapter 3. Where our shinobi friend get's a proper introduction (even though most of you probably already know who it is), and the Normandy crew gets a taste of what Chakra can do.
As always, please review. I really like getting feedback from my readers on what's good, bad, or just what's on your mind as you read. So don't be afraid to say something.
