Chapter 2 : Trouble's Little Magnet

Here we are. Chapter 2 of this story… Since I'm starting immediately after rewriting the first chapter, I would like to thank anyone in advance for all the reviews, favs, likes, follows and all-around support you have given for this story. It means a lot to me… Thanks guys and gals. Now on with the show…

As the trio of highly-trained career soldiers passed me by, I had to hold my excitement in. I felt like a schoolgirl dreamily thinking of the hot student transfer. I was like, OH MY GOD! I just… like… met Shepard in real life! This is awesome! That pretty much summed up my initial reaction, followed closely by ones more grounded in reality rather than fantasy. That and the expected showers of lust dribbling down my well…private regions. 'What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not a soldier. Hell, I haven't even fired a gun before in my life! What use am I on her team?' While my information was quite useful, it would do little if I babbled about to her. Who knows what events could be altered, thus ruining the one advantage I possess right now, like a soccer player serving into his own team's goal.

Craning my head to pull all my memories of the games as best I could, I realized that Shepard and her team were on their way to see the Council in the Embassies alongside Anderson and Udina. I thought against going there myself. I didn't need to see her get chewed up by the politicians and reprimanded by them. I've seen enough of their groan-worthy faces to last me ten lifetimes. What else then? Then, I remembered something. Turning around to face Avina yet again, I bluntly asked my query.

"Do you know where Dr. Michel's clinic is?"

"One moment... Dr. Michel's clinic is located in the Upper Wards." Her clinical tone offset me a little but my I held my composure due to the C-Sec officers passing by, giving me quizzical looks.

"Thank you." I said, deciding to give the AI the benefit of the doubt. After all, any voice tends to grate when you have to listen to it several times saying the same god-forsaken things. So, with my destination in mind and a butt ton of cash at my disposal, I set off to the elevator en route to the Upper Wards.

Let it be said that the elevators in Mass Effect move so slowly that they would put snails to shame. While I admit that from a technical standpoint it made sense, real life problems don't have the same excuses. What's worse was that I was sandwiched between a krogan (Not Wrex) and an elcor, two of the bigger races in the universe. Imagine having your bones crushed like powder between two huge slabs of meat, one who talks like he doesn't know the meaning of emotion and another who would so much as just slaughter you if you look at them funny. Toss in a foul smell perhaps and you can understand why when the elevator dinged and the doors flung open, I was more than happy to wade out and swear off elevators for good. Composing myself as I walked down the narrow corridor, I finally stopped outside the Med Clinic. Bright, neon lights flared up the namesake with attitude and I felt queasy. 'Makes me feel like I'm entering a stripper-joint, to be honest…' was my main thought. My nerves steeled, I pushed my way into the Clinic not daring to look back.

As I entered the clinic, the first noteworthy thing I picked up on was the sheer smallness of the clinic itself. Almost exactly according to its depiction in the game, only the magazines on the table weren't just set dressing. Behind a neat, white counter was the good doctor herself. She looked basically the same as depicted in the game. Her demeanor was kind, warm and all-around trustworthy. Her red, blazing hair matched that of the Shepard in Mass Effect 3 only with shoulder length hair instead of long strands. She wore a white and red medical suit along with black gloves, a medical tag plastered on both her arms. The phrase 'Could be better, could be worse' came to mind. A plain lady who doesn't stand out much.

"Ah, welcome to my clinic. How may I help you today?" she spoke in a faint German accent.

"Morning… I'd like to get a full medical check-up." I spoke in a neutral tone.

"Of course. Right this way, please." She motioned to a sizeable room to my right with her hand. I bade to follow and sat down on a comfy bed while Dr. Michel examined her apparatus.

"Hold still, please." She ordered. Remaining ramrod stiff, I watched and felt her prod me in all manner of places. From my eyes, to my skin and even my extremities were not safe from her observant eyes. Think of it as an alien probing, though not as invasive or disgusting. She gave a short 'Hmmm…' several times as she looked me over twice. Satisfied, her hands dexterously flicked the pen grasped in her palms across a check board. She would occasionally put the pen to her mouth as if I was some kind of medical mystery. Eventually, she turned back around to face me with a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, Mr…" 'Oh, crap! Name? Uh… Um… Uhhhh…. Oh, got it!' went my mind as I scrambled to put together my identity.

"Isaac. Most people call me that." I lied, gritting my teeth as I said so. I felt it unwise to divulge my real name. Might as well get into the groove since I'll be doing that for a while.

"Well, Isaac. It appears you are in peak physical condition. Your results are quite promising from what I can tell. However, I would like to know why you are wearing that apparatus on her eyes." She queried, flipping her notes to double-check them.

"Oh, this?" I replied, taking my silver-plated glasses off my eyeballs and handing them over to Dr. Michel. "These are my glasses. I'm near-sighted. Have been since I read a dictionary when I was three." I said, spinning my tale like a spider spins its web.

"Did you not receive treatment for this as soon as possible?" She mused curiously, her eyes affixed to this strange apparatus she had never seen before.

"My family's always been quite poor. So, I did not have the money to perform the procedure. I did come into a large inheritance just recently." I explained in an attempt to sate her curiosity before it blew out of proportions and start asking some really tough questions.

"I see…." She pondered my answer. To my relief, her face also broke into one of satisfaction. She laid down my glasses on a tray and gave a curt prognosis. "Well, it should not take long to correct. These procedures are quite common nowadays. I'm just surprised it took you this long." She replied, shaking her head. 'She must be buying my sob story. After all, this is the lady who got fired for doling out free medical supplies.' I surmised quietly.

"Yeah, I guess. Uh… listen? Could I keep my glasses? I kinda have some sentimental value with them and I'd like to keep them as a reminder." I asked. Those glasses have been with me since the start of high school. Damn if I was going to throw them away now…

"Of course. I'll get a box for you to put them in." she smiled as she answered.

"Thank you, doctor." I nodded my head in gratitude.

"Now, please lie still. This will take a moment." Dr. Michel ordered me. I sat down on my bed and let the anesthesia run its course. As I lay there watching my eyelids flutter open and close, I thought back to my decision to come here. If I was right, Dr. Michel would have a spot of trouble with Fist's lackeys anytime today. Garrus Vakarian, everyone's favorite turian would sneak in and join the party. Afterwards, Shepard and her team would come charging in and allow Garrus to make the first move. It sounded fine in theory, except for the whole 'you could get killed part.' I cast it aside for the moment. After all, if those guys could last through the whole game, why couldn't I?

I found myself waking up an hour or two later. I knew because the first thing that came into focus was the wall-mounted clock resting above my bed on the wall. To my surprise, Dr. Michel was nowhere to be found. Reaching for my glasses, I found that my eyesight was impeccable. No blurry images at long range. Just clear, delirious clarity. I was shocked to put it mildly. It felt great not to wear those glasses again and yet it also made me sad that I'd have to give it up so quickly, like a child gives away his toys when he grows up. Suddenly, I heard a womanly yelp emnate from the main body of the clinic. With slight trepidation, I shifted off the table without making a peep. Edging even closer to the door, I did not even need to nudge the door open to see that she was in trouble.

"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!" she cried, her voice echoing through the thin barriers that passed for walls.

"That was smart, Doc. Now if Garrus comes around, you better stay smart." I could hear the gruff thug threaten the good doctor. 'Crap, now? Could have picked a better time, kiddo…' cursing myself for not being too observant. Without hesitation, I shifted around the room, looking for anything I could use. Eventually I settled on the medical tray, its cold steel a warm relief in my trembling hands. I had no time left to make my grand entrance so I flung the door open to an amazed crowd consisting of Garrus, the thugs, Dr. Michel, Shepard and her team.

"Hey assholes! Catch!" I yelled. I think everyone was pretty much shell-shocked with my appearance. It was only later when I realized why. Dr. Michel had apparently thought it best to disrobe me and put me in a medical gown while I was out in la-la land. Now imagine being any one of those participants in the room. Imagine going about your business normally when all of a sudden, some random guy jumps out of nowhere wearing naught all except a thin cloth and having the cool breeze pass up into his exposed butt crack. Add to that the maniac is wielding a fucking tray against your armed ass and you can pretty much feel my embarrassment at that moment.

Whatever… I flung my tray with as much momentum as I could muster. To my inherent surprise and to the shock of the thugs holding Dr. Michel hostage, my tray pinged off one of the goons' forehead, planting him face-first on the ground unconscious. The thugs recovered soon enough from their initial shock and began firing in my general direction. I pressed up against the frame of the doorway, feeling behind the bullets embedding themselves into the wall with a sickening thud. Garrus meanwhile took advantage of my distraction and landed a clean headshot on the lead thug, his body flopping backwards and slumping against the once pristine wall, his blood coating the white surface with red. Shepard and her crew mopped up soon enough and the rest of the thugs fell easily to their combined fire.

It was over in seconds. Still shaking and quaking in fear, I finally found the courage to peek out. The carnage horrified me, to the extent of nearly causing a full on puke-a-thon right there and then. Staggering to keep upright, I was pleasantly surprised to find Shepard straddling up to me and looking me in the eye.

"You okay?" she asked in a calm tone, seeing my frightened demeanor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Ms…" I paused with good reason. 'I wonder what name she got stuck with. Hopefully not the default name… Cause that would really suck…'

"Alison. Alison Shepard." She answered. Ah, so it wasn't such a bad name. Alright, I guess I could remember that.

"You did a brave thing today. You saved a woman's life." Alison insinuated. Honestly, I felt like a fool. What was I thinking, using a tray against four armed douchebags?

"Ah, it wasn't my doing. You people seemed to have handled yourselves quite well. Oomph…" I groaned as my bowels reacted unfavorably to the stench of gunpowder and coagulated blood filling my lungs.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked with a degree of concern in her tone.

"I'm fine. Just not used to seeing dead bodies." I gagged out over my futile attempts to block out the smell. Hopefully they clean out this place soon enough before the bodies began to decompose. I certainly would not be able to handle that.

"Hey, nice going there. Pretty good toss if you ask me." Garrus replied from across the room. Garrus sure did retain some characteristics. His C-Sec armor was still ever present, the blue tinge reminding me of the Normandy SR-2's overall in the third game. He even had his weird monocle optic like he was some sort of suave British spy. Let us bow our heads in memorium of GOOD James Bond films… Let's hope he doesn't carry over the pole up his behind…

"I'm sure you soldier types do it all the time in basic training." I said, brushing off my achievements as little more than everyday tasks for these purveyors of war and death.

"Still, pretty impressive." Garrus surmised his thought processes.

"Wait a minute, you're bleeding." Shepard brought my attention roaring back. My eyes fell towards my shoulder and to my horror, a round had managed to nick me, exposing my shoulder blade. Thick, red blood oozed from the wound yet the pain was not in attendance.

"Wha…." I mumbled in shock as I nursed my painless wound.

"Dr. Michel, could you take care of your patient? I need to talk to Garrus for a minute." Shepard called over to the doctor nearby. From the look on her face, it seemed she had more important places to be than to take care of some idiot. To my credit, she disapproved my theory that she would leave quickly for at least all of two minutes.

"Of course, Commander. Come over here if you please." She bowed in gratitude. Grunting in pain, I staggered over to the designated spot where Dr. Michel set to work on patching up my wounds. Applying the medi-gel was easy. Within seconds, the wound was sealed with a biological gel of pure white and relief finally struck my rattled nerves.

"Ah… It stings a little." I groaned, holding my arm as she derisively examined the wound with her omni-tool.

"Thank you, Isaac." She said with a smile out of left-field, catching me off guard. I guess I should have expected it but still…

"What for, doc?" I asked politely.

"If you hadn't stepped in, I'd have been killed." She explained plainly.

"It was nothing, doc. It's not a big deal. Besides, those people were more than enough for your rescue." I reaffirmed. Tossing a tray and taking out one guy out of four did not qualify as a proper rescue.

"Perhaps… But still, I appreciate the aid." Her thick German accent was on full display. It seemed she had grown fond of me. When I was about to leave the clinic, I remembered at the last moment that I had a bill to settle. She turned me down, saying that she could not bear to take payment from me since I had aided in her rescue. So, accepting her gracious hospitality, I set off at once to the elevator without any pre-set destination in mind. 'Let's just hope she doesn't give me turian chocolate…' I sardonically quipped with a smile etched across my delirious face.

Where to go now? I could always go to Chora's Den and try and help Shepard storm Fist's stronghold. Or I could go and help Tali when she gets ambushed by Saren's lackeys. Both promised a boatload of combat thought I'd have comparatively less to deal with should I go the Tali route. It reminded me of the same decisions the Mass Effect series is known for, except both of those options had suicide written all over it. Also unlike games, there's no autosave or reloading the last checkpoint in the real world. One lucky hit and I'll be sent to that big ball of pixels in the sky. Upon further deliberation, I opted to go and help Tali. Not only would she be able to help soften the blow, the risk of getting my head blown clean off was considerably less compared to Fist's security force and an automated turret in his office. With that in mind, I headed off in the general direction of Chora's Den with a slight tremble in my step.

Making my way over there, I squinted from across the hallway. I could clearly make out the entrance to Chora's Den with little effort. Once again, I was a little too late to join the party. Shepard, along with Garrus and Wrex, who will probably riddle Fist's brainpan with bullets making their way into the club, their weapons all at the ready. They moved with lightning efficiency, using tactics in common with most police forces and military units. I wasn't going to stick around. If she's busy laying the hurt, then Tali is most likely getting accosted by Saren's goons at this very moment. I channeled as much stamina as I could into my legs and sprinted to the alleyway, hoping to God that I wasn't too late…

When I got there, Tali was already in a heated argument with the turian while the two salarians stood at each end of the alleyway, ever alert for any looming presence nosing in their business. Taking shelter behind a pillar, I observed their conversation in earnest.

"Did you bring it?" spoke commandingly the turian with the tribal paint across his mandibles and eyes.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" Tali asked quizzically. 'If you want to meet Fist, you'll need a body bag, lady.' I pondered, wondering to myself how fucked up Wrex's number on Fist was.

"They'll be here. Where's the evidence?" The turian tried to maintain control of the situation. It was obvious however that it was far from his control. He even tried to caress her cheek, something which screamed ambush.

"No way. The deal's off." She starkly prompted, walking away from the turian. Motioning to his two fellow comrades-in-arms, the lead salarian broke out an unwieldy pistol from his holster, ready to use it if necessary. Before Tali could make her move, I made mine. Pulling out of cover, I made for the two salarians with as much speed as I could muster.

"Hey, pick on someone your own size, pal!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, prompting both victim and victimizers to spin around and watch me, no doubt considering me to be a madman charge pell-mell at them with no weapons at all. That window of opportunity gave me the chance to tackle both salarians to the ground with my outstretched arms, their bones making a crack sound as I rugby-tackled their collective behinds. From a distance, I could see Shepard and her crew bringing up the front, racing to get to us in a hurry.

I had no time to wait though. The turian overcame his lucidity and snarled, aiming his weapon directly at my face. Straining to keep my cool, I quickly let loose a roundhouse kick at his extended arm, knocking the sidearm far away from home. Say what you want about my parents, they probably had the right idea when they told me I had to go and take taekwondo classes. To be honest, I was at least not completely defenseless. The turian raised his fists, ready to tackle the problem old-school. I reciprocated this gesture, raising my fists in response. He made the first move, his fist barreling forth and trying to get a bead on my midsection. I took a step back and sent my own backthrust at him, relying on my long legs to keep me out of reach of his attacks and allowing me to take potshots at him. What can I say? It's good to be tall… The turian dodged it nimbly and closed the distance, grabbing my arm and readying himself for a hostage situation. I was having none of that. I elbowed him with my free hand right in the jaw, causing the idiot to step backwards, reeling in pain. I did not relent, opting to throw a flurry of punches at his stomach, like a punching bag at the gym. One last uppercut and he was flat on his back, groaning and no doubt feeling particularly ashamed of being defeated by a mere human. Shepard and her team finally arrived on the scene, their faces awash with absolute astonishment. Tali? I had no clue what she was, but I could tell it was nothing bad.

"And stay down!" I screamed at the turian, who rolled in pain on the floor. Shepard stepped up to me, her face visibly annoyed.

"That's the second time I've seen you around." Her brow was visibly raised, her suspicions rising. I had to throw her off fast.

"You're telling me. I was just trying to have a lovely stroll when I saw this bunch here trying to harm someone." I gave as best a convincing as I could weave.

"And you helped out of the good of your heart?" she spoke as she placed her hand against her hip.

"Hey, I can't help that I'm always in these kind of scenarios." I argued to a still suspicious Shepard. She was one hard hat to sell, that's for damn sure.

"Trouble's little magnet, eh?" she joked.

"You could say that." I shrugged my shoulders, regretting it almost immediately when burning pain resurfaced in my old wound. Why couldn't it have stayed painless?

"The human fights well. Almost as good as the turian." Wrex gave his standing praise. I saw Garrus moan verbally beside him to an amused audience.

"I'm right here, Wrex." Garrus sarcastically responded to his challenge. Wrex had to stifle a chuckle as so not to break his bloodthirsty persona.

"You could say that. You don't get to be alive if you don't learn how to fend for yourself in the neighborhood I grew up in." I spat out, with little irony. Besides, bullies in the yard are the same as thugs on the street, right?

"Still sounds a little fishy." Shepard mused as her eyes perused my full appearance, looking hard for the cracks in my fake persona.

"Shepard. We came for the quarian. Not the human." Wrex spoke plainly, the main agenda still fresh in his mind. 'Thank you, Wrex for that well-timed detour.'

"Thanks for the reminder, Wrex." Shepard reprimanded him. I was far from out of the ballpark.

"Who are you people?" Tali finally found the nerve to speak up. Though not by all means a coward, she was a little frightened by the sudden appearance of more armed thugs.

"I'm Commander Shepard. We got word that you have evidence against Saren." She calmly reassured her with her emerald-green eyes.

"Alliance. Alright, I guess I owe you one. But not here out in the open." She surmised, her brain running through the best option of handling said problem. Eventually, I assumed she just went along with the flow. What's the worst that could happen?

"We'll take you to the Embassies. It's safe there." She quickly answered. Tali seemed relieved at her answer and gave a curt nod to her.

"Thank you, Shepard. And thank you…" she trailed off as she turned to face me. Her hand was stretched out, a clear sign of her gratitude.

"Just call me Isaac." I mumbled, returning the gesture. If I was accurate enough, any of those guys could kick my ass any day of the week. Just got lucky, I guess…

"Isaac?" Shepard started as I turned to walk away. Here comes the million dollar question.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Wanna tag along? I could use someone like you on my team."

"Sure, why not? It's not like the Citadel is any safer. But I don't have any gear." I accepted her offer, seeing no other path besides following in the game's logic.

"We can settle that after we meet with Udina and Anderson." Shepard stated plainly.

"Who again?" I queried, putting on my best confused face. Which also happens to be my poker face. I really need to make my tells less obvious…

"Oh, right. Our ambassador and captain of the Normandy respectively." Shepard placed a palm to her head as she said this, remembering that I'd never heard of them before. At least to her knowledge…

"Right…. Lead the way then, Shepard." So it was that I found myself in Shepard's motley crew. For the moment, I was pretty stoked of having an active part in a world I'd grown to adore over the years. It was like a dream come true for most fanboys. Who wouldn't want to be kicking ass and saving the galaxy alongside a really hot ass-kicking woman?

What an idiot I was back then…

So here's the next chapter. Happy New Year by the way. I hope this part of my new story lives up to your expectations. If not, please leave a message and tell me what you think could be better. I accept all criticisms except ones where someone asks me to die. To them, I say you first… Enjoy your holidays cause I certainly am…