HITS: Alright, so I've been through the ringer these past few months. Sorry for the gap between updates. I can't say it'll get better, but I'm not done. Anywho, I finally have chapter two of this Rewrite just where I want it. Normally, I'd delete everything about this so I could start fresh with the reviews, but apart from going in and manually deleting every single one which I am not doing, I don't know how to clear them. They're still appreciated, they just don't pertain to the current content. Enjoy.
Shepard didn't know what to expect. It was just sitting there, staring right at her. The red light that had replaced the blue in its eye made it seem hostile, but it just sat there with its hands folded in its lap. It was as if it was completely inert, but whenever Shepard moved its head swiveled to follow. It was tracking her movement. Why? Observing? Planning an attack?
Suddenly the red light flashed rapidly, "Connection established."
An immediate loud crash of metal hitting the floor emitted from Synder. A man's rough and pained voice followed, "Jesus Christ man! You scared the shit out of me."
Synder said nothing as whoever was speaking got himself situated, "Stupid fucking- Hello? Who's this?"
Shepard was a little taken by surprise. She hadn't expected the robot to be a walking transmitter. She could take a guess at who was on the other end though. "This is Commander Shepard of the-"
"Are you fucking kidding me? What'd he do?"
"Uh, sorry?"
"The bot. What'd he do to end up in Alliance hands?"
"Well, the ship he was on was attacked, Blue Suns. He though everyone on board was a threat and defended himself. No one survived. So, y'know, that might be it."
"If they shot at him that's not too surprising. Alright, how much are you assholes charging to release him?"
Shepard thought for a moment. She could take the chance to grab a couple credits from this man. She never did have enough and every single one counted in some way. Then again, this man made the synthetic in the first place and Vivian too for that matter. It might be better to have him on her side instead of extorting him. Who knows; he might just make her one for free. "Nothing at all. Just tell me where to drop him off."
"Oh bullshit, I know that trick. You want to figure out where I'm based so you can hunt me down. I'll tell you what. Go to Ilium, wait on the Trading Floor. I'll be there. If this isn't anything stupid, I might give you a finder's fee."
Shepard felt his caution was warranted to a certain level, though his aggression was a little annoying. Shepard walked over to the couch and sat down across from the mech. "That's fine. I'll be bringing two people with me as a precaution. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh yeah? I've got a list of names from your recent endeavours, Miss Jane Shepard. Mind telling me who you're bringing?"
"How do you have that list? How do even you know my first name?"
"I have my ways, Shepard. If it counts for anything I'll be going alone. You'll have me outnumbered, guaranteed. C'mon, I need to know who I'm looking for."
Shepard sighed quietly, careful not to let him hear. If he got information on her team, then perhaps it was a good thing she didn't ask for money. It also meant that either he had been looking into her and her team or maybe Vivian did more than just check the Normandy's ID. Either way, this man was now a threat. With a steady breath to calm her nerves, she gave him the team roster, "Jack and Grunt."
"Let's see...the hot convict and the super Krogan. Not bad. Alright, see you there. Oh, if anyone -I mean anyone- gives you shit on the floor, tell them "Helmsway's coming." They'll get it."
With that, the eye turned blue again in an instant. There was a moment of silence before Synder stood up, "Connection severed. Good night Commander."
Shepard made note of the phrase, but was more focused on the fact he really did know exactly who she was bringing now. She could already see herself leading the two of them into an ambush they wouldn't walk away from. Grunt was amazing as usual, but Shepard rarely got along with Jack. The two of them butt heads more times than either of their body counts. It wasn't anything major. They'd agreed on plenty about how morally wrong Cerberus was and that the facility they held her in was to be wiped off the map. Sadly, everything else was an argument. Her mouth might get her in trouble, but it wasn't anything her biotics couldn't make up for.
Deciding the roster was accurate enough, she plopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh as the bot showed himself out and passed a very confused looking Turian with two bottles of wine. The door shut once he entered, "So...what did I miss?"
Shepard pointed to the bottles, "Well, we won't need glasses tonight."
Shal held the hilt of his blade tightly in the dark of the cargo bay. There was nothing wrong with the lights; he'd simply asked EDI to turn them off to help him sleep. Unfortunately he hadn't been far along when the lift opened into the bay. Like that he rolled to his feet. A beam of light cut through the dark ahead, a flashlight off of an Omni-tool. Shal took little time in hiding behind a crate. Whatever was inside wasn't all that heavy as he pressed his back against it, tilting it just so. It wouldn't make good cover should they shoot through it, but what if the others proved just as futile? Or worse, volatile. There was no way of knowing, but there was a way to avoid finding out.
Shal moved as silently as someone his size could, which is to say not very. Every time he crossed an open path to the next crate in an attempt to get around the visitor, the light would follow just slowly enough to miss him. His footsteps were hard to mask. He silently cursed his genetics and moved to the edge of his cover.
It was an Asari.
Shal remember seeing her during his short tour, but her name escaped him. It was the Justicar for certain though, he recognised the red skin suit anywhere. "Shal? Are you down here?"
If he recalled right, she had been less hostile and more intrigued from their meeting. Perhaps it would be fine to reveal himself.
"I am," he called from the dark. No, it wasn't worth the risk just yet. Too much could go wrong. "What do you need?"
The light followed his voice and just missed him as he ducked back around the corner. "Why are the lights off?"
'Because sleep is clearly unheard of.'
He edged his way back around to the other side and slipped past the Asari yet again. He was starting to find some entertainment in dancing around an unsuspecting target, but this wasn't the time to enjoy himself. There was someone here intent on something involving him. "What do you need, Asari?"
He hated repeating himself. She seemed to go along with it though, once again pointing the light towards the now deserted crate. "Shepard received a call from the one who made that synthetic. She wants you to come with her. Whoever it is knows who she intends to bring, so if you can use your camouflage and follow-"
"That will not work." He growled. Of course they wanted his help. No, they'd need it if they were meeting that man personally. Camo wouldn't do much against him, neither would firearms. None of them were close-quarters professionals like him, but even then he was lethal possibly more so than the Elite. Shal felt like refusing and letting them find out just how ill-prepared they were for this, but he forced it down and labelled it as sleep deprivation. "The man you will meet... he can see. He can see anyone he wants."
Again she missed him with her light. Enough was enough he decided as he climbed onto a crate. The crates were tall, stacked twice high and easily dwarfing anyone but him. "He can rip this ship out of the sky before you so much as see the planet. He can bomb the docking bays without being in the same system. He could rule the entirety of Ilium with his creations alone, never mind his own abilities. You are just as prepared to face him..."
He trailed off as he leapt from the crate and slammed into the deck mere feet to her left, quickly closing the distance before she so much as turned to face him. By the time the light met him, it was naught but a small circle against his chest plate. He towered over her to the best of his ability, hoping to see that look they always had when they came face to face with death. "...as you are to face me."
He didn't get the expression he was hoping for which was slightly upsetting, but she did stagger back a few steps. She was a warrior like him. Of course she wouldn't show her fear so easily. Even so, the instinct to get away from him forced a smile to his mandibles. "I will go, if only to see my only friend in this galaxy again."
Shal shifted his weight back and forth as they waited just outside the airlock. It didn't really matter if they took precautions or not. If this man wanted them dead then he'd have already grounded the ship, had five different target locks on it, already taken a few hostages, and would have released one for a bit of coffee. He was very familiar with how he worked. He was as unpredictable as he was brilliant, making him a threat to anyone in his way. He must have been in a good mood, given the lack of corpses and armed guards.
Shepard stood at the front with Jack, a convict who looked more like a canvas, to her left. Behind them was Synder. Shal was paranoid enough as is, but this was so much worse. Not a day ago, he'd fought the mech and came to a draw interrupted by Vivian, perhaps the only genuinely good thing to ever be produced by Victor Henning. Now the metal bastard was at his back.
Shal had taken his spare Carbine as well as his blade this time around. Although he wasn't allowed to reach for it in such a public location unless needed, it did help him feel a touch better about exposing his blind spot to a death machine.
"Hey lizard."
Shal rolled his eyes. Lowly name calling like that used to bother him, but he managed to get used to it over the years. He met Jack's mocking glare. "Yes, convict?"
"You look a little jumpy. I'm sure Shepard would let you hide in the ship if you want."
"I am merely preparing myself. Should Victor's mood sour, I need my meat shield within reach. Try not to wander off, yes?"
Jack didn't fire back, but it was clear that she wasn't pleased to hear his retort. His time on Omega and the occasional interaction with Victor had sharpened his wit considerably. One thing people with great power liked was someone who could separate a joke from business, even better if they could play nice. Victor was one such man, liable to get more irritated than anything should someone just accept his insults. He liked them with a spine.
Even if Shepard had agreed to let him go back to sleep, there was no way Shal would back down now. He was partially excited about seeing his old ally again. He even got her to switch Grunt out for him and forgo any attempt at stealth.
Shal moved to the window, scanning the rooftops for anything odd. Victor was a high priority target in many eyes. A man capable of building such advancements in technology and Artificial Life, one who was on par with the old Quarians who made the Geth, was a constant target and not one to be taken lightly. Victor didn't use mercenaries, didn't need to. He could make his own guards.
So when Shal noticed a purple light blink twice against the evening sky on a rooftop, he knew they weren't in control anymore. A sniper, a K-Series mech the bastard had designed if the light was anything to note. And where there is one...
"Evening Commander."
...there was another.
Shal looked down the hall to see Victor approaching. He sported an Exo-suit of his own make that covered every inch of his frame. The grey colouring was broken only by two bright purple lights acting as eyes on the featureless faceplate. He wasn't even sure if that's where his eyes really were. It pained him to admit it, but Shal never saw Victor in the flesh, only through that suit of his. The only thing he'd seen was his mouth once when they stopped to grab some food after a job.
Shepard's reaction was so obvious that Shal thought it on purpose. The look of distrust was clear as day, as was the tension. "You know, I'm really starting to not like robots."
"If it makes you feel better, I'm no robot."
"That getup begs to differ."
Victor shrugged, his thin metal frame catching the light just so. "Fair enough. You got my bot?"
At its master's beck and call, Synder surged past the somewhat startled Sangheili and took his place by Victor's side. Victor immediately began checking him for outer damage. "Synder, run an internal diagnostic and tell me when it's finished."
"Affirmative."
It didn't take long to finish his once over, but he did point to a slight outline on the front of the torso. The sleek mask cantered on Shal, "Oi, shithead, this your hoof print?"
Shal could take his time to explain the situation to him, but he knew a short answer was just as good as a long one with this man. It could even be considered a good thing in cases. Shal crossed his arms and straightened up, glaring down at the metal man, "Perhaps it is. What of it?"
"Been working out or something? You pushed the armour a full three centimetres in. That's more than a sniper rifle could do. Good job."
Well, how unexpected.
Shal hummed his approval, pleased to actually get a compliment from the mask instead of the usual verbal abuse, most often related to reptiles. Ah, but Victor had it wrong. He hadn't been trying to improve his physical state at all. Natural muscle gained from years of inhabiting Omega had naturally toughened him up. He didn't have a clear read on just how strong he was now, but it had been a significant increase.
Victor straightened up and walked cautiously toward the Commander. Shepard seemed just as wary if not more so as he drew closer. He stopped little more than an arm's length away, his own limb presented the way humans usually did in greeting or good business. It took but a moment for Shepard to catch on, though she refused to return the gesture. "Commander, I've transferred a small reward to your account and a little bonus for leaving him intact."
She gave him a nod, "It wasn't easy saving something that was trying to kill us."
"True enough, but let's blame that on the mercenaries, eh? Believe me when I say that was never meant to happen."
Shepard crossed her arms, leaving his hand between them before he caught the hint and retracted it. Shepard turned her head to the side, looking Synder over as he stood motionless. "He acted like he was built for war, tore up anybody in his way. You can't tell me that's an accident."
Victor let out an audible sigh and leaned against the window looking out over the rest of the vast city that was Ilium. It was beautiful, provided you didn't mind the occasional firefight with Eclipse Mercenaries and perhaps the law enforcement. Luckily, neither Victor nor Shal cared for the dangers. The people here were much more tolerable than on Omega and not everyone here was hiding from something. That and there wasn't a power mad Asari hounding him to be her personal bodyguard. If ever there was a place for him to settle once his task was finished, this was it.
Victor didn't look at anyone in particular, focusing on the wall between his creation and the rest of them, "You're right, y'know. He can fight; I made sure he could defend himself. Thing is he was never meant to see combat. I actually designed him to be a Manufacturer, my future replacement. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the universe isn't one for creation."
Shal took a firm step forward, "Your creation is a weapon of war. It will not create beyond corpses! I have known you for a few long years, Victor, so forgive me when I say you did not make a progeny."
"Shal," he said with a sigh that lasted a little too long. "I know you saw it. Out there, right?"
He jabbed a finger to the window towards the building he'd seen the sniper's light. "Guess what it is."
"Clearly a sniper."
"Wrong, split-chin. It's a mobile artillery unit. The latest and greatest model I've made yet. Plan was if anything happened to me, it and three others like it would bombard the docks in an attempt to take out your ship. I die, you and about a hundred others go with me. Synder isn't the war machine, I am, and I'll thank you to keep that in mind."
Shal was... taken aback by that. He hadn't expected anything close to a response like that. There had only been a three year gap between their last contact, but in that time Victor seemed to have been filled with hatred and an unyielding desire to overpower any obstacle in his way. Had his obstacles not consisted of flesh and bone, it would almost be inspiring. Instead the old Sangheili warrior could only close his eyes and shake his head. "What happened while I was away?"
"Plenty."
The way he said it gave Shal more than enough to work on. He wasn't angry, so it wasn't recent. He wasn't indifferent, so it wasn't small. He sounded exhausted. Whatever it was, it was still going on and enough to drive him up a wall. Shal wanted to ask who had finally gotten under all that metal to his skin, but knew an answer would not come and that a mortar shell might.
"Do I know anything about it?"
Victor's trigger finger twitched once, realising there wasn't a weapon to fire. It was subtle, but enough of a hint for Shal-
"No, you don't."
-to guess completely wrong.
Wow.
Shal didn't let his surprise show, but Victor must have noticed somehow. It was so difficult to know what went on behind that featureless metal mask. He looked around before closing the gap with him. He turned his back to Shepard in an attempt to keep her out of earshot. Shal even crouched down to help him. "Someone has been giving me trouble. I don't know why, but I have a list of names that only gets longer every time I cross one out. They aren't mercenaries I know that much. It's like this whole new group came out of nowhere specifically to fuck with me. And that's just the first in a very long list of problems. Wanna hear the second?"
Shal nodded. If it were possible, he'd stay behind and help his friend, but Shepard is the one helping him right now and he didn't know just how long that offer would be available. He could always ask to be dropped off later. Then again, that might go very poorly. Victor checked to see if Shepard and Jack were still a safe distance away. They were, thankfully. The human's Omni-tool appeared and a recording began to play. There were two distinct voices.
"Say it. Go on, talk... speak damn it!"
There was a loud slam followed by panicked yelping, "Okay, okay!"
"Good. Let's get started, shall we? Firstly, what are you?"
"I-I am a Unggoy, one of the m-mighty Covenant."
"Unggoy. I don't have that on our list of known species. Interesting. What's your name?"
"My name is Kakkap."
Shal' skin prickled. Someone had a Grunt hostage. Worse yet, they were digging for information. A feeling of unease took root in his stomach. The last time he'd seen Covenant... he'd slaughtered the lot of them to save a single human on the brink of death. If word had spread near as fast as he thought it would, he'd be a prime target for any and all looking for a bit of honor in killing a traitor. Shal looked to Victor, "Where was this recorded?"
Victor straightened up from his hunched position, "Out there by the Svetix Genetics Incorporated building, four weeks ago. Your boys probably moved, but I remember what you told me. From your stories, they probably established a base or something in the system and he got caught. If you're still looking for... you-know-who, then that's where I'd look. And if you can figure out whether I've got an invasion crawling up my ass, that'd be great."
Shal straightened up and nodded, sure to stand such a way as to include Shepard, "We will, Victor. Thank you for your aid."
Victor grabbed his wrist. It was more for show than anything. Even with that armour, he was only human. His strength could only be augmented to far before it became stagnate. Shal let him pull the massive alien down close, "Hold on there, Godzilla. I'm going to the tower with you. Whatever's going on seems oddly convenient with the timing of this."
"If you'd tell me precisely what's going on I could-"
"Later. Not here, definitely not here."
Shepard was left uneasy after meeting the man Shal called friend. She'd had EDI take a look and sure enough, she'd found four artillery units locked onto the Normandy as well as an unidentified object from orbit. Victor wasn't joking when he said he was the real war machine. How someone like Shal got involved with his kind she would never know, but now she was stuck in a machine she didn't think would exist.
The shuttle itself was fairly similar to Alliance models, but the outside had been altered significantly. The outer hull now had a sharp curve on the front almost shaped like a drill. Reinforced plating covered every inch of the previous metal and the space between equipped with shock dampeners. The little craft now looked like the largest bullet she'd ever seen, all complete with deep jade colouring.
Shal sat in the middle, checking his weapon and what she thought was ammo, though she had no idea how to reload the thing. "Commander, you did not have to come with us. This will surely end in blood and they may not be the type of enemy you're used to facing. They are mere civilians for the most part."
She volunteered because this was the only chance she'd get to see how Shal acts towards real friends. She had to say so far she was impressed. Where he seemed ill-tempered on the Normandy, he was completely docile in comparison to Victor, who'd built the monstrous vehicle around them. He was the voice of reason to his chaotic fury. Considering what she'd seen yesterday, it was almost ironic. "I might as well, Shal. You're a part of my crew now."
"For now." He corrected, but she noticed the slight upturn in his voice that said he wasn't displeased with the notion. "You may still head back if you wish. I'm sure the convict could use the company."
Though he wasn't too friendly with them all, even how he spoke was less pointed. It was almost as if he thought her name was actually Convict. She'd actually left Jack back at the Normandy just in case their back-and-forth they had earlier was less than friendly, but it was looking like a misjudged call now. "I won't-"
"Actually," Victor interrupted as he strode into the back compartment, "She can't. Old boat's in motion now, can't exactly turn on a dime. Besides, we just hit ramming speed."
...what was that?
Shal seemed to catch it too given the expressions they shared. They both gave the masked man a questioning glare as Shal rose till his back pressed the ceiling. "You didn't..."
Victor leaned against the bulkhead and crossed his arms, thin metal finger tapping the jawline, "Did I forget to mention I'm testing this for the first time? It's called a Siege Pod for a reason."
Shal grabbed Victor's skull and dragged him close. She could almost feel the smirk through the mask. Shepard moved up to his side, her heart starting to pick up pace. So they were in a modified craft, completely untested, that just reached ramming speed? Well, at least that explained the drill on the front. "What's your plan, Victor?"
"Easy there, Commander. We'll be fine. I always have a backup plan. Basically, we're gonna use this piece of work to breach the side of the building and work our way through from there. We find Kakkap, call the Pod, and go. Simple."
"And if we fail to pierce the side?" Shal growled, that anger she'd first seen rising once again.
"Like I said, I have a backup. The front has a crumple zone and a trigger. If the metal starts to cave too far, it'll eject the rest of the shuttle and use the reverse thrust to break off from a collision course. If it comes to that though, the inertia'll hit hard. It's a pain in the ass to go backwards at the same speed forward. We'll live, guaranteed. Uninjured? Probably not. Better hope all goes well."
"Exactly how long do we have?" Shepard was forced to ask. She needed to get situated if this thing was intended to hit a building.
"Fourteen."
"Fourteen what?"
"Thirteen, twelve, might want to let me go. I hear large chunks of metal make nasty projectiles. Eight, seven..."
Shit!
Shal released him and secured himself best he could to the flattest wall. It almost seemed dedicated to someone his size. Padding kept him from the actual bulkhead and bracing handles hung on either side. Shal gripped them both and pressed his feet against the opposite wall. Shepard dashed to her seat and secured the harness over her N7 chestplate. She gripped the handles as tight as she could. Across the way, Victor calmly sat in the seat nearest Shal. The harness came down and he held what looked to be an old sheath against his lap, the handle at the end clearly indicating a blade. Seriously? Who even uses actual swords these days? Even Shal's was made of some kind of energy.
The impact wasn't near as violent as she expected. The entirety of the frame jolted and she felt like her stomach was forced out of her pelvis, but all in all she was unharmed. Shal seemed just as well off as he pried himself out of the padding behind him, the outline slowly fading as they took their former shape. Victor was in the best shape of all of them, already standing at the door. The sheath he'd had was now clipped to his hip and hanging just out of the way of his legs so as not to obstruct his movement. The blade itself was clearly not an ordinary one. The name carved into the surface of the flat edge was the name of a Turian warship that had been torn apart in a meteor shower the likes of which no one thought possible. Victor tilted his head to Shepard, "Like it? Starship metals make the best weapons, Turian especially."
If he said so. She didn't want to ask how he happened upon the wreckage or how he got the materials to make it. She doubted she'd like the answer.
The door opened with a quick hiss followed by a mass effect field covering the entrance. There was smoke in the air, a clear indicator their little entrance had started a fire. People of various races ran down the hall screaming and a security guard only stared on with his pistol aimed to the floor.
Shal shook his head and shuffled to the mouth of the shuttle. "How close are we?"
"Well, since we used the back door- or would you call it a skylight? Window? Anyway, we're really close. Structural integrity really jumped up for the next few floors and I wasn't about to test the Siege Pod on something stronger than usual when it hadn't passed the normal test. We head up four floors and find their interrogation room. For the Commander's tender sense of morals, only kill if shot at."
Shal took aim at the guard who finally managed to raise his weapon towards them, "Very well. We must make haste, they'll be moving him soon."
"Agreed. Coming, Shepard?"
Shepard came back to the reality that she was storming a building full of innocent people. The targets running as fast as their legs would carry them were little more than simple office workers. Victor walked through the mass effect field straight towards the guard, who opened fire. The small scale rounds vaporised against a bright red barrier of energy like that of a biotic. Victor drove his fist forward and straight into the poor human's skull. The guard dropped to the floor. Shal exited soon after, roaring as loud as he could. If anything it seemed like he was trying to scare everyone off and it was definitely working.
"Stairs are down the hall, guards are on the way. Shal, you first." Victor barked. Shal only nodded as he took off down the only hallway available. Shepard made note that he was at least twice as fast as she was, maybe more as she started to lose him. She stepped out into the hallway as the shuttle began forcing itself back out the way it came. The hall had only three rooms along the right side before twisting to the right where Shal ran off to. The rooms were freshly empty, but the occasional straggler back-pedalled out every now and again. She was aware this was Ilium, almost anything goes here, but that meant that anyone could be armed. So far everyone was running away, but that wouldn't stay the case.
Shepard readied her Carniflex as she took off after her ridiculously fast companion. Victor was in no rush, but he was still oddly quick. Sleek silver kept stride with her with barely any effort shown. Somehow that annoyed her much more than the fact the blade he was boasting was sheathed. What? We're she and Shal the only ones actually considering a greater threat ahead? Or maybe that bastard knew there wasn't anything further. He seemed to do his research before hand so it was hardly far fetched.
They rounded the corner, saw two people curled up on the floor with their hands over their heads, went through a pair of sliding doors, and found Shal. He was in cover behind the corner of a T-shaped corridor. Further down the corridor behind Shal sit a large door between a pair of plants she couldn't recognise. He didn't seem all that bothered by it though, instead edging himself around the corner. The moment his head rounded the corner, the side of his skull lit up a brilliant icy blue and he was forced to hide again as a hail of bullets ripped into the wall.
As electricity leapt across his armor and finally stabilised, he noticed their arrival. He gestured to the hallway with his weapon, "Two turrets. It seems like there may be an elevator, but it's locked by some scanner."
"Security's been activated," Victor stated as he walked up to the edge closest to him, "but we haven't been here more than ten minutes. Their system response time for a full activation is fifteen minutes with the exits, weaponry, and deterrents being first priority. Problem is I chose an area with the least amount of security measures and the Commander here only set off two sensors. That's enough to seal the exits, but not enough for rapid turret activation. Someone manually activated it, but there's no alarm buttons out in the office area and the guard didn't have shit. That's intentional if I ever saw it. Be careful, I bet they're watching."
Shal peered out again, mandibles clenched, "Apart from the usual method, how are we to get past?"
Victor sauntered up to the corner, sheathed his blade, and shrugged, "What's wrong with the usual method?"
"This, Victor! This is what's wrong with the usual method!"
Shal rubbed his aching back as he picked another shard of shrapnel out of his armour. His shields absorbed most of the damage, but they'd eventually given out under such unnatural stress.
Victor rolled his shoulders, though there wasn't much point to it. Servos whirred and synthetic fibers shifted to his form. "Oh quit your bitching. I'll fix any new holes you have. Besides, it worked. Kinda."
"You threw me! What thought made that a grand idea?!"
Victor yanked his blade out of the wall nearest the door as one of the scrap piles that used to be a threat fell from the ceiling, "The fact their targeting matrix lags by 0.7 seconds when tracking an airborne target. You gonna come down or what?"
Shal ripped another jagged spike of metal from between his plates and jerked his energy sword free from his own target, falling the solid four feet to the ground. Times like this he was thankful for his height. His landing was still heavy and he felt his knees pop. He hated the usual method.
Victor, the perfectly unharmed bastard child he was, looked back the way they'd come, "Hey Commander, you alright?"
Shal looked too, straightening out and relieving some strain on his back. The commander was standing there, motionless. The expression she wore was clearly one of unfathomable confusion and it was very likely she was trying to rationalise what just occurred. It didn't help half the hall was burned beyond recognition, the lights were flickering, and the floor was covered in deep grooves belonging to both their weapons. He could only smirk. As much as he loathed it, such a technique would always leave onlookers a stammering mess or, in this case, catatonic. He'd been the same way when he first witnessed it. Worse since he was the one being thrown.
Shepard could only look between the two of them, "You just... threw him. That... I... Shal, you just exploded, but you're... what?"
Victor let out that low laugh of his that was a mix of sadistic pleasure and pity for the weak minded. "Yeah, I just tossed a four hundred pound lizard-"
"Three hundred and ten."
"-whatever- and turned his scaly ass-"
"I'm not scaly."
"-go fuck yourself- into an exploding frisbee. Yeah, that's my favourite trick. No one expects it!"
Shal let his shoulders drop, "I wonder why. It couldn't possibly be the fact I'm twice everyone's size at a minimum and suddenly took flight, could it?"
"Nah, can't be. C'mon, we have a thingy to save."
Shal could only groan as he attached the hilt of his blade to his thigh, bringing his carbine around to his front. Only Shepard wasn't following. She wasn't lost anymore, but she shook her head with her sidearm drawn. He couldn't remember if it had been before, "Look, I'd love to discuss what just happened, but I need some more answers before we go much further."
That stopped them both. Shal was used to Victor's cryptic demeanour as he always got his answers by the end, but Shepard just met the man. She don't know his thought process or that when it came to a galactic scale he truly was the lesser evil. Despite the familiarity, even Shal was curious why he'd come. Victor had his hand inches away from the door panel, fingers slowly curling into fists. "Alright. Shoot."
"I get they have a prisoner and all, but why aren't we letting local law enforcement handle it? The Ilium response time is pretty quick from what I hear."
Victor wasn't turning back, not even a glance. His shining silver back was all they could see, "The president, that's why. He's got some serious pull for all the funding he's shit into their hands. They'd never touch the only benefactor to match the government's own funding. That means he can get away with way too much. Aside from being royally jealous, I've got two very good reasons to make sure he doesn't get away. That's why we breached the wall so high up. His office is up top and I know for a fact he's still up there. There's no way down past here that gets him away from us."
"Well, why are you so invested in his arrest?"
"Arrest?! Ha! Like I'd risk that. No, he dies. And reasoning? This place is called Genetics for a reason. You're welcome to try and stop me. Shal here won't even interfere. It'll be a showdown between you and me, but I'll have to ask that it's either now or after we're done here. I'm finished wasting time. Come with or leave, Shepard, but quit standing there."
Shal wasn't really sure which she would choose. Sure, they were storming a building full of innocents, but Victor clearly knew someone wasn't and the recording of a Grunt, yet another species they never even witnessed in this galaxy, was proof enough that something bizarre was afoot. Still, that wasn't much to go on. For a militant mind like hers, Shepard must have been lost in the motion of things and only now caught up. A pity. She definitely hesitated, far too long for Victor's liking as he opened the door, but before Shal could follow, he heard her hurried footsteps close the distance. Whether she was in it or not, she'd need to be nearby. She would either agree with Victor's reasons or be close enough to fight him should she need to. What bothered Shal most was that Victor had clearly planned this entire assault.
They had only stepped in it.
So for those wondering, Victor was going to be an addition late into the last version of the story doing the same thing he is now, but I got very indecisive just before his grand entrance. He was always a snarky prick. Hope you like him.
