So then, let's see what we've got here. Three mechs giving suppressive fire straight ahead, and two more trying to flank me on both sides. Check ammo…Damn, when she said she wasn't giving me much I was still expecting more than one clip. Ah well. Pistols aren't particularly useful anyway.
Those guys on the left are closing in surprisingly fast. Better pop a singularity to keep them in place for the time being. Stay in cover…
Right, so they're taken care of for a few seconds. Now to deal with these on the right. Let's go with a throw. BAM! God I love that noise. The singularity hasn't worn off yet, so how about a warp to finish them off. Probably should shift cover first to avoid the blast…
Quickly roll! Quickly! Ok, warp over the shoulder, duck back under. Another satisfying BOOM as the singularity explodes, flinging metal body parts all over the field. A leg from said explosion conveniently smacks one of those annoying suppressive mechs in the head, so that one's taken care of. Two more left. They've moved a bit closer now it looks like. How about…shockwave! Haven't tried that yet. Get an idea of where they are... Back down! Why didn't I notice my shields were down? Should check that more often. I think they're a bit the left… Bring the energy to arm…
Crap, missed. It shook them, but didn't knock them over. Is it me or is shockwave hard to aim? Well, since they're so hard to hit, how about bringing them a bit closer…
Quick pull from one arm and a warp from the other. BOOM! I love how warp makes other powers explode. Just love it.
I stand up to observe the carnage. Ah, metal body parts strewn all over a rubber bullet ridden battlefield. Lovely. Check ammo…Oh, I didn't shoot. Perfect! Guns didn't even cross my mind. She'll be pleased, I'm sure.
"Excellent work 2," she says over the intercom. "Stay right there, we have someone who wants to meet you." Oh? A friend of yours, Madam? That's unusual. How long has it been now? Four months? It doesn't feel like that long. God I'm hungry.
I bend down to inspect a disembodied arm more closely. I swear, this technology will never cease to amaze me. Especially when I get to meet Legion! Oh, I am looking forward to that so much. I wonder how-Ow! Shit! That's probably the biggest drawback of being a biotic, the static electricity. And considering most of the stuff I'm around now is metal…Yeah, not fun.
The door opens and I hear the remnants of a conversation, "Really all she lacks at this point is-" That's…not what I was expecting. I stand up to get a look at Madam and her friend.
A very old and worn looking military fellow. Seems like he's seen his fair share of battles, judging from that scar on the right side of his face. "2, this is Admiral Hackett. He has been watching your progress and is very interested in your abilities. Hackett, this is 2."
Oh! Hackett! Cool! I don't think we ever actually see him in game. Damn he looks rough. That was rude. Crap. I should probably get a bit closer so I'm not halfway across the room from him.
He extends his hand and says, "It's an honor to meet you, miss…2?" Alright, you better stop calling me that.
"Brenna, actually." I shake his hand. Very leathery. I never really pictured Hackett to look like this. I mean, I knew he'd be old, of course, I just didn't expect him to look so…militaryish. Though I probably should've, since he is an admiral. "And it's nice to meet you too." No! Not nice! He said honor! I should've said honor. Why did he say honor anyway? I'm not nearly as prestigious as he is.
"We sent him footage of your performances, but he decided he needed to see you in person. We asked him if he could have you work with someone in order to gain some real-life battle experience, and he has someone in mind you may have heard of." And would this 'someone' be Shepard, Madam? Really, if you were any more obvious you'd just come out and tell him I'm from the past. Y'know, saying you're from the past is not nearly as cool as saying you're from the future. Because you already know what happened in the past, unless you go back farther than documented history. You don't know what the future is like, because it's the future for god's sake! Although I guess being from an alternate universe past in which the future is a video game series is pretty cool too…I'm starting to confuse myself now.
"Tell me, have you heard of Commander Shepard?" Oh sure, I've heard of her, Hackett. In fact, I might've lived her life multiple times through, but I guess that's too much information.
"Wasn't she the one on Akuze?" Ah, playing dumb. I'm gonna have to get used to that.
"Yes, I'm still shocked she survived every time I hear the story." He seems pleased that I know her, so I guess I earned some points there.
Can we speed this up a bit? I'm hungry. "What about her?"
Madam's turn this time. "There are some very credible rumors going about that she is about to become the first human spectre. Hackett here thinks that you would make an excellent addition to her crew." Alright, excited face on. Though I am pretty excited to finally get out of this white hellscape.
"Really? But I'm not-I mean, I'm not that well trained. And I-wow, a spectre. Really?" I hope that wasn't too cheesy. It's hard to act excited without seeming sarcastic.
Hackett chuckles at what seems to be my youthful exuberance and says, "Yes, really. I'm even more confident you would be a valuable asset to her and her team after seeing what you can do here in front of me." He turns to Madam, "When can we leave?"
"As soon as you like, Admiral."
"Good." Damn, that was fast. He looks back at me. "Can you be ready in an hour?"
"I uh…Yeah. I'll just need to grab some food…"
"I'll meet you in front of the ship in an hour then." He gives a farewell nod to Madam, who returns the gesture, and he then leaves the room.
Madam takes the opportunity to explain what's happened so far, "Eden Prime was attacked yesterday, and Shepard is already on the citadel. By the time you two get there, she very well may be a spectre already." Oh! Dang, things are moving fast. Who does she mean by…oh.
"You mean me and the redhead?"
"Yes." She smiles slightly and continues, "The boy will be joining you on Hackett's ship."
"Let's get you something to eat, and then Markus has something he's been working on for you. I think you're going to like it." Rightio then. But food first, surprises later.
I stuff a sandwich of some sort in my face (I don't recognize the meat as anything from Earth) and follow Madam to…wherever Markus has been for the past four months. Really, I haven't seen him or any of the other 'test subjects' at all ever since that briefing. Just Madam. And I'm surprised that I've kept my sanity, what with her being the only being I've interacted with for four months.
We enter a big…research room? I guess? It's certainly sciencey looking. It's got various tables in it, with Markus occupying one in the back. Is that an armor stand next to him?
Madam leads me over to him, and…that definitely is some armor next to him. And some pretty cool looking armor at that. The pattern reminds me of Garrus's c-sec armor, only it's dark green where the blue would be. And it's for humans, obviously.
Markus looks up from whatever he was doing, and I guess notices how I'm looking at the armor because he smiles and asks, "You like it?"
"Definitely."
Looking very pleased with himself, he starts to explain the finer points of the design. "Now, I know freedom of movement is important for your biotics, so I used a lighter material than most armor. But it's still just as strong as a medium-weight, just a lot more expensive."
"I'm not going to have to pay you back, am I?"
He chuckles and replies no. "There're also biotic amplifiers built into it, so that should be useful…Oh, and one more thing. I think I left it in here…" He starts going through drawers until he pulls out a matching visor, like the one you can get for Shepard in the second game. "Madam told me you find it helpful if you have some music going in your head, so I figured this would help with that." Oh! Cool! Battle music! "And of course it'll help with targeting and everything."
I start to thank him, but as soon as I open my mouth there's another voice coming from behind me, "Ah! Getting ready for your big adventure, I see."
I turn to see William behind me, looking as grandpa-like as ever. He seems very proud of…me? That's a bit strange. All these people treat me like a project that was given the blue ribbon at the science fair. Not that I've ever been in a science fair, but still. Except Markus. Even when he tries to be cheerful, I still detect pity in his expressions. I get the feeling he doesn't like his employer's methods. I can't say I like them either.
Speaking of Markus...I look at him and ask, "Can I try it on?"
"Of course!"
…
…
Damn this looks awesome.
I managed to get it on ok by myself, and now I'm looking in the mirror. Heh. And it feels so light! Much lighter than I thought it would be. And it doesn't hinder movement at all, so that's nice.
The visor's cool too, though I think it'll take some getting used to. I was also given an omni-tool that I can use to upload music to it, so that's nice. Well, technically Madam gave it to me so she would have a way to communicate with me, but I tend to think of it as more of a really fancy iPod. Probably because I wish I didn't have to keep in touch with her.
"Are you almost done in there?" Oh shush. She can't even let me out of her sight for a few minutes.
"Coming." I step outside to see Hackett waiting alongside Madam and the two men. Was I really in there that long? I guess I did have some trouble figuring out what connected where, but I didn't think it was long enough for him to come looking for me. That redheaded guy is also here, and it looks like he's gotten some armor too.
Markus starts inspecting my armor, making sure all the latches are attached properly and that sort of thing. He then steps back to observe his handiwork. "Does it feel ok? Walk up and down the room for me. Is it chafing anywhere?" I remain silent and do as he says. I'm suddenly trying on a pair of shoes, apparently.
"It feels fine," I say as I'm walking back. William is just beaming with pride, and Hackett seems very satisfied himself. Once again, I feel like an object.
"Right then," Hackett says, "you're ready to leave now?"
"Yep."
Madam leads us all to Hackett's ship, and all the way Markus can't seem to stop telling me all about the armor, what 'inspired' him to do this and that. Really, Markus, you're a nice guy. But you get way too excited about armor.
The airlock opens as Hackett and us two young'uns step inside. I look back to see Markus waving cheerfully beside the no-nonsense Madam and the proud grandfather. I wave back, the door closes, and I'm left noticing how not-white everything is now.
…
…
The trip was rather uneventful. I managed to get the redhead's name (which is Kevin), but after that he remained silent. Ah well. I'm not much of a conversationalist so I didn't bother after that. Anyway, we just arrived at the Citadel and after looking in awe at it for a few seconds, Hackett rushes us into the airlock. He says he wants to get to the tower quickly to see Shepard's spectreication. Well, obviously I was paraphrasing there, but never mind.
We speed-walk to the elevator that leads to the tower, hop inside, push the button (Frank), and then listen to the obligatory news blip about Nirali Bhatia wanting to be a chef. You'd think elevator technology would've advanced enough to keep up with the massive scale of buildings now. And this time there isn't the excuse of it being a loading screen, it's just slow for no reason.
The door opens with a quiet whoosh, and we resume speed-walking up the massive amounts of stairs. It looks like everyone's gathered up at the top…Shit! It's starting!
"Run!" Right, good plan Hackett. We start running, though Hackett can't keep up with our pace and falls behind somewhat. Almost…
"Commander Shepard – step forward." Whew! Just in time. I should probably just hang back by this tree here until it's over. Wouldn't want to ruin it by busting in Leeroy style. Actually, that would be pretty awesome…One minute humanity's joining the spectre ranks, the next some crazy teenager runs up from behind screaming 'LEEEEEROOOOOY JEEENKIIINSS', tackles Shepard and they both crash into the glass below. Yeah, that would almost be worth it. Except the part where Madam smashes my head into a wall for ruining everything. Still, it's fun to think about. I could maybe use biotics to help give me a boost to make sure we land in the glass. Hey, does that work? I wonder. I remember Samara using them to semi-fly Iron Man style, so…
Oh, looks like I've daydreamed the ceremony away. Eh, I've seen it before anyway. Anderson and Udina exit the fancy platform first, with Shepard still talking to her squad mates…It…it looks like Garrus and Kaidan. Garrus! I'll have to resist the urge to giggle uncontrollably when Shepard comes over here with him. That might be considered suspicious and/or just plain freaky. Anderson tries to come over and speak with Hackett, but Udina insists that there are 'more important matters to attend to'. Sorry Anderson! I know, I hate Udina too. Don't worry, hopefully you'll get to punch him in the face later.
Hackett moves in front of both of us as Shepard walks off the platform and folds his hands behind his back. Let's see, what kind of Shepard is this…brown hair in a tight bun, blue eyes. She certainly looks better than my Shepard, though mine is basically just the default with different hair. Ah well. She shakes hands with Hackett, and they say…stuff. I'm busy looking at Garrus, since he hasn't noticed me yet. Turians look…kind of scary, actually. Very hard and scaly, with those beady little eyes and huge mandibles. Crap, he noticed me staring at him. Avert eyes! Right, so I've probably already weirded him out. Shit. Is it me or does my face feel hot?...Oh god no.
"And who's this?" Shepard asks, looking at me and Kevin in turn.
"These," Hackett puts a hand on either of our backs and brings us forward, "are the newest members of your squad." For the love of god, why did you have to bring me forward? Now everyone's looking at me. Crap. Just…just look at Shepard. That's where you're supposed to be looking anyway. And they're looking at Kevin too, so it's not as bad. She seems surprised. I probably would be too in her situation.
"…Sir?" That doesn't sound good. Come on Hackett, give her one hell of a sales pitch!
"I'm serious. I know they're young, but trust me, they've got what it takes to be spectres themselves." Whoa, hold on there. You don't want to go overboard with the exaggeration. Shepard still looks skeptical. I'm not buying it either.
"And they aren't just ordinary soldiers either. He's got tech knowledge, and she's a fully trained biotic." Again, a bit too much exaggeration. Fully trained? I've never even been in real combat! You're loading way too many expectations on my shoulders. You might even say…they're GREAT expectations! Bah dum bum ksh, thank you! I'll be here all week!
Shepard just raises an eyebrow at him. Oh Hackett, don't mess this up. Please. "I'll send videos of their training to you, and you can test them out yourself before you bring them into combat. If you don't like them, I'll take them right back. Deal?"
She chuckles, shakes her head and says, "Alright, deal. But they better be good."
Hackett smiles and replies, "Don't worry. I wouldn't give you children if I didn't think they could make it" Hey, I'm not-oh never mind, I am a child. Forget I said anything.
Kevin and I are both given a little nudge from Hackett, who says to us, "Go on then, introduce yourselves." Oh, right.
"I'm Kevin Hatchett." That is an awesome name. Really. All you need to do is carry a hatchet with you instead of a knife to automatically be awesome. You wouldn't even have to use it, just have it there to twirl around and be awesome with.
Oh, my turn now. "Brenna ******." I really hope my face doesn't look as red as it feels, because if it does then I'm surprised no one's asked me if I have a fever yet.
Shepard smiles gently and says, "Pleased to meet the two of you." At least this Shepard isn't a jerk. Hoo boy, a renegade Shepard would not be fun to be around.
"Well then, I have a meeting to get to. They're all yours, Shepard." What? No!...I guess he has to leave eventually though. I just feel very vulnerable right now, what with the first human spectre and the world's most awesome turian standing in front of me. Ah well. Bye Hackett!
Hackett leaves, and for the first time I notice Kevin's blushing like a maniac too. Maniacs aren't really known for blushing though, so that isn't really an accurate comparison…
"Right then you two, follow me." No explaining where we're going? Alright then, I have a feeling of where we're headed anyway.
We both fall behind the other two in Shepard's squad and quietly follow her into the elevator. And some more following, and a bit more following…I'm really doing my best to stay out of Garrus's view, mainly because I don't think I could handle seeing his face right now. It's bad enough that he's right in front of me, but I really don't need him looking at me. That…would be fangirlish-giggle inducing. Really, this is just pathetic. I can't stop thinking about his romance…God it feels so wrong right now. Sure, it was ok when he was a pixilated character on a screen, but now? Now he's real, and it feels so wrong to know what could happen if Shepard decides to pursue him. And the fact that I'm a teenager. Dear lord, I really was too young to play Mass Effect. I was what, 12? Hell, maybe even 11. That's just wrong. A 12 year old does not need to see the romance cutscene between Shepard and Kaidan. Holy crap, Kaidan's here too. I'd forgotten. I always killed him on Virmire. Oh shit! Virmire! God damn you Madam! You're saying I'm not allowed to save a life for fear of going against some fucking plan? Screw you!
...Ok, calm down. Let's not get irrational here. Am I hormonal? I must be. Yeah, I'm just getting worked up because of hormones. There's plenty of time to figure out what to do. Virmire's a long way away. Right now just focus on avoiding Garrus as much as possible.
Rightio then, so my inner rantings have managed to occupy me long enough for us to get to the Normandy. Shepard's talking to Anderson about some stuff, but in the meantime, look at this ship! It's much cooler than the other ones I've been riding around in so far. The shape, the colors, the big ass NORMANDY written on the side…Yep, everything about this ship just screams 'Spectre aboard! Ass kicking imminent!' Kevin looks pretty into it too. I haven't really tried to talk with him much…Ah well; there'll be plenty of time for that on the ship.
"Have you acquired some fans?" Oh Udina. How much I hate you. Everyone hates you, really. And you seem quite content with that.
"No, they're new members of my squad." She considers us part of the squad already? Great! I guess she trusts Hackett enough to-
"I have a meeting to get to; Captain Anderson can answer any questions you might have." You even interrupt my thoughts you're so rude! I can't wait until you get punched in the face.
And now Shepard's asking Anderson about what happened with Saren. Should I be pretending to pay attention now? Nah, I don't think I'm expected to listen to this. Even if I am supposed to listen, no one's looking at me anyway. Hmm…
I step away from the railing to get a look at the giant platform we're on. It's almost like a runway. Very big. I guess…Nobody's noticed me yet. And I don't think I'll get a chance to test this out again anytime soon.
Right then. Get some music…let's go with Daft Punk this time. Slight headache…Bring it to your legs this time. Allll the way down. Both legs. There we go. Now, what happens if I start running?
…
How did I get over here? I'm on the other end of the platform now. Wasn't I just over by Shepard? And why are they all staring at me?
Just…walk back. Quietly. Make yourself as small as possible. That's it. Look at the ground, don't notice them gawking at you.
Right, so that might've been a charge I just did there. Not sure though. Everything just got blurry and then suddenly I'm over there and they're looking at me like I just…charged…randomly…
How did that work so well anyway? Hell, how has all the training worked so well? I've only been in training for four months, how the hell am I so proficient?
And…where'd my glasses go?
…
Oh…I get it…
If they can give me better eyes and biotics, there's no telling what they did to how my brain functions. Maybe they altered my brain so I could grasp the concepts better? No, that's just stupid. Just understanding the concept of charge is different from actually charging. Still…
"What was that?" Shepard asks. Oh, I'm over here now. I was busy contemplating…things…She looks freaked out. I am too, sort of. I guess.
"A charge? I think? Is that what it looked like to you?" Really, I'm not sure what I just did. I figure she might've at least seen what I did.
"Why did you do that?"
Well, I…"I wanted to see what would happen. I hadn't tried it before, so…" She's not convinced. Crap. "I mean, this place is perfect for it, and I don't know when I'll get another chance. Besides, nothing got hurt, right?" Don't look at Garrus. For the love of god don't look at Garrus. Or Kaidan. Though I don't really care about Kaidan all that much.
Shepard sighs and says, "Don't use biotics outside of battle like that."
"Yes ma'am." That sounded very timid. Probably because I'm feeling very timid right now.
Shepard tells Anderson that she should go, and proceeds into the airlock with a firm grip on my arm. Stupid 'Decontamination in progress' voice, taunting me with your decontamination. I can feel everyone's eyes boring into the back of my skull. God damn it.
"Kevin, follow me to your quarters. The rest of you are dismissed." Thank god.
The door opens and the other squad members go their separate ways, with Shepard leading us into the elevator, still refusing to let go of my arm.
She takes us down to the floor with private rooms (a new addition), and finally releases me when we reach my assigned room.
"This is where you'll be staying. Try not to blow it up, alright?" She seems to be in a better mood now. Whew.
"Yes'm." She smiles, and shows Kevin his, which happens to be right next to mine. Coincidence? Probably. But I've gotten paranoid now that somehow Madam has a hand in everything that happens. I wonder where all the other 'guides' have ended up…
I go inside my room, half expecting it to be identical to the one in Skyrim. I got way too used to everything being white. All this navy is disorienting at first. So we've got a little terminal thing, I guess for private calls and things, though Madam made me very aware that she would only call me on my omni-tool, and I'm supposed to only call her with the omni-tool, not with a terminal. And a bed, and a desk. Cozy. I can't expect much though; I am just some random kid Hackett threw at her. Hmm…I should probably ask for a uniform or something to change into so I can get out of this armor. They probably don't have them in my size though…Maybe they do, I don't know. I walk to the door, open it and-
Oh! Kevin!
"We need to talk."
Oh.
That doesn't sound good.
(A/N: Bum bum BUUUUM! Well, this chapter kind of ran away from me, sooo…
Yes, I seem a bit overpowered. Yes, that will be explained. No, I don't just 'have a gift' for biotics. And yes, Madam is creepy. And also yes, I know we see Hackett ingame in DLC, but I don't have any DLC as of yet.
So then, reviews are nice. Seriously, they're a great motivator. Even if it's just a little 'Nice story', that's better than nothing.
Anyway, enough begging. Next up, conversations! With Kevin! And other people.
Also, if you got the MST3000 reference, you rock. Heck, if you even know what MST3000 is you rock.)