A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that I took so long to update, but honestly? My writer's block has been terrible. Hopefully I won't have to repeat this.
Special Response: C-Sec equivalent of SWAT.
FOUR: THE COMPLICATION
I shifted again on the cot and sighed, idly drumming my fingers against the frame. True to my earlier predictions, I was now sitting in a C-Sec holding cell - a small room with little more than the aforementioned cot and a urinal, all boxed in by three blank walls and a opaque sliding door. A camera was perched in one of the corners, its unblinking lens watching silently.
For obvious reasons, my possessions had been confiscated, leaving me without a timepiece. I had to fall back on rough estimates, and according to them, I'd been in the cell for about four hours so far. Given all the entertainment value it had to offer, I was bored stiff. If you listen closely, you can practically hear my higher functions shutting down.
At least there was no Hugo Weaving present to insert a squirming probe into my belly button. God, it was squicky enough watching that part on film. Didn't help that I was twelve at the time, either.
I'd run the gauntlet to get to my current predicament. Back at the apartment, I'd been questioned thoroughly by C-Sec about my involvement in the "incident". All throughout, I had stuck closely to my backstory while making sure to keep a degree of consistency between it and the events that had just occurred. Afterwards, I'd been cuffed while the officers briefly conferred among themselves. Shalta and I had been separated at the beginning and I hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her since, although I had seen Xolan as the medics came in and carried him out on a stretcher. Shortly after, I was on a cruiser to the precinct - riding in an aircar had been a novel experience, to say the least - and after being registered, I was assigned this tiny room and told to wait while C-Sec went through "proper protocol".
The officer who had escorted me to my cell - a friendly turian named Aetrius - had assured me that if my version of events was true, and the evidence backed it up, then I really had little to fear. "Thanks to turian influence, the law here is pretty clear on issues of self-defense," he'd said, "and with the weapons they were using, your use of lethal force was plenty justified."
"What about the first and second guys?" I asked. "Like I said, I meant to incapacitate them, not kill them."
He'd thought for a second, still walking. "Well, the second guy fell on his blade, and that's honestly something out of your control, so I don't think you have to worry about that." He frowned, then continued. "As for the first guy...honestly, I've never seen that happen to humans before, unless you count incidents involving krogan. Guess we'll have to wait for the techies at the forensics lab to sort things out. But in any case, your odds are still pretty good. And here we are..."
With that, I was ushered into the cell, the door locking behind me.
So a few hours later, I was sitting there, letting my thoughts run free.
Not even here for a day and I'm already in prison. Hardly the best start to my new life. This is all just...so weird. I'm dead in my old life. And I can't go back. Hell, what does a person DO with that? All the people I ever cherished...no more heartfelt conversations, no more joyous laughter, no more simple affirmations of trust. Damnit, I was making something better out of my life! And then this happens. What strange twists our lives can take…
My hand idly drifted up and traced the tender line that had been drawn across the side of my neck. I had gotten myself out of the line of fire quickly enough to avoid getting shot, but not quite fast enough to avoid being grazed by the bullet. A quick application of medi-gei from the officers had stopped the bleeding, but it still stung like a bitch. A half-second more and the bullet would likely have gone through my neck.
And not even here for four hours before I end up having to kill people. I knew I was going to get around to it eventually when I met Shepard anyway, but still...it's fucked up. And what's weird is that I don't feel any guilt over their deaths - I mean, I regret that it was necessary...but I don't feel remorse for doing what I had to.
What does that make me?
After a few more hours passed, and with no sign of my cheerful thoughts ablating anytime soon, I decided to heed an old piece of military wisdom and catch some sleep while I could. I lay down, shut my eyes, and was out within a minute.
I woke with a start, although for a moment, I wasn't sure why. Then I heard a buzzing noise, and I realized that it was emanating from a speaker above the door. Yawning, I swung myself out of the cot just as the door opened and Aetrius walked in, accompanied by another officer who stayed in the doorway.
"Morning," Aetrius said in greeting, "I see you slept. Feeling alright?"
"Decent," I yawned again, "how much time passed while I was in here?"
"About nineteen hours," he answered. "We've got some news I think you'd like to hear."
"Yeah?" I responded, looking him in the eye.
His mandibles flexed in a grin. "We've managed to assemble enough evidence to verify your account of things and prove that it was self-defense - so you don't have to worry about having any legal charges filed."
"Really?" I exclaimed. He nodded. Phew...that's a load off of my back. "So...what does that mean? Am I free to go?"
"Not quite." Aetrius said, holding up a talon.
Huh? I was confused, and my expression showed it.
"There's been a...complication. If you'll follow me, we'll explain everything." he said, gesturing towards the entrance.
"Nothing's ever simple, is it?" I groused lightly, rising to follow him.
"That's police work for you."
On the way, we ran into another officer, a balding, glowering man whose breath smelled of alcohol. He looked oddly familiar…
"Aetrius," he scowled, "just what I needed to see - your sickeningly self-righteous ass up and about, just like the rest of the goody-goodies in this place."
Oh, it's Harkin. Great.
"Harkin." Aetrius said stiffy, marching past without another word.
Harkin eyed me suspiciously. "And who the hell are you?" he scowled.
Prick. "None of your business." I said shortly, increasing my pace in order to leave him behind as fast as possible.
"Another one with a pole up their ass.." I heard him grumbling as we continued on.
As soon as we were out of earshot, I turned to Aetrius. "That guy - Harkin, you called him?" Still gotta pretend I don't know anything. "What's his problem?"
Aetrius snorted angrily. "He's a disgrace to C-Sec, that's what. Drinking on duty, skimming credits off of drug seizures, roughing up suspects, you name it, he's done it."
"And he hasn't been fired yet?" I asked incredulously. I already know all this, of course, but wow - what an asshole.
"Your human embassy has done a good job of keeping him here." he replied disgustedly, "They think it would look bad for your species if he was dismissed."
"That makes no sense!" I declared. "If they wanted the best of humanity in C-Sec, then they shouldn't choose a dishonest drunkard to represent us. What kind of logic is that?"
"I don't know." he sighed, shaking his head. "I don't normally get bothered by my job, and I'm proud to be at C-Sec, but this is just politics." As he said this, we reached a door. It opened into a small office, where four people were waiting.
Three of them I had seen just a day before - in front of me, the batarian and the asari from the apartment were sitting in chairs. The batarian unexpectedly raised a hand in greeting, which I returned awkwardly, while the asari nodded and said hello. Standing behind them was Shalta, her body language guarded. Upon seeing me however, she relaxed slightly and leaned against the wall, also nodding when I looked her way. Sitting behind a desk was a turian dressed in blue armor with blue markings on his face - and a visor over his left eye.
No way.
"Alex Zheng?" he said in that familiar voice of his, "I'm Garrus Vakarian, Investigator for Citadel Security, and I've been assigned to this case. It's nice to meet you," he said, rising and extending a hand.
I leaned forward and shook it, trying my damndest not to break into a full-out grin. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Vakarian." I said truthfully. Jesus, I'm standing in front of a Mass Effect legend! The odds of this happening...this is surreal.
"Just Garrus, thanks." he chuckled softly. "You don't need to bother with the formalities. Now, I'm sure you're eager to know what's been going on while you were in custody?"
"That would be nice." I responded, forcibly restraining my shock and refocusing. "So, what was it exactly that verified my story?"
"You can thank your quarian friend in part, for starters. Shalta...Xen, was it?"
Whoa. Wait. XEN? As in Admiral Xen?
"...Xen nar Moreh," Shalta was saying. "Quarians who go on Pilgrimages are taught to always keep our video feed on if we encounter situations like these. Hard evidence is a boon when we have to prove our side of the story to law enforcement agencies."
Moreh. That...yeah, I remember that was the name of Admiral Xen's ship! It lines up way too much to be a coincidence. How didn't I notice this before? Is she a daughter, relative, or...
Someone coughed, and I started out of my musings, realizing that everyone was looking at me. I flushed and mumbled a 'sorry'. "So, video?" I said quickly, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yes." Garrus said bemusedly. "Shalta's helmet-feed recorded the whole thing, as well as security cameras in the apartment you found yourself in."
Well, that's convenient. Need I say anti-climactic? Not gonna complain if it sets me free, though.
"Funny that you should choose this particular apartment, though," Garrus continued, "because it just happened to be the residence of two of the most respected figures working with C-Sec today."
What? "What?" I asked confusedly, turning to the asari and the batarian. Together, they rose to their feet, the batarian stepping forward first with an outstretched hand.
"Glad you could make it, kid," he said as we shook, "you handled yourself pretty well back there. I'm Carehn Khorek, and I'm part of C-Sec's Special Response Division, commander of Team Five."
"A batarian in C-Sec?" I asked, taken aback, then winced when I realized how stupid that had sounded.
"The one and only." Aetrius spoke up, grinning.
"Have I told you how lovely you look today, Carehn?" Garrus said, smirking. "I mean...those rosy cheeks of yours.." he continued, pretending to swoon.
"Garrus...are you trying to steal my man?" the asari interjected mock-sternly.
"He's just too irresistible, ma'am." Garrus replied, shaking his head mournfully.
"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Carehn sighed exasperatedly. To me, he said, "Yeah, I'm a batarian in C-Sec. The only one, actually. If you're interested, I'll tell you more later."
"That would be cool." I responded. Should make for an interesting story.
The asari got things back on track, introducing herself. "I'm Tarlessi Alvonia, former asari commando and part-time tactical adviser to Special Response. That's how I met my bondmate." she said, smiling affectionately at Carehn.
"An asari commando and a Special Response Team Leader." Garrus chuckled. "Hardly the best apartment to break into."
"I noted your takedown of those attackers," Tarlessi continued, "and it didn't look like any style I've seen before. Is it human?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "it's called Taekwondo, and it's ancient, from an Earth country called Korea. "
She quirked an eyebrow. "How did you have time to learn formally if you were on a freighter your whole youth?"
Time for some misdirection. "An old family friend who used to run a studio back on Earth. He traveled with us as a guard, and started teaching me when I was nine as something to pass the time in between mass relay transits. I ended up loving it, and practiced whenever I could."
Tarlessi nodded, accepting the explanation. Seeking to avoid too much inquiry into my background, I decided to change topics. "So, Garrus," I said, turning to face him, "why did Aetrius say I couldn't quite leave yet?"
"We don't know what happened," Garrus said, "but somehow, the camera footage we have of your takedown got leaked onto the extranet."
I froze, my mind racing. "Explain."
"Video-sharing sites, social networks, you name it. It was posted about ten hours after we took you in."
"All of it?" I said, my heart sinking.
"All of it," Garrus confirmed unhappily, "and it accumulated a substantial number of views before we realized it was there and took it down."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "So you're saying that there are potentially thousands of people on the street who know my face."
"Yes."
"Including the friends of the people who I attacked."
"...looks that way." Garrus finished unhappily.
Great. "What are the chances that this is an intentional leak?" I asked, assuming the worst.
"You mean a mole?" Garrus replied, frowning. "I hope not...but we shouldn't dismiss the possibility. I'll be doing some digging, but for now, if you or Shalta step out onto the street, we can't guarantee that you won't be recognized. Therefore, we can't always guarantee your safety." He thought for a moment. "Tell you what, meet me in the lobby after I get off, and I'll help you figure something out. In the meantime, stick to the area around the precinct, so the officers can keep an eye out for you."
I exhaled a small breath, reassured. I don't really know anyone around here yet...but if there's anyone I can trust, it's Garrus. "Thanks." I said.
"No problem." he replied, "I can tell you're in a tough situation, and it's the least I can do."
Just then, a human in a white medical coat walked in, handing a datapad to Garrus. "Here's the autopsy reports for the three of them. That first one is an interesting case." he said, turning and leaving.
Garrus scrolled through the datapad, visibly pausing and reading one section carefully before sliding it over to me. I picked it up and read:
Name: Calvin Schuster
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Age: Twenty-five.
Scrolling down, I found:
Cause of Death: Massive blow to cranium, bone fragments embedded in brain due to severe depression of the skull. Refer to Comments Section for details on Vrolik's Syndrome.
Comments: DNA analysis of subject reveals presence of Vrolik's Syndrome. Weakened bone structure resulted in failure at point of impact.
That's...disturbing. I thought, grimacing at the grisly mental image. Then again...seeing how I'm likely going to get heavily involved in the Reaper War later on...it's best that I get used to it now.
"You okay?" Garrus asked me.
"I feel a little weird." I replied truthfully. "But I'll be fine."
After a few more minutes of discussion, and with a reminder to meet Garrus when he went off duty, I was allowed to go, albeit with a warning not to wander too far. Shalta made it clear that she would be visiting Xolan in the clinic first, but promised to contact me later. I left the office, collecting my possessions ('an odd assortment', I was told) along the way. I strolled past the lobby and stepped through the door onto the streets outside.
After a few moments of taking in the sights once again, I decided to do what I hadn't been able to do while under C-Sec's close supervision. Feeling my stomach grumble, and picking up the scent of a human steakhouse just around the corner, I set off to satisfy myself, making sure to keep a low profile.
Beef steak, cooked medium rare with fries on the side and a blissfully cold glass of Coca-Cola. Naturally, genuine meat on a space station had been pricy, but one look at the meat substitutes on the menu and I had decided to go big or go home.
Ok, so the food had been good, but it wasn't the main reason I had wanted to get away. I looked around to make sure no one was in earshot or looking my way. Clear.
I hope this works.
So...what do I do here...um...
With a small hum, a small weight appeared in my hand, startling me. I looked down, and sitting in my palm was a small rounded black disk with three interlocking triangles embossed on the top. The M&M.
I sighed in relief. So I guess I just have to think about summoning it, and it'll come. Easier than I thought.
I moved the M&M around for a few moments, idly testing the weight. After a few seconds, I put my other palm on top and twisted, then murmured Activate HERMES Protocol Authorization Code One Nine One One Tango Kilo Delta and instantly, I felt something in my mind shift. Black encroached on the edge on my vision, blurring my eyesight.
Hello, Alex.
Aeshia?
Who else?
I assume you've been watching me?
Yes. Not the smoothest start to your mission, you know.
I know. But I did meet Garrus, and that alone is a huge step towards getting onto Shepard's crew.
It is. If you find an opportunity to get to know him better, I'd advise you to take it.
I'd be glad to. He's someone I can trust.
Good. You can contact me anytime, but make sure you do it in private and keep it as short as possible.
Got it.
Aeshia out.
The connection broke, and I was once again sitting at my table, staring at the disk. I contemplated it, realizing for the first time just how much power was just sitting in my palm. Something to think about, I thought, slipping it into my pocket, but for now, I'd better get back to Garrus.
With that, I headed back out into Wonderland, ready to see how deep the rabbit hole would go.
A/N: Sorry to those of you who anticipated a long struggle with the legal system, but to be honestly, that incident was as clear-cut a case of self-defense as you could find. However, we're still not off the hook yet. Some people outside the law will be very angry..
A connection to the quarian Admiralty? We'll see...
I'm going to say it right now: I don't care about what happens in the comic books or anything else besides the games Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, plus their DLCs. Everything else is fair game.
Again, my apologies for the delayed update time.
