Just as we're about to take off again, a terrifying sound cracks the air, and I know it can only be one thing. Everyone looks up in time to see Sovereign taking off into the atmosphere, the lightning near the bottom of the ship crackling furiously, and smoke attempting to cover up how big it is. And trust me, it is fucking massive.
"Wow… Sovereign looks amazing" I say quietly, but not quiet enough it seems. Looking around to see the others reaction, I notice Shepard staring at me curiously.
"What did you call it?" she says, raising her eyebrows.
Oh fuck. I really shouldn't have said that. If they find out I know anything about that ship, I'm a goner. Maybe… maybe I can bullshit my way out of this sticky situation.
"Uh… I didn't call it anything. I just said, said that ship looks amazing. Because you know, it was big. Very big, to be honest. Never seen a ship like it before." I say, shrugging my shoulders
Wow, that was so unconvincing. I don't understand how every time I'm caught in a lie, my voice and manner turns into a David Brent impression. I've spent way too much of my time watching TV and now it's coming back to bite me in the ass. Even I know it makes me look guilty, but you know, it just happens… naturally. Nothing I can do. Try as hard as I might.
And there it is again. Not even saying anything and it comes out. Almost as if it is ingrained into my mind, all those pauses and extended pronunciations of letters for no apparent reason.
Apparently Shepard thought it wasn't convincing either, as she continues to stare at me for a few seconds, prompting me to smile nervously at the situation. We can't discuss what happened before now can we? I hope that's not what she is thinking, because we still need to find that beacon, and I don't think I would be comfortable explaining my predicament here.
"Come on. We still need to find the beacon." Shepard turns back around towards the spaceport, and the rest of the group start to follow her.
I stand still for a second, which my body doesn't seem to agree with. It's understandable after everything that has happened today, with all these exciting gun battles, but I need to think.
That was way too close for comfort. If Shepard wanted to chew me out, she easily could of. She and I both know that was complete bullshit, and now I'm wondering if she wants to do it in front of everyone. Maybe she wants to give me a chance to explain myself. She barely even knows me, but I know her. At least I think I know her, this Commander Shepard is pretty much the same as the one I used in the trilogy. The one I know would be kind and helpful to anyone she meets, but also wary and careful about any potential dangers. And I know at this point in time they don't really know what I am, even though I'm just some bloke from probably the shittiest place in London. I don't like putting it down or anything, it's just-
"Jack?"
Oh, whoops, lost track of time for a minute. I glance up in time to see Ashley looking back at me in the distance, an annoyed look clear on her face even from where I am.
"Yeah, I'm coming." I hurriedly start walking towards her, before she has a chance to start complaining about me.
The whole thing is a bit confusing. What about my knowledge of this universe? If I'm going to stay on the Normandy, I'm going to have to pretend to be clueless about anything that happens to the crew from here on out. That should be pretty easy for a little while, because I only got up to Therum. Not sure if that is a good thing, as being unaware about what is going to happen to us doesn't seem like a good way to be useful in this universe.
Staying on the ship and making it to the events of the second and third game is going to be tricky, if not impossible. Especially since I'm so unprepared, it was really a dick move on the Mass Effect universe's part. If they had just told me I was going to be sent 170 years into the future, I would have gone to the gym or something, started doing some cardio. I mean, knowing the ending isn't going to help me, because if we didn't defeat Saren here, then there wouldn't even be a second and third game would there?
I mean, the events in the future aren't subject to change are they? I hope not, because if that is true, then that means I could fuck everything up. Hopefully not, but just thinking about all possibilities. If that did happen, then I really wouldn't know what to do. Could go back to Earth I guess, can't really imagine it as being too different. It would be interesting to go back to where I lived, and see what my house is li-
"Are you okay? You look troubled" Ashley's voice interrupts my thoughts again, and I sigh out of irritation.
"I'm fine, alright? No need to worry about me" I catch up to her, and stand there for a second looking at her. She sighs as well, raising an eyebrow at my words.
"I wasn't worried about you. I was perfectly happy with just letting you catch up to us, but Shepard wanted me to come back for you. Wanted to see how you were doing."
Of course it was Shepard. She was perfectly happy to not bring me along before, but now she wants to make sure I stay with the group.
"Shepard, huh? Figures"
"What's wrong with Shepard?"
"There's nothing wrong with the commander." I turn and start to walk after the other two marines. "Come on, we need to get to the beacon soon, wasted enough time as it is". I hear Ashley's footsteps behind me.
"You don't seem alright. If I'm honest, you still seem to be affected by that incident from before" She doesn't seem to want to give this up so easily, which is annoying me right now.
"Maybe I'm not alright, fine. How about this then?" I say, pausing again to look at Ashley one last time. "I'm fucking fantastic. You know what; I'm having a whale of a time. This would have probably been in the running for best day of the year so far, if it wasn't for the slight problem of having an army of geth trying to kill us."
Ashley stares at me now, an expression of pure bewilderment on her face.
"No need to get upset with me Jack. I was just asking a question. If I had known you were going to blow up like that, I would have kept quiet."
To be honest, I don't even know why I'm feeling so angry right now. This has been my best day of the year so far, if I could even say 'the year'. Because it isn't really. Well, I suppose it is, technically, since this is the year 2183. And the last day of my life was back in 2013. So yeah, I guess it is.
"I know, it's just… a lot has happened today, you know, so maybe I might be overreacting to things." I say, looking away towards the sky. The surprising redness of it still seems foreign to my eyes, causing me to squint slightly.
"I'm certainly not used to any of this: shooting a gun, fighting hostile AI or being with Commander Shepard."
"You shouldn't be worried about that. Not many people can do the job you're doing now, and you're only a civilian anyw-"
She stops for a second, looking down at my right hand, before flitting her eyes back up to my face. "What happened to your hand?"
Ah, yes. I forgot about this, guess I was too busy focusing on other things. The pain wore off after a while anyway, so it didn't even bother me after I noticed it for the first time.
"Just a bullet, got me by accident. From the fight we had before we got to the dig site" I say, just trying to play it off as if it was nothing.
While I was talking however, Ashley had moved over to me and took hold of my arm, fiddling with something on her Omni tool. It only takes a second, and she holds it over my hand, like one of those supermarket checkout employees scanning one of your food items. I was just about to complain about her sudden proximity to me, but I get cut off by a cooling feeling spreading over my index finger. Instead, I just close my eyes and enjoy the sensation, feeling glad at whatever the hell she just did.
"You feel better now?" she says, her voice sounds as if she is talking to a little kid who just got what he really wanted.
I open my eyes, and am tempted to not even respond to that. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel the need to thank her for doing that.
"I said before I felt fantastic, you thought I was joking?" I nod my head towards my hand, upon which Ashley is still holding onto. "You can let go any time, just so you know."
She drops my hand almost instantly, and steps back to her original position. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Thank you. I completely forgot about the medi-gel, even though it is standard on all military personnel." I smile at her, and her cheeks turn a slight shade of crimson. "To go back to what you were saying before, it's not even that. Using a gun is something I can handle, fighting a bunch of geth isn't that difficult with having you guys around to do all the work. Shepard though... she really is something else." I sigh yet again, looking at the ground.
It's quite pathetic how much I miss Nicole already. I already knew she was the only thing that made my old life worth living, and I don't know how I coped until she found me. But, if I'm to stay here, I guess she is just one of many things to be forgotten about. How am I going to do that with Shepard around though?
"The Commander huh… is that why you've been acting so awkwardly around her?" Ashley says.
I glance back at her, and notice the smirk playing on her lips. Well, I'm glad this is amusing to somebody.
"Hey, don't mug me off alright? Just doing my bloody best here." I stifle a laugh, and rub my face for a second, not realizing how much I had been sweating up till now. "Anyway, we really should get back to the other two. Shepard is probably going mental waiting as we speak."
Do you remember when I said before about all these gunfights starting to be a bit boring? I was wrong. Once your mind set just starts to forgot about all the terrifying stuff, like you being stuck in a new universe all by yourself with nobody to help you out, your family and everyone you ever loved gone forever, and pretty much being forced to help out a commander trying to track down one of the most famous Spectres who has become indoctrinated by the Reapers … it becomes alright. I mean, when you get past those sorts of thoughts. As I said before, there really isn't any chance of me dying in these fights. Whenever I get pinned down by fire, I can just wait for my teammates to help me out. My shooting is starting to improve too, when I am given the chance to actually aim at my targets. I would call it a learning experience, but I can almost guarantee it's going to be a bit more than an 'experience'.
We eventually made it to the platform where Nihlus' body lies. Shepard and the others go over to him, trying to examine his body I guess. Instead, I just try to have a look around the area. There are only a few crates near the platform, large enough to cover anything that may be hiding behind them.
I draw my gun and stalk over to them, leaning against the front of the one on the right. Taking a breath, I swing my rifle round the corner and stop. There is a man cowering in the corner, his arms wrapped tightly around his sides. He is staring at me with fear in his eyes, and he seems to be shaking quite badly.
"Shepard" I call out, assuming that she will come quickly. I am correct in assuming this, as she arrives with the rest of the team, their weapons also drawn. Her eyes glance over the man, and she stops in front of us. The man seems to have shaken out of his stupor, as he starts to talk as soon as Shepard arrives.
"I'm sorry, I was hiding from those creatures." He says, standing up to acknowledge us. "My name is Powell. I saw what happened to that turian, the other one shot him."
"I need to know how Nihlus died."
"Uh… the other one got here first, he was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. I think, I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. Saren killed him, shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me hiding behind the crates."
"We were told a Prothean beacon was taken to the spaceport, what happened to it?" Shepard asks, putting away her weapon. I follow suit, but the others still seem a bit wary about this guy.
"It is over on the other platform, probably where that guy Saren was headed. He hopped on the cargo train after he killed your friend. I knew that beacon was trouble… everything went to hell when we found it. First that damn mother ship turned up, then the attack. They killed everyone, everyone. If I wasn't behind the crates, they would have killed-"
"Wait a minute, what were you doing behind the crates? Why didn't the geth see you?" Kaidan interjects, curious about what this guy was doing.
"They… never had a chance. I was already behind the crates when the geth attacked. Sometimes, I need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates, to grab forty watts where the supervisor can't find me." He confesses, clasping his hands together, in an attempt to look ashamed at what he did.
"Wow." I state, just amazed. That is so… wow.
"You survived because you're lazy?" Ashley asks, her voice raised, anger clear in every syllable of her words.
"Lucky fucker. Good marines died to save your fucking ass, and to repay them, you decided to have a nap." I don't even know what to say anymore. I do slightly feel bad for him, because it isn't really his fault. There wasn't anything he could have done to help them, and trying to help would have just got him killed too.
"Well, what was I supposed to do? I don't have any weapons or anything, and this way those guys died saving at least one person rather than no one." He points out, reflecting what I was just thinking.
"You better do something useful with your life mate, because I'm tempted to punch your face in right now."
"Thank you." Shepard says, looking at me, trying to get me to shut up. She turns back towards Powell. "We should go, and I suggest you stick to hiding from here on out."
The team turn around, and I lead us over to the tram that will lead us to where the beacon is. Shepard stands at the front of the ride, and presses the button to start it. I decide to just stand at the back and just close my eyes, hoping to enjoy the ride. Even though it probably won't be a long ride.
I feel the tram stop suddenly, and I open my eyes to see that we have reached the place almost instantly. For fuck sake, I was just starting to enjoy myself.
We stop off, and see the first bomb. Apparently nobody expected something like this, because there is a vapid silence in the air.
"So, who's going to defuse that?" I ask, looking around the group. I mean, it definitely can't be me, not even being able to open a fucking door.
"I'll do it." Shepard steps forward, and crouches down in front of the device.
"Are you sure you're up to it? I mean, that is a pretty big bomb." She looks back at me, a smirk on her face. "Not trying to put you off or anything, just keeping it real for you."
It takes only a few moments for her to finish her tech work, and she stands up. Turning back to us, she looks at each of us individually before she speaks.
"Well, let's not stand around shall we?"
I can't help but admire the commander, when her eyes lock onto mine. She is so sexy when is giving orders, but I can't let that show. That would be going the right way to get a punch in the face.
"I could stand around, to be honest, but I don't know if you guys would be OK with that." I say, laughing slightly. They definitely wouldn't be OK with that, but that can't stop a guy from dreaming.
Maybe when we actually get round to fighting some other races, turians or vorcha, will the gun battles be really exciting. That only took us roughly five minutes to crush all of the remaining geth and for Shepard to detonate the last few bombs. You can really start to notice that I'm not making a difference yet, because that handles as smoothly as in the games, when I wasn't even here. Hopefully, that will change, because I don't think just being here is good enough for me.
I am the last one to reach the beacon, as I was stupid enough to try and look around for any weapons and ammo. Never thought there wouldn't be any random collectible things for me to pick up here, because it doesn't really make any sense when you think about it. Being here should warrant me able to pick up better weapons.
Shepard and Kaidan are busy talking a fair few feet away, getting the Normandy to come around and pick us up. Ashley is just staring intensely at the beacon, which looks much more impressive in person. Crackling energy surrounds it, and the design of it really is unique. More advanced races have better designs I guess, watching her for a second. She starts to step towards it slowly, but her steps seeming forced, almost as if she doesn't want to be moving at all.
That's weird, I think, tilting my head to the side and wondering what the hell is going on. Then it dawns on me. Oh fuck, why is this happening to her? It isn't supposed to be this way.
Should I leave her? Help her? I can't just leave her like this, but helping her would make things much worse. The decision weighs on my mind for a second, and then I remember Ashley helping me before. I suppose doing this will even it up in a way.
That wasn't what I was thinking to rationalize this decision, but it was a good thought. I rush forward, stumbling slightly in my haste. Grabbing Ashley around the waist, I throw her over my shoulder, slightly harder than intended. I only have a second to regret what I just did before I get lifted up into the air.
If I forgot what happened to Shepard in the games, I am given a very clear reminder so I don't forget. My world shuts down, no sound, no vision, nothing. I wonder what is about to happen, when I hear an echo from inside my mind. It becomes louder and louder, pain spreading throughout my body until I can't bear it anymore. As soon as I try to let go of this sound, the vision suddenly appears, clear as day in my head.
The death of thousands, organics dying. Synthetics brutal in their endless rampage.
The vision and the echo together have overwhelmed my body, and I can feel myself shutting down. The echo dies with one last whomp, and the vision ends with one last fatal scream.
I don't even have to look at the ground to know that I am falling. The pain has completely destroyed my body, and I am only able to think one last thought before I pass out.
Well fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen.
A/N: Not much to write here really. :o
