A/N: And the update has come once again. And I've been liking the reviews guys, several of them give me something to think about and consider about the future of the story. But right now I wanna put a few fears to rest.
First, I'm not going to skip the three years leading up to ME1. I may skip a few months once or twice but nothing more than that. I'm leading everything up to it and having Alex carve his own path to the Normandy.
Second, I know all my fellow gamers are questioning about the Nano Suit and how Alex can take it on and off without falling victim to the side effects that should follow. There is a good answer for that and it will be explained later on in the story. So be patient and all will be clear on that.
And lastly, when it comes to the suit and Prophet being able to merge with the technology in the MEU so well...that's my own contribution. Think about it, the nano suit can adapt to almost anything when the inhibitors are removed from it. And how many of us prayed for that to happen in the games huh?
Anyway, those are my answers to a few key things. Now on with the chapter!
I own nothing
The last few days had been tame, after the constant threat of combat and death Alex barely knew what to do with his time.
Every morning he'd get up at 6:00AM and do a regiment of exercise to ensure his muscles were loose. Mainly push-ups, sit-ups, and chin ups, which he had done from a poll he installed into the doorway of his bedroom.
After that he'd go for a run around the wards, catching the attention of several of the people who had also gotten up that early. Seeing a Human in black under armor and basketball shorts jogging through the streets had caught a lot of eyes. Alex had been flirted on by a couple Asari once or twice when they saw him jog by.
He'd started working at Zen's shop two days ago, and he had proven to have a knack for weaponry in the eyes of the old Krogan. Alex had learned everything about the weapons and armor of this universe with the help of Prophet and was able to surpass Zen's expectations in one day.
The Soldier had also found a good friend in Reena. The young Quarian was very easy going and was always open for conversation as they worked. She was curious about Human culture and asked a lot of questions which had Alex chuckling every once in a while.
Everything was very simple, but Alex started taking notice of things around the wards everyday.
C-Sec presence in the area had been unusually high, and from what the soldier could see the crime rate had been steadily getting worse. Thefts, muggings, drug deals, and several murders had occurred since he had arrived and the police were doing what they could to solve the problem. But were hard pressed for lack of man power.
Alex had a feeling in the pit of his stomach, he knew that something was going to happen and soon.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Citadel - Lower Wards
August 29, 2180 - 2213 hours
Getting off of his shift, Alex walked his usual route back to his apartment. They had received a large order of assault rifles that needed upgrades that had taken them the better part of the day to prepare.
It was a good thing he had gotten a crash course in weapons before he started the job. His new knowledge really helped them get everything ready in nearly record time.
He reached about halfway home when a scream echoed out through the night. Alex whipped around and started running back toward where he heard the scream come from. Getting off the street and down several alleys until he found what he was looking for.
Three thugs, two Human stood off to the side with pistols while a Turian was holding someone to the wall. Alex's sharp eyes picked up the sight of a familiar enviro-suit as the Turian gripped her throat. "Last chance suit rat!" he hissed dangerously.
Alex was moving in seconds, grabbing the first gunman and twisting his arm to the side causing him to shoot the other Human in the leg and dropping him to the ground in agony. The Turian spun around only to receive a boot to the gut doubling him over before the same boot connected with his head knocking him against the wall next to a frozen Reena.
Twisting the first gunman's arm again until he heard a snap, Alex caught the dropped pistol and shot the already downed gunman in the head as he tried to aim his weapon. Turning back, Alex pistol whipped the first gunman hard to the ground before putting a bullet in the back of his head.
The Turian struggled back to his feet only to be dropped back down from a fist, "Why did you attack her?" Alex asked with a deadly tone.
"That's none of your business Human. Besides who cares? She's just a fucking suit rat." the Turian spat. Alex raised the pistol and shot his knee cap causing him to nearly scream in pain. "Answer the question split-lip." Alex said in the same tone.
"O-Our boss has been trying to buy out the Krogan's shop for months. But the old bastard won't budge. So he sent us to send a message." the thug whimpered as blue blood seeped from his wound.
Alex looked grim before pressing the pistol to the Turian's head. "Whose your boss?" The Turian clamped his mouth shut, Alex slammed his foot down on the damaged kneecap getting a scream of pain out of the thug. "Xel! His names Xel Morra! A Turian working for the Blue Suns! He's been trying to get a foothold on the Citadel to give them an advantage!"
"Where is he!" Alex demanded pressing the barrel of the gun farther into the thug's forehead. "Warehouse District! Warehouse 19!" shouted the Turian.
The soldier glared at the thug one last time before squeezing the trigger, the gun went off and the thug slumped with his brains splattered on the wall behind him. Alex tossed the weapon aside before going over to check on Reena.
"Reena? You okay?" he asked helping her up. The Quarian looked at the three dead men before looking up at him, "You...killed them." she whispered. Alex nodded slowly, "They would have killed you, or worse. I did what I had to."
Reena wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "I know. Thank you Alex, you saved my life." Alex hugged her back. When they separated Alex put his hands on her shoulders, "If you want you can crash at my place tonight."
She looked like she was going to turn him down, but after what had happened she didn't want to be alone.
When she agreed, Alex activated his omni-tool and fired the hack program Prophet had helped him develop. The program quickly drained the credits out of the dead thugs' omni-tools and added them to his own before leaving the alley behind with his Quarian friend.
X
Alex watched from the kitchen counter as Reena laid on the couch. A blanket wrapped around her as she slept peacefully despite what had occurred a few short hours ago.
He had a lot of discipline and patience from the way his parents raised him and from his training. But he couldn't just take what had happened sitting down. Reena had become his only friend in this world, and he be damned if something bad would happen to her.
After making sure she was comfortable, Alex went into his bedroom. Pulling the nano suit from his closet and started to put it on. "Prophet, I'm putting in some coordinates. We're going hunting." he said slipping the helmet on.
"Initializing...Coordinates Accepted." said Prophet as Alex finished gathering his weapons. "Find anything you can on a Turian named Xel Morra, Blue Suns affiliation." he said walking through the apartment and out the door, locking it behind him.
"Searching. Subject Located." The dossier appeared on the HUD revealing a black plated Turian with white markings on his face.
"Xel Morra. Blue Suns Captian. Ex-Turian Military, Special Ops Division. Served during the First Contact War. Discharged from duty for continuously disobeying orders and for his overly sadistic nature against non-Turian species." Alex shook his head as he took the stairs. "Sounds like a real asshole." he muttered reaching the ground floor.
"Cloak Engaged." the soldier vanished from sight as he headed toward the rapid transit hub.
X
The Warehouse District looked somewhat similar to the one on Omega, only a lot cleaner for lack of a better term.
Since it was during the Citadel's night cycle, the district was lit up by lamps on the many buildings in the area. Yet at the moment, Alex found himself within the shadows on top of a stack of shipping containers overlooking the area around Warehouse 19.
His visor was zoomed in as he observed four men in Blue Suns armor patrolling the area outside the warehouse. Three Human and one Batarian.
All four mercs were tagged and gave off a red glow that Alex could see even if something was in his way. "Tactical Options Available." said Prophet. Two yellow waypoints appeared on the HUD. One that revealed a hidden path through the maze of shipping crates that lead right up to the warehouse behind the guards. The other one was over an open skylight of the warehouse, one that he could reach by jumping from place to place.
"I can't risk the guards outside catching me off guard. I'll go with option A." Alex muttered as he slipped down from the shipping crates and followed along the maze toward where the waypoint was located. Being sure to keep the tagged mercs within his HUD's range as he moved.
Staying in the shadows, Alex pressed his back to the last crate before the opening leading to the warehouse entrance. Peering around the corner, he saw the four guards in groups of two on either side of the area. Even in their positions they barely had 50% of the docking area in their sights...a mistake that will cost them.
"Cloak Engaged." Alex slipped out of the shadows and moved out into the open. Creeping along the walls and sneaking behind the first two guards. "Why the fuck are we even out here?" asked the Human as he checked his assault rifle.
"We're doing it because we're being paid to do it. Simple as that." growled the Batarian.
Alex took out his knife and kept an eye on the two other guards as they walked out of sight. Deactivating his cloak to conserve energy, he stabbed his blade into the back of the Batarian's neck severing his spine and killing him instantly.
The Human guard spun around in shock seeing his partner fall but never got the chance to raise his weapon when the super soldier grabbed his head and snapped it violently to the side.
Grabbing the bodies, Alex dragged them into the shadow of the warehouse and dumped them into an empty crates. "Proximity Alert." The two other guards were coming back. Alex leapt onto the container where he hid the bodies and activated his cloak just as the other two guards came around the corner.
"Where the hell did they go?" asked one of them. "Probably a piss break. Lazy assholes." muttered the other one.
Both stopped when they saw a pool of blood where Alex had stabbed the Batarian. "What the...?" They heard a sound to their left and raised their weapons aiming at the shadows. Neither of them saw the shimmering form flying toward them until two heavy boots slammed into their heads and crushing them to the ground.
With all of the guards down, Alex leapt from the ground up onto the roof of the warehouse. Drawing his Grendel assault rifle as he treaded to the open skylight and peered down.
Over a dozen Blue Suns mercs were scattered all over the large room below. Some moving crates filled with weapons, others moving clear canisters that contained some kind of red substance. "Prophet, scan those canisters and cross reference the contents with the C-Sec database." said Alex zooming his visor in on the canisters.
"Scan Complete. Substance contained within the canisters is the biotic drug known as Red Sand. A stimulant infused with Element Zero to cause temporary biotic abilities in those who use it. Highly addictive if used constantly."
Alex tagged over five crates containing eight canisters of Red Sand. He also tagged seven crates that contained various weapons; pistols, shotguns and assault rifles all of various kinds and classes.
Looking through all of the mercs in the room, the soldier managed to locate Xel in the corner reading a datapad and drinking something. "There's the Captain. So it goes without saying that if I take this guy down then the Blue Suns will lose a little strength here on the Citadel." Alex said to himself.
"Tactical Options Available." said Prophet highlighting two possible routes. The first yellow waypoint covered the whole floor. While the other was over a power box in the corner of the warehouse. "Guess it's either full frontal assault or stealth." he said looking at his options.
Deciding to go with stealth, Alex tagged all of the mercs in the room before shouldering his assault rifle. Drawing a pistol as he activated his cloak and dropping to the floor inside the building.
Staying as quiet as possible while keeping his pistol up, he skirted around the mercs as he made his way to the power box. Reaching his destination, Alex made sure that there weren't any mercs in the direct vicinity before bringing up his omni-tool and firing an overload into building's power unit.
The powerbox sparked before shutting down along with all of the lights within the warehouse causing all the mercs to drop what they were doing and drawing weapons. "What the fuck happened!" shouted Xel stomping over to his. "We don't know sir, the power just went out." said one of the mercs.
"Well get it fucking back on, we got shit to do!" ordered the Turian as they all scrambled around in the darkness.
"Nano Vision Engaged." Alex's visor lit up with thermal vision and all of the mercs glowed in the dark room. Two of them broke of from the group and headed his way. Drawing his knife, he laid in wait for the poor bastards to get close.
One merc stumbled over a stack of small crates giving the soldier the opening to approach his partner. Putting a hand over his mouth before slitting his throat quickly and laying the body down quietly.
"Hay Zack where are you?" called the other merc still stumbling around. Alex crept up behind him, yanking his head back and driving the blade into his throat before he could cry out. The merv gurgled with blood in his mouth before collapsing onto the floor.
"What the hell was that?" asked one of the Turian mercs. "Zack? Jeff?" called another Human as they all began to move around in the dark. "Can't see a fucking thing." muttered a Batarian as he bumped into someone. "Hay! Watch it ass-" Two hands wrapped around his neck and snapped it before he could finish.
"Guys...I don't think we're alone in here..." whispered a merc keeping his back to the wall. Xel had his omni-tool out flashing a light all over. He spotted the bodies of three of this men dead on the floor. "Weapons up! We got company!" he shouted as the rest of the mercs brought out their own flashlights.
A Human merc brought his omni-tool on and looked around a moment. A black and silver hand shot out of the shadows behind him wrapping around his mouth before he was yanked back hard. His back slamming into a hard kneecap and shattering his spine.
"Hay! I think I found the problem!" called another merc as he started working on the powerbox. "Well hurry the fuck up!" shouted a Turian after activating the flashlight on his helmet. "Something's wrong here and I don't think-" he was cut off when a knife blade flashed through his field of vision, shattering through his visor and stabbing into his skull.
The lights came back on and every merc looked around only to feel fear.
In the center of the warehouse, surrounded by their five dead comrades was Alex. Holding the now dead Turian in his grasp as he pulled the blood stained combat knife from the shattered visor.
"What the fuck is that!" screamed one of the mercs. "KILL IT!" ordered Xel as all their weapons came up.
"Maximum Armor." All the guns fired, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off of the now tough skin of the nano suit. The energy meter on the HUD dropping rapidly when each round connected. When their guns overheated, Alex deactivated his armor mode seeing his energy meter read 12%. "My turn." he said in his altered voice sprinting toward the closest merc.
His fist connected hard with the merc's face snapping his head to the side and sending him slamming into the wall on the other side of the warehouse. A second ran up with a shotgun only to receive a elbow to the solar plexus that shattered his ribcage.
Alex yanked the shotgun from the merc as he coughed up blood before blasting him in the chest and ending his life. Spinning around he shot a second merc in the head turning it into red mist just as the weapon over heated.
The remaining five mercs all opened fire on the one that killed the others. Alex activated his cloak and ducked out of the way of the hail of bullets.
"What the fuck are we dealing with?" asked a Human merc looking around with wide, fear filled eyes. "I mean what the fuck is it!" he hissed while panicking.
"Shut the fuck up!" snapped Xel keeping his eyes focused. "It's just one of him, we can take this asshole out."
"XEL HE KILLED EIGHT OF US ALREADY!" screamed another Turian, his assault rifle shaking in his hands. "We don't know what the fuck we're dealing with! We need to call backup before-" a hail of assault rifle fire silenced the merc as his body was torn apart by heavy slugs.
The Turian collapsed in a pool of blue blood. Alex reappeared with his Grendel in hand before opening up on the remaining mercs. One went down while the others managed to get into cover. All three leapt up and fired on Alex as he ducked into cover. Xel growled in fury as he pulled out a grenade and primed it. "You like hiding? Hide from this!" he roared throwing the explosive.
The grenade landed by several canisters of Red Sand and exploded like the Fourth of July. The large metal walls of the warehouse were the only things stopping the explosion from taking out the entire building as all three mercs hit the deck to avoid the fire and debris.
When the dust settled, almost half the warehouse was smoldering or on fire. "Heh, so much for him." said the Blue Sun Captain.
A shimmer in the air appeared behind one of the mercs before a knife blade was driven up through his jaw and into his brain. Alex appeared drawing one of his Hammers and shot the other merc twice in the head as both bodies fell to the floor.
Xel spun around assault rifle in hand as a heavy boot kicked it out of his grasp. The ex-Turian Spec Ops looked at his opponent. The black and silver armor was intimidating, so was the crimson visor that leered back at him, but he wasn't going to back down from this freak.
"You killed my men...you'll pay for that!" he roared swiping his sharp talons at the armored being.
Alex caught the clawed hand easily, squeezing with his enhanced strength until he felt the bones grinding in the arm he held. "What were you planning with the weapons and Red Sand?" he asked squeezing harder.
Xel grunted in pain, "I'm not telling you shit freak!" he shouted grabbing his pistol with his other hand and aiming at Alex.
"Maximum Armor." The Turian fired, the round struck Alex's forehead snapping his head back. Grinning, Xel thought he had won. The grin quickly fell as the soldier slowly raised his head back. "That...was a mistake."
Several more shots were fired until the pistol seized up from overheating. Alex knocked the pistol from the shocked Turian's hand before kicking him hard in the stomach sending him crashing into a crate and leaving a large dent in the side.
"I'm going to ask you again." said Alex stalking forward. "What were you planning with the weapons and Red Sand?"
Xel spat out a glob of blood, "Fuck you...you think you can stop us? We're the Blue Suns! The Citadel's and the Council have had it too good for too long. It's about time someone else was in charge."
Alex grabbed the Turian by the throat and held him up, "You failed to realize one thing, Xel Morra." Xel coughed, "Oh yeah? And what's that?" Alex's red omni-tool opened up, "There's always more than one way to get information."
The Blue Sun Captain's omni-tool flared to life as Prophet began ripping everything of importance from it. Funds, data, troop and supply locations, shipping schedules. Nothing was safe from the AI's probing.
Xel's face turned into a mask of horror as he witnessed this. "NO!" Alex tilted his head, "I was giving you a chance to redeem your disgusting excuse of a life. But it seems you are too conceited in the suffering of others to give a shit." When Prophet finished Alex tossed Xel to the floor and drew a Hammer, "Goodbye."
"WAIT-" Bang! The merc leader slumped dead on the floor with a bullet in his head. Shaking his head, Alex went about hacking the omni-tools of the other mercs for anything else that was important. After five minutes, the soldier found himself 600,000 credits richer and had a huge cache of data on the Blue Suns to filter through when he returned home.
Hearing sirens in the distance, Alex decided to make himself scarce when he noticed a merc still alive cowering in the corner.
Walking over, the Human merc's face paled as he shook harder. "Oh god...no please I beg you! Please don't kill me...I...I..." Alex stopped several feet from him. The poor bastard was terrified of him...good.
Taking out his pistol again he stalked over. The man tried to scurry back but had his back to the wall and couldn't move any farther. Alex grabbed the front of his armor and lifted him up to eye-height, the barrel of his Hammer pressed to the underside of his chin.
"Listen well. You are going to wait for the police to arrive. And if I ever catch you wearing merc colors again. Their fate...will be yours." he said motioning to all of the dead Blue Suns around them. "Am I clear?"
The man nodded vigorously, praying that this armored monster that had killed all the other mercs didn't do the same to him.
With the sirens growing louder, Alex threw the terrified merc to the floor. Turning on his heel and vanishing from sight via his cloak as he left the warehouse and the district as he headed home.
X
Arriving back at the apartment, the Citadel's day cycle had just started to run as Alex walked through the living room.
Reena was still fast asleep, oblivious to the death and bloodshed her Human friend had committed against one of the biggest merc branches in the traverse.
After making sure she was safe and tucked in, Alex walked to his bedroom. Locking the door behind him as he pulled his helmet off and sat at his desk. "Alright Prophet." he said activating his omni-tool and turning is private terminal on. "Let's see what the Blue Suns are up too."
X
Garrus had seen a lot of things in his time as a C-Sec detective. And many of those that he never stopped seeing were dead mercenaries. But this time it was different...very different. "So what do you got for me Jonah?" he asked the Salarian leading the CSI team after the whole Crime Scene division went over everything for over an hour.
"16 dead, all Blue Suns. Each one killed within the same timeframe." said Jonah putting the last of the evidence away.
"These guys were moving weapons and Red Sand. How the hell did customs miss that?" wondered the detective. "Blackmail, bribery, hell I don't know. Bottomline is that they're all dead now. Including their Captain Xel Morra." said the Salarian.
Garrus shot him a shocked look, "Xel Morra? He's been on the wanted list in several systems for a while. What killed him?"
Jonah tapped his forehead, "One shot to the head. And there's something else." he motions to all of the dead bodies. "They were all killed with stealth precision. Stabbings, slit throats, broken necks, headshots. Whoever did this wasn't an amature."
"Could it have been a whole group?" asked Garrus. Jonah shook his head, "There'd be more evidence to prove that. No, one person did all this."
The Detective recoiled, one person killed 16 armed mercs this precisely? It wasn't possible.
Garrus sighed as he saw other C-Sec officers holding back a small crowd that had gathered at the edge of the district. A few news crews among them. "I want this kept quiet for now until we know what the hell's going on." he said clearly as the other officers nodded.
"Detective! We got a live one!" shouted an officer.
Garrus walked over to where an EMT was examining a Blue Sun merc who was trembling. "He's in severe shock. Whatever happened in there scared him beyond belief." said the Asari doctor.
"What did you see?" asked Garrus kneeling down next to him. He hated mercs, but this man was his only witness.
The merc looked up at him with wide, fear filled eyes, "He...He killed them all...nothing...nothing could stop him." he muttered as his eyes flickered back and forth as though something were after him.
"Who killed them? What did he look like?" Garrus pressed trying to get what he could.
"...he...he came from the...shadows...blood...death..." the merc whimpered. "Black...silver and red...moved like a ghost...couldn't be stopped...bullets couldn't hurt him." his eyes looked off into the distance as his trembling got worse. "D-Death...he was a phantom that caused death! A PHANTOM!" he screamed loudly making them all rear back.
The EMT quickly injected him with a sedative to knock him out. "He's beyond traumatized. You probably won't get much else." said the Asari.
Garrus looked grim. What the hell could have killed all these men? What could scare one man to near death from the acts alone? "We're dealing with something new. And we need to get to the bottom of this."
"You thinking it's a vigilante?" asked the nearby officer. Garrus looked at the 16 body bags. "Most likely...and I have a feeling that he's not done yet."
A/N: I think Alex is making an impression. What do you think? Keep the reviews coming and I'll update as fast as I can.