A/N: Alright, so just a few days later than what i was aiming for, but I did try my best! lol :P

Chapter 4: Damsel in Distress!

Wow...The word "amazing" can't even begin to describe just how breath taking the Citadel looks. It's so nice seeing all of the different species interacting with each other in person, and actually seeing them in the flesh just made things even better. I actually had to stop myself from feeling Wrex's crest on his head or Garrus' fringe. I'm not an idiot so obviously I didn't do it, especially if I want them to like me, but I digress. Anyway, I didn't get much of a chance to stop and take in the sights (as much as I would have liked to) but I understand why. We're on a mission and we're also kind of on a time limit, so I'm sure I'll get the chance to explore a bit more thoroughly some other time.

So before we left the med clinic, Dr. Michel offered some spare medi-gel for saving her life, which we took gladly, as Fist will no doubt have guards protecting his sorry ass. The area looks like the spitting image of how it appeared in the game, just more realistic to be honest, so even I knew where to go. It didn't take long for us to reach Chora's Den, well sort of. We're in the lower markets in front of the door before Chora's Den. You know, where you make the trade with that Krogan weapons dealer during that one C-Sec side mission? Yeah, that's where we are. We've unknowingly formed a circle as Shepard starts talking.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! There's a good chance Fist's men will be guarding him inside the club."

"No doubt about it, Shepard." Wrex says, "The man is a coward, doesn't have the spine to fight his own battles."

Yeah, furreal. Dude betrays the Shadow Broker and then expects to be safe? Now that's funny! Shepard speaks up again, "Exactly. So when we go inside, watch each other's backs. We're a team now, so let's fight as one, yeah?"

Garrus raises a talon, "Well, judging by how well our little fire fight went at the clinic," his mandibles spread open, "something tells me we'll be just fine."

"That fight was pretty fresh though, not gonna lie." They're all giving me weird faces. Oh yeah, 21st century slang doesn't work here… "Uh, I meant that it was a good fight, that's all."

Ash puts a hand on her hip, "Now, is that before or after we saved your ass?"

What? No… "What are you talking about? I had it under control…"

She chuckles, "Oh Please, you threatened them with a plunger!"

"Which stalled them long enough for you guys to go in and take them out. C'mon, you gotta give me some credit!" And I did take one of them out, so that counts for something in my book!

"Yeah, he's right Chief, he did alright. Who knows what could have happened if he hadn't been there." I mean, I do, but thanks for backing me up Kaidan. A devilish grin forms on his face, "And hey, I think we may have found a Plumber for the Normandy!" I hate you…

The three Alliance soldiers laugh, while Garrus looks puzzled, and Wrex just seems impatient. Yeah, I'm getting to that point too big guy. "Okay, lock it up," Shepard starts as the laughing dies down, "Wrex open the door. Let's go Knock on Fist's door."

"I don't knock," he mutters as he opens the door. We all file ourselves into the alleyway that leads to Chora's Den. The transit module is to the right of the doorway just like it is in the game. It's good to know, everything looks like it does in the game, well, placement wise at least. I remember playing it on console after playing it on PC, and it was just awful! The frame drops, the textures refusing to load, ugh. We enter the big square area before the Club. Still, it wasn't so bad once you got used to it I gue—

HOLY SHIT! BULLETS ARE FLYING!

My legs automatically bend down, putting me into cover. As I look to my right, I see Kaidan and Shepard using biotics to cut down their defenses, makes sense. Garrus and Ash are to my left, He using his sniper, while she occupies them with her assault rifle. Alright, I should do something too, help take down their shields or something.

I stand one leg up, getting ready to pop out of cover and—Hey, wait a minute...Where's Wrex? I peek over slightly and, there he is, just walking towards them with a shotgun in hand. Some might say suicidal...I say, "bad ass."

I aim my pistol and fire as many accurate shots possible at the first person I see. A blue light flickers around them, indicating that their kinetic barriers went down. Alright, I did something! Shortly after, a sniper shot echoes (ala Garrus Vakarian) and the guy becomes headless. My gut quivers at the sight of the man's death, it was a pretty gruesome sight. I don't think I could do that…

One guy gets electrocuted—probably an overload—and stumbles back. He doesn't have long to gain his footing again before Wrex blast's him away with his shotgun. Do I even need to do anything right now? It seems like they have it taken cared of...Wrex uses a biotic pull on one of them, and once the turian mercenary comes close, he grabs him by the throat and shoves him up in the air. Soon after, he is met with a barrage of bullets, courtesy of Ash's assault rifle.

The last one falls to Shepard and Kaidan. Jesus Christ, all of this killing...Am I really cut out for this? The Area is clear now, so everyone got up out of cover, except Wrex of course, who decided to walk over and say hello instead. As I'm getting up, my stomach lurches, and my hands are shaking. I start my walk over to the door along with everyone else.

Dammit, Marcus...Relax. You can get through this, you just need to stay calm and hold in the food you ate a century and a half ago. It's going to be fine...I hope. I let out a mental sigh. What am I doing here? I'm not a fighter. I can't kill, even when I'm under attack! Geth heretics are machines, that's not a problem. But people? Organisms that bleed...I just can't!

"You alright, pal?" I look and see that Kaidan is standing next to me, "You don't look so good…"

I take a deep breath before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine. Still trying to get used to all of the fighting, you know?" I'll be honest with him, no point in lying about this.

"I can understand that." He says, before putting one hand on my shoulder as we walk over to the rest of the squad. "You don't have to do all of this you know that right? I mean, the fighting part. You can help us out some other way, like on the Normandy or something."

I give him a confused look. I'm not supposed to know what the Normandy is yet sooo. He seems to catch on and corrects himself, "Oh, the Normandy is the ship we serve on, the most advanced technological ship in the galaxy." He says it with so much pride, it's actually quite refreshing. But can it go up against the Millenium Falcon? Aah, that's the real question!

I nod my head, "Oh okay." Hmm… I grin at him, "But I don't see how being a plumber would help take down Saren…"

He snorts at my joke and I continue, "Well, that'd be nice and all, but I want to be out there with you guys, fighting by your sides." I pause and look down before looking him in the eyes, "I just have to get used to it first."

He nods because he doesn't get the chance to reply as we regroup with everyone else. "Chora's Den is built like a rotunda." Garrus states, "Maybe we should split up into two groups of three when we get in there, can cover more ground that way."

"Turian's got a point," Wrex says, "With them being in the center, they won't know which group to shoot at first. It'll make them easy targets."

"Maybe we should see what the Commander would rather do first." Ash mentions. Damn! I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who sensed the hostility in her voice just now. It's easy to forget she's a xenophobe, especially after seeing her attitude toward aliens change so drastically by the third game. Eh, we'll get there.

Shepard squints her eyes at the Chief for a second, before addressing everyone, "Garrus seems to have the right idea and it definitely sounds like it can work. So in that case: Marcus, Williams, and I will go through the left side. You three take take the right." We all nod. Strangely enough, I feel a bit safer going with Shepard on this...But then again, who wouldn't? It's Commander—freaking—Shepard! "Alright everyone, let's do this!"

She hits the green panel and as the door flies open, we're met with the warm welcome of bullets. Shepard and Garrus go in first, moving quickly to cover as the shots instantly impact their shields. After taking out two men, Wrex and Ash go in next, and then Kaidan and I follow behind them. I'm crouched behind that little wall at the entrance of Chora's Den. I'm not hiding or anything, just building up the courage to move…

Okay, it looks like Kaidan just bounded his way over to Garrus and Wrex, so I guess it's my turn. I take deep breath and count to three. 1...2...3! I shoot up and crab-walk as fast as I could to a piece of cover closest to my female companions. Hey, what they do in Gears of War really does work huh? I felt a few shots hit my shields, but that was it really.

I once again peek over to see what's going on. Alright so there appears to be about 4 thugs here, 3 humans and 1 turian. Doesn't seem too bad.

Shepard shoots her pistol so fast at the turian without it overheating, and once his shield breaks, her body becomes engulfed with a beautiful blue, and uses a biotic slam on the guy. If it weren't for all of this gunfire, I'm pretty sure I would have heard a crunch. She sends out a blue cosmic ball (kind of looks like a warp) up in the air and it crashes down on some guy that was behind cover. The force of the ball brings him out of hiding and she finishes him off with her pistol, though this time it did overheat.

One guy hiding behind the bar counter pops out and starts aiming, at her! Shit, her gun overheated, I have to do something! I bring out my pistol and shoot at him, but even though I'm hitting his kinetic barrier, it's not getting his attention. I keep firing until it goes down, he's completely defenseless now. I can save the Commander and finish him…

I aim the pistol at him again, only this time was different. I couldn't move my finger, almost as if I was paralyzed and the trigger was stuck. I can hear my heartbeat being just about as loud as a fog horn, like it's inside my head almost. My breathing becomes heavier as the iron sights rests on his head. If I kill him, there's no going back. But it's okay because I'm defending a friend...right? Everything starts to go red and my hand shakes as I clench my teeth. NO. Killing him would be wrong! I know I have to do it, but...I can't!

The human's head suddenly get's jerked back, the blood exploding from the back of his head as he plunges to the floor. I lower my gun. I didn't kill him...So...I look over and see that Ash is staring at me, concerned with an eyebrow raised. I guess she saw what happened...my hesitation. Shepard could have died, and I still hesitated! God…

The fighting appears to have ended. Everyone's moving towards the back door where Fist's office is. I guess I better go join them...I move up and out of cover, slightly dragging myself over there. I don't feel weak or anything, just pathetic to be honest.

"Fist's office is just behind this door," Garrus explains, "I don't think he was expecting us to pass through his party guests with such ease, so we might have the advantage here."

Wrex grimaces and pumps his shotgun, "I already gave him his warning. He'll be ready...Or so he believes."

Kaidan turns to Shepard, "It might be a good idea for two of us to stay back, make sure nobody else comes in."

"Good idea, Kaidan," Our Commander says. Now was that a smile on your face Lieutenant? Hmm… "Any volunteers?"

The only thing Fist uses to fight back in his office are two turret drones. I can kill machines! "Marcus and I can stay behind, cover your six." Ash says. I guess not. I hesitate a bit before nodding my head in acknowledgment.

"Okay," Shepard starts, "Radio us if anymore trouble shows up."

We both shake our heads and the four of them go through the door. Leaving both of us here by ourselves. The two workers walk out shortly after they enter, which means that Shepard could be more Paragon than Renegade. Only time will tell I guess.

Ash is watching the left side while I watch the right. We're both standing on both sides of the door with a silence before she turns to me, "So what happened back there?" Yep, I should have known this conversation was coming up. Can I have my dialogue wheel now? "That merc was aiming at the Commander and you didn't try to stop him."

"It's not that I didn't try to save her," I begin, "I took down his shields, but when it came down to pulling that trigger at the end...I just couldn't do it."

"You mean you couldn't kill him?"

I nod slowly, "Killing isn't right. My mom always told me to never do any harm to others, and well, I'm pretty sure ending someone's life is included in that philosophy."

She puts a hand on her chin, "I can see your point, but there's still something I don't get. I mean back on Eden Prime, you were killing Husks just fine, and they used to be people."

"Yeah, but that's exactly it. They used to be people." I cross my arms, how do I explain this? "The husks' were already dead, they were just walking and trying to kill me. So in that case, when I shot my gun at them, I didn't feel like I was ending their life. It just felt like self-defense. Whereas with a person, I'd be taking away someone's future."

She stays quiet for a little while before responding, "I understand, and you know, that's perfectly normal. You're not a soldier, Marcus. It's alright to think like that. But in this kind of situation—where people's lives are on the line—that's something you need to be okay with." She puts a hand on her hip, "I know you want to help bring Saren down, but that doesn't mean you have to be out here with us. How about a job inside the Normandy? I'm sure there are plenty of things for you to help out with there!"

I shrug, slumping my shoulders down as I do. I find it a little funny how both alliance soldiers brought up the same option to me. Although, it does seem like the logical thing… "Yeah, maybe there are, but—" I tilt my head at her, "A part of me feels like I belong out here, with you guys. I just feel like maybe I need to be trained first…Besides, I've got no problem 'deactivating' flashlight heads."

She smirks at my last remark, "Okay, I'll tell you what. Once we leave the Citadel, I'll teach you how to fight and how to use a gun properly. Until then…" She walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "whenever we run into any hostiles, try and take out their shields if you can, and I will do the rest, got it?"

I nod my head to her. That's actually pretty cool of her, I mean in the games I always thought she was cool regardless, but she just met me! Yet, she's willing to kill for me...that's just…*sigh* what a woman! Hmm...Maybe I can have some fun with this…

"You know, I've gotta say Ash, you have really surprised me today."

"How so?" she asks with an eyebrow raised.

"From my first impression of you back on Eden Prime, I sorta pegged you as one of those tough 'chicas' that would turn down the 'soft stuff'." Obviously I didn't actually think that, but it's nice to keep the conversation going. Besides, I want to see how mad she gets!

She crosses her arms, "Only when it's about me."

...Ooh, I know!

"Any family?" here it comes!

She glares at me with a balled up fist, "Kid, say something I don't like!" She lightly punches my arm. It didn't hurt, but I couldn't help but say 'Oww' and rub my arm afterwards with a smile. Apparently it's contagious because her face grows a smile of her own.

The door to Fist's office abruptly opens with a very urgent looking Commander Shepard stepping out. Everyone else falls in step behind her."What is it, Commander?" Ash asks.

"The Quarian is in danger, we have to get to her before it's too late!" Huh, the Fist confrontation took less time than I thought it would. Come to think of it, I didn't even hear Wrex's shotgun...I guess I looked confused because Shepard continues, "I'll explain later, but right now, we have to go!"

I shake my head to her. Alright, let's go save ourselves a Quarian! "Lead the way, Commander!"

She actually wasn't too far away, but damn was that some fast running! I'm not even wearing any armor and yet I was all the way in the back the whole time and I'm the only one gasping for air right now. Jesus, my cardio sucks! What the hell do these people use to train their speed? Sonic the Hedgehog? I wonder if this is what being a volus feels like…

Alright, I'm getting off topic...Anyway, we reach this corner just above some steps and that's when I see the familiar scene. Three mercenaries. Two salarians, and one turian. And then of course our Damsel in Distress: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy! Well, not yet I guess. Correction: Tali'Zorah nar Rayya!

At the moment, we're just watching the scene sort of play out right now. The turian just ran his hand down Tali's right arm and she just slapped it away with disgust. The turian nods to both of the salarians and they come closer, weapons drawn out and everything. Little shit's have no idea who they're messing with. Tali brings out a grenade disk and tosses it over to them, blowing up once it got close and knocking them to the ground.

Here's where the fight begins! I bring out my pistol from its holster and get behind a storage crate for cover. Ash and Garrus both take out their sniper rifles and in two seconds the two salarians becomes headless. The last one, the turian, gets biotically pushed against the wall by Shepard, and he just doesn't get up after that.

So much for the fight…

I step out of the cover I just adopted for the moment and walk over to Tali with everyone else. Wow, how come I've never noticed the details that are on the suit during the first game? Maybe I didn't notice because of the graphics in the actual game...that would make sense, actually. Either way, the designs are really beautiful, kind of like her. I romanced Tali during my first playthrough. What can I say? The voice got to me! That's not saying much though, since I romanced basically everyone in all three games soooo…

"Fist set me up!" Our new Quarian friend exclaims, "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"Were you hurt in the fight?" Shepard asks. It's good to know she has that paragon-ish caring side to her.

Tali grips her other arm, "I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help." She tilts her head fascinatingly at Shepard, "Who are you?"

She points to herself when replying, "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove that Saren is a traitor. Word is that you can help me with that?"

"Indeed I can Commander," she says, "Consider it as a token of my gratitude, for saving my life. But…" The Quarian engineer looks around, "not here. Perhaps somewhere more secure?"

"We could take her to Udina's office," Kaidan suggests, "He'll want to see this anyway."

"Sounds good to me." Shepard confirms with a smile. She's probably smiling because she actually found the evidence. Hell, I know I would be.

With this, we all walk towards the exit, and begin our walk over to the human embassy. So this will be my first time meeting Udina. Sounds like there are some fun times coming with that… I hope he's not as much of an asshole as he is in the game…

A/N: I'm sorry if it feels like I'm going a little too fast, I kind of just want to get the Citadel portion out of the way, to be honest. It should end after the next chapter though, so it's okay :P

Anyway, I guess there's not much to say this time around so…

I hope you guys enjoyed! :)