A/N: Hey there! We've got subscriber number four! Greetings, Stuch! Welcome! Just a note, this chapter's gonna be somewhat of a longer one. You'll see.
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Chapter 6: Reality strikes.
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-April 2175-
Colburn
The past couple of minutes had been a blur. What was supposed to be lunch with Tantus had somehow managed to turn into a full fledged firefight. Out of nowhere, a band of eight thugs had ran towards the duo, guns ablazing. The pair quickly found cover behind an overturned table. Patrons and staff were all screaming and running in different directions, trying to get out of the crossfire.
Weaponless, they were sitting ducks, pinned behind the table. They had no way of escape. The thugs were all armed with submachine pistols. A bullet dangerously buzzed past the teen's head. "Shit! What now?". Another barrage of rounds embedded themselves in the wall behind him. Peeking out a little, Colburn saw one of the mercs closing in, apparently deciding to just run upfront and pepper them with bullets. He contemplated biotically pulling the merc, but to do so, he would have to go out of cover, which meant exposing himself to seven others.
He glanced over at the Turian beside him. The Spectre was also pinned down by two of the thugs. Colburn heard the merc approaching, closer than ever. "Tantus!". His mentor turned his head, and a look of understanding passed between them. The Turian held up his Omni-tool, mouthing: whenever you're ready.
Colburn began to mentally countdown.
One.
He felt the table vibrate, as various bullets lodged themselves in the steel.
Two.
The footsteps were getting louder.
Three.
Once again, Colburn felt the familiar rush of biotic energy envelop his body. In less than a second later, he was phasing through the solid steel table.
And straight at the armed thug. They crashed against the wall, with his opponent acting as a cushion, bearing the brunt of the impact. As the merc crumpled to the ground, the vanguard wasted no time grabbing the dropped machine pistol.
At the same time, there was a bright blue spark, and then the whole restaurant was temporarily covered in a blanket of darkness. All gunfire stopped, if only for a moment. Whatever Tantus did would only last for a short time. Act fast. "Tantus!". The Turian promptly caught the Shuriken tossed his way. Sure enough, the lights flickered on again just as the weapon reached Tantus' hands.
Colburn launched a shockwave towards where most of the other thugs were clustered at. All four of them went sprawling in different corners of the restaurant. Meanwhile, the Turian had already taken out the two mercs who had him pinned just a minute before. The whole area was suddenly silent, a stark contrast to the chaotic scene just moments ago.
"I'll get C-Sec.". The Turian punched several buttons on his Omni-tool.
Colburn looked around. The place was empty now, except for the piles of destroyed furniture, him, Tantus, as well as the seven bodies on the ground. Hold on. Seven bodies? There's eight of them! He quickly scanned his eyes throughout the area. Come on... Where are you? A small, slight movement caught his eye. A figure, dressed in cheap, inferior armour, back hunched, on his knees, gun held in front. Colburn's eyes followed the pistol's imaginary line of sight... Right to an unsuspecting Tantus.
The finger was ominously tightening around the trigger. Without another thought, the vanguard launched himself forward again, with the help of his biotics. The both of them rolled on the ground in a heap, each struggling against the other. The gun had clattered elsewhere during the scuffle. The man gave a powerful kick to the biotic's stomach, effectively freeing himself, while Colburn fell onto the floor not too far away on his back, still dazed with the unexpected blow.
The thug unsheathed a wicked-looking blade, a cruel smile playing on his lips, expression saying: I'll have you know what slicing really means. The seventeen year old found himself unable to think straight. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the forgotten gun, laying on the floor. And so he did the only thing he thought of. Utilising his biotics, the pistol flew straight into his hands. Immediately, he fired three shots at his would-be-killer's torso. The man's features were a mixture of horror, surprise, and fear.
The body instantly collapsed onto the ground, and remained motionless. What... What the hell did I just do?
"Colburn!". Tantus rushed to his side. "Colburn!"
The teenager stared at him wide-eyed. "I- I killed- killed him...". Colburn felt his whole body trembling. It had been easy firing guns at the range, but a whole other thing was a living, breathing, being.
"You have to go before C-Sec gets here!". Tantus had barely glanced at the body. Doesn't he care? I killed somebody! "What are you waiting for? Go! Now!"
He found himself nodding, and getting up and running, as if functioning on its own.
His brain, on the other hand, was still stagnant, trying hard to process everything.
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Tantus
"I am very disappointed with C-Sec right now. You people are supposed to protect the citizens of the Citadel! With such inefficiency, you guys are better off being coffin bearers.". Tantus stole a glance at the officer's name tag. Garrus Vakarian.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir. We were-"
"I don't want any excuses, Officer Vakarian!"
The other Turian suppressed whatever he had originally wanted to say, and instead, muttered a "Yes sir.".
"Good. Clean up this mess, compensate the owner, and thoroughly check how in the spirits' names did these thugs get here, understand?"
"Yes sir. But... What about-"
"I'll take personal charge over the investigation. Anymore questions?"
"No sir."
Tantus gave a grunt of approval. Without another word, he headed towards his skycar, preparing to return back home. First things first, check on Colburn, he told himself. The boy had it rough. He'd just had his first kill. It would take a lot of talking to get the child to get over it. He himself was a wreck when he killed his first enemy, but he quickly got out of the guilt trip. Turians showed no mercy to their enemies. It was either killed, or be killed.
The problem was, Colburn wasn't a Turian.
Tantus sighed.
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Colburn
The first thing Colburn did when he reached home was to wash his hands, to rid them of the imaginary blood stains. That however, was an hour ago. He was sitting on his bed, staring at his hands, which were red and raw. His brain was still trying to get over the events.
It had been so easy, watching Tantus take out the two mercs. It didn't involve any emotions, and even felt natural, as if it was supposed to be that way. That was, until he pulled the trigger on someone himself.
What did I just do? He had asked himself that questions countless times.
The dull thud on the carpeted floor told him that Tantus had returned.
"How are you doing?". The Turian made himself comfortable on the nearby couch.
"I- I still can't believe..."
"Son, look at me.". His eyes snapped up to meet the Spectre's. "In this line of work, life is only precious when your loved ones, or you yourself in staring down the barrel of a gun... Think about it. If you hadn't done that, do you think you'll still be sitting here, wondering if what you did was right?".
He has a point... But... Still... "Protecting yourself, and killing innocents, are two very different things, Colburn. He was going to kill you, and you did the only thing you could. That's perfectly fine. Imagine if he killed you, and walked away scot-free? The next thing you know, he's killing an entire family, to people who did absolutely nothing to him, shooting that helpless little girl, that harmless small boy... Just because someone paid him too."
A small fire of anger and hatred grew within him. The image of the merc slaughtering an entire family, and then receiving a paycheck, smiling... "I... I think I understand what you're trying to say..."
"Good... It's going to take some time, I know, but you can't take too long. Understand?"
He nodded his head. "So... What now? It's obviously not safe here anymore."
"I know. And I've made arrangements. You're going to Omega."
"Wh- what?", he sputtered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing."
"I have a friend over there. Zaeed Massani. He's a bounty hunter. He'll help train you, expose you to everything this galaxy has to offer. Think of it has a survival course, an opportunity to get real, hands-on experience. In the meantime, it'll also let things on the Citadel cool off for a bit. The last thing we need is C-Sec on your doorsteps. Besides, after this, your father will probably lose any lead he had on you."
"Wow... I...". Colburn was at loss for words. The change was too sudden, abrupt.
"Time to grow up and see the galaxy for what it's worth, kid."
Yeah, no kidding.
A/N: See? I told you the plot-heavy, crucial moments were going to be a lot longer! :D Leave a review about what you guys think about the plot as of now!