Chapter 7
I do not own Mass Effect or any of its characters. Those belong to Bioware and EA. Any movies or music I may reference belong to their rightful owners.
Thanks everyone.
Two days went by in no time. I had decided to go through with it. Though Garrus wouldn't tell me when I would arrive in the Mass Effect Universe.. for some reason he was keeping quiet about that.
I had called my boss to let her know that I was quitting and she had gotten very upset about that. She was a friend after all. I told her that I had decided to move in with Stacey and try going back to school which she cheered up at.
I asked Garrus to keep quiet about this to Stacey and everyone else. I still wasn't sure what to tell Stacey yet. After Crystal had left which I'm extremely thankful she bought the whole dream thing Stacey announced that she was staying with me for the rest of the week.
I spent some time with Miranda but nothing close. Strangely I found myself talking to Tali a lot. She had an amazing personality and I loved hearing her talk about her people.
Finally it was almost time...
I packed a backpack and headed to the living room. Garrus had asked everyone to gather so he could explain. Everyone was shocked none more so than Stacey.
"What the hell Will? Why do you have to go?" She said with anger showing on her face.. I felt bad "Cause its the only way to save their universe. Shepard can't do it alone!" I said.
She clammed up as Garrus explained that we were to go one at a time into the portal once it opened. Yes apparently this one well be able to see. I was silently glad that I wouldn't be going through no more traumatic shower incidents. I snapped out of my thoughts as Garrus mentioned my name.
"Will you and Tali will be the last two to go through." He said.
"Ok.." Was all that I said.
I tried to talk to Miranda but she was being cold to me for some reason so I once again found myself talking to Tali and I spent some time with Stacey.
Suddenly the ground started shaking. A few pictures fell off my living room wall and crashed on the floor. There was a loud roaring noise and suddenly a bright flash and blue light? There was a glowing blue hole of some sort floating in my living room.
"Alright listen up. Once your near enough to the vortex you'll be enveloped by its field which will pull you in. Be careful and good luck." Garrus said as Miranda walked up first.
She turned and gave me one last look. I thought I saw her smile as she came close to the vortex and suddenly she was enveloped in its field and disappeared.
As Kasumi walked up Garrus made his way over to Tali, Me, And Stacey. "Here I'm uploading something to your Omni-Tool Tali. And this Will is yours. Your very own Omni-Tool with something I programed myself into it. Just make sure you play it after you get through on the other side ok Tali?" He said looking at her. He turned to Stacey and handed her a strange small square box of some sort. "This is something to remember us by." He said.
"Oh and one other thing!" He held up some strange device and there was a flash and he slid it back into a pouch.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Photo of a young version of you for incrimination purposes." He said smiling. I shook my head.
Stacey thanked him and her eyes locked with mine for an instant before she turned away.
Liara stepped up to the vortex and quickly disappeared. I turned to Stacey when the ground shook violently suddenly and we were thrown violently to floor. Unfortunately Stacey was thrown into the Vortex. "STACEY!" I screamed as she vanished.
I rushed towards the Vortex. As I got near it I felt a hand grab mine. I turned to see Tali's hand on mine as I reached the Vortex and the field engulfed us both. The last thing I remember at the moment was staring at garrus who had his arms crossed and he was smiling?
******************************later******************
"WILL!" A voice yelled.
I grunted and rolled onto my stomach. 'man my floor felt like rock!'
"WILL GET UP NOW!" The voice yelled again.
I opened my eyes to stare at red soil. 'what the hell?'
I quickly pushed myself up and back onto my knees and looked around. I was on some strange alien world. Suddenly I started coughing and grabbing my throat. I felt a hand grab me and jam a mask onto my face and I started taking deep breaths.
"Easy.. not so fast or you'll make yourself sick." A voice said.
I turned to the voice "Tali?"
"Yes Will its me. We have to get to my shuttle now before the Geth make another round. They'll be looking for their lost trooper soon." She said gesturing towards a shuttle parked a good distance away.
I slowly got to my feet with her helping me. Suddenly I remembered 'Stacey!'
"We've got to find my sister." I cried.
"Will I don't think she's here. Your the only one that appeared with me just now. If she was going to be here she would have already." Tali said.
I felt my shoulders sink. "Where is she I wonder?" I said aloud.
"We can discuss that later. Let's get to the shuttle and leave or we won't be around to find out." She said tugging at my arm.
I nodded and we started walking towards the shuttle.
As we reached the shuttle I heard some strange metallic noises. I heard a crack and I grunted in pain as something ripped through my shoulder. Tali grabbed me and pushed me inside as she jumped in slamming her fist on the door. "Keelah Hold On!" She said jumping into the pilot seat.
"What?" Was all I managed to say as the Shuttle rocked violently and I was thrown back against the wall as it rocketed upwards climbing to break the planets gravity.
If this wasn't serious It would be comical now at the way I was plastered onto the back wall of the shuttle. Finally I felt the thrusters ease up and I promptly hit the floor hard.
Tali hands blazed over the controls and finally she came back to me as I sat up holding my shoulder.
"Keelah it went right through your shoulder. I'm surprised your not crying in pain right now!" She said amazed.
"My dad taught me to keep a tight lid on yourself when in a serious situation." I said before breaking out into a small chuckle which I regretted as the pain shot through my shoulder.
"Let me take a look at it. Take your shirt off!" She said.
I smiled "Aren't I supposed to say those lines?" I said chuckling again.
She growled at me "Stop making stupid jokes you Bosh'tet!... now do it so I can have a look at you." She said though I could tell she was only being half-serious.
I pulled it off and sure enough there was a hole in my shoulder and the blood was coming out fast.
"Do you have any gaze, pads, and disinfectants?" I asked.
"I have Medi-Gel that will work!" She said looking a little offended. "This isn't primitive Earth!" She said slapping a Medi-Gel pack onto my shoulder causing me to wince in pain.
"You could be a lot nicer with that ya know." I said.
"Just be glad that I helped you Will." She said sitting back on her knees and placing her hands in her lap.
I felt like an idiot "Your right I'm sorry.." I said.
She was quiet at first "Your welcome.. though we really should get you to a Doctor before the Medi-Gel wears off. I've already set a course that once we hit the relay well be at the Citadel within 20hrs. The pack should hold for a little over a day but that's stretching it. I've heard that the Citadel has a really good Doctor in the wards and its cheap." She said.
"Dr. Michel!" Her name flashed in my head as I recalled the first game. "Listen we can go see her but we have to make sure we steer clear of Fist and the Shadow Broker. Once I get patched up we need to get to Shepard!" I said.
She looked at me curiously "Why?.. Maybe Fist can help us" She said.
I gawked "Didn't you pay attention to what I said and showed about the game?"
She wrung her hands "Actually I just listened to you talking instead though I don't really remember what you said... I was... preoccupied." She said.
I let out a loud sigh "Oh well... well at least we can bypass the whole Fist thing and get to Shepard instead."
She nodded and was about to get up when her Omni-Tool started beeping. "What is it?" I asked.
She looked at it puzzled for a second before pressing a few buttons "Garrus left some message apparently... yes that's right remember he said for me to open it once we got through... And it looks like it was time stamped for this exact time!" She said her voice sounded even more puzzled.
She turned and waved her hand at a vid screen on the wall and suddenly Garrus image appeared.
"Will... Tali... If your reading this than your already on your way to the Citadel. Listen Will remember when I said everyone had to go through one at a time. I knew that Tali and you would even up together during her mission to get the Geth data. You told me after all err.. or least your future self did. I also knew about Stacey going through as well. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and I'm sorry that I can't tell you to as when she appears in this universe.. I do not want to alter the time line to much or it will have catastrophic consequences on the future. So you need to keep with the flow of the game so to speak which yes includes you dealing with Fist even though by this point as you told me down the road you wanted to run straight to Shepard." Garrus said.
I looked at Tali as she stared at the screen than I turned back to the viewer.
"Will you must also know that If you recall I flashed a device at you three before you went through. It's so that your memory would be preserved... I had to flash myself before I went through the first time and as well as my return trip. Will... none of the ones that came through will remember you... even Miranda!" He said.
I felt a pain in my chest as my heart broke. "God damnit!" I screamed jumping to my feet. I was upset if only I had known I would have tried to say more. Instead I spent more time with Tali.. I looked at her and she backed up a little. 'No I'm not mad at her... its just damnit'
"Tali I'm not mad at you... I'm sorry for my outburst!" I said.
She stayed still for a moment before she stepped forward. "It's ok Will."
I nodded and turned back to the viewer "Will I made this recording before I came through. There's someone that had wanted to give you a message himself." Garrus said.
Suddenly the image changed and it was "ME?" I said aloud.
Sure enough it was me but an older version and judging by the way I looked Battle hardened and scared. There was a jagged scar across my left cheek. And there was a strange Tattoo of some kind on the right side of my face.
"Will!... It's good to see myself again" I or He said chuckling. His face turned serious than "Will you'll face a lot down the road but know that everything has a purpose and your part of it now. Take care of yourself. Oh and Tali" He turned to her and spoke some strange words that I had never heard before and the vid winked out.
I turned to Tali which according to her body expression and the fact that she was clinging to my arm about to break it made me wonder what He had said to get her so worked up.
"What did he say?" I asked finally getting her to let go of my arm.
She was quiet for a moment "He said stay by Will.. He'll lead me to hope! Will he said it in the ancient tongue of my people... also that tattoo on his face.. It's an ancient Quarian Symbol for 'Love. New Begging. Hope. And Future' My people used to tattoo it on their faces when they cherished their mates more than anything." She said.
"Now that does make some sense Garrus told me a few days ago in private that I would be captaining a ship called the Quatock. It sounds Quarian am I right?" I asked looking at her. She nodded.
"So apparently somewhere down the line I join the Quarian people and get a Quarian mate... Well as long as she's good with cooking that's all that matters." I said chuckling until I felt a hand smack me in the head.
"Stupid Bosh'tet! You men are all the same.. no matter what species!" Tali said getting up and sitting back in the pilots seat.
I smiled and got up and slowly sat in the other seat being careful not to hit my shoulder on anything.
"Shouldn't you be lying down on the cot by the back?" She asked.
"True.. but you would get lonely.. and besides I like hearing you talk. So tell me more about engine drive cores!" I said.
I couldn't help but smile as she jumped in surprise but started firing off facts about engines as the glow of the relay came into view.
I let my mind wonder as she talked. Life sure was strange. It always threw something at us.. now I just got thrown a huge Curve Ball.
A/N: Thanks everyone for reading :D
