Skullface: Did some editing with this here, got rid of lots of unnecessary things with some other chapters too.
Interval 7 Escalation
Using his telepathic abilities, Paxton Fettle was grinning at the massacre his mothers creatures were doing. With his psychic powers, he could see that they were ripping apart the white armored soldiers. The specter was standing somewhere in a engineering deck, he was stalking some poor sorry bastard who was trying to hide for his dear life. But Paxton will find him. He was good at finding people. He found his mother, and he found his brother. Paxton took in a whiff of air, and then smiled. He knew that scent. That smell of ridicule as well as broken pride. The very smell of total submission. It was his father.
"Father..."
"Don't call me that." Michal Becket said as he glared at the son of the woman, or better to say that 'Thing' that raped him. That Thing that gave birth to a child he wanted nothing to do with.
"Why not? Your part of the family now, Mother chose you." Paxton said antagonizing the man who lost all dignity so long ago.
"She fucking raped me!" Michael spat as he glared at Paxton.
"Yes...she did, but it was I who killed you, do not remember?" Paxton reminded Michael of that night when he was obliterated. He recalled how painful it was to have Paxton within his body and how he was able to kill him from the inside out. He would never forgive the two bastard children of his...mistress. The goddess he was to now serve forever unto the infinite twilights.
"I will kill her before your mother can even allow her influences to take over her."
"But my mother will be guarding her, she will be watching her. Like how she was watching you."
Michael was getting even more aggravated; he hated how Paxton was able to come up with something to shoot back with. It was a talent the bastard son was greatly gifted with. "Then I will kill that brother of yours, he won't be so hard."
"You forget your place...Michael...I am by my brother's side, and I shall dispose of you, and send you back to mother. She will be satisfied with your little visit. Don't you think? What would she do to you if she knew you were trying to harm one of your own children?"
Michael and Paxton just glared at each other, each one baring a hate for the other. Each one wanting to permanently kill the other. But both knowing that their mother/mistress would not allow such a face-off.
"If not for those powers, mother would have killed you long ago, but she has become fond of you over this long time of being together. I am surprised you have not yet learned your place." Paxton said to Michael.
"I will never forgive her for everything she has done to me." Michael said as he turned his head, and was getting ready to take his leave. He had enough for at least a few hours. One of the worst things about being dead, was not being able to sleep or feel anything. All you had was time. Time to squader with constant thinking on why your still in an endless plain of existance that seems to end. Nothing but a void existend when your dead. All you can do is watc and feel envy for the living.
"Until next time...father."
Michael shot Paxton a angry look, and then began to walk away, going anywhere but the hell that he was in. Leaving Paxton to seeing through the eyes of the Scavengers that were eating the foolish soldiers that were getting in the way.
Using his psychic powers, Paxton could see from this location that there was a Alliance vessel carrying armed troops to the last location of the Normandy. Paxton knows that they are here for his...sister, and they will try to save her as well as her crew, but they will fall. They will all die...they all deserve to die. This galaxy and its habitats...they all must die...and they will. They will all burn, and when the fires are done with their scorching from the Reapers, a new age of humans will rise. But not as mortals, as gods.
On board an Alliance drop ship...
"Alright we know the mission everyone, we are to go in there and retrieve Commander Jane Shepard. Resources told us that she and her crew were taken by a hostile who has once left a Special Forces team long ago, and now he has gone renegade. I suggest we go in there, kill as many bastards as we can and we get back our war hero and face of the Alliance. Can I hear a hoorah?"
"Sir yes sir!"
The marines were all packing SMG's, as well as assault rifles, and shotguns. They also carried some grenades, incendiary as well as high explosive. "Sir we got enough ammo for this?" Asked a male private to his female captain, a woman with buzzed cut blonde hair, and a pair deep green eyes. "Private we have more than enough damn amount of ammo to fill a whole deck onboard a vessel." Gil said to Homer. Gil the Captain of the Sonar Squad to Homer, a long time friend and fellow soldier who both shared a deal of combat against pirates as well as raids around the Terminus Systems.
"We're marines we're supposed to have more than enough ammo." Came a man of Latino descent, speaking his native language.
"Alex no one uses that dead language anymore damn it. Quit speaking cave man bullshit." Came a little chubby in the middle soldier whose dog tags read Oscar. Oscar's face was a little pink, but that was due to his Caucasian skin tone and him being out in the sun for too many hours on mars. Which was his home world where he had spent his days always staring off out into the stars which he had long dreamt of exploring.
"Oscar I can't abandon my native heritage, to do so would be wrong. Like turning ones back on their own family." Alex said with a smirk, his goatee and mustache bending with his lips.
"You two have always got to be saying something don't you?" Captain Lucas asked. The two went silent, and the Captain took it as compliance to his demand of silence amongst his soldiers.
"We are all looking like a fine group of twenty grade A badass soldiers. Remember, these guys were going to be fighting are human so if you see any non humans or whoever Commander Shepard has abourd that expensive vessel of hers, note that they are a member of Shepard's team. I want zero screw ups on this. So always check your targets and don't shoot from the damn hip...Del Torro." Captain Lucas said as he inspected his pistol one last time.
The drop ship they were in, was one of three. In the front they were heavily armed with shielding as well as the cannons and missiles they need to at least land inside of the triangle shaped ship ahead. From what scans indicated, the ship they were boarding possessed no defensive equipment, but there were fighters aboard. Something must have been going down if they were not sending them out to tag down the marines.
After all it is a Carrier they were all boarding. One big massive ship that was housing possible thousands of hostiles.
Everyone was on edge. These ops in space were always risky, the moment they land, and they know l as that the enemy has a good advantage of bombarding them with fire. That was always a scary feeling. But they were used to it; they were used to shutting down the fear and building up the energy to get them through any op that involved rescue situations as well as the occasional gorilla style demolition operations. Not that Sonar had actually been on much demolition or gorila ambush missions, but they were prepared for a change in senerio.
"Why the hell is it that they haven't shot at us yet?" Asked Homer. Gil gave him a look she gives anyone else when she grows irritated with the paranoia of her squad mates, and then said.
"They obviously must have something wrong with their sensors. Just be happy that we aren't getting shot at." Gil said as she sat in the row of five men, glaring around at the other row of five and.
It's hard to swallow, but she knows only a few of these people's names. Those who she did know were in her squad called Sonar as well as Captain Lucus, and the ones she doesn't know may die without her knowing who they are. As for the others of whome she knows nothing of including their names or of who they are. Each of them was just selected. Randomly even...this whole operation was so immediately started, that the Fith Fleed didn't even give them a battle plan. What did they expect? For them to just automatically know what to fucking do? Just how big was this operation? How secret is it that they were just chosen right off the bat, and thrown into the pot to see how long it took for the eggs to boil?
Gil knows she is to command Oscar, Alex, Homer, Dax, Pam, and Wolf. She knew the last three well. Dax was the best pointman she had ever encountered in her thirteen year career. He grew up somewhere in the cities of America, as well as Wolf. Wolf by the way was the only Native American on this whole Kodiak. Why he was tossed the name Wolf, was not because of his ancestry but because of his love for the animal. Wolf was a pretty good gunnery officer. He was crafted with loads of weapon experiences. Wolf had short black hair as did Dax. Although not the same, since Dax had his more whole at the sides, while Wolf's hair was flattop.
As for Pam, she had brown hair cut in a bob style, and pale creamy skin, but she was an adept, so she was more of the line into biotics. How she got into this unit Gil had not the slightest clue, since it was mainly a Recon Unit. Sonar is the name of Gil and her buddy's team, this was their fifth operation. Sonar was good at these rescue operations as well as gathering Intel. But like stated before, they did have they're own share of run and gun ops.
As For Oscar, he was of a different story, unlike Pam, Wolf and Dax, he was from somewhere on mars, he. Although, he didn't carry the accent. Gil was happy about that part. She kind of always thought it was funny how the British talked, but that was just the way they spoke she could not judge them. Besides they all fight under the same banner. And that banner was of humanity's name.
"Alright here we go." Lucas says as he cocked his assault rifle and the ramp to the drop ship opened revealing the inside of the ship they were boarding, and then all at once the marines unbuckled their harnesses and began to jog out. With their weapons up and ready as well as ready to shoot down the first sorry bastard that chose to mess with the wrong gang of ass kickers, the marines inspected the surrounding area of the hanger bay.
To their utter surprise the whole place seemed to be empty. There was some fighters in the hanger bay, but not much else. Except for if you counted the Normandy which was just off along the middle waiting ever so patiently for her crew to come back and take care of her once more. But overall the thirty meter sized hanger bay seemed completely devoid of any life.
Well, it was safe to say that it was devoid of life for the mater of being that there was nothing living existing within the hanger. For before the marines was blood. Large pools of blood, blood that leaked from the walls, blood that was stained to the floor and crept to the boots of the soldiers. And skeletons, skeletons that seemed to have had their flesh melted away from their bony bodies. Something had happened here.
"What in sweet Jesus' ass?" Homer said as he and the other marines all looked at the blood sprayed all over the floors of the docking bay. "What he hell happened here?" Asked a marine. Captain Lucas who had been eyeing a skeleton since they had arrived then walked over to the bony remains that was left in a bundle of blood, and a bundle of other skeletons that were piled in a stack of six.
"I have no idea maybe Shepard managed to get her ass as well as the ass's of her crew out of here, but the ship is still here." Lucas trailed off and he looked at the Normandy which was sitting there, waiting for its crew to return and be the shield and sword it was the previous day.
"What are your orders Captain?" Asked a female marine as she tucked her rifle between herself.
"We split into groups of three and we search for Shepard and her rag tags. Along the way search for intel, try to see if we can find anything about our targets. Gil you pick your squad."
Gil looked at the marines amongst her, and she already knew who she had called before she even set her boots off the ramp of the drop ship. "Alright I want Homer, Wolf, Pam, Oscar, Dax and you too Alex." Gil said choosing her squad, while Captain Lucas began to make his choice, and a Lt. after him chose his as well. It was nice; Gil had all of Sonar with her. She would never leave these idiots anywhere. When one of them fell she would carry them forward unto the crack of dawn. Sonar was her family of marines. A nice little gang of bad-ass life takers and heart breakers.
"Gil I want you and your squad to search around the engineering deck, from what scanners pick up, there are five levels of this ship. Engineering, medical labs, sub deck levels, crew deck, and lastly bridge. Me and my team will search the crew deck, Sith you and your team search sub deck levels. We radio in every fifteen minutes. alright now let's go. We can't leave our audience waiting." Lucus said, and like that the mission had officially begun.
Shepard was with Garrus at the time. It had been an hour and a quarter now since they had all gotten out of their cells and bringing hell to each of these people who made the mistake in taking them. Shepard was still suffering a little from her head pain but she managed to cope with it. Right now she held a Predator pistol that Garrus was able to give her, he still had his rifle out and ready.
"Come on Shepard I last saw them take Tali through here." Garrus said as he led Shepard. It was weird to him he was leading his commander when it should be the other way, but he had little choice for she was badly hurting and she was in no condition to lead. It was best this way. Shepard needed to have time to get use to the massive migrain she was having.
The hall that they were passing through was white and well lighted. It was like the base back where Shepard had been revived by Miranda through the Lazarous project. Miranda had many thanks from Shepard, the two got along well since the Collector base was destroyed and when they got rid of every bug and hidden cam Cerberus had planted in the Normandy.
"Where are we going again Garrus?" Shepard asked him. They had been walking for a while now, the least Garrus could do was remind the Commander where it was they were heading.
"We are heading to one of our crew members that may or may not be alive. I wonder also if Joker is down here, I heard a man that sounded like him scream down here when I was looking for you." Garrus said as he walked down a hallway with flickering lights.
"So you were keen on just finding me?" Shepard responded to Garrus with a faint humor.
"Well...I was looking for the others but..."
"I know Garrus, you thought you should come searching for me because I am your high commander and I am the one who is more than likely to walk out of all of this alive so you need me to be your personal hero right?" Shepard asked letting her cocky side speak for her.
Garrus was about to note back to Shepard when the two both came to a immediate halt when they both heard a faint moan escape from a cell door right by them in the cell block. On the other side of a steel door there were moans escaping from behind.
The sound of the moans were familiar to the two, they both had the same idea as to who it may have been.
"Hello is anyone in here? Tali?" Garrus mussed as he approached the steel door, curious and hoping for it on being his quarine friend. If Garrus knew anything, than he would know that Tali was most likely behind that cell door and she need the aid of her best two friends and team members.
"Garrus?" Tali asked with a faint groan.
It was her. Immediately the two opened the cell door and walked inside to examine and find the quarine laying on the hard steel ground. There wa barely enough light to illuminate a appearance for the turian and the human, but because of Tali's glowing purple eyes the two were able to spot her form in the darkness.
"Tali are you alright?" Garrus asked her. There was sniffling on the other side. She was crying, maybe from extreme fear or from extreme pain. But hopefully not both. Garrus and Shepard both needed her straight. They need her back on her feet and full strength, but neither of them had any omi-gel or anyway weapon that they may give her. She was a sitting duck if the two were to carry her around with them without offering a proper defense.
"Tali it's me. It's Shepard, are you alright?" Shepard asked her friend with a curiousness to her voice. She was worried for her comrade.
"I'm...alright." Tali stopped there for a moment.
"Tali is anything wrong?" Shepard asked with a concerned hated not being able to help a needing soul. Shepard had always been the one to help someone when they needed it, even if they were a terrorist who was laying in their own guts Shepard would feel pity for that lost soul giving them medical attention.
But this was different; this was one of her friends and crew...totally different. Jane was unlike other woman, she was strong enough to not feel the sorrowful emotions. Even from a young age and without the military she was a tough girl. She once even gave a kid a bloody nose for pushing her little sister around.
"Shepard...Garrus...help me...please 'm hurting all over." Tali asked as she let out a light moan of pain.
"Tali you know that me and Shepard are always here for you," Garrus said as he took to examining Tali's wounds.
"What kind of bastard would do this?" Garrus continued.
"One who has no sense of humanity?" Shepard said as she crouched beside her friend and held her hand. "Come on Tali, we're getting you the hell out f here, and were getting the rest of the crew. Hell when this is over me, you, and Garrus are getting fucked up drunk after this." Shepard told her friend, and Tali only gave a nod as Garrus picked her up.
"I am in no mood for a fight, I am too badly hurt, it is best to just hide for me...I'm sorry." Tali said as she was picked up.
"Don't worry Tali we will find a place for you to hide out at while we get some medical supplies. Just try to hang in there." Garrus said.
The two lifted their friend, and carried her some place where she could stay safe until they could find proper medical equipment in order to tend to the quarine properly, and eventual ice every son of a bitching bastard that dared to lay a finger on any of them let alone even touch their precious ship.
Silently Shepard made an oath to herself.
And to herself she promised a slow agonizing death for the head of this crazy little misadventure they ventured into. Deep down she believes that it all has got to do with the Ghost Soldier. She would be sure to have a little 'Chat' with him when all of this is over. She should never had brought him aboard the Normandy, she should have killed him right when she had her chance. When she sees him, she will unleash a biotic shockwave so hard that it will break every bone in his body. And when he is alive and twitching in a pool of his own blood, she will scalp his head and hang it on her wall.
Liara was in the medical deck to see that Ghost was alright. He was still just sitting on that table where she had been working on his wound an hour or so ago. She had thought of different names, something like Seth for it sounded human, and then she thought of Michael being a proper title...but all in all she ended up recalling Ghost's abilities of speed and reflexes. Whenever he moved it seemed as if he would teliport from one area to the next, and he did survive a giant exlposion that should have rendered him dead. He was practically a ghost since he had survived so many deathly encounters. And to mention that he is now here far away from his own time where he had been put into a cryogenic hibernation. So she thought of his near death encounters and how he should have died in all of them, which turned on into the name Ghost. It seemed proper, and it was passed around quickly in the Normandy, except it didn't have the soldier part.
Hmm, it was strange. He was a dead man walking. Perhaps he had always been dead on the inside since that night he killed his brother Paxton. But what other choice did Ghost have? Liara thought about what it might have been if he were to side with his brother. What would that have done to earth? Would it now be a smoldering ruin in the psychotic mans mind and Ghost being left feeling nothing but numbness? Along side with their youngest sibling?
Liara didn't want to think about it. Looking into Ghost's mind left a emotional scar in her. When she melded her mind with his, it was like they linked. She practically gained his curse. That is how she is now able to see Paxton.
Liara didn't know why, but for some reason she felt a vast sympanthy for the younger brother. He seemed like he would have been such a good person if he had not been forced to endure such horrible treatment from the company that his grandfathe/father had worked for. Alma too. She was just a child when she was pushed to her limits. She was only a kid after all, a little girl. Why would anyone do that to a child? Why would someone be so evil? Liara supposed that maybe it took evil to create evil.
What had cause Harland to be so awful to his own child? Why was it that way for Alma? Liara didn't have teh answers. Right now she had only guesses and speculations. So much for being the Shadow Broker. You can gain so much information, but you can never really know what it is that truly drives someone into doing something either so evil, or so selfless.
As the young Asari kept thinking more and more on the topic of Project Origin and all who were behind it, she began to think about what it was that went on in Ghost's head throughout all that he went through and all that he is going through.
Liara wondered if Ghost liked the name, he seemed to have not mind, she had managed to meld his mind through the help of his mother however, why she helped Liara was most likely due to Alma wanting someone to understand him more. Or maybe it was because she didn't like seeing her child be hunted down and thought if people knew, then maybe he wouldn't be seen as a foe? Liara didn't know which it was, or if it was any of that at all. All she did know was that Ghost had been put under so much under a short period. He had been a prisoner for months after witnessing a friend die and bying time for another to escape, as well as re-kill his brother and he had to fight for his life under the course of a single night as well as learn his terrible origin.
Maybe he should never had learned the truth, maybe it would have been better for him to die out there in that explosion. Maybe he should have just stayed with the Army instead of joining F.E.A.R. Liara wished she could release Ghost of all that pain. For some reason he reminded Liara of Shepard in a strange way. Both went through horrible emotional scars, as well as loss of family and friends. Maybe when this is all over and they get over each others differences, then maybe the two could grab a drink or something together.
Point Man kept looking at the blue smurf woman before him, or Liara as the red-head had pronounced her. Point Man wondered where it was his brother had gone, it had already passed fifteen minutes, or possible more since he had left. Was Paxton planning something big? Or was he watching them, trying to see if Liara was trying anything 'funny'? Point Man didn't know why she seemed interested in him for he looked horrible, he smelled like dry sweat and he hadn't been able to shower in a hell of a time. Hell even his teeth were a bit yellow from not brushing them. He was practically a hobo with a gun in his hand. And to mention his hair was all frizy and his face was covered by a thick beard.
He did have to go through much in the past; he wasn't satisfied thinking that Jin and The Third were alright he wanted to know for certain. He was tired of this; he wanted it to be over after he saved his youngest sibling. He wanted to fly away and know that everything was going to be okay but it was all crawling beneath his skin, these horrible thoughts of Jin being put away or killed and The Third ending up like him and Fettle...or worse.
Point Man just wanted to know if his youngest sibling was able to live a life of peace and happiness. If there is such a thing in this dark cold world with only a mask of beauty.
Anyways, the woman...if he could say that, was just looking at him. She had seen his past, and Point Man felt in a way violated at that. Mother allowed her to see into his mind, but for what purpose. He wondered if she thought the same thing now. The reason Point Man kept his silence was because he knows not what to say, what would he even talk about? All of this was as awkward when he eased dropped on Jin and Jankowski when he was half way down the stairs at that abandoned building back in Fairport.
Point Man slowly got off of the medical bed he had taken his seat on a few moments ago. He felt that now was a good time to move around, and get the legs moving. As Point Man got on his feet, he looked at the area where he had been shot. The medicine Liara gave him worked wondrously. What other great medicine did they have in this year of...
Point Man stopped there...he never had any time to figure out what the year was, he had guessed maybe the year 3000. But that idea soon passed, he then thought maybe 2788, but then he figured that maybe that was wrong. Maybe years don't matter, what does is getting back in the fight and saving Liara's captain and her other crew members. He wondered what they will think of him if he were to save them? Will they not see him as an enemy, or will they be too angry at him after killing one of them and his brother killing another? Maybe they might leave him stranded on this space ship.
That one AI thing that Liara had talked with seemed to calculate that the chances of Shepard and her team wanting to hold faith in Point Man were in a moderate scale. But it would not be the first time that Point Man had wagered his chances.
Point Man didn't know what to say when he meets Shepard, maybe he will keep his mouth shut and that will be the best option to do. How long has he gone without talking? It feels like an eternity, ever since that night in Fairport he just couldn't talk anymore, the truth was too horrifying to speak of and Liara knew that. What is it she thinks of him now he wondered? Did she see him as what everyone else did...as a monster?
He wouldn't mind if she saw him as that, he kind of just learned to shut off all emotions like that...now all he carried was the need of survival. But after all of this where is he to go? Will his life be all about running? In this future he knows nothing about? Will he find some planet and live there? Or will he go back home and hope that F.E.A.R. is still in operations?
Liara saw ghost stare at the ground he must be thinking really hard on something, maybe she should just go and maybe her presence was what was making him edgy and uncomfortable. Maybe it was because he felt awkward being in a room with an alien. He had after all only been in this future for what? barly even half a week? He without any form of a doubt felt out of place. He was more of the line used to being with others like him...well not completely like him. He was more of the line as a skilled and trained soldier than any other. But that was because of the horrible things that happened throughout his youth.
He never developed a personality, he was only known to do as he was told. The perfect soldier, the perfect killer. She was happy to at least know his past, even though it was awful, she knows why he is the way he is. He had to kill his brother and Liara had to kill her mother. The two shared one thing in common, they had to kill family for the better of everyone else. Except Liara's mother was in the end actually what could be called a person and actually be a mother with her dying breath, while Ghost's brother was psycho and his mother was obsessive and wanted death to all. His ability to have not killed himself after all the misery and killing was amazing.
How he held himself together was something that Liara had found herself...'allured' to about him.
Without her permission Liara walked over to Ghost, he was still staring blankly at the ground he carried the face of guilt...guilt of believing his youngest sibling was gone and his last living friends were dead. He was alone, utterly and completely alone amongst the living. A ghost in the mist and limbo that was this world he felt apart from. He was out of place here, he had no purpose. No reason to even be alive.
And that is why Liara felt so much pity for him.
"Are you okay?"
Point Man looked up to see Liara standing before him, he then only turned his face to the ground once more he couldn't handle this...he was on his own...his team is dead, his family is made up of the psycho younger brother, the mother who wants to bring on the end of days, and the father that was raped and carried a grudge for The Family. No one in the world...no one in the universe can share his story, he was The Silent Shadow that everyone can't see in plain sight. He was the monster that everyone hated. He was the one that lost all control. He is The Ghost That Walks In The Mist. A man who is dead inside, and is soon to be dead on the outside.
So much anger and confusion flooded his mind and body. He could not take it. So much feelings were pouring into him. Anyone who was anyone could see clearly that his aura was violent and confused.
Suddenly Point Man felt little hands wrap around his. He looked up and he saw Liara was right there. He then looked up to see her. He brushed away, not wanted any sympathy only wanting to get back out in the field where everything made sense to him. He was through with this sulking around bullshit. He was trained for following orders and to believe in instinct, discipline...he stopped right there. Harlan was the one who forced that all into him and his brother after he put their mother in the tube and locked them away as experiments. He was the perfect killer and his younger brother the psychic commander they wanted. Armacham, the blame to all of his anger and aggression.
Point Man was the least favorite between him and Paxton. Paxton was the prized prototype for his psychic abilities. Except his brother managed to cause a huge scene and kill most of security, and to mention scare the living shit out of everyone after that experience he made them all go through, which led him to be placed under tight security.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have...I should probably just leave you." Liara said as she turned away, and began to walk into the security office in the medical Liara began to walk away to leave Ghost to himself. She understood why he would want to be alone. So much was happening under a short period of time, he was a prisoner barley even yesterday and now here she is trying to comfort him. Liara wished that she would just go back to Illium, but she couldn't for now she was a part of one big conspiracy. She only wished that she could at least give Ghost some humanity and comfort, but clearly he didn't want it. Who can blame him?
It was when Liara was about to exit the medical lab, when something happened that completely took her by surprise.
"Liara...wait."
Liara turned around, and she looked at Ghost. Eyes meeting eyes and digging into the other, one has seen the unimaginable horrors as well as the true powers that which no man or alien being can control, and the other has seen heroics done by many heroes that she calls her closest friends as well as the death of a mother.
"You can stay...if you want..."
Liara smiled to this, and she began to walk back. To Ghost.
"But if you want to go, then you can."
"No...I want to be here." Liara said as she approached him. Wanting to be here for him, wanting him to know that she cares, and that she is here for him. "I am always here if you need me."
A/N Poll: Should I have a PointMan/Liara subplot?
