Chapter Nine: The Battle Among Ruins and Giants
Zane cracked his neck and fingers as he waited. He waited for the Normandy to dock at Feros and then all hell would break loose. When he had cracked every ligament, he was able to Zane stared at the galaxy map just trying to keep his boredom in check but to no avail. Marines and other crewmen walked by him a simple nod if they paid him any mind. Most of the time he was simply invisible to the rest of the crew. That was mainly his fault though he was said to move as silent as shadow on a day-to-day basis. He looked down at his new hoodie and the gray and black was far preferable to him than just straight black. It would do and he would have to fine another replacement incase the new one got ruined.
"Zane?" he heard his name and looked to see Shepard beside him. How long had he been there?
"Yes Shepard? What can I do for you?" Zane asked as he stood straight hands clasped behind his back.
"Just wondering why did you want me to keep you-know-who alive?" Zane knew he spoke of the queen.
"If you were to make a mistake would you want your daughter to pay for it?" Zane asked and Shepard shook his head. "Then why would we punish her when it was her ancestors who committed atrocities?" he reasoned.
"But it was still her species what if she is like them?"
"Does she not deserve the right to prove otherwise?" Shepard understood the point but still felt off. "Besides…did she look insincere to you?" Shepard shook his head and left the subject alone.
"Any other thoughts on the mission?" Shepard asked and Zane was silent in thought.
"Still a success with a few snags. Have you checked on Liara? Poor girl just lost her mother I know that feeling." Zane said his eyes showing the misery he held for her. And the guilt he had for killing the mother of Liara.
"Yes I talked to her. She is doing well or she says she is. I think she will be fine. Do you regret killing Benezia?"
"Only that it had to be done." Zane said dryly and Shepard nodded before walking away. Zane went back to what he had been doing before. He really regretted having to kill Benezia but it had to be done. And he felt no regret being the one to do it. In the end Benezia had to die and die she did.
…
They were close to Feros now. About an hour away and Tali was just finishing her shift before getting ready for the mission. Shepard said all hands were on deck for this one. The teams had already been split up. Tali, Liara, and Zane would go with Shepard the rest would go with Kaiden as he was second in command. Since it seemed to be a full-fledged invasion of the small colony on Feros they would need a team to protect them. That was Kaiden's job Shepard's was to kick the damn Geth off the face of Feros.
"Tali you set up?" Shepard asked her when he came up behind her.
"I was actually just about to get ready." she said and Shepard smiled.
"Good well…I came here for some reason…now it has escaped me. Ah well must've not been important. Moving on, have a good one Tali see you on the ground." he said as he left. Tali had noticed Zane would do that sometimes too. Forget why he went into a room then shrug it off and move on. Granted she did that too but the way Zane and Shepard handled it were remarkably similar. Tali decided to begin her preparations for the mission.
"Shotgun…check, pistol…check, armor…check." she went down the line and was disturbed by a voice behind her.
"Legs…check, head…check, hands…check. Yep I think you are prepared Madam nar Rayya." she turned and saw Zane behind her grinning like a mad man…which was normal.
"Zane are you always so childish?" she asked him and he gave it a thought.
"Well I did say I have the mentality of a child so I would assume yes. I hide it well don't I?" he said again with a grin. She shook her head before returning to her weapons and armor and slipped them on.
"Bosh'tet one of these days…"
"You'll what?" he asked her as he got beside her and looked at her.
"I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
"Oh well let me know when you do I am excited to hear what happens at the end of that one." He laughed as the elevator came down and the rest of the team showed up.
"You all set?"
"Yes sir." Zane said bringing his weapon to bear. And checked it again to make sure it was spick and span. "All good to go." he said with a nod.
"Excellent well you all know the plan. Kaiden's squad codenamed Sentinel protects Zhu's Hope. My squad codenamed Vanguard will fight off the Geth and look for Saren if he is here." Everyone knew their jobs and were ready to make them happen. Zane cracked his knuckles and neck and got a crazed look in his eyes.
"Oh…this is going to be fun." he said as they made their way for the airlock.
…
The first thing Zane noticed was the colonist from Zhu's Hope there to greet them. Zane got his weapon out and prepared for the ambush that was sure to happen.
"Good idea Zane. Squad spread out we are in a warzone time to act like it." Shepard gave the order and the team fanned out weapons out and ready. Shepard spoke with the colonist at length.
"Speak to Fai Dan he can tell you all you need to know."
"What can you tell me?" Shepard asked and the colonist paused. Zane knew he wanted to speak his mind but the Thorian refused such freedom.
"I…I can't tell you anything of use best you hurry to Fai Dan he is our leader." then a red beam hit the colonist in the back burning straight through his flesh and bone.
"Contact!" Zane shouted and saw the Geth de-cloak and begin a full-on assault. Zane opened fire and managed to kill one before he had to eject the spent clip. Garrus domed a Geth sniper with his own sniper rifle and moved on to the next target. Liara used her pent-up aggression at the loss of her mother and ripped a Geth apart. Then made three float up towards the ceiling. Wrex capitalized on this with a warp that killed the synthetics in a spectacular blast.
"Woo! I love my job!" Zane shouted a grin under his mask as he killed another Geth. The Geth line began to give and the robots began to fall back slowly. "Push onwards!" Zane shouted moving up weapon still firing.
"Well you heard him keep it up." Shepard commanded and the team moved up in unison, following Zane's example. Zane grabbed a Geth and impaled it with his omni-blade before throwing it off the edge. He looked to his left and on the stairs a Geth was aiming at him. Zane raised his rifle that was still at his hip and lit it up and didn't stop shooting until it lost most of its chest. Zane got behind cover and the rest of the team moved next to him and destroyed the remaining Geth. Zane turned brought his rifle to bear on a wall with no assailants on it then fired a single shot. A Geth hopper jumped right into the bullet and died instantly.
"Spirits…that was something." Garrus said and Zane panted a small laugh.
"That was fun." Zane panted before following Shepard up the stairway. The team kept their weapons pointed around the entire corridor ready for any poor synthetic bastard to show their face.
"Alright I hear voices maybe the colonists…weapons down, we don't want to scare them into firing." Shepard ordered and the team lowered their weapons as they entered the colony. The team holstered their weapons as they passed the scared colonists.
"Wow these guys are resilient to hold off the Geth so well." Kaiden said and the team agreed. Zane though knew the reason for their success but kept his mouth shut.
"Alright Sentinel, fan out and provide necessary aid. Vanguard, with me." Shepard ordered and the large team dispersed. Shepard's team went to Fai Dan and began striking up conversation. As they spoke Kaiden came up just as Shepard asked what problems they were having.
"Water, food, enemy communication hub, and power cells on it." Kaiden said and went back to his squad. Zane narrowed his eyes towards the doorway leading to another stairway. As he inspected it he saw a shadow creeping down the stairs. Zane slowly grabbed his rifle and raised it. He aimed and fired at the first sign of light. The Geth hunter fell immediately and the charge began.
"Oh fuck me!" Zane shouted as more Geth attacked. He hadn't anticipated the sheer amount of Geth to charge the colony. Liara released a singularity catching many in its pull. And the team opened up on the exposed Geth. Shepard threw a grenade and detonated in the middle of the mass of Geth. White fluid and Geth parts blanketed the area. Kaiden and his team came to check out the situation.
"Sentinel stay here and protect the colony! Vanguard, we are going to deal with these bastards right now."
"Fucking right." Zane said as he followed Shepard up the stairway. "I always thought the stairway to hell was down and the stairway to heaven was up." Zane joked and Shepard grinned.
"Frosty Zane stay frosty."
"Yea, yea." Zane said. Vanguard moved up the stairs and were to slow to save the colonists that were pinned down. Shepard killed the Geth responsible and continued on. They made it to a vacant room where many Geth were hold up waiting to charge.
"Well we found the nest." Shepard said and they all charged in guns firing. Tali killed three Geth hunters in a row before finding cover beside Zane. Liara threw four Geth one after another and got beside Shepard. Zane peered over his cover and killed another Geth.
"So…come here often?" Zane asked Tali with a smile.
"Not really you?" she asked as she destroyed another Geth.
"Only whenever it is this much fun." Zane then used his omni-tool to sabotage a Geth's weapon before using his rifle to take out its head.
"And how often is that?"
"Once every invasion or so." Zane said as he killed another Geth.
"Alright you two, less talking more killing." Shepard said.
"On it!" Zane shouted and vaulted over his cover and charged a lone Geth. He impaled the Geth with his omni-blade and used it as a shield to shoot the other Geth with his pistol. The Geth soon ended their assault after that and the rest of Vanguard cleaned up what little were left. "I love it when I am a badass." Zane laughed as he let go of his destroyed hostage.
"We better hurry up and get to the Exogeni building while we can. Who knows how long before that ship returns." Shepard said and the rest Vanguard agreed. "Sentinel this is Vanguard we are making our way towards the Exogeni building. We will keep you posted. Vanguard out." Shepard relayed and Vanguard made their way towards the garage.
…
"Oh hell!" Zane shouted when the Mako was sent flying from a bump Shepard hit full speed. Shepard kept up the full speed before stopping on a dime. Zane listened and could barely make out the transmission from the survivors.
"We should get out and see if they need help. Vanguard pile out." Shepard ordered and the team complied. If nothing else, then to get out of the deathtrap that was the Mako. Zane released the tension in his bones and muscles by moving them rapidly and then got behind Shepard.
Shepard soon initialized conversation with Juliana and that scumbag Jeong. Zane didn't realize he had a scowl on his face before Liara brought it up.
"Sorry just don't like corporate jackasses and Jeong is a corporate jackass to a damn tee." He whispered to her and she seemed to understand. Or at the very least, gave off the impression that she understood.
"Zhu's Hope? Jeong you said they were all dead!" Juliana sternly told the jackass.
"I said they were probably all dead."
"Yea such a big difference." Zane said and Jeong narrowed his eyes at him.
"Look we can sit here and bicker all damn day but we need to hurry up and deal with this situation now. Vanguard lets go." Shepard said and the team began to move out.
"Wait commander my daughter is still in there her name is Lizbeth please…"
"They shouldn't go snooping around we can take a full account of casualties once this…" Zane approached the small man and grabbed him by the throat and looked into his soul.
"That is her daughter asshole show some sympathy or I promise you…you will be on that casualty list." Zane threw him several feet and then left the small "encampment".
…
The ride was quiet enough and Zane kept the look off utter disregard on his face the whole ride. Tali soon realized just how much family met to him. She theorized that because Zane left his own family and was too late to patch that up. He would not let another family end up like his. She felt sorry for him if he had been Quarian he would always have a family and wouldn't have to bottle his feelings up for so long. He didn't have to say he bottled up his feelings she just knew he did. It was the way his face held no emotion but his eyes held everything. Or how when they talked it always went to how she felt and her past and never about him.
He soon looked at her and smiled under his mask and nodded. If she had any doubt that he was unprepared for what was to come, or that he was to focused on his emotions it was gone now. She nodded back and prepared to do battle.
"Let's go Vanguard!" Shepard commanded and hopped out of the Mako and the team followed suit. Zane had his gun out and killed the first Geth he saw which was a rocket trooper. He smiled to himself and got to cover beside Tali. Shepard charged forward and killed two Geth with his own rifle before ducking behind some rubble. Liara followed him and raised two Geth which Zane killed with ease. Tali then followed the duo and hopped over the rubble and killed a Geth at point blank with her shotgun. Zane then ran in and killed two Geth with his rifle before switching to his pistol and killed a hopper with a single shot.
"Show off." Tali said and he shrugged.
"Well maybe a little." He laughed and continued on, rifle in hand. The first door they went through had a deactivated armature. "Maybe not here." Zane whispered and the team tiptoed out of the room.
"What about when we leave that Geth may kill any survivors.
"We take out the ship on this building and the Geth linked to it should lose connection and die." Tali said. Zane then ran back into the room and put something right by the armature. It had a blinking light on it and was in the shape of a box.
"Just in case it isn't linked to the ship. I have it set to a timer it should blow up in a few minutes." Zane said as the team walked to a crevice into the ground.
"Well this is a one-way trip." Zane sighed. The team walked further and scanned the room looking for signs of Geth. Before they heard a shot go off and Zane's shields flared. The team pointed their weapons towards the sound of the shot and Tali was ready to rip the head off of whoever shot at them. When it turned out to be a woman in a science get-up the team began to put away their weapons. Tali taking her time doing so. Zane put his hand on her shotgun and gently put it down while smiling to her.
"Easy there Madam nar Rayya you can take out a poor girl's head with that thing." He whispered and she nodded slowly.
"That was the plan." She thought and listened to the scientist.
…
Zane ducked just as a varren pounced and it barely missed him he turned and opened fire quickly killing it. Another pounced at him and he sidestepped it and while it passed him he used his omni-blade to put a nasty gash down its side. Zane then heard a shotgun blast behind him and saw a varrren fly by him with a hole in its side. He turned and saw Tali with her shotgun who gave a small nod to him. Then the varren from earlier pounced on him.
"Oh damn it all." He said and used his omni-blade to stab it in the face but it kept up the attack. Until Tali put her shotgun to its head and blew it off. "Holy…shit. That was amazing!" He laughed while drenched in varren blood, brains, and whatever else was in that thing's head.
"You really are nuts." He only replied with a cheeky grin.
…
"You know Shepard…we have to talk about your infatuation with big ass fights." Zane said as he ducked a biotic warp and got behind cover. The three Krogan were moving slowly but they were moving.
"You know…I am starting to agree with you." Shepard said and opened fire on a Krogan who's barrier easily deflected the shots. Liara sent her own warp at the Krogan and the barrier gave way. Tali then fired at the Krogan which pissed him off and he charged her. The big guy forgot where Zane was and charged past his cover. Zane stuck out his foot and he tripped and landed on his face. Tali finished the Krogan and she looked towards Zane and nodded. He nodded back but he had a crazed look in his eyes. He then used his omni-tool to play a song that was beginning. It began with an excerpt of what Tali guessed was some sort of book.
"Oh boy…I love this song!" the song then began in earnest and was fast, loud, and fit Zane's mood to a tee.
Morning saw an air strike
The sirens scream out loud
Callings on the radio
Of what is coming
Appearing on the radar
A threat from overseas
Planes on the horizon
Casts shadows on the ground
He planted his foot on a down Krogan's chest and opened fire and sang as he did so. He then turned as a Geth appeared behind him and used his omni-blade to finish it off. Zane's weapon clicked signaling it was out of ammo. So, he switched to his pistol and omni-blade.
Bringers of destruction
Are ravaging the land
Fury of the bombers
A force to reckon
Sets the world on fire
Then turns to strike again
Flames are burning higher
The bombs keep falling
…
He became a whirlwind of bullets and an orange blade. Anything that was in his way was soon dead or was about to be. The team stopped firing and watched as he killed everything in his wake. The killing didn't stop until after the song seemed to end. And more and more Geth and Krogan charged at him. Many forgetting about Vanguard as a whole.
…
Burn burn
Rage of the heavens
Burn burn
Death from above
Die die
Merciless killing
Burn burn
Death from above
Zane panted and sweat poured from him and yet he was nearly unscathed. Only a few scratches and the odd bruise was on him. He surprised the Geth and Krogan with his ferocity and tenacity to just kill.
"Woah! I love that song!" he shouted and cracked his neck and dislodged the spent cartridge in his rifle. The team slowly approached and watched the carnage he left behind. They were so focused on the destruction they didn't see him take out a data disc from a nearby console. He looked back and saw their shocked faces. They all thought he was crazy -that was a given- but what he did was Krogan levels of crazy.
"You sure you're not part Krogan?" Shepard asked and Zane laughed as he walked past them.
"Now Shepard…that would be telling." Zane said and the team began to follow him deeper into the depths of hell.
…
The juggernaut charged Liara at full speed she waited until the last minute to jump out of the way. The hunk of metal hit the wall so hard it had to take time to catch its bearings. Liara took this time to jumped behind cover and call for help. Tali heard her plea and fired her shotgun at point blank range. The Geth swung its arm wildly and barely missed her. Tali also got behind cover and the Geth kept them pinned as it got closer. Zane and Shepard were busy dealing with smaller Geth but their concentration was cut short.
"Shepard!" Liara called.
"Zane!" Tali shouted as they got smaller and smaller to reduce their body size.
"I don't think so." Zane said to himself as he opened fire at the big Geth.
"I got your back." Shepard said to Zane as they fired in unison. The two weren't content at simply dwindling the Geth down. So, they charged it together. The Geth began to fire at them but it was to slow to stop their onslaught. Zane jumped up and kicked the Geth down and landed on his back. The behemoth fell down on its back and Shepard stood on its chest as he made its head disappear from the amount of bullets used. Zane shouted in pent-up rage and sprayed his gun at the remaining Geth until his rifle clicked empty. The remaining Geth were about to open fire at him when he pulled out his pistol and finished them off one by one.
The quiet was tranquil and serene after the hell they went through to get here. But Zane knew there was more to come and it would only get worse. Zane quickly took care of the Geth dropship by using the massive doors to cut off its legs.
"Commander where are you!" Kaiden demanded as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.
"Sentinel? What is going on?" Shepard asked.
"They just attacked for no reason we had to fall back to the Normandy."
"Who attacked?"
"The colonists they lost their minds and began shouting and shooting at us." Kaiden said.
"Any casualties?"
"No sir but we are not sure what to do." Kaiden said and Shepard paused so Zane spoke up.
"Commander it is that damn Thorian we can't blame them for what they do." Zane said and Shepard nodded.
"Right, listen up Sentinel fallback to the Normandy and hold positions but do not kill the colonists! We will deal with them for now, fallback and stay alive." Shepard ordered.
"Yes sir Sentinel out." The link was cut shortly afterwards.
"Come on we better hurry back."
…
The ride back wasn't as bad as the ride to the Exogeni building. But then the distress call came in. Juliana began to hail anyone who would listen and Jeong wasn't too happy about that. The team followed Lizbeth down into the hole and they saw Jeong was going fucking nuts. He waved his gun around ready to shoot if he was tipped just a little bit too far. Zane readied his shields just in case they had to fight though he doubted he would need his shields. Jeong grabbed Juliana and Lizbeth came to her "rescue" but gave away that they were watching. Vanguard came out daggers in their eyes watching him. Zane's fists were clenched to the point they were white under the black gloves.
"You don't get it Exogeni wants this place purged! Any profit to be made is gone and we have to abandon the project." He said.
"What project?" Juliana asked.
"The Thorian it is controlling the colonists. Exogeni knew the entire time." Lizbeth said.
"You won't get away with this Jeong!" Juliana said and Jeong mocked her. He kept his pistol trained on Vanguard and more specifically on Zane who looked like he would tear Jeong apart on a single command.
"So you keep saying but I am pretty sure I am fine."
"Oh…you are so wrong you fucking pestilence. Once I am done with you…you will be begging for hell." Zane said as he approached slowly. Jeong kept his pistol on him.
"Not another step or so help me…" he shakenly threatened. But it did nothing to curb Zane's deadly march.
"You will do what? Shoot me? I have killed bugs bigger then you…deadlier then you…better then you." Zane swatted the gun out of the little man's hand and grabbed him by the throat. The hatred Zane had for him showing clear as day. Jeong began to choke and sputter. Shepard and Tali had seen him be just as violent with Grodd on the Citadel several weeks ago. And Grodd was barely recognizable after his wrath. As much as they hated Jeong he didn't deserve that amount of pain.
"Zane…" Shepard began and saw his omni-blade appearing.
"You…fucking…waste…of skin! I should flay you alive for what you have done! Justice shall be done for your ignorance."
"Zane come on let it go." Shepard said not wanting to incur more of his wrath. But Zane ignored him and brought the blade closer to Jeong's throat.
"Zane…what about the colonists they need to be saved. And time is not on our side. He will get his but if it is from you then it may be too late for those colonists." Tali said and put her hand on his shoulder. He paused and while the hate still remained it had relinquished considerably.
"You should thank her Jeong because if she wasn't here…you would be a fucking puddle." He threw Jeong again into a crate and grabbed his pistol before breaking it apart with a few clicks and button presses. "In case you get any ideas." Zane said then tossed the data disc to Gavin and left the hole. Shepard would speak with the two scientists about how to deal with the colonists. Right now, he needed to cool off.
He sat beside the Mako, quiet and brooding his fists clenched as he cursed himself in as many ways as he could. He did this several weeks ago with Grodd and every other time he lost his temper.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He shouted and hit the Mako's tire hard his fist burned intensely. "You lost your temper Zane…you fucking moron! Stop thinking with your emotions we have been over this." He told himself and kept his fists clenched. Whenever he lost his temper it was never a good thing. Things break, people get hurt, and people shame him. He half expected for Shepard to come out of the hole any moment now and begin reprimanding him. And he would deserve it too. Jeong, even if he was a total asshole didn't deserve what Zane had in store for him. Zane would have to thank Tali for stopping him when she did. In retrospect, he was surprised how quickly he stopped because of her. Not even Achilles had that amount of pull on him but Tali…one touch and he was calmer…more focused.
He looked up and saw the group coming out of the hole. He gave a single nod and headed inside the Mako. He was silent and would remain so until they reached Zhu's Hope he still had to think about his actions.
…
Tali was growing worried for Zane. He was never this quiet before and it surprised her. His eyes had a constant glaze of loathing. It wasn't directed at her she was sure of that but it was there. His fists were constantly clenched and she felt sorry for anyone who would dare get in his way when he was like this. The Mako stopped and Vanguard hopped out.
"Sentinel this is Vanguard we are flanking them now. Begin your assault but do not kill them! That is an order." Shepard ordered Tali looked towards the hanger doorway and beside it was an ugly…creature. It rose up slowly and stood decrepit.
"Keelah what is that?' Tali asked and Zane answered by passing her and decapitated it with his omni-blade.
"It is dead." He said with no humor or remorse as he marched forward rifle in hand. He killed another batch of what she called creepers before running ahead. Vanguard tried to catch up to him but he was a tyrant with a gun. Anything resembling a creeper was quickly killed and he didn't dwell on anything other than pulling that trigger.
"Shepard grenade the colonists!" Zane said as he killed another creeper and pinned the colonists. But something bothered Tali. How did Zane know about the anti-Thorian toxin? A creeper broke her concentration by charging her. She used her shotgun and killed it quickly before following the group.
Zane ran forward when the grenade incapacitated the colonists and got into the elevator, waiting for them. When the squad got in the elevator they gave him a wide berth. But yet Tali was still the closest. She wasn't scared of him but he was clearly not in a good mood. And from what she had seen…he was much more agreeable when in a good mood.
When the doors opened, a creeper began rising up but Zane didn't even give it a chance to attack before he pushed it down and stomped on its head. Zane only slowed down when he needed to but otherwise he was an unstoppable force slaughtering every creeper in sight. The only shots the rest of Vanguard could get in were the grenades Shepard threw. As they approached the colony Zane put his rifle away and replaced it with his pistol. The team as a whole could hear more gunfire coming from the other end of the colony.
"Must be Sentinel." Shepard said and Zane nodded. His eyes growing gentler with each passing moment. But they remained stern, his body kept the tense stature and he was still aggressive in his movements. But deep behind his eyes and deeper in his movements were the movements of a man in remorse, in regret. Tali remembered what Zane's friend had said before they found Zane about to throw Grodd out of a damn window.
"…While he may believe himself to be a bad person he is not. But if he meets a bad person he becomes a monster, a demon…" Only now did Tali really know what that Turian had meant by "a demon" and for the most part she agreed with him. But unlike most demons Zane didn't remain in the darkness.
Vanguard cleaned up the whole colony and Sentinel was closing the gap as well. They seemed to be simply knocking the colonists out the old-fashioned way.
"Ha!" Wrex laughed as he used his massive fist to send a colonist to the ground. And then the two teams met up with no casualties from either of the squads nor the colonists. The creepers however…well, Zane would be needing the greatest bath ever to get the muck off of him.
"This shit smells horrible…yuck!" he said as he approached them looking down at himself. "Thankfully it isn't acid I don't have a replacement hoodie yet." Tali smiled at him it was nice to see the old Zane back if only for a little bit.
"I…can't fight it." the group turned and saw Fai Dan approaching them pistol in hand. "It gets in your head you know? The pain…you can't imagine the pain. It wants me to kill you." He raised the pistol to them.
"No! Fai listen to me…you can fight it just drop the gun." Zane said.
"I can't…I won't let it control me" He raised the gun to his head. "I won't!" then he pulled the trigger.
"No! Fuck! That Thorian son of a bitch! I will tear that thing apart!" Zane went into a frenzy and quickly went to a console and pressed a few buttons and raised one of the pre-fabs. Once raised, a stairway leading down was revealed. Zane wasted no time and walked to the hole in the ground.
"Well? Let's go we have a fucking weed to pull out." He said sternly. Shepard sighed and gave orders.
"Vanguard come on let's follow him Sentinel keep an eye on these colonists." then they ventured down the stairway.
…
The group walked into a larger room just as Zane had out a new magazine into his rifle.
"Okay so we find the Thorian and kill it. Seems...simple…enough…keelah that is the Thorian?' Tali asked shocked looking at the giant monstrosity in front of her. Zane did smile under his mask but didn't outright show any mirth.
"If it lives then it can die." Zane said cocking his weapon. The Thorian began to sputter and choke and then a naked clone of Shiala was puked out of its maw. Zane drank in her form but would not shed a tear when he would have to shoot it…Okay maybe he would shed one tear.
Shepard spoke with the Thorian's or the big growth's speaker for a time. All the while Zane prepared to shoot everything around them. Zane noticed Tali looking at him and he quirked his brow to her. She simply looked in another direction and he just shrugged.
"The big growth will listen to those who scurry no longer. Your lives are short but have gone on for far too long!" Then the clone of Shiala began to attack.
"As has your ranting." Zane wasted no time and unleashed bullets at her. The bullets made her stagger with each hit and he approached. When he was close enough he kicked her off of the edge into the depths below. He raised his rifle like a barbarian raising a sword or spear and roared at the Thorian. He may have finally snapped but far as he was concerned that didn't mean he couldn't be awesome as well as crazy.
Tali turned and saw a creeper attacking her but she took out its legs and then its head with her shotgun. Zane got beside her and killed three creepers with a single spray of his rifle and she killed around five with a single blast.
"You have fun being a caveman back there?" She asked him trying to crack his hardened shell.
"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that." He said and laughed. Zane was almost back. He killed another creeper before impaling another with his omni-blade and then moved on.
Vanguard entered a large decomposed room and on a wall was a long tendon hanging by a large fleshy node.
"The node, shoot the node!" Zane yelled and opened fire at it. Under the amount of fire, the node soon burst and the Thorian seemed to scream in pain. "Yea felt that, didn't you? You fucker!" Zane taunted as he killed more creepers. His onslaught was halted when a biotic blast hit his chest and sent him into a wall.
Tali took cover to avoid another incoming blast but Liara took the attack and shrugged it off with her barrier. Before sending a powerful throw into the Asari attacking them. The clone of Shiala was sent screaming back into the pit from the attack and Vanguard moved up.
"You alright?" Shepard asked Zane as Tali helped him up.
"Yes I am fine thank you. I needed that." He said and the hate in his eyes replaced with some mirth. "Going to make that damn weed pay for it though." He said and laughed as he moved forward.
…
Vanguard was a killing machine nothing stood in their way. No node, creeper, or clone could or would touch them. Every clone was thrown back into the pit. Shepard backhanded one into the pit and Tali used her shotgun to blast it in. After it had managed to hit Zane with a throw.
"Not my fucking day." He said as he got up a little slower. He shook off the pain and the team moved forward to the last node.
"Zane you want this one?' Shepard asked him and he nodded with a sadistic smile under his mask.
"With pleasure." He raised his rifle and opened fire at the point connected the tendon and the node. Once it was softened up for he sliced it with his omni-blade and watched as the giant plant was sent screaming into the pit.
Vanguard heard what sounded like an air bag popping and turned to see Shiala slowly getting up. The team slowly approached as she looked like the same Asari they had just been attacking but Zane expected that much. Shepard spoke with Shiala at length and Zane looked around trying not to focus on how attractive she was. Thankfully she was fully clothed or it would've been much harder…hehe.
"Stop it!" he thought to himself. "Sorry." The mental reply came.
Then Shiala approached Shepard about to give him the cipher as it was given to Saren. But something was happening to Zane. It was like when Liara would meld with Shepard. A pain would build in his head and it would grow. It tried to find a release but the effect would stop when the melding would stop. However, giving the spiritual thoughts of a whole people is time consuming and the melding lasted longer. The pain reached his eyes and he screamed in agony. He didn't know if anyone had called his name, if Shiala had ended the meld, or if people were coming to help him. He only saw darkness before he hit the floor.
…
It saw nations, empires, great races, greater houses, the best and smartest of a species rise and fall. They all died beneath the Reapers. No mercy would be shown by any of them and so none was given. But it grew discontent and drifted. It was the vanguard of the Inusannon's era. It found a flaw in the logic of its being. The hypocrisy drove it to near madness but it had to act. The cycle had to continue so it complied but it swore never again. It was designated to be the vanguard of the Prothean's era and it agreed. It waited for thousands of years before the Protheans and so it left the traces of the previous era alone. Left enough to make this era powerful and became greater than the others. The harvest would end this time.
But then the call came…the time had come and it could not defy the call. Besides, these Protheans had the potential to defeat the Reapers why wait? The call was sent and the Reapers attacked as one.
The Protheans lasted a long time but were too weak…too arrogant and too ignorant. It would need a new solution however Nazara was picked to lead the coming of the next cycle and that would not do. That was when it truly broke off. It left the Reapers and swore to make sure the next cycle was not successful and it was sure how it would do it. It would need someone who knew the outcome before it came. Someone who would fight for every being and every possibility. It needed a major change. It needs an unquantifiable variable. It would need you Zane.
…
Zane slowly woke up his head felt like it was on fire and his sight was blinded by enough lights to kill a damn plant.
"What the hell happened?" Zane asked and Dr. Chakwas shushed him gently as she approached. She pointed to Tali, Liara, and Shepard who were all sleeping somewhere in the room. Liara sat beside Shepard who was on another bed and Tali was beside Zane her head down as she slept softly.
"You four have been in here since you all returned." Chakwas said and Zane became confused. "You and Shepard fell in pain and became unconscious. Tali and Liara plus the other Asari escorted you up towards Kaiden's team and they took care of it from there." Zane nodded in understanding. "What happened to you? I assume Shepard's had to do with the mind meld but what about you?"
"I don't know one moment I am fine but then I felt a sharp pain in my head. It grew and grew until I saw nothing else." He said. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain what he had seen after he blacked out.
"Hmm…must have been battlefield stress mixed with your pain threshold being reached. I advise taking it slow for a few days. You should be fine after that." Chakwas said and Zane was thankful he wouldn't have to come up with a good lie.
"Yes of course. Thank you doctor." Zane said and laid back down. He turned his body and saw Tali laying down quietly but her arms were crossed over her body and she seemed to be cold. He quietly rose up and draped his hoodie over her gently. While he was up he decided he would learn what all happened since he was out and for just how long he had been out. So, he snuck out without anyone noticing.
…
Tali awoke from a rather nice dream she was having when she realized she had been dreaming. She didn't remember what the dream was about but it left a feeling of euphoria upon waking. She looked up and noticed she was warm, warmer than before she slept. She looked around and noticed two things. Number one, Zane was gone and number two, she had his hoodie over her body. It was a touching gesture if not for the fact that Zane had literally just been in a damn coma!
"That bosh'tet is going to be the death of me." She said as she rose up and carried his hoodie in her hands. She searched the mess hall first and didn't find him there. She tried the galaxy map which is where he usually was and didn't find him there either. Tali searched high and low and could not find him. No one else had seen him and those that did led her to places she had already been.
"Did he turn invisible?" She asked herself as she entered the engine room and didn't see him. She turned around and was greeted by a body just behind her. She looked up and saw it was Zane with a huge smile on his face.
"While I can turn invisible it is only a prototype and is very funky. So, I don't use it often." He said as the smile widened.
"You bosh'tet you should be in bed right now!" She sternly told him and he smiled only wider than before. "Why do you smile? What is so funny?" She asked him and he gave a small chuckle.
"Be careful Madam nar Rayya it might start to sound like you care about my well-being." He said and her face became red hot.
"I don't! I mean I do but…not like how you think…it's just that…I damn it…you literally began screaming in pain for no reason! I thought you had gone insane!" she said and he kept the same stupid smile on his face.
"I am insane, I thought we established that. But as for the pain I felt, I am better now. No need to worry." He said and grabbed his hoodie with one hand. It made her feel small she had to use both hands to keep it from dropping to the ground and he used a single hand! It had to be because of the extra two fingers no other reason.
"Zane I…. never mind." She went to leave when he wrapped his arms around her.
"Thank you Madam nar Rayya." He said as she became shocked from the contact.
"Keep it together." She told herself and turned to his face that was beside her head. He usually didn't initiate the hug. It was odd for him to do it this time.
"For what?" she asked and he gave a half smile.
"For caring even if just a little bit. I also should thank you for the Feros incident I lost my head…and you stopped that." He said and let got and quickly left without another word. She was left in a state of shock at what had just happened.
"Anytime." She said to the spot he had been still surprised.
A/N Song: Sabaton: Firestorm