A/N: And chapter ten, enjoy.
Ch. 10
""I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet."
Jeff "Joker" Moreau
"God damnit," I hear Zaeed say as he wakes up. "I haven't felt this bad since that hanar nearly strangled me to death."
Let me set the mood, it's dark, empty, a giant spotlight, on Zaeed. I found a small room, rigged the light, and wasn't in a good mood when I tied Zaeed to the chair. "Morning," I greet with a threatening tone.
"Don't tell me you're going to interrogate me," he laughs. "You don't have the balls to torture someone."
I pull out another chair. "True," I accept the fact I'm too nice to cause pain to a helpless opponent. "So why not tell me what I want to know," I ask, "it's not like it'll change things at all."
He mulls it over for a minute, "All right then, shoot."
"Why didn't you shoot the krogan," I ask. A strange first question but it had been bugging me.
"Pistol might've taken to long, and that bloody rifle's a retired old bitch." He motions to where I have his gear stored over in a corner, the rifle however I had gently laid out on a table, you know Jessie his rifle. "I thought I could handle that big bastard on my own."
"Why carry it then," I ask.
"Good luck charm, didn't think I'd need it."
"All right then who hired you," I ask.
"You already know kid," he answers, "I can see it in your eyes."
"No, I mean what did the agent look like," I ask. Any lead I can get will help.
"Pretty little asari," he answers, that just covers the entire race.
"Any specific markings," I ask.
"No," he answers, "very cloak and dagger."
"How much was he paying you," I ask.
"Pay, he didn' pay," Zaeed scoffs, "it was a bounty, or as his agents called it a contest." He laughs, "Can you believe that a bloody contest."
"So how much was the prize," I ask, the Owner is a very, very strange person.
"The payout was a hundred million for you alive, thirty for the girl dead, for some reason if you were captured the bounty on the girl disappears." I guess the Owner wanted to either, capture me, or torture me. So with me captured, there's no reason to bother with her... despite my behavior. Though I can't even predict how he thinks.
"Why'd the krogan go after her instead of me," I ask.
"Good strategy was using the girl as bait, like the krogan did."
"Should I expect another hundred bounty hunters to come after me," I ask worried.
"Only a few were invited to the party," Zaeed explains, "my employer seemed to like keeping things small."
"So the winner got the spoils," I ask. Whoever caught me likely would get the payout, so it was sort of a bounty... why did the Owner make things so complicated and weird.
"Yeah," he answers, he doesn't really seem to care he's tied to a chair.
"How many," I ask.
"Of us, ten... in the beginning," he answers. Ten, why have I seen only two then?
"How many now," I ask.
"One," he answers, "me, the rest of those poor bastards are dead."
"What happened to the others," I ask.
"One crew tried a half assed pirate attack," he answers, "the Owner killed them for endangering you unduly." He scoffs, "What kind of a goddamn bastard, kills his employees for endangering a bounty." I'm guessing if I had died on the ship, I would've been sucked out into space and the Owner would never have found my graybox, so...
"Someone interested in an intact body," I answer.
"That was about three right there," he continues, "another infiltrated a blue suns operation on Omega with a partner." "Heard you killed him, and his partner without knowing he was after you." Wow, that's lucky.
"That's half not counting you and ugly, that leaves three."
"Ever heard of eliminating the competition kid," he asks, "I took care of two the krogan got the other." Wow that's ruthless...
"And saving me," I ask.
"Are you deaf," he asks, "eliminating the competition," he says slowly. He doesn't quite seem to understand he's tied to a chair and I have every advantage.
"You're still going to go after me," I ask. I don't know what I'd do if he says yes...
"No, this job's turned to shit," he answers, "I don't really trust the character who put this all together, he might just kill me when I bring you in."
"Not worth the risk," I ask.
"I've still got something to do before I die," he says firmly I see the anger in his eye. The other ones pretty unreadable.
"Vido Santiago," I say relishing my knowledge.
"What do you know about Vido," he says straining against the chair.
"Be happy I'm about to tell you a secret," I grin. "I can see the future."
"You're a goddamn madman."
"You founded the blue suns along with Vido, you lead the teams he managed the books, he wanted to hire more batarians you didn't trust them, then you parted rather roughly when Vido staged a coup and shot you in the head," I said all that in one breath. His eyes widen. "All that did was make you angry."
"How..."
"Want to know your fortune," I ask now that I've got him hooked.
"Give me a scrap of info on Vido and you'll never see me again," he answers hungrily. I hope not, I hope to see you on the Normandy.
"Are you a patient person," I ask. I can't give him a location but maybe I can give him the path.
"Sometimes."
"You'll be approached by Cerberus in a year or two," I add, "they'll want to hire you for a suicide mission." "Take the job and you'll see Vido."
"I don't normally do suicide missions," he states.
"It's a free fortune that's all you get."
"All right thanks," he mumbles. "You're sure," he asks.
"A hundred percent, you'll see Vido in under 2 years if you sign on when Cerberus comes to recruit you."
He looks around, "Where's your girl," he asks. I sigh.
"She's gone home."
As it turned out a quarian ship had been docked with the Citadel, a few calls through Anderson, a day of them checking her background, and the crew was more than happy to transport one of their own back to the fleet. We had stood at the umbilical to their ship for over ten minutes before either of us said a word. "So your going home," I had said. I fiddled around with the dressings they had put on my wounds.
"Yeah," she said back. I had fumbled around with the broken knife for a short while.
"This is yours, sorry I broke it," I say like a child returning a toy, I hold it out to her.
"Thanks," she said to me whiled taking the knife back. She handed me the krogans huge knife. "I won't need this," she had explained, she handed me a sheathe she had made. "This should help carry it around." It was made from scraps of my old armor. When did she get time to make this? It hung down at my waist like a sword. I put the knife/sword baby away.
"Thanks," I said gratefully, happy that I had something material to remember Tali by.
"Yeah . . . " we just stand there.
I take a deep breath, "Tali I . . . " She pulls me close for a hug. I hug her back. "I'll miss you." I feel tears come down my face. I knew it was temporary but damn it, it was a sad moment. All the women in my life keep disappearing, first Shepard, though there was no feelings beyond bro/sis vibe I got, then Liana, there might have been something, my heart skipped a beat every time I saw her, and I was smiling and laughing around her constantly. And she practically said she was interested in me in her going away message. And now Tali, who I've practically been in love with since ME1 came out. And it turns out in person, I care about her more.
"Hey, hey," I heard Garrus interrupt, I never wanted to punch a person in a wheel chair more. He could have walked with crutches but he insisted on riding in the wheel chair. "Don't I get a hug."
I kicked the chair and he rolled back, "You killed the moment," I said to him as he rolled away.
I turned back to Tali, "Will," she said.
"Call me and I'll be there," I said, sounded like a corny super hero line. Then she turned, and walked towards the ship, and out of my life. For now at least.
Garrus had rolled up, "You two aren't to big on making it official are you," he asked.
"What," I asked back.
"You two make lovey dovey eyes, and yet neither of you have said the magic words."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I've still got something to find out before I can say those words.
"Obviously."
"You can't lecture me."
My interrogation of Zaeed, hadn't led to anything. So I turned him loose and headed home, I had been set up in the embassy. Garrus' apartment wasn't deemed safe enough, and Anderson had offered me this room. I accepted while the ship that would take us to Saleon was being cleared. It took around two days, two days of me answering the door with my knife drawn, two days of no 'sunlight' two days alone. I hacked up some of the furniture, what I was bored and it looked at me funny... ok I pretended it looked at me funny, what I was bored.
"Will," I hear Garrus shout not bothering to use the intercom. "They're ready for us."
I walk to the door, knife... you know what I'll just call it a machete from now on. Machete in my hand casually. The door opens, there's Garrus, Ashley, and Anderson, I put the knife away.
"What's up," I ask.
"I remember what you said about needing armor, and considering what happened," Anderson begins, he puts down a large box. "We got you this."
I use the machete to cut the bindings that held it closed. It was a new set of armor, heavy Colossus armor, the coolest looking in the game, besides Partisan but you can only get that on PC. Colossus armor is black with red trim, my favorite colors.
"I'm gonna go try this on," I pick up the armor, wow it's heavier than it looks. I head into another room, I get all the pieces in place, it restricts my movement more than my previous armor, but I feel like I could survive a barrage of ammo and keep going. I put the helmet under my arm. I walk out.
"Lookin good," Ash teases.
"It doesn't make my butt look big," I ask trying to look back. I grin.
Garrus shakes his head, and face palms, "See what I've been stuck with."
I need these small laughs. I notice someone waiting outside the door. "Joker," I say with a grin. I walk over and hold my hand out to him, "It's good to see you."
"Yeah," he doesn't shake my hand. Oh crap his disease.
"So what're you doing here," I ask confused, I thought he joined Cerberus.
"I was working a desk job for Captain Anderson," he explains, "but I'm retiring early." Ah, so this is Joker's quitting day. "I figured I'd visit since I was in the neighborhood, and heard there was cake."
"Sorry the cake is a lie." "What are you going to do now,' I ask, even though I already know.
He glances around nervously, I didn't really talk to him much on the Normandy. But it seems like he's mellowed out a bit. Maybe it's because he's still bothered by Shepard's death. "I don't know pilot commercial,"
"Well, I'm sure you'll have no shortage of job offers," I finish. Including a secret organization named after the guardian of Hades, Cerberus, for the mythological illiterate.
He seems uncomfortable, "I'll just be going, seeing as I have somewhere else to be..."
"Later."
"So our ship," I say turning to Anderson.
"You'll have to take a transport to Eden Prime," he explains, "then take a ship from there to your destination."
"So a quick stop at where it all began," I say ominously.
"Where it all began," Garrus confirms.
"Yeah," Ashley says.
"Are you coming too," I ask smiling.
"Anderson is sending me with you," she answers.
"I'm guessing whatever business you have with that ship isn't going to be pretty," he explains, "Chief Williams will be able to watch your backs."
"Never turn down help," I say to Garrus.
"I wasn't going to," he answers. "Who's in charge," Garrus asks.
"Me," I say raising my hand, "I called it." Hah, I called being leader, there's no way they can cut me out now.
"I think..." Garrus begins, I give him the evil eye.
"Mr. Doe can be in charge," Anderson answers, "only of the squad."
"Yes," I fist pump.
Both Garrus and Ashley look at Anderson their body language saying, 'this guy, really?'
"We going to check out a civilian vessel," I explain, "not a war-zone, I'm pretty sure I can get us through that alive."
"It wouldn't be a bad mission to get some experience on," Garrus concedes. "It'll be simple enough."
"Plus he'll never shut up unless we let him," Ashley points out.
"Too true," I accept that fact, it works to my advantage.
"So a short vacation on Eden Prime," Ashley begins...
"Wait how long are we going to be there," I ask.
"A few days," she answers, "the ship that's going to take us to the..." She checks her omni tool, "MSV Fedele." "Is finishing inspection at Arcturus Station." "I'm going to leave what the ship is a surprise."
"Why go to Eden Prime first," I ask confused, "wouldn't it be faster to go to Arcturus Station and wait there."
Ash shifts around, "I want to do some things on Eden Prime," she answers.
"All right that's all I needed to know," I say accepting. I have no where better to be and Saleon isn't going anywhere, and if he dies of starvation or the psycho patients on his ship I think it would be karmic justice.
I wonder what it is she wants to do . . . old boyfriend maybe? Last respects to her fallen unit? I'm not going to pry, when we land I'm going to go sightseeing. The first time I was there I was running around dodging geth patrols. Now I can wander the city... well not yet I'm not on the planet yet.
"When do we leave," I ask excited.
"Now are you packed," Ashley asks.
"I'm wearing everything I own," I answer. "Besides the change of clothes in the other room."
"Wait," Ash says, "you've been wearing the same outfit for months, eww."
"It's all I own," a thought occurs to me, "holy crap I'm homeless." "I have no place to my name."
"You have over eighty million credits," Garrus argues.
"Ok, so I'm rich and homeless."
"You're an idiot," Garrus says.
"Wow," I pretend to get shot and fall to the ground, "ouch, that hurt." "You're the missing link between dinosaurs and birds," I say as I jump back up.
"What," Garrus asks.
"Gayrus," I mutter.
"Wait what did you say," he says exasperated.
"Gay-rus," I say slowly and mockingly.
He sighs, "I'm trapped with this guy for the whole trip aren't I," he asks a grinning Ashley, and Anderson who was sighing and shaking his head.
I'll admit it to the world and myself, I'm a bit of an idiot and child sometimes... but hey those are just a few my good points...
A/N: Tali's gone... now all the alien chicks are gone and we're stuck with human chicks, well chick... and Garrus.
Off topic: yay I got another reviewer thank you Super-Saiyan-3-Vegeta for reviewing.