I apologize for taking so damn long to release this chapter.
I'll say more down at the bottom
Until then, enjoy
Vanguard
Ch. 10
Inferno
My body fills with pain, as if a thousand knives are being stabbed into me at once. A malicious darkness surrounds me. The screams of a million damned souls pierce the air. My nose fills with the scent of burning flesh. I am covered with blood as it pours out from the walls. The warmth burns my skin as if I was sitting in a pot of boiling water. My surroundings ignite with the bright heat of a sun. I lay there in pain and anguish, not even able to scream.
Something grabs my arm. I look to see a bent, twisted, and deformed hand gripping my flesh. Another takes hold of my leg. As more and more take hold, their grip crushes my body. The air is filled with the cracking of my bones. My screams echo as they grow louder. Then as suddenly as it started, the pain ends.
The hands retract into the ground as if they were scared away. My skin cools, and my senses return to me. A figure moves through the fire towards me. The flames slowly dissipate, and I'm able to make out the figure in front of me. I struggle to speak, choking on my own throat, one word makes it trough.
"Sh…Shala?" I say in a raspy, broken voice. In front of me she stands. In a flowing black dress, her face uncovered. Long black hair falls over her left shoulder, like the elegant drapes of a mansion. Her brilliant eyes glow like the stars against the darkness. She moves to me with grace, placing her hand on my left cheek. Her touch is comforting, and soft.
"It isn't time for you yet. You must go back." She says softly. "Take care of yourself kid. I'd better not see you again for a long time." She removes her hand, and moves away from me. I reach my arm out. Every movement is a struggle. The sound of scraping metal rings trough my ears. Blood splatters onto my face, as a large, rusted, twisted blade is thrust through Shala's chest. She yells out a horrendous, pained scream, as she is pulled into the darkness.
…
My eyes shoot open. Air fills my lungs in heavy, labored breaths. My vision is blurred, I can barely see. As I attempt to move, I find that I'm restrained to a bed. Disoriented I struggle against the ties that hold me. My muscles are tensed, and I begin to panic. Like a mindless animal, all I can do is try to wriggle my way out.
I hear muffled voices, and feel hands trying to hold me down. My mind goes back to the dream. The twisted hands. I yell, and grunt, as I try to escape. Blurry figures rush around me. Without knowing why I fight back. Then a pair of soft hands takes hold of my face. I hear a gentle voice. One that I could identify in any state. My muscles relax, and my vision clears.
"Tali." I say weakly, as if my voice hasn't been used for months. My mind returns to me. "Where am I?" She wraps her arms around me.
"I'm so glad you're awake." She says happily. Her body presses against mine. I try to the hug, only to realize once again that I'm restrained.
"Where am I?" I ask again, slowly regaining my voice. The room is filled with medical supplies. Another Alliance base? No, this is different, rough, and dark… God damn it. I'm still on Omega.
"My clinic. You were in rough shape. Still are. Required medical attention." A Salarian next to me says. He looks old, with scars on his face, and one of the horn things gone. That and he talks faster than most other Salarians. And that's saying something.
"Why am I restrained?" I ask confused.
"Oh keelah let me get those for you." Tali says as she begins releasing my restraints.
"Woke up on multiple occasions. Struggled each time. This was the only time you regained sanity." The Salarian responds. "Will give you time to yourselves. Call if you need me." The salarian says as he leaves. Well hell, he didn't tell me his name.
"What happened? How did I get here?" I ask Tali as she finishes with the last restraint. She pauses, and looks at me.
"Y…You don't remember?" She says with a hint of sadness in her voice. At that moment a shock goes through my body. The memories hit me all at once. I'm once again filled with anger. My fists clench, and light up with a red glow.
"Jason." I growl through my teeth. At that moment my body fills with pain. An unbearable sting I've never experienced before. My back lurches, and my arms curl in front of me. My insides feel as if they are about to explode from my chest. I desperately attempt to hold back a scream. Then I feel Tali Take hold of me.
"Jacob!" She exclaims worried for me. As the pain fades, clarity returns.
"What… What happened? Why am I in so much pain?" I ask looking intently into her mask. My breath still heavy. She looks away as if she is trying to find the words to say. "Tali." I take hold of the forearm. "What happened?"
"When she… died… you snapped. You went completely berserk. I looked up in time to see you walk towards the door. I yelled to you, but you never turned around." She struggles with the memories. Trying to find her words. I remember walking to the door, but nothing after.
"What happened when I reached the door?" I ask. Part of me is longing to know. The other is terrified.
"You broke it down. Not just kicking it open either. Your fist took both doors of their hinges, and sent parts of the wall with them… Then you… you…" She struggles to speak.
"What, Tali what did I do?" I grip her arm firmly and pull her closer. "Why did I need medical attention? Why am I in so much pain?!" My voice rises. I can't help myself. I have to know.
"You… Killed them… All of them." She says morbidly. "None of them stood a chance. Not against that. Over five hundred Ascendancy soldiers and you wiped them out." My mind barely registers what she is saying. How it even be possible.
"I did what? How?" I ask as my grip loosens.
"The mass effect fields were enormous. I heard you yell, then I heard everyone else. When I got outside you were standing in the center of a mass effect field the size of a cruiser. You had Jason by the throat. Everyone around you was being torn apart. When we got to you, Jason was ripped to pieces." Though I still find all of this hard to believe, I can't ignore the fact that I'm glad he is dead. "It took three Krogan, including Wrex to hold you down. Then you just blacked out."
"How… How could I have…?" My mind goes in circles. How could I have gone from being thrown away by Aria, to taking out an army by myself? It just doesn't make sense. "How long have I been out? I ask.
"About a week. Your body couldn't handle the amount of energy you put out. Mordin said you may never fully heal from the damage." I start to inspect my body. My left hand is torn up, Similar to my right. There are large tears running up my arm. As if something had forced their way out. My implants are visible in certain areas. And almost every part of my body is in pain.
"What about the Director?" I ask. God I hope he's dead.
"He left before the chaos started. It looked like the remaining forces where getting ready to wipe us out." Damn it. Of course he got away. I did this much damage to myself, and didn't even get him. At least Mordin was here to patch me up.
"Mordin is the Salarian I take it?" She nods.
"Yes he and his assistants fixed you up the best they could."
"Did he say how long this pain is going to last?" I ask afraid of the answer.
"He..." She looks down, and takes a saddening tone. "He said you would likely have it for the rest of your life." Goddamn it, why? Why does all of this get thrown at me at once?
"What about Shala?" I'm barely able to say her name. "What happened to her body?"
"The flotilla sent a transport. They gave her a hero's funeral." She responds.
"Were you there?" I ask.
"No, I stayed with you. There is a transport still here, waiting for me to leave. But… I can't. I won't leave you here to fend for yourself." God so much has happened. The firefights, the collectors, Shala. All of it has been my fault. If I wasn't with them, none of this would have happened to them. I can't keep putting Tali though this. It has to end.
"Go… go back to the Flotilla." Every word is painful, but it must be said.
"What? No I'm not leaving you." She says.
"I've kept you away from your people long enough. You have to go back to them."
"I can't just leave you here. I'm staying with you." She responds, raising her voice.
"I can take care of myself." I say as I hoist myself off of the bed. As my feet hit the ground I feel a sharp pain run up my leg. Tali takes hold of my arm to support me. "I'm fine." I say as I pull away from her.
"You haven't finished recovering yet. You're in no condition to be taking care of yourself!" She says. I lose it.
"I'm sick of people taking care of me! I can't stand being worthless! If I keep letting others take care of me, they're going to keep getting hurt!" I yell, unable to keep it all in. "Please just go. You'll be safer on the Migrant Fleet. Don't let me get you killed." I'm breaking down. My arms are shaking, my voice is trembling, and I can feel tears building up in my eyes. Even without seeing her face, I can tell that she is shocked. I turn away, and feel her come up behind me, and wrap her arms around me. We stand there in silence for a minute. Though it feels like an eternity.
"Keep yourself alive. You hear me? You'd better not die on me." She says in between sobs.
…
I'm on my own now. For the first time since I woke up I don't have anyone around me. Tali left for the Flotilla. It was a short goodbye. Just a promise, which I plan on keeping. That we'll see each other again.
I then had a long conversation with Mordin. Emphasis on the long. He sure likes to talk. It was mostly my condition, and things to do to take care of myself. Apparently during my inhuman rampage, I managed to damage most of the implants in my arms, as well as the Eazo deposits that give me my biotic powers. And those aren't the only thing that took a beating. My armor got torn to shreds.
Almost all of my equipment is useless now. My madock is in pieces, the chest plate of my armor is melted with a good chunk taken out of it. And I was barely able to get the information on my Omni-tool before it became unusable. My credit chit is intact at least. What I'm going to do now is anyone's guess. I suppose being a merc wouldn't be that bad of an idea. So here I am, wondering the abandoned streets of Omega with only a pistol to defend myself. This is going to be a bad day.
My internal monolog is cut short by a scream, followed by the voice of a Batarian. And he does not sound happy. I walk to my left to find a blown out wall, leading to a courtyard. I carefully navigate the metal shards protruding out from the wrecked wall. As I look out into the courtyard, I see a group of five Batarians surrounding a young Quarian.
"Wait, is that…?" As I look closely I realize that I recognize her. "Rati?" At that moment one of the Batarians shove her, knocking her to the ground. My mind fills with rage. No not again. I'm not letting her die! All I can think about is Shala. I feel mass effect fields engulf my body accompanied by sharp pains. I grab a jagged piece of metal protruding from the blown out wall, and break it free. Armed with a makeshift sword, I approach the bastards, my anger growing with every step. My feet move quickly, and with a purpose. I get close to them, and the small one notices me.
"Not you again. You're not walking away thi- Argg!" His words are cut short as I thrust my weapon through his gut. The others turn in time to see me rip the rusted blade out of his body. With outcries of anger they level their guns. But it's too slow of a reaction.
I charge the closest. My body enveloped, the impact sends him into the nearby wall. He yells with pain as he is impaled by a piece of metal similar to the one I hold. With him out of the way I turn to my right, and thrust the blade into the exposed throat of the larger Batarian. He falls to his knees as I pull the blade away. Choking on his own blood. The last two are finally able to take aim at me.
"Die Already!" the leader yells out. At this I launch myself into the air. Barely avoiding their shots, I angle myself, and thrust down on the other. Blood splatters onto my face from the impact. The blade pierces his clavicle, and moves down through the torso. I attempt to remove my weapon from his corpse, but can't get it free. The last one takes aim. Quickly I send out a shockwave, knocking him off his feet. Pain shoots through my arm, as if it had been crushed. I retract it as if I had touched a hot piece of metal.
Calmly I walk over to where the last one landed. The fear in him is evident as he desperately tries to crawl away. I stand over him as he scurries towards his weapon. Reaching out towards the Assault rifle he had been using to intimidate Rati, his arm is crushed under my boot. Using my left hand I wrap his upper body in mass effect fields, applying pressure to his throat, and lift him into the air. As he chokes for breath, I think of all the terrible acts he must have committed.
"Please- cough- spare me." He says, begging for his life. Filthy, disgusting, cruel. He doesn't deserve life.
"Tell me. Would you have spared her?" I ask motioning to Rati Still on the ground, in shock over what is happening. His eyes widen as he knows what is about to happen. "I didn't think so." I say solemnly. At this I use my other arm to take hold of his lower body.
His screams are deafening as his flesh is torn away from itself. First there is blood, pouring out of his body. His entrails come next. A disgusting stench fills the air. Then finally comes the snapping of bone. His cries end as the two halves of his body are separated. The sound echoes as they hit the ground. Then my mind returns to me.
Standing a pool of blood, I'm horrified. What have I become? What kind of monster have I turned myself into? My thoughts are cut short, as a shock runs through my body. I grip my chest, as I try to hold back the pain. It feels as if I am being cut, burned, and bludgeoned all at once. I'm unable to stand on my feet. The loud clang of my knees hitting the blood soaked floor echoes. Doubled over, I try my hardest to resist screaming. Suddenly I feel a pair of hands grip my shoulders.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you gonna be okay?" I hear a young voice ask. I look up and see that it is Rati. Thank god she is ok. My body relaxes, and most of the pain dissipates. I struggle to stand, stumble backwards, and finally gain my footing.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." I respond while breath heavily. I've really got to take it easy. Why the hell can I never control myself? Shit, I lose my temper for a second and… people die. I suppose I was right to send Tali away.
"You sure? Looks like you could still use some help." She says. At least some one cares. But I can't put her at risk.
"No I'm fine. I can take care of myself." I answer.
"Well thank you. You defiantly saved my life that time." She says.
"No problem." I respond, rubbing my shoulder. Most of my body still feels stiff. "What did they want anyway? You don't really seem important enough for an entire squad of men to go after you."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?! I'm plenty important!" She says raising her fist. "Who the hell do you think you are anyway!?" Well that was a quick mood change.
"I'm the guy who just saved your life! You could show a bit more gratitude!" God how ungrateful can you be?
"And you could be less insulting, you damn idiot!" Our faces are only a couple inches away from each other as we yell. I can almost see through her mask at this point.
"Who are you calling an idiot!? You're the one who almost got herself killed."
"You're the idiot who, once again, just jumped into a fight! Hell you almost killed yourself there!"
"Well sorry for trying to be a Good Samaritan. What did you do to these guy's anyway? You steal something from them?" I say as I stand up straight, and lower my voice.
"For your information, I'm not a thief. These guys were part of a huge slaver group. I freed some of… their… Prisoners… Oh god, if they found me, they'll defiantly find them!" She says realizing her mistake. "Bosh'tet they're probably there by now."
"Wait, How many people are we talking about here?" I say as I lift up my hands to calm her down.
"About Thirty, all of different species. Shit, they won't be able to hold them off. They'll get taken for sure." She says as she paces quickly. Well she's obviously worried about them. I suppose I can't just let some slavers take them again.
"Let's go." I say suddenly.
"What? go where?" She asks as she turns towards me.
"We're breaking them out." I say as I turn and start walking."
"Wh-What!? That's a suicide mission. Are you insane!?"
"Most likely." I answer, contemplating the question myself.
"Ugh! You're going to get us killed!" She says as she runs to catch up. Let's hope not. For once I've got a good feeling about this one.
And there you have it. It feels good to finally publish this thing.
I've been so busy at college since late august, so writing has been a bit of a challenge for me.
If you have any comments on my work, or any ideas for the story please let me know
I'd very much enjoy all of you to leave reviews. Positive input drives me to do better. And constructive criticism is always helpful.
Also if you'd like to chat I'd be happy to receive Pm's anytime.
Until next time, StrifeOkami signing out.