This is longer than my usual chapter but I was on a roll...or maybe a biscuit considering it breakfast time. Anyway, I'm enjoying doing the dueling missions take with these chapters. I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think. Reviews really make my day and really help boost my confidence. I appreciate everyone that gives even the smallest comment. Thanks bluemarlin and general. Also big thanks to BlackBeltDancer for always talking through ideas and ping-ponging them with me. Enjoy!
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Bodies, dozens of them littered the streets and ever shot produced another. Freelancers, Blood Pack, Eclipse, and Blue Suns all decorated the pavement in an elaborate, colorful collage of armor and blood. Claire found herself partially repulsed by the sight, but the other part impressed with this Arch Angel's abilities. He could definitely out shoot her considering she was a little rusty, though she was still certain Garrus could give him a run for his money.
Miranda appeared next to her. Claire had sent her to sabotage the Blood Pack as best she could, while Jacob took the Eclipse and Zaeed dealt with the Blue Suns. Apparently the bounty hunter had a history with the merc group that gave him an in with them.
"I put a small explosive charge inside their store of ammunition. It should cause a large enough explosion to thin their numbers," Miranda reported. Claire nodded and glanced back that the gun ship behind them. Sargeant Cathka was who they needed to report to but Claire wanted to make sure they were ready to be deployed just in case they could not finish the sabotage.
"Captain, deactivated the friend/foe interface on the heavy mechs the Eclipse had stored. It should give us an advantage," Jacob reported as he came up behind them.
"Good work, where's Zaeed?" Claire asked looking around. Suddenly, the bounty hunter came sliding across the street as a round ripped through a vorcha less than a foot way from him.
"Damn that bastard's good. I'll have to have a talk with him when we get there about trying to shoot me," Zaeed said standing up and brushing off his armor.
"The suns?" Claire asked. She hoped the group would be as easy to undermine as the other two but judging from the look on Zaeed's face, they had some work to do.
"The suns lost a lot of men in their first push to try and take out Arch Angel. The guy even shot down their damned gunship. Best I can tell, we get rid of the mechanic, no gunship. That's the best we can do," Zaeed explained.
"If that's what needs to be done," Claire said waving for the trio to follow her.
She approached the group of Blue Suns and stopped. "Cathka?" Claire asked. One of the mercs pointed back to the gunship and moved out of the way.
"Sargeant Cathka," came a growl from behind the gunship. A batarian stood up and set a welding tool down before lighting a cigarette and turning off the mirroring on his visor.
"We're here to check in. Where do you need us?" Claire asked. She watched the batartian move and relax leaning up against his work table.
"You'll be with the main assault force across the bridge. Your job is to distract Arch Angel long enough for our team to take him out. Once we get the signal from the insertion team…" as he spoke a console behind him started beeping an alert. He turned to face it and read through the message before activating his radio. "Assault team move, go!" Turning back to Claire and the others, he pointed then toward the bridge and ordered them gruffly to move. Claire suddenly noticed that Zaeed had moved behind the merc.
"You work too go'damn hard," Zaeed snarled. Suddenly the batarian shouted in pain as his body jolted and seized. Claire could hear the sound of electricity passing through the man's body as the cries silenced and the corpse crumpled to the ground.
"Was that necessary?"Miranda snapped.
"Yes," Claire answered. "As much as I wish it hadn't been. These mercs are some of the worst the galaxy has to offer. We need to thin the herd. Besides, I don't want the Blue Suns having a fully operational gunship," Claire said waving everyone toward the bridge.
"Arch Angel won't last long against this many people," Jacob said as the joined the charge.
"Like I said, we thin the herd," Claire answered. She had heard enough stories about these merc groups to not feel too guilty about killing them, but there was a part of her that did not want to kill anyone at all. Always had been that way for her. But this was a mission to save countless lives. If a few mercs had to die, then so be it.
As the team charged forward, Miranda and Jacob unleashed their biotics on the unsuspecting freelancers in front of them as Zaeed opened up with his assault rifle on the mercs behind them. Claire took the lead finishing off anyone that escaped from the biotic eruptions. Even with her biotic dampeners, she could feel the eruptions around her. Not just the vibrations of the concussive shockwaves, but the energy pulsing through space and through her.
"They have bombs, Shepard!" Miranda shouted. Claire could see the crews setting them. Leveling her rifle she slowed her step just enough to get a decent aim and fired a single round through the detonator causing the device to detonate before it was fully charged. The blast killed the crew setting it and cleared the way for Claire and her team into the base. A quick skirmish with a pair of mercs outside the upstairs perch Arch Angel was using cleared the building of mercs, though the continuing reports of a sniper rifle informed them that there were still plenty of targets on the bridge below.
Jacob hacked the door lock quickly and the team entered the room to see a turian in blue and black armor peering down a scope. The alien held up a finger telling them to wait before firing a final shot.
"Arch Angel?" Claire asked.
The turian stood faced them. Sitting down on the armrest of the couch, he prompted his rifle up against his leg and removed his helmet.
Claire felt her heart skip a beat as the blue paint across the alien's face and eye piece flooded her mind with memories.
"Claire? I thought you were…dead…" Arch Angel stated apparently just as awe struck as she was.
"Garrus?" That was all Claire could manage to say. Just his name. The man she had been wanting to see even more than her own brother, Anderson, or Mallory. "What…what're you doing here?"
Garrus cleared his throat. "Just keeping my skills sharp. You know; a little target practice."
Same old Garrus, smart ass charmer to the end. Damn it's good to see him.
000
The clinic was nothing more than an old run down warehouse that had been fortified and stocked with hospital supplies. Luke signaled for his team to stand down and wait for him in the waiting room before heading down the hallway. He could hear two voices discussing treatment options for a patient and followed the high pitched, fast-paced tone. Salarians always seemed to talk fast; part of the forty year life span most likely. Though this salarian seemed more hyper than the others he had met during his time with C-Sec and Claire.
As Luke turned the corner, he found himself in an examination room as a salarian poured over an operating table with a sick turian on it. "Professor Mordin Solus?" Luke asked.
The Salarian stopped in his tracks and approached him doing a quick scan of him. "Interesting. Human. Curious. Do not recognize you from area. To well armed to be refugee. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha. Crew to clean them out…unlikely, vorcha a symptom not a cause. The plague, investigating use as bio-weapon…no, no, too many guns. Not enough data equipment. Soldiers not scientist. Yes, yes. Hired gun. Looking for someone. Yes but who-"
"Take a breath and I'll tell you," Luke interrupted. "I'm Alpha Wolf of the Wolf Pack. I'm here under orders to recruit you for a critical mission. We need your help Professor." Luke watched as the scientist continued working, but there was a part of him that told Luke the salarian was listening and watching.
"Mission. What mission? No, no, no. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" Mordin asked checking over the turian on his operating table once more.
"The Wolf Pack is a commando team for an organization known as Cerberus, but for this mission we are under the direct command of Captain Claire Shepard," Luke explained.
"Cerberus? Not normally associated with non-humans," Mordin said shortly.
"You've heard of us?" Luke asked.
"Crossed paths on occasion. Have heard stories of the Wolf Pack. Impressive reputation," Mordin answered.
"And now were gunning for the Collectors. We need your help to take them down," Luke said quickly. If he took a breath he was not sure if he would get another word in.
"Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting the slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals maybe similar," Mordin said. Luke smirked hoping the doctor would be coming with him in a matter of seconds that thought appeared to be premature. "But must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."
"I don't mind the work," Luke said patting the pistols in his holsters.
Suddenly, the air fans shut down with a loud whine and warning lights flashed around them.
"Alpha, its Gamma. We're reading a shut down from the environmental control center. Someone's trying to kill the whole district," Gamma reported over the radio.
"Gotcha, we're moving to intercept. Prep the team. We move in 2," Luke ordered.
"Must turn on air before whole district suffocates. Take plague cure. One more thing, Daniel, one of my assistants, went into Vorcha territory looking for victims. Hasn't come back," Mordin said handing Luke a vial of a reddish liquid.
"If he's out there I find him. You have my word," Luke answered slipping the vial into one of his leg pouches.
"Thank you. Told him not to go. Smart, bright future. Wanted to help," Mordin said looking down. Luke assumed the salarian felt guilty for letting his assistant leave on his own.
"I'll find him, but as I'm sure you know, the environmental control center needs to be the priority," Luke said turning to leave.
"Logical choice. Refreshing to see in humans. Good luck," the salarian said before returning to his work. Luke smirked. He liked the doctor. True he talked ninty-to-nothing but he could definitely handle himself. The weapon he had had on his belt was a Carnifex 6. It took very capable hands to not only maintain the weapon but to use it. The weapon had a small clip size due to the output in each shot meaning the user had to use their shots effectively. Projectiles from a Carnifex 6 hit with the same amount of force as a .50 caliber pistol from back when guns still used gun powder.
Luke headed back down the hall to collect his team. Kappa was helping a human bystander who had gotten hit in a crossfire between the warring gangs. All the rest were getting some rest. Theta was even taking a little nap on a waiting room bench.
"Rise and shine. The vorcha just shut down the environmental control center. The whole district is going to die if we don't get there and restart the systems. By my calculations, with the fires and surviving population. They have about three hours before they start having trouble breathing, four before they start passing out, and maybe six before they start dying. I want to be back here with the fans on in less than two hours. On top of that, we need to keep an eye out for the professor's assistant. Human named Daniel who tried helping the people in Vorcha territory. The kid vanished," Luke informed them as the team gathered around him.
"So save the assistant, save the district, and recruit the guy that's helping us to save the galaxy? Sounds easy enough for someone with a hero complex," Gamma stated.
"So you should be extremely comfortable with this mission," Luke stated patting his friend on the shoulder before heading toward the door.
"Was meaning you," Gamma shouted after him.
"Not me…no…I've got more of a… anti-hero complex," Luke said turning and looking back at the group while still moving backwards. Gamma shrugged and fell in with the rest of the team.
"Don't the people with the hero complexes get the girl?" Zeta asked. Sigma shook her head.
"No, actual heroes get the girl," she said patting him on the shoulder.
"That does explain about what happened with Lawson and Alpha," Delta said nudging Theta.
"I wouldn't bring that up again in earshot of Alpha. He might shoot you," Kappa whispered. Luke smirked and looked back at the team.
"She's right Delta," Luke shouted loud enough for the whole team to hear. They all chuckled as Delta glanced around and shook his head. "Alright, form up. Keep low and watch your corners. Usual cautions and deployment, and as always, don't die or I'm gonna be pissed. Move out."
000
Garrus couldn't believe his eyes. Claire… she was standing right there, right there in front of him. N7 on her chest and everything.
"You okay?" Claire asked.
Garrus shook his head. "For the most part. Killing mercs is hard work," Garrus answered. Claire smiled before turning to the three humans with her.
"Secure the lower floor and fortify our side of the bridge. Zaheed, stick up here and keep an eye on the bridge while Jacob and Miranda are below. I need to debrief Garrus," Claire ordered. The team moved immediately. She still had it, but where had she been? She obviously wasn't dead. Could her death have been an Alliance political move? He couldn't see any kind of political gain from her death. It could have been a Council play to down play the reapers.
"How'd you end up here? Last I remember, you were still attached to the Alliance as a freelance liaison," Claire said. Garrus' eyes narrowed.
"That was two years ago Shepard. You know, when you died," Garrus snarled. How could she leave him out of the loop? How could she let him think she was dead?
"I'm still getting use to all that time being missing," Claire stated rubbing the back of her neck.
"What do you mean?" Garrus asked crossing his arms. This better be one hell of an excuse for disappearing.
"Garrus, when I got spaced, I… I died. Luke found my body with a little help from Cerberus, then they rebuilt me. That woman you saw, Miranda, she was the project director." Claire sighed as she realized just how crazy she sounded. "Look I'll explain it more later. For now let's just get you out of here."
Garrus nodded. It wasn't a complete explanation, but it was enough for him to trust her. Though he was a little curious about her mentioning Cerberus.
"Shepard, I thought you would like to know. The environmental controls in the slums where the Wolf Pack was deployed has been shut down. Would you like me to establish radio contact?" a synthesized voice asked over the radio.
"Negative EDI. Any communication could compromise their mission objectives. Let Alpha do his thing, I trust him," Claire responded.
"Who's EDI?" Garrus asked. He had a guess but it was so farfetched he didn't want to suggest it.
"It's a Cerberus AI installed on the SR-2," Claire said making her way over to the window overlooking the bridge. Garrus could see movement on the other side but no attempt to come across the bridge yet.
"Never thought you would let an AI anywhere near your ship, not after that Luna incident," Garrus stated lifting his sniper rifle and taking a look beyond the barricades.
"The ship was built before I was awake and Luke apparently didn't know about it in time to stop it," Claire answered. Garrus stopped and looked over at her.
"What could Luke do against Cerberus? He just helped get your body back right?" Garrus asked. Claire sighed and shook her head. What did she mean no? Was he still with her? Why didn't he get in contact when she came back? Was this why he stopped talking to him two years ago?
"He's been doing a little more than that. He's a Cerberus operative now," Claire said retrieving her own rifle and taking aim across the bridge. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but you trusted me before all this. Will you trust me now? At least to get you out of here?"
Garrus smirked and raised his rifle again. Seeing mechs coming over the barricade his mandibles flared. "I'll always trust you Claire. With the four of you here, we might actually have a shot of getting out of here in once piece," Garrus stated.
Claire rifle cracked off a round obliterating a mech's head. Garrus couldn't help but smile as the piece of scrap metal collapsed to the ground. She had not lost her touch with a rifle. If he couldn't trust anything or anyone else, he could trust her skill with a gun. She and her team were his best hope of escaping. He had unfinished business with an old friend that needed to be seen to.
000
Luke stood over the bodies of the batarians as smoke rose from the barrel of his pistol. It had not been much of a fight. The batarians had obviously not been soldiers and had never been in real combat before. Luke was simply too fast for them to react. Three shots, that was all it took.
Mordin's assistant slowly got to his feet and Luke loaded a fresh thermal clip into his pistol. The youth was obviously a pacifist. He did not even carry a knife in to this war torn area.
"You… You killed them," Daniel, the assistant, snapped as Luke holstered his pistol.
"As surely as they would have killed you," Luke said stepping back to the door and knocking twice. The doors opened and the rest of the Wolf Pack stepped inside.
"You could have reasoned with them," Daniel scolded.
"Like you tried to do? Face it kid. Disaster makes people stupid and violent. Those three were no different," Luke said giving some hand signals to his team.
"The professor is going to hear about this," the youth said storming out of the room.
Luke shook his head as he knelt beside one of his victims and searched him for valuables and ammo. Gamma came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "What do you think the professor is going to say about you killing these guys?" Gamma asked.
"From what I've heard and read about the doc, he's not against putting dangerous people in the ground. I'd say hostage takers with a taste for blood counts as dangerous. Now let's get to those environmental controls. Double time combat charge. Theta, you're on point with Delta. Gamma and I are behind them. Sigma you're in the middle. Kappa, Zeta bring up the rear," Luke ordered. Luke waited for the team to turn their backs and steped behind a book shelf to conceal himself. He hoped the dose would last long enough to get them to the environmental control room. Twisting the syringe into the injection port, Luke pushed down the plunger and took a deep breath as the J11 serum surged through his veins. Tossing the syringe aside, Luke formed up with the rest of the teamand sprinted out the door into the streets.
Around the first corner, they immediately came under fire from vorcha and krogan forces that appeared to be Blood Pack soldiers. Theta and Delta picked off the middle and long range opponents while Gamma and Luke shielded the team with biotics. Sigma hacked door locks to make sure they could keep moving while Zeta and Kappa picked off the short range enemies. It was a system they had perfected over the course of several missions meant to accomplish a mission with minimal casualties while inflicting the most damage on the enemy. So far, it seemed to be working.
Within two minutes, the team was at the doors to the environmental control room where Luke gave the order to hold position. The team split allowing Zeta to place a breaching charge on the door and Theta took cover with a level and clear line of sight into the room.
"When the charge goes off, I want Sigma and Kappa flanking left. Gamma, Delta, and Zeta flank right. I'm up the middle with Theta covering. Then I'll lay down some cover fire to cover your advance," Luke ordered. He looked around at the team. "This district is counting on us. We finish this no matter what it takes. We win, we've got a brilliant professor to help against the Collectors. We lose and this district suffocates and the collectors win." The team nodded their understanding. This mission was not just a recruitment mission anymore. This was a mission that they could be proud of; an assignment they would have done even without orders.
Zeta detonated the charge and blew the doors into the control room. Luke charged forward leading the team in wildly firing round after round from his paladins. He didn't care if he hit anything or not, he just wanted to give his team a little covering fire. Sliding down behind a exhaust vent for the fans, Luke glanced to either side as his team took cover and Theta joined him.
"Alright, Looks like the cure needs to be inserted in the central console and we can reboot the system from there," Luke said peaking over the top of the exhaust vent as the vorcha occupants opened fire on the Wolf Pack.
"Alpha, according to the schematics, we can reboot the system form the central console, but we'll have to restart the fans individually," Sigma informed him over their helmet to helmet channel.
"Sounds like a plan. Flanking teams get into position. Theta, cover me. I'm going for the central console," Luke ordered.
"You no come here! You work for Doctor! We shut down machine! Break things! Everyone choke and die, then Collectors make us strong!" a vorcha shouted.
"So what do the collectors want with Omega?" Luke shouted back. He doubted he'd get any actionable intelligence from these vorcha. They obviously had very little intelligence at all, but anything could help.
"Collectors want plague," the vorcha responded.
"Well I could have told you that," Gamma smarted off.
"End this parasite," Luke ordered. Theta leveled off her rifle and immediately put a bullet between the vorcha's eyes.
Luke could feel the serum starting to wear off. He had used too much energy getting the team to the doors and burned through the serum too fast. Of course it might have been his body getting use to the usual dose. He might have to up the amount to keep up his strength. For now he would have to act fast.
"Cover me!" Luke charged forward wrapping himself in layers of biotic barriers as bullets and rockets ricocheted off of him. As he ran, he hurled balls of biotic energy into the guards sending several over the sides of the walkways and falling to their deaths below. Within ten seconds, all the vorcha were either dead from rifle and pistol fire, thrown bioticly to their deaths below, or smashed into the floor with biotic slams and charges.
"Alright, Theta keep your eyes up and cover the flanking teams. Both sides move to the fans for reactivation. I'm inserting the cure now and reinitializing the system," Luke ordered.
"Moving," Detla reported.
Luke sighed as he input the reboot command in to the mainframe and inserted the cure in to the central output turbine. So the Collectors manufactured the cure. Does that mean they have bigger plans than a few human colonies? What could they possibly want with so many humans? As possible scenarios played through his mind, his skin began to crawl thinking about everything from scientific test subjects to food. As unlikely as the food idea was, it still made him nervous. They had to find these aliens and shut them down. He would not let anymore colonies suffer the same fate as Freedom's Progress… or Mindoir.