Chapter XX: Breakout
With his heart beating wildly in his chest and the adrenaline surging through him, Garrus Vakarian could no longer bear to wait. The downloads to the weapon's systems were only close to finishing while already he could hear silence in the tunnels outside the workshop. He assumed this meant that Kelias had since been apprehended…or worse, killed. The last thing he needed after everything that had happened was her death on his conscience. He was already a nervous wreck, especially after what had happened on that far away jungle planet. He needed to get out of here with her alive, if only to put his mind at some ease.
The original plan had been to take the suitcase and its contents along with him, as well as the supplies he and Kelias had stored away in preparation for their escape. Because of the current state of affairs, he decided against adding onto his already heavy load. The particle cannon's pack was heavy on his back and certainly something he did not want to carry around with him for any extended period of time. His gaze flitted to the computer display for the umpteenth time and he saw that it was almost finished…
He heard footsteps in the tunnel outside the workshop. He flicked a switch on the cannon and it whirred into life, vibrating against him in a rather titillating manner. The download bar on the display was about nearing completion but until then the weapon would not function properly, nor would the kinetic barrier generators built into it. He would be practically defenceless if anyone walked inside before the downloads were completed.
Garrus waited patiently, his grip tight on the heavy cannon in his arms. He had already began to think of what he would do once he was out of here, starting with finding Shepard and getting back to the rest of the team on the Normandy. He had a long story to tell the Commander, this much was certain. Until then, he needed to focus on getting out of here as well as making sure that Kelias was safe. She had bought him some much needed time but even so, that time was beginning to wear thin.
Garrus had no idea what to expect from the particle accelerator cannon. It would be a surprise and already he could begin to feel the weapon heat up in his grip. He wondered if Kelias had compensated for overheating in her designs since if she had not then this cannon would not last very long. Garrus supposed that this was not all too bad since he could always pick up a rifle off of one of Roland's dead goons. Any firearm would give him a chance to escape. He just wondered how many of Roland's goons he would have to get through before he made it to the exit.
Finally the download bar on the computer display filled up to its entirety. Garrus breathed a sigh of relief and unhooked the particle accelerator from the terminal, shifting his gaze to the doorway. The weapon was warm in his grip, whirring quietly and vibrating against him. He could never have expected a perfect weapon from the scraps of materials that they had been given. Then again, he supposed that this particle accelerator was better than nothing. Keeping a neutral gaze, he shifted his view to the blasted open doorway ahead. The footsteps had slowed down considerably as the guards started to cautiously near the entrance into the workshop.
Garrus took a step forwards, already relishing the thought of killing some of Roland's goons. Two appeared in the space of the doorway and so Garrus pulled on the weapon's trigger. A high-pitched whine erupted from the barrel as it spun into action, with only seconds passing before the particle cannon began to fire. A thick stream of blue-white energy lanced forth, tearing into the rock on the wall before the turian swept it across both guards. The energy was enough to shear both men in half, their scorched and charred corpses being spun around almost carelessly by the force of the particle cannon. Garrus raised his eyebrow ridge in controlled surprise but otherwise kept the weapon firing as another guard ran into view, rifle raised. The beam lanced right across the guard's head, causing it to explode into a bloody mess. Blood and bits of brain splattered outwards and stained the rock wall behind.
Garrus released his grip on the particle cannon's trigger as the guard's headless corpse crumpled into a heap on the floor. He took a deep breath, examining the particle cannon closely. What kind of firepower did he have in his hands now? It was definitely unlike anything he had ever seen before. No wonder the projects Kelias worked on were all top secret: if they were building weapons like this and any other intelligent species found out there would be hell to pay. Besides, Garrus could see why the particle accelerator cannon had not entered service: it was simply too impractical, being heavy and power draining at the same time. He doubted he had much more power left but he decided to continue wielding it anyway, if only because it was…fun. Sure, rifles and pistols were all good but something like a particle accelerator cannon…That was an excellent break from the usual. He reminded himself to thank Kelias for the idea of building one earlier, since without her he would probably still be a prisoner. He still technically was a prisoner until he got out of this tunnel network.
Garrus stepped out of the workshop and into the tunnel beyond, looking down both ways. He could hear shouts and distant footfalls as more guards came to investigate. He was ready for them and just to make sure he gripped the particle cannon in a way that would allow him to fire at a split second's notice. A little further down the tunnel he saw a metal door set into the rock wall. Curious, he went to investigate but found the old-fashioned hinged door was locked. Without much hassle he used the particle cannon to burn right through the lock, kicking the door open with one foot once the lock was gone. Behind was some sort of store room, populated by about three armed and armoured guards. All three of them turned to face him, about to raise their weapons. Garrus was quicker on the trigger and swept a lancing blue beam across them, the energy shearing clean through the guards and tossing their dismembered torsos aside carelessly.
With the guards down Garrus stepped into the store room, finding a few rifles, some of which were of designs he had never seen before. He stopped by one bench upon seeing something familiar: it was Colonel Sommers' upgraded and updated revolver, complete with laser sights and an extended barrel. Without much thought Garrus took the weapon and its holster, putting it around his waist. He took the spare ammunition that was on the bench with it, thinking that if all else failed he would be best off to use the revolver as a last resort. The fact that a lot of the weapons that Roland's goons were using were unlike anything he had ever encountered hinted at yet more mysteries to the man and his operations here. Some were of advanced looking designs while some were quite obviously alien in origin, as if some other party was supplying Roland and his forces. It seemed credible that this was the case, especially with all the other things that did not add up when it came to Roland Halverson.
Garrus left the store room just as a pair of guards came running down the tunnel. They raised their rifles and opened fire, the weapons thundering loudly in the confined space of the tunnel. Garrus stepped back in the doorway slightly as rounds hammered against his personal shield, draining it somewhat and with surprising ease. It was as if their weapons were fitted with special ammunition by the way his shield drained almost to nothing. His heart thumping in his chest, Garrus ducked and edged around the side of the store room's doorway, pulling the trigger on the particle cannon. Both guards scattered, ducking behind columns on the wall as the beam of energy sheared across the width of the tunnel, breaking through the rock on the walls. One of the guards had his left arm blown clean off by the beam, sending it flying a short distance while the stiff fingers began to pull on the trigger, sending rifle rounds pounding wildly into the tunnel walls until the weapon overheated. The guard screamed and stumbled into the beam fully, the top half of him exploding into a blue vapour while charred pieces of him scattered around the tunnel. His dismembered legs simply dropped to the floor lifelessly, the area where they once connected to the rest of the guard now nothing but a charred mess of mangled flesh.
The other guard turned around and began to run. Garrus paused in his firing of the particle cannon, stepping from the doorway as he narrowed his gaze at the fleeing guard. Without much thought he simply pulled the trigger again, sweeping the beam across the width of the tunnel. The beam caught the guard across the upper back, sending his mangled corpse stumbling into the tunnel wall. He crumpled into a heap on the floor, quite dead.
Garrus released the trigger on the particle cannon and took a moment to survey his handiwork. He was beginning to gain a liking for the particle accelerator cannon, even if it had the nasty habit of tearing someone apart or making them explode into a blue vapour. He checked the readout on the side of the cannon itself, seeing that it was already down to half power. He figured that it was enough to get him out of here, just as long as he found Kelias on the way. She could very well have made it to the exit by now but he doubted it. Chances are she was either dead or at the mercy of the enemy.
Starting down the tunnel, Garrus walked briskly but kept alert as he went. The tunnel winded around a few corners, giving the indication that he was in an intricate network. Roland must have had quite the operation going if he had had the time to dig out a whole network of tunnels. It was not long before Garrus had come to a large cavern, one that was populated by about a dozen armed guards behind barricades. They had been waiting for him and had set up an ambush appropriately.
Garrus backpedalled behind the nearest column as about a dozen rifles opened fire in his direction. His kinetic barriers flared and died while bullets pounded into the front of the column, blasting chunks of rock away and sending rock dust flying into his face. He coughed when he inhaled some while he tried to gather his bearings. So many guards and so many weapons firing on him at once. These guys would have to do a lot better.
Garrus leaned around the column once his kinetic barriers had recharged to about half of their strength, ignoring the few rounds that pounded into them. He pulled the trigger on the particle cannon, sending the beam of blue-white energy across the front of one of the barricades. The beam came into contact with the head of one of the guard's firing from behind it and the guard's head exploded into a blue vapour, charred pieces of it flying outwards. The other guard with him instinctively ducked but Garrus shifted his aim downwards slightly, the barricade unable to stand up to the punishment as the beam ripped it to pieces. The guard behind it was merely glanced by the particle beam but this was enough to burn a large portion out of him, sending him onto the floor with a wide charred gash across his side, his armour melted and melded with melted flesh.
One of the guards tossed a grenade Garrus' way, the disc latching itself to the front of the column Garrus had crouched behind. The turian backpedalled and dived to one side as the grenade detonated, an earth-shattering roar blasting away the column and sending large chunks of rubble falling from the ceiling. Garrus lay on his side, firing the particle cannon through the dust as a few of the guards stood up to advance. They were sheared into more than one piece, their dismembered bodies being knocked out of the way by the sheer power of the particle beam. He slowly stood up as the other guards began to fall back, finally realizing that they were up against some very heavy duty firepower.
Garrus could not help but give a turian smile as he stepped into the cavern, watching as the several remaining guards began to race down an adjoining tunnel. Some of them fired back at him as they ran but their accuracy was poor since shooting a weapon while running just made it harder to hit anything. Garrus let them run, his attention having shifted to the door on a nearby wall. It was open and what lay behind intrigued him somewhat.
Roland had mentioned a Prothean beacon and it was through this door that it was located. A large, entirely artificially constructed room was beyond the door with numerous indications of Prothean architecture. The walls were much like those in the ruins on Virmire and Ilos, while the beacon itself was at the far end of the room. Computer terminals and other equipment had been set up in an effort to study the beacon but anyone who had been working here had since fled at the beginning of trouble. Garrus stepped up to the beacon, keeping his distance since it was still in perfect working order.
He checked the computers but only one of them was not password protected, hence he sifted through whatever useful information was on this one. He did not find much, save for some notes by Roland that were dated to about nine years ago. Garrus found a discarded omni-tool on a nearby table and used it to download the notes before leaving. However, there was something that stopped him from doing so.
He turned around and saw that the beacon had begun to react to his presence. Garrus knew too well what this meant and took a few steps backwards, deciding that he would not let it scramble his mind. Just to make sure, he brought up the particle accelerator cannon and opened fire. The beam connected with the glowing beacon and a moment later the entire top half of the beacon exploded in a bright flash, sending pieces flying about while one of the computer terminals connected to it overloaded and detonated in a spectacular array of sparks.
Garrus turned around, just as a pair of guards raced into the room. The turian thought little of them as he turned the particle accelerator cannon against them, shearing both men in half as he walked towards the doorway. He walked back into the cavern and after a moment's pause he decided to head down the tunnel he had seen the guards from earlier retreat into. Funnily enough, he suddenly felt quite good about himself. Having enemies actually flee from him had done much to inflate his ego. He supposed it had to do with the particle accelerator cannon, something which made him remember to check the power levels. He frowned when he saw that they were down to about a quarter. Another skirmish and he would be out of power completely. When that happened, he would need to fall back onto something else…the Magnum revolver he had acquired sprang to mind, as did some of the more strange looking rifles that some of the fallen guards had been carrying. It seemed that Roland had been supplying his men with some very advanced weaponry. How and where he had gotten it from remained a mystery, but it was just another of the many mysteries that surrounded Roland Halverson. Garrus vowed that sooner or later he would discover the truth behind that human. He preferred to know his enemies rather than be in constant speculation over them.
The tunnel winded along for some distance. Garrus checked a few of the adjoining rooms but found nothing of particular interest since most of the rooms were barracks or storage. The lack of guards hinted that they were waiting for him somewhere up ahead and he would not be surprised if this was the case. They probably knew by now that they were dealing with a turian armed with some powerful hardware and were probably preparing some sort of ambush. The thought of another ambush simple amused Garrus, since wielding a powerful weapon like the particle accelerator cannon could significantly inflate someone's ego.
He wondered where Kelias was and if she was alright. Garrus kept walking along, stopping to check the adjoining rooms but finding most devoid of life. It was a few minutes later that the tunnel opened into another large cavern, this one connected to a large open tunnel that lead outside. Sunlight streamed into the cavern and upon seeing it Garrus breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in about five days he saw sunlight and he could not help but feel that he had finally gotten through all that had happened. From some hellhole of a jungle planet to here, it seemed that he would finally get the break he needed. At least, this was what he was thinking until the shooting started.
Bullets pounded into his kinetic barrier and the turian stepped back, his gaze scanning the immediate vicinity quickly and efficiently. There were about half a dozen armed guards scattered throughout the cavern, firing from behind metal containers and boulders. Garrus brought up the particle accelerator cannon and opened fire, his gaze passive as one of the guards was caught in the beam. His head disappeared into a blue explosion of energy, charred pieces flying every which way. Garrus crouched and moved behind a nearby boulder, his ability to move limited by the heavy weight of the particle accelerator cannon's power pack that he wore at his back. Rifle rounds slammed into the front of the boulder, blasting away pieces of rock while some ricocheted. Garrus leaned around the side, taking aim at a pair of guards and turning the particle cannon onto them. The beam blasted away the rocks they were crouched behind, shearing across the front of both guards and slicing them in half.
Garrus turned his attention to the three others up ahead. Behind them was the way out, a large tunnel opening onto some sort of clearing surrounded by rocky outcrops. Already he could feel the heat of the desert against his scales. Turians preferred the heat over the cold so it was a welcome feeling to have such temperatures against him. He shifted his attention back to the guards and swept the particle cannon's beam over them, mowing them down with ease. He kept his face one of neutrality as he stood up and finished off the last of the guards, the particle beams literally slicing his torso down the middle. Within seconds the cavern had fallen silent, with only the smell of charred and smouldering flesh reaching the nostrils. The silence was almost unnerving but Garrus continued anyway…
He was surprised when Roland Halverson stepped out from behind a column against the wall. Garrus would have fired but the sight of Kelias held in front of the human like a shield made him hesitate. Roland had a grenade launcher in his right hand: it was a simple one, with one barrel and capable of only firing one round before needing to be reloaded. Such grenade launchers were extremely portable and lightweight, hence why Roland had no trouble using just his right hand to pull its trigger while his left held Kelias at the neck.
A wave of heat and a shower of rubble hit Garrus in the back as the grenade slammed into the wall just to his right. The concussive force of the blast threw him onto the ground, leaving him momentarily dazed. He watched as Roland took a few steps forwards, an enraged look on his usually calm and collected features. Kelias was held tightly in his grip, trying to break free but unable to.
"You fail to see the full picture, Garrus," Roland said, his voice taking on an almost maniacal edge, "You have no idea what you have gotten involved with! I had everything planned! Every last detail, every variable accounted for! Except for you…" Roland spat the last word out with some distaste. "You were unexpected…I should have left you to die on that jungle planet but instead I thought I could use you, perhaps convince you of the cause I was fighting for. Instead, it is you who filled Kelias' head up with ideas of escape. It is you who has almost ruined everything!"
Garrus was barely listening, aware of a faint hissing sound coming from behind him. A quick glance revealed that the particle accelerator cannon's power pack had sprung a leak, blue-white gas billowing forth from a hole that had been torn into the black metal.
"I can still salvage this situation…yes…yes I can…" Roland glanced around, as if he was talking to himself. He returned his gaze to Garrus who had begun to carefully remove himself from the straps that were keeping the power pack on his back. The vague outline of a plan began to form in the turian's mind as he did this.
"You will not pursue me, Garrus," Roland said, delivering it like an order, "You will let me leave with Kelias. I will let you live if you leave me alone, otherwise I can simply cook you on the spot right now." He sounded serious about the last part, despite the fact that it had left Garrus a little confused. He remembered the way Roland seemed capable of lighting cigars with no visible means…as if he was thinking them into lighting up. It was an absurd notion that Garrus had come up with, but it would explain a few things about Roland.
"Damn it Garrus, do something!" Kelias shouted, struggling against Roland's almost iron grip. Roland tightened his grip on her accordingly, his left arm pressing against her throat. She became short of breath but not so much that it would kill her. It was obvious that Roland required her to be alive for whatever he was planning.
"Do you understand, Garrus?" Roland asked, "You leave me alone and I will leave you alone. I think it's a fair arrangement, don't you agree old boy?"
Garrus shrugged off the power pack, letting it clank onto the rocky ground behind him. He slowly rose to his feet, holding the power pack while the particle gun hung loosely from it. Roland watched him carefully while Garrus calculated the distance between them: it was several metres. Garrus wondered if what he was planning would actually work. He doubted it would but it was worth a try.
"I am going to leave," Roland said, taking a few steps back, "You follow me and I will kill you. All I have to do is think about it and you will die a horrible death. I take it you don't want that to happen, old boy? Of course, knowing you, you won't just let me walk away. I am telling you now, Garrus, that it would be in your best interests if you let me go…"
Garrus could tell that Roland was stalling for time. The human was in a vulnerable position and not thinking as clearly as he could have been, made evident by the fact that he was now pointing an empty grenade launcher towards Garrus in a threatening manner. Kelias seemed to have given up trying to struggle but the look in her eyes told Garrus that she wanted him to do something to free her. He returned her gaze accordingly and hefted the leaking power pack in his left hand, pondering what he would do with it. He knew he would have to be fast, perhaps impossibly so. If Roland really did want to kill him he would have done it by now, hinting that Garrus somehow fit into all of this.
"If we ever cross paths again, dear boy," Roland said, "I will kill you. And I will kill your friends and your family. I will kill all those who are dearest to you. You see, I've a habit of being thorough…"
"Roland," Garrus said, frowning slightly.
"Yes?"
"Shut the hell up."
Garrus threw the power pack to Roland's left, distracting the human momentarily. Kelias seemed to take the hint and began to struggle against Roland's grip once more. Garrus hoped that what he was about to do would succeed. Within the space of time it took for the power pack to make a landing, Garrus had pulled the Magnum revolver from the holster at his waist. He took a brief and awkward moment to fit his taloned fingers through the trigger guard before he brought the weapon solidly in his grip. The laser sight was flicked on and the beam fell onto the power pack as it landed. Garrus pulled the trigger and the revolver buckled sharply in his grip, the gunshot echoing loudly throughout the space of the cavern. Roland caught wind of what was about to happen at the last moment and returned his gaze to Garrus. Before he could do anything the bullet connected with the power pack.
A blue-white explosion of raw energy plumed forth, shaking the ground beneath their feet and sending Garrus flying backwards a short distance. Roland shouted and Kelias screamed as they were both tossed aside, the female turian landing on the ground with her hands to her face. Roland seemed dazed for a moment and was about to look up when the ceiling above fell in, burying him under a pile of rubble. Kelias remained only half buried but her screams were enough to bring Garrus out of his confused state.
He stood up and rushed over to her, his heart almost stopping cold when he saw what had happened to her. He clenched his fists and cursed his callous actions…in his effort to get Roland he had hurt her. He pushed the rubble off of her legs and dragged her away from the pile of fallen rocks, managing one last look at them in order to convince himself that Roland Halverson was dead.
He rolled Kelias onto her back and knelt by her, taking a deep breath when he saw her face. A blue-white jelly-like substance had splattered onto the right side of her face and burnt ferociously, the stench of burning exoskeleton reaching Garrus' nostrils. The substance had been blasted out of the power pack and a quick look around revealed that it had sprayed all over the cavern walls. It burned fiercely and seemed to be dissipating gradually. Kelias was squirming about where she lay, screaming as it disfigured her.
He had done this, Garrus knew this much. To think that he had disfigured a perfectly attractive female…he had no idea what to do about it. He could only watch and wait for the substance to burn itself out, something that took many minutes. Kelias passed out about halfway through the ordeal.
Garrus helped her up once she had regained consciousness. She was in a daze for several minutes while Garrus did his best to avoid looking at her face. He took them both outside and set her down behind a boulder in the shade. Garrus walked out into the clearing and found that the few guards who had been outside had ended up inside at one point, thus allowing them to get killed. While Kelias was out of sight Garrus spent a few minutes taking out his anger on the piles of metal crates that were lying around, tipping them over and yelling to the heavens. His rage was cut short by the arrival of a shuttlecraft and Garrus was quick to collect Kelias from where he had left her, taking her away from the clearing. For miles in every direction was desert but this did not deter Garrus from starting on a long walk with Kelias in tow. She remained in a mostly dazed state, barely aware of the mutilation her facial features had endured.
It was some time before Garrus found evidence of civilization: there was a sign, partially buried in the sand near a ridge that overlooked an old township. The town itself was deserted but the empty shells of buildings would provide shelter from the desert. The sign read: 'THIS SITE FOUNDED BY CAPTAIN TIMOTHY HANLEY OF THE SSV NAVAJO, 2169. AS PART OF A JOINT COLONIZATION EFFORT, BOTH THE HUMAN SYSTEMS ALLIANCE AND THE TURIAN EMPIRE HAVE AGREED TO COLONIZE THE MINERAL RICH PLANET OF HALLIAN. THIS PARTICULAR SITE WILL BE KNOWN FROM HERE ON AS "HANLEY'S STAND"…'
The rest of the writing had since worn away but Garrus figured that most of it was patriotic Alliance mumbo-jumbo. At least he knew where he was: Hallian, a world on the border between human controlled space and turian controlled space. It was the site of a failed colonization effort between the two species. As far as he knew, most of the settlements on this planet had been abandoned. The mining operations had fallen short of funding apparently, especially since the amount of valuable minerals had been "grossly overestimated". With no mining economy, the colony had fallen apart…save for the main settlement which had prospered since the planet's apparent abandonment.
With Kelias in tow, Garrus started towards the abandoned township of Hanley's Stand. He finally had some time to think to himself about what had just happened, as well as feel guilt over what he had accidentally done to Kelias. He was not looking forward to what she would do when she finally regained her senses and looked in a mirror. He doubted that she would be very happy.