Hello audience, it's been a long time.
Let me just say that I sincerely apologize for ignoring this story (and all others) for so long. I've been working my ass of with school, not to mention dealing with some personal issues involving a girl, a teacher, and a manual car. Ten points if you can guess why each are important.
This chapter isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but it should be good enough for now. Also, I highly recommend that people take a look at my other story, Love Amongst Thieves. My writing isn't nearly as bad in that one.
One last thing, I wanted to say thanks for the two people who reviewed while I was busy. I do this for you guys, and finding out that even with my absence, people were reading my story really helped me finish this chapter in time. Hope you guys enjoy this.
(UPDATE)
For any of those reading the little spat between me and another "author" (I would call it a hissy-fit more than anything else) I would just like to clarify: I did NOT say all writers who disagree with my story are second rate. I have great respect for multiple authors who gave my scathingly negative reviews. I appreciate them, and use their criticism to better improve my writing. The only person I was referring to in this instance was the person mentioned above, mainly because it is my own personal view of her writing. That being said, you want to have an argument with me, do it over PM. You'll look less idiotic, and might make more of a point in the debate. I apologize if this interrupts any readers, I felt the need to defend my words. As a writer, I'm sure many of you understand the value of personal speech, and how important it is to get it right.
23 flew across the room, landing in a large collection of monitors. The glass within shattered, and electricity sparked, throwing blue and green hues against the nearby walls. 47 regenerated her structure once more, and started to motion towards 23. He climbed from the wreckage, running at her. The punch he threw was blocked, and 47 returned the favor. The blow caught him in the chest, pushing him back a few feet.
Gasping, 23 slowly started to recover his armor. Beth was too strong, and his attacks did nothing to her, as she simply recharged after every skirmish. He moved towards her again, this time with his blade extended. A roar of anger came from 23, and propelled him farther. He was disappointed however, as 47 caught him once more.
"Something wrong, 23? Can't hold it together?"
They stood apart from each other as she held him by the blade. 23 fought desperately to push against her.
"Damn it Beth, just stop! We don't have to do this!"
47 pushed outwards, shoving 23 against the wall. The impact caused the metal to buckle violently. Beth screamed at him shrilly.
"I had the chance to be happy. You left, and I died. You let them take me. You led them to me! This is your fault, and for that, you will die!"
She ran towards him, slamming a vein-covered hand into his chest. The sound of ice cracking echoed like a gunshot. 23 felt the pressure on his body greatly increase, and he knew he couldn't take much more damage. Unexpectedly, the veins on Beth's arm started to writhe along the appendage, moving closer towards his face. Her fist was pushing farther into his chest, and he could feel the blood covering her hand pulsating.
She was trying to rip through his armor.
23 struggled to throw her back, but the veins had made it to his body, wrapping themselves around his appendages.
This was it.
He couldn't move. Trapped, the veins climbed around his head, blocking out all sight. She would rip through his armor soon, and proceed to add his blood to her collection. He almost sighed from the irony of the situation. Giving up, 23 accepted his fate. 47's voice was the only thing he noticed.
"I look forward to watching that Quarian slut drown from her own blood."
He couldn't fight the image. It appeared in his head before he could avoid it.
47 standing over her body.
Blood flowing from her mouth, as she tried to move away, weakly pulling herself along the dead grass.
Beth's cold laugh echoing over the landscape.
He couldn't explain it. Some part of him, some unnoticed aspect of his person felt it. Even if he didn't know it, he loved her. The image in his mind allowed that small piece of himself to grow, triggering something he wouldn't naturally be able to do.
Roaring with anger, 23 ejected what ice he could outwards. Ripping through the veins covering his body, he brought his arms to bear, slashing whatever he could. There was no time for precision, or lightning accuracy. Instead, he ripped through whatever he could, desperate to get away. After the initial shock of his attack, 47 worked to contain the outburst, but she was too late.
After cutting through enough flesh, 23 stabbed straight out, cutting into 47 with his ice covered blade. A shrill shriek of pain was heard, and the veins surrounding him dropped. He didn't waste time, jumping past Beth, running towards the door. He threw himself through the threshold, slamming the security door down behind him. The glass view-screen allowed him to see what was the cause of the cries of pain. Looking through the port, 23 saw 47 shaking, various blood-riddled veins falling to the ground around her. After a few moments, she fell to the ground, covered in blood. All was silent.
Then, a nudge.
23 couldn't believe it. She was still there, underneath the monstrosity.
She sat up, her body rising as sections of her fleshy shield slid off her. The blonde hair he had remembered her for was there, even with the lack of color it had once been. She raised her blue eyes to look at him. They locked glances. 23 stared as the blood pools around her started to gather, forming themselves together as they moved closer towards 47. They climbed up her slender figure, and continued to cover her body once more. The stomach wound where 23 had stabbed her was slowly filling with the gore, while continuing it's journey north. The transformation looked painful, and soon, 47's screams echoed through the experimentation wing.
23's eyes widened. Turning, he ran towards the exit. Activating his earpiece, he yelled at Kasumi.
"Seal the door! Seal the door now!"
+23, what's wro-+
"DAMN IT GOTO, SEAL THE BLAST DOOR!"
Kasumi's fingers flew over the controls, and the sequence for emergency containment started. She brought her hand up to her ear, and spoke to the assassin.
"Hurry 23. If you don't make it through, I won't be able to open the door again."
+Good. Kasumi, we don't have much time. Is it possible to sever the experimentation wing's connections to the main hub from where you are?+
The thief frowned.
"Yes, but you do realize that would cause the wing to break off from the station? Maybe you've forgotten that this place is built over a valca—"
+Volcano. I know. Listen, do it. I need to destroy this place, and I can't let anything get out alive. Disconnect it+
"23, if you don't make it to the blast do—"
+I know. Do it+
Pausing for just a second, Kasumi started the sequence. Warning lights flashed up in front of her on the screen, and she muttered to herself before hitting the activate button:
"It'd better be a real emergency…"
The sound of grinding metal caught 23's attention, and he glanced back at the emergency door. The entry way buckled heavily, which left silence hanging in the air. A monstrous screech, one that came only from a true abomination, filled 23's ears. The door gave way, and the blood soaked monster ran towards him.
23 didn't think. Turning back towards the exit, he sprinted with the speed and determination he had picked up during his travels. The door had already started to close, and he was still a good distance away. It didn't help that 47 was gaining on him. He ran faster, reaching the very limit of what his current state would allow for. The emergency door was halfway down.
-C'mon, C'MON! You've got a mission to finish. Don't let her stop you from doing what you've worked so hard for-
He wasn't going to make it. The emergency door was only open with a clearance of two feet. Realizing this, 23 dropped to his knees, sliding along the metal. To aid his movement, he liquefied his armor slightly, making him glide frictionless across the material. As he slid beneath the large metal barrier, the door just scraped slightly on his head, leaving some chipped ice. Finally, the seal shut, and 23 heard the pressure increase. A voice came over the loudspeaker.
+Warning. Experimentation Wing damaged. Minus 5 seconds until station disconnection+
47 made it to the door, slashing at the locks. The barrier stood, despite the punishment. 23 sat on the floor, breathing hard. The seal only had to hold for 5 seconds, and then he was safe. His enemy wasn't making those five seconds any slower, as her attacks increased in speed and power. A piece of the hardened material gave way, leaving a large dent in the metal. 23 reached for his light pistol, only to be disappointed.
-Must have fallen off earlier. Damn it-
Finally, the five seconds ended. Thanks to the solid construction of the door, 23 was safe.
47 however, was not.
+Disconnection cycle now complete. Goodbye+
Beth's voice sounded through what cracks existed in the door. Her anger carried along the waves.
"Damn you! DAMN YOU! I'll kill you! Do you hear me 23? NOTHING WILL STOP ME!"
Before he could respond, the sound of metal shearing was heard, and Beth's shrieks of anger were cut off. Sound tore through the blast door as the racket of what sounded like a ship engine took control of 23's senses. After a few moments, he climbed to his feet, staring out the small window.
The experimentation wing was gone. Glancing down into the hole that was left, he saw the large component still falling, close to reaching the core.
23 leaned back, sighing. He was tired, weak, and close to running on empty. Checking what ice he had left, he made sure his armor was still surrounding him. Turning around, he noticed another door. Glancing at the ground, he grimaced.
This was it.
-I've got a meeting with Miranda. Hate to disappoint-
He walked forward, the pain and anger building within him.
-For Lyla-
Miranda pointed through the trees, directing the two guards towards the shuttle.
"We can escape with that. Wait. What are you doing?"
The two men behind her quickly pulled their weapons free, arming the heat sinks. Bringing the rifles up, they aimed at Miranda. Corporal Rowe spoke first.
"Sorry Lawson, but this isn't your show. Never was. We've just gotten orders from Obediah to make sure you don't get out of here alive."
Rowe smirked.
"Call it his insurance policy."
Miranda stared at the guns being pointed at her. Was this really how it ended? Quite anticlimactic in reality, yet she had no intention of going peacefully. She made a slow movement towards her gun, Durand fired, leaving a small hole in the ground next to her.
"Don't move. We're not stupid, Lawson. I do have to say though, it's been nice working with you. Say goodnig-"
Two shots rang out, which were followed by two bloodstains on the ground in front of Miranda. Rowe clutched his throat, eyes bulging out. Blood leaked from between his fingers. Durand fell lifelessly into the dirt, the cause of his death was soon attributed the back of his head missing. Miranda barely noticed the two dead men, instead, focusing on the source of the shot. Scanning to her left, she spotted the familiar purple fabric she had associated with someone she considered to be a waste.
Tali'Zorah.
Stepping out from behind the tree, she brought up her pistol, aiming it at Miranda's head. Walking forward carefully, Tali took special notice of the surroundings, just in case she needed some cover.
"Got you."
Lawson's eyes bulged, and she prepared to assault the Quarian as best she could.
But then, she realized something.
-She isn't here for me. She's here for that monster. I can get out of this-
"I didn't expect you to come by yourself, Zorah. Given my previous encounters with aliens, they tend to avoid confrontation with their betters."
Tali gritted her teeth. She knew that killing Miranda was a bad idea. This was 23's thing. However, the operative wasn't making it any easier.
"You'd be surprised by what we aliens can do. That's not why I'm here though, and I'm sure you know why I am."
Miranda smirked, close to laughing at Tali.
"Not entirely surprised. Then again, I didn't realize it was possible for someone like you to…"
She paused.
"What's best way to say this…"
Miranda widened her smirk.
"Get hung up on a walking monstrosity?"
Tali fought the urge to shoot the Cerberus operative right there.
"How could you. What did 23 ever do to deserve what happened to him? How can you possibly justify what you did?"
Miranda took a few steps forward, waving her head back and forth as she walked. Tali tightened her grip on the pistol.
"We did what we had to. The alien threat was too powerful, and we needed a weapon."
Once again, she paused, hoping to emphasize a point.
"And that's all he is. Trust me, Quarian, there is nothing worth saving in that frozen shell."
Tali spoke, her accent covering the emotion in her voice.
"You don't know what he's capable of. What kind of person he is."
Miranda laughed.
"Please. I know him better than you could possibly begin to. I know what hurts him, I know what he wants, what he dislikes, I even know what he fears. Face it Tali'Zorah, you have no idea who he is."
The operative narrowed her eyes, doing a fair job at piercing Tali's protective mask with her gaze.
"I only wish I could savor the pain you feel. What do you think he'll do when I'm dead? Settle down and hold you in his arms? We ruined him, Zorah. He won't ever rest, won't ever find peace. Lyla was just one small pawn in everything. He'll burn himself out on hate and rage, and you'll get to watch helplessly as he does it."
Without Tali's knowing, Miranda activated her biotics, focusing on a tree to the left of the Quarian. She gave one last small smile.
"I've won, Tali. 23 is dead. Now, you can join him."
Miranda gave a small shriek, ripping the tree towards Tali. Bark and shards of wood flew at whirlwind speeds, which would have impacted the angered woman, had she been standing there. Luckily, Tali had dived out of the way, due to the small energy reading she had gotten from Miranda's amp. The move wasn't entirely successful though, as the gun she had before was now pinned under some debris. Climbing to her feet, Tali turned, hoping to find Miranda. Instead, she saw the tight-suited woman disappear into the trees.
-You can't run forever Miranda. This ends here-
With that final thought, Tali ventured into the artificial forest, unsheathing her knife, ready for combat.