Brothers In Steel Chapter 24: Coup Part 1
"What exactly have you brought me here, Shay?" asked Henry Lawson, annoyed. Many busy projects involving the Reaper Husks needed to be done today, and he didn't have time for petty intrusions. Henry Lawson was a driven man, with graying hair, furrowed brows, and a slim figure. His obsession was with his legacy, and the experiments he was conducting here were essential to that. What Shay had brought him didn't seem at all useful, not at first glance.
"Sir, this is an unidentified species that we found on Tuchanka. There were no other samples of it, so we had to keep great care to keep it alive," explained Shay, as the two of them walked over to reinforced pen, "Release the specimen!"
A Cerberus soldier up in the command booth pressed a red button to raise down a steel door. At first nothing happened, but then Lawson watched in astonishment as a strange shape began to form out of the darkness, and then a grotesque being appeared, slumping over and walking with a limp.
Its flesh was green-gray and cracked, with many knobby growths placed all over its body. If there had ever been a head it was a gone, covered in a fleshy sac that pulsed with strange energy, tentacle like growths erupting from open sores that leaked white pus on the body. It growled a little bit and stumbled over to the glass wall, bumping into it. This didn't' break its resolve though, and it kept walking into the glass wall. One of its arms had dislocated and swung feebly, limply swaying with each attack.
"This was one of my Science officers. Peter Wesley. He was attacked by smaller specimen, killed and his body transformed into this. The smaller specimen rooted into his body, and now seems to have created a sac around the upper part of his body. It is quite hostile, trying to take it as a specimen cost me two men, one of them also turning into one of these things. That was quite a scare, but they are vulnerable to mass accelerator rounds, if you pour enough into them. Eventually we restrained this one and shipped him here."
Lawson was stunned and asked, "The original specimen possessed its host's body you say?"
"Yes,"answered Shay, "and now controls it in puppet like fashion"
The creature kept walking into the glass and Lawson noted, "It seems to have a single minded intent of killing us."
"I don't think its that intelligent, hold on what's this?"
The upper sac of the creature ruptured, and a loud pop occurred, pieces of green-gray refuse being tossed into up into the air. Small, balloon like animals with tentacles for movment came out, five in all, landing on the ground deliclately and scurrying all over the walls of the pen.
"It just...just...multiplied," said Lawson, astonished.
"It would appear as if we've found out how they reproduce."
"No doubt." Lawson began to think. "The Illusive Man could make use of this, but we have no way to control them. Not yet anyway. I don't think we should dedicate too many research expenses to this, however, with a breakthrough in Husk control on the way. However, we could benefit from some more tests. Shay."
"Yes sir?"
"Round up a few undesirables from the camp. We'll throw them in this pen , and see if we can create some more of these things. But we need to take caution. They don't look friendly, and we don't need this getting out of hand. Just push some people into the pit, I'm sure that will be safe..."
"What's the matter?" asked John to Liara as she passed him by on the crew deck, looking a little bit frazzled.
"Shepard's called me up, apparently there's a situation."
John decided to follow with, and the two took the elevator to the CIC, then walked to the War Room to meet with Shepard. Shepard was looking at a diagram of the Citadel, and he said to them, "Liara, Lieutenant. We've got a situation on the Citadel. Cerberus has taken it."
"How?" asked John. Cerberus was raiding frigated and attacking science bases, but they didn't seem big enough to take on the heart of galactic government.
"No idea, they apparently came out of nowhere, all we got as warning was a message from the C-Sec Commander, Commander Bailey. They've taken the C-Sec headquarters, and if they continue to hold it, and manage to kill off the Council, they'll have control of the station. We can't let that happen. Liara, I'm going to need you on this one. Ever since Grissom Academy, you're the only defense we have against Guardians."
"Right," nodded Liara.
"You want me to come too?" asked John.
"You've fought Cerberus before, so you'll be a good choice. Just bring along Disruptor Rounds in case we run into some heavily shielded enemies, like those Atlas Mechs. We wouldn't want you doing anything foolhardy again, would we?" Even now, Shepard retained a small amount of humor. John had to admire that.
The Normandy's shuttle them took them to the Citadel. The shuttle's "window" gave them a look of the situation. All over the Presidium a mass firefight was raging between C-sec and Cerberus, and Cerberus was obviously gaining the upper hold. Explosions had racked the shopping area John had been to once, and flaming hover cars reduced to slag now laid all over the area, melting. Civilians were running away in the cross-fire, some being mowed down by mass accelerator fire.
Cortez steered the shuttle to the C-Sec hangar, gliding it down low. Even in the hangar, the fight was still going. A group of Turians had the right flank and were being overridden by a large number of Cerberus soldiers. Pools of purple blood had accumulated on the slick chrome floors of C-Sec's front courtyard.
"Okay people, we're coming in hot," commanded Shepard, "Get to Cover."
John and Liara took opposite flanks and John moved around the west side, taking out his new M-11 Wraith Shotgun and blasted the head of an unlucky Cerberus trooper to a bloody pulp. John quickly got into cover as their fire shifted onto him, plinking on the other side. John switched weapons to his Avenger and started laying down suppressing fire for the Commander, while Liara shot out a ball of blue-purple Biotic energy that picked up some unshielded enemies into the air before exploding and hurling them to the wall. The impact killed them.
"Looks like she can handle herself," said Cortana, "I can see why you've gotten friendly with her."
John said nothing, and focused on the battle, moving up until all three of them overran the last of the Cerberus defenders. Smoke lay over the battlefield, and a fire blazed away in the corner of the room. A wounded old man lay in a pool of mixed Turian and human blood, coughing.
"We got wounded here," said John.
"Shepard," the man said, "I saw those Cerberus troops on you. Thought you were done for."
"Isn't the Commander credited for having killed a Reaper?" said Cortana.
"Now's not the time," muttered John, silencing her.
"Bailey, what are you doing here?" asked Shepard.
"Getting my ass shot off, trying to retake Headquarters," the older man explained. The man had a flat top hair cut, a rough visage, and furrowed brows. "Ceberus took it in the first push. We got to kick them out of there. Everyone in C'-Sec's running blind without the network."
"Is this the situation everywhere?" asked Liara, "Are the councilors even stil alive?"
John helped Bailey up, and he said, "They split up. I'll know more when I can get to a terminal."
"Can you get us in?"
"I'll get the door, if nobody stops me with a bullet this time."
Bailey managed to override the locking codes on the door and they entered. He got on the nearest terminal and said, "Here we go. C-Sec network access, courtesy of Cerberus. Cerberus has control of the main channels, but I can set up a new one. Without it, we have no plan and no chance. Hello..."
"What have you got?" said Shepard.
John walked over, his boots crunching on the broken glass.
"A warning from Councilor Valern. He's supposed to be here, meeting with the Executor. 'Be on guard, the likelihood of betrayal from within is high'. Not a lot else, but if he's inside..."
"Who is the betrayer?" wondered John.
"Usually when a Councilor meets with the Executor, they're going to persecute someone big. Maybe this person have Cerberus friends..."
"One Councilor with information is better than Zero. Where can I find him?"
"The Executor's office is defensible, he may have gone to ground when the shooting started," explained Bailey.
"I'm on it," said Shepard defiantly.
Bailey stopped them, "Just a sec...Now we can talk by omni-tool, go!"
With that, the three of them ran out of the room and deeper into C-Sec Headquarters.