Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mass Effect, Bioware, BioSarge, TomAnex, Majestic Sapling, or GoldenBlackHawk.
Gunfire. A sound I've become comfortable with, is the first to bring me to focus. A face in front of mine becomes visible. Faceplate. Quarian? Quarian, green. Yelling, pulling me backwards. I look down briefly. Me too? No, Human. Rifle in hand. Upwards, more gunfire and a familiar sight. Geth. No more command is needed.
Moving, shooting. Backwards, a retreat. But we got what we came for. What did we come for though? Hazy. Data, of some kind. Technology.
The gunfire slacks off a moment, and a ship lands. More Quarians step out, and I see a purple visor. I push to the front, but the suit is wrong. Black, and I see the visor is more muted and gray. More words, confusion, and pain. The pain forces me to the ground, facing upward.
The same green visor, leveling a shotgun at me. The sound of a charge, and an orange blast.
My eyes snap open, focusing on the wall. Cargo bay. I close my eyes again, breathing deeply. What in the hell was that dream? Already it's fading, but... It wasn't the usual breed of nightmare. It felt... Real.
I'm shaken from my considerations by the shifting girl next to me. At some point she moved to lay down, curling up next to me. I slowly slide away, stretching my legs a bit. I look at the shotgun lying next to her, and remember to unfasten the bracer on my left arm, setting it down next to her.
I maneuver down the APC, sliding down the lift and hitting the deck with barely a whisper. Garrus and Kaiden are the only people in attendance, and look up at me as I approach.
"Cory," Garrus says, smirking. "Glad you could come down."
"Yeah," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "What time is it?"
"Seven." Kaiden says. "You two were up there for a while.." He drifts off a moment before they both start chuckling. I tense up a bit, but shake my head.
"Just fell asleep, you pervs." Kaiden calms a little before speaking.
"Nah, it's alright." He says, smiling. "You two are just adorable together."
"You're an idiot."
"And he's right." Garrus interjects. "But, most everybody thought you two went to Engineering, and Engineering thought you went to the upper deck. We'll keep quiet about it.. For now." He adds sinisterly.
"Gee, thanks." I mutter, getting into the elevator.
"Where are you going?" Kaiden asks.
"Bed."
"Why aren't you going to bed together?"
"KAIDEN I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL-" And then I'm shouting at a wall. Getting angry only confirms their suspicions. But that brings up something else. Are they right? Are we a couple now? I mean, I'm not narcissistic enough to think I'm all that, but... We find peace with each other. She makes me smile. And I've done more for her than others would. Or have I? I had the benefit of not hating Quarians for three hundred years.
The elevator shudders to a halt, opening up to the lower deck. I step out, muttering to myself. "Not like it would be such a big jump. And she's attractive, from what I've seen. Not like that suit leaves much to the imagination... Or does it?" I shake my head. "NOT a thought I should fall asleep on." I open up my room, flopping down on the bed. I'm thinking too far into this. I'll just see what tomorrow brings me.
(Tali)
But what do I do? We fell asleep sitting there, and I was comfortable. Safe. But now... I woke up alone, twice. I don't know what to think of the whole thing. It was nice, but... How could we even have a relationship?"Tali." I can't leave this suit often, and to try would risk my life. Plus, is he even interested?"Tali." I mean, he said the necklace was a friendship thing, but it's different in my eyes... Plus, it was his own, it wasn't that big a deal to him. And the blade he left... What was that? "TALI."
I jump, shaken out of my thoughts. "Are you alright?" Cory asks me as we stand in front of our stations.
"Um.. Yeah, yeah I'm okay." I say quickly. Too quickly, as Cory catches onto my turmoil. Or a part of it.
"Tali, you can talk to me." He says, and I'm compelled to despite the state of my mind.
"Well, I was just wondering... About last night." God Why do I sound so nervous?
He takes some time to consider the statement. He looks me up and down, reading my body language before I can conceal it. Emotions flick across his eyes, too fast and too varied to follow. But as soon as I see something, it vanishes behind that mask.
"Tali," He starts. "I haven't known you long, but you're one of the better people I know. We were happy and cozy, and fell asleep. It happens with friends. So relax, okay?" He finishes, and I relax a bit. Yes. I put too much thought into a simple occurrence. 'Talk about a lack of experience.' I chastise myself, and return to my work.
(Cory)
Uncomfortable. She looked at me, and felt uncomfortable with the idea. Not that I really thought it would be anything else. I'm hardly an attractive guy, I'm cold, uncaring at times, and I have more blood on my hands than anyone but Wrex on this ship. I'm a psycho at best.
My self-deprecating thoughts bug me over the next couple of days, always on the back of my mind. I haven't spoken to Tali much since then, and only in small talk. We roam a bit in space, taking care of the odd distress call that people only want Shepard to handle. I train, talk to my crew members, and generally distract myself from my thoughts. But today's work. Not so much.
"Better, Tali. But not good enough."
"I'm trying." She replies grumpily.
"Part of it's the blade itself." I reason. We're training with blades today, and Tali isn't quite meeting the high standards Garrus and I set."Here." I slide a sheathed blade from under my jacket.
"You and that jacket." I chuckle. "Do I even want to know how many knives you have stored in there?" I look down at it, mentally counting.
"Four large ones, about half a dozen small-bladed ones, balanced for throwing."
"How often does that come in handy?" She asks as I place the blade in her hand.
"You'd be surprised. Okay," I start. "Where did you get your blade?" I ask her, looking over the four-inch flip blade.
"It was a gift for my pilgrimage," Tali says rather sheepishly. "From my aunt."
"I guess she doesn't know her blades too well." I mutter, earning a frown from Tali. "Here." I unsheathe the blade I handed her. "This is a M-Tec Huntsman Knife, fixed five-point-five-inch tanto blade, single-edged with saw teeth on the other side." She wields the blade, already finding better balance in it. "Now, let's start again."
it's an hour later when I call it, wiping blood away from a couple of nicks on my face. "Much better, Tali."
"High praise from a boogeyman." She jests, pointing at my outfit. I shake my head a bit.
"Most people fear the original outfit, But it was too flashy, too noticeable." I explain, looking down at my clothing. "This jacket used to be an entire overcoat, with something covering my pants as well. But I grew out of that." I say with a smile.
"So, this one is lower profile." Tali reasons out.
"Yup. Entirely ballistic cloth, with a hardened chest piece under it," I tap my chest a bit." And simple, durable armor down my entire body. Style and protection." I finish.
"Too much flourish, but good presentation." Tali chuckles as the elevator doors open. "Shepard." She greets him. "What's up?" He looks at her funnily.
"What's up?" He asks, and she tenses a bit.
"Well, I was.. Just emulating certain speech patterns. It's normal when-"
"It's okay, Tali." He cuts her off, smiling. "I just never heard you say something like that. Anyways," He addresses the Cargo Bay at large now. "We have a lead. A Salarian recon team sent a high priority message to the Citadel, but it was incomplete. Whatever they found it's big, so we're heading to Virmire now to investigate. ETA, three hours." 'What?'
"Virmire, Shepard?" I ask, uneasy.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"...Nothing." Death. Ground breaking revelations. All too soon.
"Well, clean yourself up then." He smirks, pointing at my cut cheek. "Back to training."
"Yeah." I mutter, closing my eyes a moment. 'Not good. What about Noveria? What should I say? Should I say anything? It seems cold, but saying anything may only make it worse.'
As my mind rages, Tali speaks up. "Cory?"
"Yeah."
"You okay?"
".. I gotta talk to Shepard."
It doesn't take long to reach his room, though it feels like I walk miles. I knock, entering when I hear a "Come in."
"Cory," Shepard says, turning from his desk. "What can I do for you?" I lean against the wall, taking a small breath.
"Shepard, hypothetically, if you know something, or at least think you know something, about how things are gonna go, you change it for the better right? But changing it, you change other things for the worse. You mess with your knowledge of it. And then you don't know what's going to happen. Things change up, switch."
"What do you mean?" He asks me.
"What I'm asking," I say hesitantly. "Is whether or not you speak up when you have a feeling something is going to happen, but you can't be sure. What you may think you know turns out to be wrong, and it costs you. Do you say something, when you can't be sure of the outcome?"
Shepard takes a long look at me, considering his words before speaking.
"As for what you're talking about... Something like that isn't actionable intel, and uncertainty could cause problems. Keep it to yourself, and act where you can." I nod a bit, before turning to the door. "This is all hypothetical, right?"
"Of course, Shepard." I say, without meeting his gaze.
"Alright everyone, let's go." I watch as Shepard loads his ground team for the initial drop. None of that for Liara or I, it seems. Gives me time to consider things.
Blood may be spilled without my intervention. I've treated the whole thing as though it was set to a script, but life, real life, is unpredictable. So I need to do what I can. Hopefully, it'll be enough.
It's eerie, listening to the comms as Shepard and Company make their way through the Geth between them and the STG team. They make good time, with their combined gunfire and Shepard's... 'Unconventional' driving style. Soon, They've arrived.
It's not long before Liara and I are called down to the ground, heavy armor repaired now, and I take a look at the camp. The ground team is fairly spread out, all looking at the beach where Shepard and Wrex are at a standoff. It looks tense, but as I move towards the Salarians, something agreeable must've been said, because they both make their way over. Shepard is quick to explain the STG Captain's plan, and makes up the teams, placing Ashley at the helm of the first group of Salarians, and Kaiden prepping the nuke. I get ready to help Shepard move out, but he stops me.
"I need you, Garrus, and Liara to investigate the labs." He tells me. "Saren has been working on some very secretive projects here, if the manifests the STG team found are anything to go on. I need the three of you to bring back anything that might help us, and document the rest on the helmet cams. Understood?" He addresses us. "Good. You'll make your move the same time we do. There aren't any maps of that part of the facility, so be careful. As soon as the AA towers are down, however, you move back to the ship, no matter what you find. Good luck."
Soon, the groups are divided, And we're set to move. I nod to Shepard as we head underground. The large cave structure the scans revealed offer a way in that would have far fewer defenders once the Salarians started knocking on the front door. The three of us had little trouble making it to the door, dispatching the Geth units with little trouble. In a moment, we line up against the wall. Garrus silently counts down and leads the breach inward into darkness. Flashlights are up in a breath, bathing the metallic corridor in light.
"Shadow, this is Recon. We're making our way into the facility proper now." Garrus reports.
"Roger that, Recon. We're taking care of some Geth infrastructure out here, and will be inside soon. Report anything important you find. Shadow, out." Shepard responds.
Garrus nods to me, and we move out.
(Shepard)
One last shotgun blast from Tali, and the Krogan doctor finally goes down. "This place is filled with madness." Wrex rumbles as he looks at the equipment. Considering the Salarians form earlier, I can't help but agree.
"Let's move." Moving through the room, I marvel at how well we work together, coming from people on the opposite ends of the spectrum. 'A thief and a warlord, as the Council would say.' The Geth troopers on the other side of the door don't stand a chance when faced with two shotguns, and we stack up beside the next one. Like a storm, we're through.
"You!" Wrex thunders. "Behind the desk. Come out, slowly, with your hands up!" Slowly, an Asari scientist comes into view, shaking a little.
"Please, don't kill me." She begs. I decide to take control of the conversation.
"Who are you?"
"Rana. Rana Thanoptis." She stammers out.
"What were you doing here?"
"Research." She starts. "I was hired by Saren, to study the effects of indoctrination."
"What did you find?" I ask.
"It's strange," She starts to explain. "The signal emanates from that ship, and from other objects related to it, but it's an organic signal. It's like an insistent whisper, one you're unable to ignore. Given enough time, you're a slave to it. doing what it commands of you." A chill runs through the group at this. "But it's far more dangerous than that."
"What do you mean?"
"It affected more than the test subjects." She says. "My first test subject was my predecessor. No known resistance has been shown, but it changes you. Some subjects we had here, they were fully under control, but utterly damaged, unable to function normally."
"Wait, you did that to the Salarians?" I ask, only to be cut off.
"You're sick!" Tali growls. "How could you do that to living people?"
"Like I had a choice!" Rana lashes back. "This isn't something you can exactly walk away from. I would've been the experiment instead." She sighs. "Look, Saren is worried. He's worried he's being indoctrinated too, but the level of control Sovereign has affects how much the host can function. Saren is still himself, but he has to make sure he's still needed in order to keep his sanity." Rana sighs. "Please, I just want to leave this place. You can have access to Saren's private lab." I consider it a moment, before telling her to run. The reaction is priceless, and I savor it a moment before continuing. We're into the lab in a moment, only to find something incredible.
"A beacon." Tali murmurs.
"Just like on Eden Prime." I hesitate approaching it a moment, steeling myself for what might happen. One more step, and I'm ensnared again.
Death. On an unimaginable scale. Reapers, slaughtering everyone. But this time, clearer. A message, a sanctuary. But where?
I fall to the ground, breathing hard. Tali and Wrex are at my side in a moment, lifting me up. "What did you see?" Wrex asks me.
"I'm still not sure.." I mutter, groaning a bit. "It's all jumbled." My thoughts are interrupted by Recon. "Shadow squad come in."
"Go Recon."
"We've got some interesting stuff here, a lot of tech and research in the experimental. We also have a scientist who helped the STG get here."
"Yeah, we've got our own breed of that up here. Retrieve what you can, and bring the scientist to the Normandy. Shadow, out." I look around, noting the console above us. "Let's go."
(Cory)
We move quickly down the corridor, moving inward through the facility. Geth crop up in ones and twos, but the distraction above is proving invaluable. Soon we reach an end to labyrinth of corridors and rooms. We enter, staring out at a multitude of workbenches, computer terminals, and various whiteboards. From our balcony, a lone Salarian spots us, setting down his Data-pad. "I've been expecting you."
"You have?" Liara asks him as we descend the stairs.
"Well," He starts. "Not you, specifically. But once I knew what Saren had in mind, people coming to stop it wouldn't be far behind. My name is Galin Moros. I'm the one who leaked information to the STG."
"Why?" He's pensive for a moment.
"I became afraid of what Saren's been trying to develop here." He turns his gaze from us. "I knew that the experiments here were morally questionable, but he was still a recognized Spectre then." I start to look over some of the equipment here as he continues. "Geth weaponry, shield tech, directed energy weapons research, cybernetic augmentation, it was a scientific dream." He says bitterly. " I was blinded by the possibilities, I didn't consider the reason for it all. The purpose."
"What purpose, Doctor?" Garrus asks as Liara reports in to Shepard.
"Please, I'm just a researcher." He mentions quickly. "And Saren is gearing up for some sort of attack. I don't get many details down here, but the word "Conduit" was mentioned several times by the lead scientists here."
"That's something I wanted to ask, Mr. Moros." I speak up, looking away from the turret design on the bench. 'Nine barrels bound in threes, rate of fire would be through the roof.' " Where are the other scientists? You can't manage a lab of this magnitude alone."
"Dead." He says quietly. "Saren traced the signal sent out back to the labs, and executed the entire staff. Revenge for the betrayal. I survived by using the tech I was working on." He pulls a small box off of his waist. "It's a stealth-field generator. very small battery, very unstable, but it hid me from sight as well as masked my heat signature. This was the first time I've gotten it to work." He adds as an afterthought.
I'm about to ask another question when one of the doors starts to spark along the top. Slowly, it drags downward. "They're cutting through the doors!" Garrus is the first to speak, moving back to take cover behind a bench. Liara and I follow suit as I drag Galin with me. He leans towards me a moment.
"Who are you people?" He asks me.
"We work with a Spectre, tasked with bringing Saren down."
"Is that so..." He's quiet as he considers his next move. "Take this." He mutters, pressing a small OSD into my hand. "Tell nobody you have it." I have no time to question this strange request, as Geth units burst through the door. I'm up and firing in that same instant. Left, six shots, stripping away the shield. Liara biotically grabs a hold of the vulnerable unit not a second later, flinging it into it's comrades. Overload bursts and rifle fire flies from Garrus's position as I continue my fire. before long, the lab is quiet.
"We need to get topside and report back." Garrus says as we come out of cover. I make a split-second decision, one that I knew I would come to question.
"Go." I tell him. "I'm gonna head forward, towards the AA towers. see if I can back them up."
"That's not our mission." Garrus says. "Our mission is to get this man back to the ship."
"Which is simple," I argue. "The way back is clear. But our guys are gonna need support."
"Well, you shouldn't go alone then." Liara speaks up. "I'll go with you." I shake my head.
"Go with Garrus."
"No way." She returns. "It's like you said, they way back is clear. Which means heading forward, you're gonna need help." I start to argue again, but she cuts me off. "You think I can't handle it?"
"I didn't say that." I respond, almost reaching up to rub my temples before realizing the futility. "Look... Fine, but we've got to get going." I turn to Garrus. "Are you good to get him back to the beach?"
He nods, uneasily. "For the record, I think this is a bad plan."
"Noted. Liara, let's move."
(Shepard)
My mind is reeling from what Sovereign told me. I'm only half in the fight, pressing forward to deactivate the AA tower. '"A cycle." It said. One that has been going for longer than anything we know of. How do you stand up to something like that?' Before long, Tali's shutting the gun down. "All teams, report."
"Shadow, this is Recon." Garrus reports in. "I've moved the scientist to the beach. Bomb site reported hot, Normandy is here. Two of the three Salarian teams are present. Liara and Cory are en route to the AA towers to support."
"Bomb site, report." I order. gunfire comes across the comms.
"This is bomb site." Kaiden reports. "I got pinned down. Geth forces just keep coming. Bomb's ready to go, and assistance would be appreciated."
"Shadow, this is Aegohr team." Ashley reports. "AA gun two is down, but we're in trouble. Damn Geth have us in a crossfire, and we need assistance."
"Shadow, this is Epsilon." Cory cuts in. "We are close to tower two, and will assist Aegohr."
"Roger that Epsilon. Shadow will move to the bomb site. Help's on the way everyone."
(Cory)
We make good time to the second tower, coming out of the elevator on the Geth's flank. We're quick to even the fight, and combined fire from both sides levels the remaining units. Ashley steps out and moves to greet us, when I feel it.
Sometimes, a sixth sense will kick in. In that heartbeat of time, I realize that something's headed for us at high speed. I have only a moment to shove Liara and myself into cover as biotic attacks rain down from above. I hear cries of agony as some of the Salarians are assaulted by the the warps, their atoms being shifted and torn apart. "Saren!" I call out, almost growling at the floating Turian.
"Hmm." He muses. "The Geth were convinced that the Salarians were the real threat. Clever." He looks at me. "You aren't Shepard, but I doubt he's far behind. Or has he left you for dead, so he can secure the bomb? It doesn't matter. This place has no value for me now."
"So Saren, you're just giving up the research?" I ask him, mostly to buy time as Ashley talks to Shepard. "You're not worried about becoming a thrall?"
"No." He says. "Sovereign needs me, needs my mind intact. I am trying to prove to him that we're important, that we deserve exemption."
"You fool." I say, and he flinches. "How long have they been doing this? Do you really think anyone will be spared? You've been indoctrinated!"
"No!" He shouts. "I am securing my specie's place. The Cycle is coming to an end, but my people will survive!"
"Listen to yourself! Sovereign is controlling everything you say or do. The only thing you are bringing is the extinction of your people!" I try against rational thought to convince him, but all I do is piss him off. I only have a moment to duck back down as he fires his rifle at my head. I respond in kind as we fight for our lives.
(Shepard)
We're running back towards the bombsite, only to be stopped by a sealed door. "Tali."
"On it!" She's quick to start overriding the lock as a voice comes over the comms channel.
"Commander-" Kaiden is quick to be cut off. " Commander Shepard. This is Matriarch Benezia."
"Kaiden?" I call. It's quiet a moment, and then my gut drops. A gunshot.
"No."
"Commander, your teammate lies dead." I'm short on breath, bile bubbling up my throat as the toneless voice continues. "The others are face to face with Saren and will soon follow without help. The bomb is armed and can't be stopped now. Go, and save them." All is quiet as I try to react to what just happened. Tali and Wrex are talking to someone on comms, but It's fuzzy as I try to process the fact that my friend is dead.
"Shepard!" I look at Tali as she's pulling my arm. "Shepard, I know how you're feeling but we've got to go. We need to get to Saren before it's too late." 'Grief. It affects us all in different ways. I need to bury mine, for just a little bit.' I start running too, hoping we're not too late.
(Ashley)
Things are looking bad. Aegohr team is dead or badly wounded, Saren's doing all he can to kill us, and we're running out of luck. I keep firing, and I watch as Saren dismounts his glider, only to start heading towards me. Crap.
I unload on him, dropping my assault rifle as he gets close, but he's just too fast. In a moment, he has me by the throat, and instinct drives my hands to his, trying to pry his fingers apart, when my brain lights ablaze from the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I look down, staring at Saren's robotic arm, his claws buried deep in my gut. I choke and flail slightly as it feels like my insides are running out through my abdomen. Something must've run into him, because he drops me.
The damage is immediately apparent when I try to move, only getting blinding pain in response. What's so much worse, is the feeling of nothing from my legs. I force my focus upward, to Liara lying dazed in the ground and Cory doing his best to fight Saren weaponless, but Saren's biotics aren't making it a fair fight. Soon, Cory slams into the wall as Saren draws a shotgun. I can feel my hands going numb as my strength leaves them, but I do my best to aim my pistol in his general direction. I feel, rather than hear my pistol go off before I drop it. It seems to work, as Cory haves enough time to tackle him. My vision starts to spark, like little flash bulbs going off as it fades. I hear more gunfire, but it's far away. Quiet. My thoughts are sporadic as they become harder to hear. 'The one thing I could do to bring honor to my name, and it's probably classified. Oh well. No need to worry now. I'm sorry, Shepard.' Somebody is calling my name. Please, Lord. Forgive your humble servant.
A/N: It's been too long, obviously. I don't have a good excuse for it. I'm just a fuckup like that. But, no longer. I'm done fucking around, and this story will go back to update more than once a season, more than once a month. Hopefully, back to how it updated in the beginning. I'm so very sorry for letting it go this far guys. I don't blame you for being pissed. But I'm promising now that this story will come back!
This chapter... it isn't worth the wait, but it's simply a "More to come." Thank you all for coming this far with me. I appreciate it. While you're reading this, I'm updating the previous chapters, cleaning up my grammar and general unprofessionalism. As always, let me know what you think. Like it? Love it? Absolutely hate it and need to tell me how bad it is? Let me hear it! I'm always open to P.M., and, at the suggestion of a friend, I started a page on Face-Crap (Book). I check that site more than this one, so if you wanna get a hold of me, or whatever, you can. It's the same name as this story.
Thanks everyone. And thanks in particular to Food Ninja for giving me the kick in the ass I so desperately needed. And I do want to hear from the people who're actually happy about this. :3
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