Chapter Twenty-Six: Betrayed
Somewhere, below the earth, was a room that smelled of blood. It smelt of decay, of rust, of despair. It was a room for the fallen to hide, and here Monger added fuel to his rage as he allowed it to grow and consume. In the meantime he had his shredded wrist seen to.
Sweat glistened on his paled flesh as his companion cut away the dead, decaying flesh. His companion did not want to say it, but Monger's time hidden in the sewers had caused an infection to spread. It was likely more of the arm would have to be cut away.
He looked up at Monger's strained expression, the krogan who had been hiding in the sewers, surviving on bad varren meat and sour, dirty water. He couldn't bring himself to tell Monger that the rest of the arm would have to be cut away, not when he had survived so far.
"It's bad, isn't it?" Monger gasped. "I can tell, my plates have softened and the flesh reeks."
"Everything from the elbow down must be cut off," his companion replied. "I have the necessary equipment, but not the right parts for any kind of prosthetic."
"Then you better get them," Monger growled. "And soon."
His companion nodded quickly, injected Monger with something he hoped would slow the infection, and quickly left. He know how much patience Monger had left within him, he had spent a week in darkness and now it would take some time for him to adjust to the new prosthetic.
It could take months, maybe a year, before Monger could fully use the prosthetic without pain or complications. Yet he knew Monger would not wait that long, he would be confined for that long while Grunt continued to live his life, as if mocking Monger, showing off the life had missed out on.
...
Some Days Later
Grunt returned from the rubble of the building, again wielding no news. Doubt had crept into his mind, he knew that if the body was not located soon then Monger was alive. It had already been a week and a half, yet Grunt still went to the site, waiting for a body to be brought to the surface.
He decided to return Aralakh's base for another annual update, it would serve as a good distraction. When he arrived he was surprised to see Aeacus sat beside Sif, after everything that had happened between them. Then again, Aeacus was making progress.
He was still a misogynist, you could tell by the way he mumbled whenever a female said something, but he was doing his best to not say his thoughts aloud and he had managed to avoid conflict entirely. He was still on strict probation, but if he continued with this new attitude he would soon be returned to regular duty.
"Anything new, Viv?" Wróg asked.
"I'm happy to say that there are no present dangers facing Tuchanka," she replied. "There are, however, some upcoming trips to Illium in which three of you will be assigned to guard Senator's Quash and Hailot."
"We've been demoted to guard duty?" Durak cried. "That seems a little beneath us, considering all we've done."
"This was expected," Adria said soothingly. "We can't expect Tuchanka to always be in danger, there will be times when we are unnecessary and then we eventually become obsolete. We have to accept that when that time comes we will go separate ways and serve our people in different ways."
"You sound very prepared," Steel remarked.
"I always am," she replied. "I always have a contingency plan. It helps to be prepared."
"Besides our peace, are there any updates on the Monger situation?" Aeacus asked.
Shay'kera glared at him, before giving a sideways glance to Grunt. She had never once mentioned Monger to him, because of all the times Monger had been mentioned Grunt would go off on a rant and proclaim how he was prepared to kill his tank-brother. She preferred to keep such murderous thoughts away from him.
"No word yet," Grunt replied. "The workers have continued to dig, but there is no sign of a body."
"Still?" Durak asked. "Then that must mean he's gone underground, right? Why haven't we gone looking in the sewers?"
"If he is in the sewers then infection would have killed him by now," Wróg retorted.
"Not if he's had help," Adria countered. "I don't believe a man with such goals did not have any help. Even when it came to building and placing the robots, there had to be someone."
"There's no evidence to suggest that," Wróg argued. "We need to find Monger's body and end this search."
"You make it sound easy," Shay grumbled.
"I sense this topic causes distress," Viv interjected. "Perhaps it's best we change our discussion."
"Yes," Shay agreed.
"No," Grunt argued. "Wróg is right, we need to find Monger's body and end this."
"You need to drop it," Shay snapped. "Monger isn't just your problem - he's all of ours. Stop treating him like he's some kind of personal demon."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, with the awkward shared glance. Grunt glared at his girlfriend, not understanding how she could just forget about Monger. Of course he was a personal demon! He had gone out of his way to attack Grunt's friends and family, he couldn't sleep until he knew his family was safe.
"I get your angry at him," she said. "I know you want to keep me safe, but I'm not so defenceless that I'd stumble into a trap."
"This... it isn't about your safety..." Grunt argued weakly.
"It sort of us," Steel said. "I'm your brother and I know you care for the rest of your team, but it's Shay you're worried about. I get it, I would be the same if anyone went after Ryö, but you've got to relax a little."
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll go down and search for his body," Wróg replied.
"I'll go with him," Aeacus offered. "He did try to frame me for murder and I'd like the satisfaction of finding his corpse."
"In the meantime, I advise a distraction," Viv added. "A medical storage facility has been robbed and, while it's slower paced to your usual assignments, it will take your mind off the Monger situation."
"Sounds like a good plan," Shay said. "I'll go with him."
"No, I think Shay should go with Wróg and Aeacus with Grunt," Steel said.
"Why?" Aeacus asked.
There was no insult, no further questioning, none of his usual attitude. Aeacus really had changed.
"You're hatred for Monger may cause problems," Steel explained. "Underground, that's even worse. Besides, you're doing so well around females now may be your chance to prove your worth."
Aeacus considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Good plan," he said.
Grunt wanted to argue, but how childish it would look when not even Aeacus rose to the debate? He decided to drop the subject and go ahead with Viv's suggestion, even if he did not entirely agree with it.
...
They drove in silence to the medical facility, located near the edge of the city of Weyrloc, which had become Tuchanka's main resource of medicine and medical advancements. Weyrloc, which had been one of Urdnot's greatest foes and home of the worst of the Blood Pack was now responsible for saving most of Tuchanka with its advancements in saving lives.
At the facility they were greeted by a young female krogan, the researcher who reported the break-in. She led them in, first stopping at several security clearances and one background check, before taking them to the sight of the break-in.
It was a fairly large room, filled with tightly locked draws and cabinets with double locks. One cabinet had been torn open, the security camera in the corner disabled, yet the door to the room showed no signs of interference. Whoever had broken in had clearance to the room, but not to the things contained within.
"When did this happen?" Grunt asked.
"Last night," she said. "However equipment had been going missing for around four days, nothing big, mostly parts and shielding and then this happened."
"What exactly is contained here?" Aeacus asked.
"Prosthetics," she said. "This company aligned themselves with an asari corporation after the Reaper Invasion and opened a division for creating prosthetics for soldiers. Our biggest achievement was Councillor Shepard's beautiful prosthetics."
"So a prosthetic was stolen?" Grunt asked.
"At first it was just the parts for a prosthetic, stolen over a number of days as I mentioned," she explained. "These parts made a basic layer, the skeleton to put it in better terms, along with shielding to protect the inner layer. But then yesterday a fully operational prosthetic was stolen, like they got tired of trying to make one to fit specifics."
A thought struck Grunt. "This stolen prosthetic, who would it fit?" he asked.
"A krogan," she replied.
"The door doesn't seem to be broken," Aeacus observed. "Any idea who would have access to this sector?"
"Our night guard," she said. "The locks respond to DNA samples, he would have access to the room but not the equipment."
"Then why haven't you called to ask about this incident?" Grunt asked.
"Because..." she sighed, "he's missing. We've called and went over to his apartment, but no one can get hold of him."
Grunt considered the facts and, maybe because he was still thinking of Monger, everything happening right now seemed to go back to the Monger situation. His hand had been destroyed and if infection had settled he would have lost more of the limb, therefore calling upon the need of a prosthetic.
It also supported Adria's theory that he was having help, but from who? Surely not the night guard, he was a resident of Weyrloc so it would have been difficult for Monger to remain in contact with him if Monger was truly hiding in the sewers. Which meant the guard was either dead, or captured.
If all this was true, then it meant Monger was alive.
"The only real evidence of a culprit is some distorted visual footage taken before the surveillance was taken down," she said.
"That's perfect," Grunt said. "If you transfer the file over we'll try to repair it and begin the investigation."
"Thanks," she smiled. "I'd appreciate having this sorted very soon. It was our new model that was stolen."
...
They sat in the cab, Grunt trying to fix the damaged footage while Aeacus informed Viv of the information they had received. It was unlikely they would continue with this case, but what they had found out would help whatever authority would see to the case.
Aeacus turned to Grunt, checking his progress. He had managed to clear some of the distortion, however there was something wrong, he just wasn't sure what. This wasn't like normal distortion, it was a little too clean, but then again it could just mean the thief was sloppy.
He wiped away the layers of distortion, which took some time, then pieced back together the footage. There was no audio, which meant it must have been removed. In the end what he got was a minute clip, the colours tinted from the interference, but it should be enough.
He pressed play.
The footage showed the room from an angle that indicated the camera was above the cabinet that had been broken into. Rather convenient. For a moment there was nothing, then a figure walked across the room. They stopped in the centre of the room, as if considering something, then strode over to the cabinet.
They examined it before raising a biotic-fuelled fist and slammed it into the cabinet, tearing the corner back as easily as opening a tin can. They rummaged inside and pulled out a cylinder tube. Grunt paused the footage, staring in silence at the thief.
The figure was unclear, but clearly krogan, and even with the terrible quality his crests were so clear. They shouldn't jump to conclusions, not without getting a clear image of the thief's face, but those dark purple crests were unmistakable.
Wróg.
...
Deep within the underground tunnels of Urdnot, Shay and Wróg were going deeper and deeper into the dark heart of the world beneath their own. They had come in through the hole created by the building's collapse and with one end blocked, the only possible way was forwards.
Using a map of the underground they began to narrow down the possible holes Monger could hide. If he was alive then he would want a place fairly clean, to prevent serious infections and rising any foul creature, and out of the way from sewer workers.
The only possible destination was an old tunnel intersection several miles in. It was a large space once used for workers to cut across miles of tunnel to reach a location sooner. After the Genophage the intersection became a den for those trying to escape the plague, then it became a pit for Blood Pack until several years ago when the intersection was all but destroyed, leaving only one entrance that was sealed behind a large metal door.
"As good a place as any for a pyjack to hide," she scowled.
"Are you mad at Monger or Grunt?" Wróg asked.
She turned to him, shining her light in his face. He squinted, but didn't object. He knew what it was like to have a partner in a bad mood, how difficult it was to get them to cooperate. When Isandro died Krill had been withdrawn, despite Isandro's earlier mistakes he had become attached to the krogan, despite Wróg's reservations and occasional jolts of envy.
"I want to say I'm mad at Monger," she said, "but really a part of me is mad at Grunt. I know it's selfish to be that way, but he doesn't need to bear the world and its problem on his shoulders."
"Shepard did," Wróg retorted.
"Shepard had her team mates, her lover," she countered. "She bared the world, but when it came to depending on others she didn't hesitate. Grunt is a good leader, but he has a lot to learn."
"Then tell him," Wróg said. "When this is all over just sit down and tell him how you feel."
She considered it, knowing his idea of talking was a lot better than any alternative. They carried on for another twelve or so minutes, then they came across the intersection. The large steel door was tall and wide and contained a much smaller door, allowing for people, instead of trains, to pass through.
Wróg went to the door, bringing up his Omni-tool as he scanned the inside. Shay covered him, her one hand on her gun as she looked down the other end of the tunnel, noticing the lights faded near the bottom where it had been blocked off some years earlier.
"It's empty," he said. "There are traces of a heat signature, which means someone has been here recently."
"That same person could come back," she said, "but we can't turn down this opportunity. Get the door open."
Wróg obeyed, seeing to the automated lock. Shay opened her Omni-tool as he worked. She had to inform Grunt of this new development, while it seemed like a bad decision to further ignite his rage, he would be even angrier if they found something and didn't tell him.
"We've come to the intersection," she said. "No guarantee Monger's in there, but Wróg and I-"
"No, don't!" Grunt cried.
"What?" she asked. "Why?"
"Because Wróg-"
The door to the intersection opened and a shot was fired, catching Shay in the shoulder and sending her to the ground. Wróg watched as Shay fell, then his eyes darted into the darkness of the intersection and there he saw the scarred war monger, rising from the darkness like a dark phoenix.
"You stay right there," he hissed at Shay. "I need you, if I'm going to kill that bastard."
To Be Continued...
I decided to go ahead with the Faust and Giger story, so here is the first chapter. I'd appreciate if anyone would leave a review. It will also be rated M, for violence, language and themes. LINK: s/9290566/1/Beaten-Pyjacks