PROPHECY
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
VICTIM OF THE VICTIM
August 25, 2185
1444 hours.
Landing Platform, Hermes Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Grunt.
The heavy bulk of the cerberus hammerhead-model assault tank fell through the clouds of Aite, the Normandy souring out of the atmosphere as the sizable vehicle descended upon the Hermes facility. According to the Illusive Man's data, it was where Gavin Archer was stationed and was the last station on the planet to go silent. It was also the least likely to be packed with hacked geth or security mechs.
Due to Aite's extremely low atmospheric conditions, they impacted the landing platform much faster than previously predicted. The hammerhead's landing thrusters kicked in, allowing them for a soft landing as Marcus disengaged the hoverpods and opened the hatch, grabbing his weapon and stepping out, followed by the rest of his makeshift squad.
As he stepped out and his team moved about, he took a brief look of his surroundings. Obviously, Cerberus had taken precautions against outside hostile lifeforms; a large, thirty feet high wall acting as the perimeter for the large base, all colored the same dull, grey, white and gold color of Cerberus, followed by the insignias themselves. The walls were thick and reinforced by support struts. Ontop of the walls were what looked to be automated heavy turrets, but they were offline. A large, titantium blast door, probably half as thick as the wall itself, stood vigil in the center of the wall; the gate to the outside world. Luckily, it was sealed shut.
To his right, was the main facility. Large glass panels allowed a close, unique view of an abandoned lab and a door, green interface still operational, stood opposite it. Looming in the distance was a monolithic satellite dish, standing as tall as some of the biggest skyscrapers in existence; the dish being roughly the size of an alliance light cruiser. As he motioned for his team to move towards the door, a voice came over the PA system.
"Thank god you came!" The voice stated, "My name is Doctor Gavin Archer. The situation is urgent; we're facing a catastrophic VI breakout. Look, I'll explain the details later but you must retract the transmission dish! If you don't, Overlord will use it to transmit offworld! Please hurry! I'll guide you through it! And be careful, Overlord took control of the mechs."
With a nod, he turned to his team, "Kaidan, Grunt, you've got the honor of taking point. Tali, Kasumi, you're with me at the center. Garrus, Zaeed, I want you covering the rear and to provide sniper support when the time comes. Let's move out people; we're oscar mike."
Opening the door, they immediately cleared a stairway leading down into a quarantine, 'arrivals greeting' sort of area. Well, it had been, until Overlord rebelled. Now the place was completely trashed, with large fires being seen raging behind glass observation windows, dead bodies of both mechs, scientists and guards alike, along with numerous scorch marks on the walls from explosions. A battle had raged here.
Just as they passed through the area, one of the large holographic screens on a terminal above lit up, the face of a cerberus scientist popping up on the screen. The man wore a casual cerberus uniform with the nametag of chief scientist on his left breast. He wore red hair that was trimmed to the back of his head, with the outline of a growing beard forming around his mouth. His irises were a aqua blue color, and his ears slightly oriented outward. This was Gavin Archer.
"Ah, there you are," he greeted with his thick canadian accent, "I've locked myself in a computer room on the far side of the base. All the security mechs are running rampant under Overlord's subjugation. I think I'm the only survivor."
Marcus nodded, drinking the man's words in. Meanwhile, his team was busy cleaning shop, checking doors, moving desks and cleaning up bodies. Tali was busy hacking into a terminal to find anything of use while Kasumi watched the stairway.
"I must warn you that Overlord is extremely intelligent, angry and very powerful," Archer warned him, "It has complete control of all stations and won't hesitate in trying to kill you. I've already lost alot of friends to it...I'd hate to see you join them. If you can retract the dish, it should not only stop Overlord from transmitting offsite, but it should lose connection to Hermes and make it safe for me to leave. I'll explain everything then. Just please...take down that dish!"
The terminal switched off and Marcus approached Tali, the quarian shaking her head, "I gather we've found nothing?"
"Nothing. Not a single byte of data. Overlord's purged most systems," The engineer explained before facing him, "Only way to find out is from this Archer person. We have to hope he has the answers we need."
The spectre simply nodded, motioning for everyone to hit the door, "Agreed. We take out the dish and find this Archer. Overlord has to be stopped."
They continued down a short corridor, coming across more bodies and signs of battle. Still no hostiles. After crossing the hall, they reached what looked to be the control room for the facility. Or at least, that's what the huge, bold words said. And gather from the multiple computer screens and consoles that occupied the room, he'd have to guess so. He asked Kasumi to look around for the switch and when the thief did, she hit it, causing a loud screeching sound. The dish, as seen in the distance, began to retract, but before it fully disappeared, it came to a screeching halt. What came next was completely unexpected.
All the terminals flickered on, the image of a almost human looking face appearing on the screen. But it wasn't a normal human; no, this was an AI. It's human looking face was pixelated by small cubes, all a light lime color with two, piercing green eyes. It spoke, mouth unmoving, the sound carrying from it's throat like a thousand geth screaming at the same time, words unintelligble. The noise was so defeaning, his team had to cover their ears to block it out, Tali switching off her auditory emulators. Grunt seemed unbothered by it. When it was finished, the screens returned to normal. It was obvious who stopped them and who that was.
Overlord.
Gavin's face replaced Overlord's quickly, "Damn it! That damn AI has overriden the controls and locked you out of the mainframe. The only way you can take down that satellite now is the old fashioned way; you'll have to blow it up. Make your way over to the dish. I wish you luck; the mechs are thickest in that area."
Marcus rolled his eyes as Archer's face disappeared once more, "We haven't encountered any yet. Come on, we'll take the skytram to the other side of the facility. Move."
As they moved further inside and towards the tram station, the more Overlord decided to pop up. Every terminal held Overlord's sickly green pixelated face, either blankly staring at them or making odd noises. But if one listened closely, words could be heard. Although hard, the words were there. And it didn't make sense to him at all.
Finally, they reached the tram station. Just as they were about to board it however, they were suddenly swarmed by a squad of LOKI mechs and a couple of FENRISes, all swarming from above stairways and from the tram itself. Unlike normal mechs of their design however, their optics weren't a dull red, but a pulsing green. Seemed to be Overlord's signature color. If it was green, the AI did it.
The fight was pathetic at best. Even with the AI controlling them, the mechs weren't much better at combat. Compared to the elitism of his squad, the mechs stood no chance at were ripped apart at leisure. It was a delaying action at best; and even then they weren't delayed much. Reaching the tram, they began their journey across the bridge of the mountain.
The ride was short but long. When they arrived at the dish access base, they found it in a even worser looking state than the other half of the base. Fires everywhere, dead bodies all over, slaughtered guards and walls full of holes from explosions. Thickest was right. When they stepped outside, they found a catwalk of pathways leading to the monolithic satellite dish. It was absolutely massive; fitting his criteria of being as large as a light cruiser. On the catwalks were the completely clueless forms of numerous LOKI and FENRIS mechs. It was a good thing this place didn't employ YMIRs.
Apart from slight hitches in progress due to a damaged part of the catwalk, mowing through the enemy forces their was laughable at best. It was more a practise session than an actual battle. He could only imagine the geth at the other stations...all under Overlord's control...Most of the time he didn't even bother using his pulse rifle; just opting to use his SMG or pistol to pick them off.
Finally, they reached the satellite dish itself. It had been a simple matter of extending the bridge to access it, quickly moving inside the large structure. Once again, the mechanized resistance was pathetic and ascending to the top of the dish was just too easy. I'll never understand the dependence on these useless pieces of scrap.
The top was an entirely different business. Although there were no mechs, he did have to destroy the main antenna. Which was a one way trip. Instead, he knew just what to do as he grabbed his missile launcher. He turned to his team, grinning all the way, "All of you, get off the dish. I'm going to take down this bastard myself."
Garrus was skeptical, "And you?"
"I'll make my daring escape. Don't worry, it'll be spectacular."
Tali wasn't as convinced, "And if it isn't and you plunge to your death?"
Marcus shrugged, "Well...that'll suck."
The quarian was quick to swat his arm, "Don't joke about that!"
He shared a grin with the engineer, "You really think I'm going to let a satellite dish kill me Tali? Don't worry, I'll be fine! Now get your fine ass at of here!" He barked, making a poor imitation of Ken's accent in his last line. Tali merely giggled at his attempt before following Garrus and the others off of the dish. When Garrus contacted him to tell the spectre that everyone was off safely, he aimed the launcher at the center of the antenna and fired a steady stream of three missiles before running towards the edge with all his strength.
His cybernetics surprised him once more, managing to carry him to the edge just as the last missile impacted the antenna, exploding in a great flurry of light as the entire dish spontaneously combusted from the pressure. He leapt off the edge, landing hard on his front on one of the catwalks, narrowly escaping the destroyed satellite.
As he got to his feet, Garrus was at his side, helping him up as they examined their work. There was nothing left of the dish except the small arm, which was now severed of it's perch. They had stopped Overlord from escaping, but the AI was still on the loose. He thanked Garrus before straightening up, ignoring the dull ache of his bones from the impact of jumping so far. His thoughts of victory were jolted away when Archer ran up to them, "Over here!"
Marcus placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head, "Willing to explain just what the hell is going on around here?"
Archer seemed to think this through for a couple of seconds before looking back up, "Man's reach exceeding it's grasp. Follow me, I'll explain everything."
And so they did, moving back into the depths of Hermes Station. Whatever answers there were to this calamity, he'd find them here. He knew Overlord's purpose, but he couldn't understand how Overlord rebelled. But just as before, the AI's words rung in his head, still waiting to be explained.
Please, make it stop.
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August 25, 2185
1613 hours.
Crash Zone, Prometheus Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Grunt.
"Hold onto something!" Marcus barked as he braced his arms against the forward control console, while everyone else assumed similiar postures. Tali sat behind him and immediately gripped the chair hard. This action was followed by a tremendous explosion outside, causing the hammerhead to shake violently as they narrowly escaped the destruction of the crashed ship. Marcus immediately brought the vehicle around, skidding to a stop and allowing them a view of their work.
After destroying the satellite at Hermes Station, Archer had explained what was happening with Overlord, or as best he could. Apparently Overlord hadn't always been a backup plan for Shepard's possible failed resurrection; it had originally been a weapon to influence the geth using a VI/AI hybrid that was to be deployed during the Eden Prime War. They continued the project over the fears of a second galactic war with the geth.
And as was obvious, that didn't work. However, Archer was convinced the project was a success, if only partially. He explained that another scientist, one that happened to be his brother, David Archer, volunteered as a test subject, but unfortunately, his mind couldn't handle the data required to interface with even just a VI. It was too much for an organic mind. David was autistic, a sevant, according to Gavin, who said that David had the remarkable ability to actually communicate to the geth using their language. So David wasn't just a test subject for Overlord now...
David was Overlord.
Ever since Overlord's breakout, he had been seizing control of the entire facility and all technology it found. Every geth, automated turret and security mech was now under Overlord's control. He described the AI as a being of quantity in which he had never encountered before; he didn't know where the man ends and the machine begins. The organic and synthetic were literally one. The ultimate hybrid.
The consequences of Overlord escaping Aite would end in what Gavin described as a 'technological apocalypse.' It would take control of everything technological and turn it against them. Even the Reapers would probably succumb to Overlord. Hell, David could probably kill off the entire galaxy before the genocidal starships even arrived. So it was obvious what the next question was...how to stop Overlord.
He continued to explain that Overlord was situated in Atlas Station, the heart of the cerberus operation and essentially a fortress; it was where most of the geth and guards were kept, along with Overlord himself. Unfortunately, the AI hybrid had the station in complete lockdown. The only way to override the lockdowns would be to manually do it at Vulcan and Prometheus stations. So, as expected, they went to Vulcan before heading to Prometheus. Gavin had already done the override at Hermes, so it was up to them to do the ones at Vulcan and Prometheus. This proved to be less than easy.
It was now the geth showed up. After arriving at Vulcan station, which was surrounded by volcanic formations, they encountered pockets of geth and mechanized forces. After a long battle, they finally infiltrated Vulcan Station, hit the override, and left. And now they had just finished off at Prometheus. It wasn't a station, per se, but more a conglemoration of labs set up in the ruins of a crashed geth destroyer. The geth had been dormant, but that was until they hit the override. With no other alternative, they destroyed the destroyer's reactor and escaped just in time. The explosion had been the destroyer's reactor going critical, vaporizing the wreckage of the once fearsome geth warship.
Marcus let out a low chuckle at their work, "Everyone okay?"
He could hear Zaeed grown behind him, "No thanks to your driving..."
Grunt joined in, "A battlemaster is good at fighting, but he is not a good driver."
Marcus rolled his eyes as he brought the tank on a course to take them out of the area and towards the now open Atlas Station, "Trust me, I know you guys would be begging to have my kind of driving skills."
Everyone simply rolled their eyes at his boasting as he drove the hammerhead towards the coordinates provided by Gavin to get to the Atlas facility. After traversing more grass plains and mountain peaks, they had finally reached the cerberus base; Atlas' entrance being a large, fortified blast door leading into a mountain side. Blowing open the door was a simple matter with the lockdown overriden, so he simply drove inside.
The interior of the facility looked far worse than the other three facilities combined. This was just a complete mess. The landing platform was a lonely platform surrounded by the exterior walls of a 'pillar' like structure, labs and rooms surrounding them like looming ships. The hammerhead came to rest on the landing platform, engines deactivating and hatch opening to allow his team admittance.
The path ahead was dark and dim, with lighting being minimal. It was eerily silent. Noone spoke; no banter traded. Just silence. The only sounds was the pitter patter of leaking water and their feet rubbing against the marble floor. Eventually, they came across a corridor that did have lighting, but it lead in two directions, both open. Deciding to check both locations, he knew he had to split up.
"Kaidan, Tali and Kasumi, you're with me," Marcus ordered, "The rest of you follow Garrus. You take the right corridor, we'll take the left. Radio the other team if you find something worth of note and if you find Overlord. Do not engage enemy targets unless absolutely nessacary." With that, the groups split up, going their seperate ways as they covered different parts of the station.
Meanwhile, Marcus' group continued to move further inside silently, weapons raised. The few geth they came across were dormant, not moving or simply not active. The silence was unnerving. It was like Overlord was watching them; their every move being tracked silently, the virtual hybrid just waiting for it's moment to strike. This was it's domain; they were under it's...his, mercy.
Then it came. After crossing the threshold of what looked like a room containing a elevator leading deeper into the facility, they were spotted by a active geth juggernaut. But this geth wasn't alone; it had friends; mostly older model shock troopers, along with two LOKI mechs.
Marcus was quick to react, thrusting a biotic shockwave towards the juggernaut and staggering it as his team focused on suppressing it's allies. The juggernaut was possibly the heaviest geth unit they had come across, encountering no colossi, armatures or primes. Not even any drones. Lucky day, he surmised.
Taking advantage of the stunned geth's position, he let loose a wave of pulse rifle rounds into the behemoth's chest, riddling it with holes. It didn't cripple the beast, but it at least gave him time to prime a grenade. Before the juggernaut could do much else, he had thrusted the incendiary grenade inbetween a crack in the juggernaut's armor chasing, before using his biotics to throw it at two approaching shock troopers, the resulting explosions taking all three of them.
He quickly joined his companions, activating his omni-blade and slamming it into the approaching optics of another shock trooper, the forcing shattering the glass chasing over the geth's 'eye' and making it go dark. Unable to see, the geth fired wildly, unsure of what to do. Switching to a omni-bow, he fired a shot through it's left leg, but only impacting it's kinetic barriers. Tali finished the trooper quickly however, her plasma shotgun tearing it's head clean off with a single blast.
Mopping up the final pockets of geth resistance, they moved up ahead, ableit faster. Taking the elevator down, they made sure to watch for hostiles. Just as it was about to reach the bottom level however, the elevator suddenly stopped, instead rising.
"What the fuck?" Marcus cursed as he hit the button on the elevator for the bottom floor. The elevator ignored the command, not responding. Before long, they were back where they started.
"What the hell is going on?" Kaidan asked, lowering his rifle at the door. Tali and Kasumi looked just as confused. Before they could say much more, the elevator suddenly jolted downwards, sending the whole team tumbling as the box plummeted downwards at incredible speed. Seeing as Tali was the most vulnerable out of the ship, Marcus used his body to cover hers and lessen the impact just as the elevator hit point zero, everything going black.
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August 25, 2185
1652 hours.
Lower Levels, Atlas Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto.
The spectre had to force his eyes open upon hearing his radio crackle with comm chatter. Garrus' voice tried to contact him desperately. With a groan, he raised a hand from under Tali's cradled and still unconscious form, comming his earpiece. Nothing. He checked again, only to rip the piece away and find it to be destroyed. He cursed as he threw it away, moving to stand up.
Only to crouch down again as sudden pain shot up his leg. His ankle was sprained most likely. The elevator itself was a mess; and he wouldn't be using it again at any point. They'd have to find another way out. Kneeling next to Tali's form, he squeezed her shoulder, shaking it steadily. He watched as the two bright orbs of her eyes appeared behind the mask, instantly locking with his as he stroked her veil.
"You okay?" Marcus asked.
Tali gave a weak nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Aside from a pounding headache and a neck that needs stretching, I'm fine."
Marcus smiled as he helped the engineer up, moving to do find Kasumi and Kaidan. Apparently however, he didn't need to as the two of them were already stirring, moving to stand up and collect their weapons. He could hear an audible crack and the three turned to Tali, to see her rolling her neck. She suddenly stopped upon seeing their eyes on her though, "Sorry." She whispered, picking up her plasma shotgun and moving out of the elevator.
Apparently, apart from his sprained ankle, everyone was fine. Kasumi had a tiny scratch on her face while Kaidan was just covered in soot. The four of them trudged on, finally coming upon a small room that Kasumi guessed acted as the main control hub for Overlord.
They entered the room, Marcus leaning back against the door to check for hostiles as Tali, Kasumi and Kaidan rolled into the room, the former locking the door behind them. Slowly, but steadily, Marcus approached the sole console in the room, gazing at it. A single press of a button and he could shutdown Overlord. It almost seemed too easy. Like there was a catch. He didn't like it, but he knew he had to. He chuckled.
"Be careful," He joked, "I wouldn't be surprised if this button releases a Reaper."
And then he did. He pressed the button. Everything went silent for a couple of seconds. Then Marcus began to worry. Nothing happened. All the consoles still displayed Overlord's face, David's face, on all their screens. Had he done something wrong? Was there something else needed to be done? Did he...?
He was temporarily blinded as the console flashed a bright green, just as bright as a flashbang. The flash blinded him, as it did his comrades, giving Overlord enough time to do what he needed to do. Marcus was helpless to stop Overlord as green energy surged into his omni-tool and then seeped into his body, ceasing control of his cybernetics. He tried to resist, but Overlord was too strong.
Tali, already recovering from Overlord's stun attack, turned to see Marcus hunched over, reeling as Overlord surged through his body. She ran up to help him, turning him to face her. What she saw wasn't Marcus; but something possessing his body. His eyes shone a brilliant green, green energy surging through his body. But he still had control. A matter of fact, Overlord didn't seem to be controlling Marcus at all. Only inhabiting his body.
"Tali...I...Overlord...inside me...I can feel his presence...," Marcus got out, "He...wants to show...me...things...wants...help...have to...cannot...let you...follow..."
Before the quarian could fully realize what he had just said, Marcus was gone, rushing towards the door, green data continuing to flow out of him. Tali rushed forward to stop him, but before she could reach him, the door had already closed, locking behind the spectre as she banged her fists hopelessly against the door. She opened her omni-tool and tried to hack it, but she knew it was no use. If EDI couldn't hack it, neither could she. Overlord had hijacked Marcus and taken him somewhere else.
And she was unable to help.
Marcus let Overlord guide him. Control him. To show him the path. The spectre saw everything from the AI's point of view. Everything was green; the walls, the crates, the windows, even his enemies. Overlord guided his hands, allowing him to react with speed currently impossible, even with his current cybernetics. He slaughtered geth after geth, confused as to just what Overlord was doing with him. Where was the hybrid taking him?
He felt new sensations conquer his body; every nerve rejoicing in being relieved of organic pressure, being liberated by the hybrid's control of the N7 marine. Before long, Overlord had taken him through much of the area and into the main laboratory, where Overlord's memories flooded his mind. David's recruitment. How Gavin had pressured him into joining the project. How they learned of his ability to talk with the geth. How they forced David to become Overlord. How...how they hooked him up to the torture device he now occupied.
And when Overlord released control of him, allowing the spectre to regain his senses, he looked up at David's cage, and felt a pang of empathy. Overlord wasn't a murderer; he was just a scared kid looking to end his own torment; a torture forced upon him by his brother.
Overlord's prison was a torture device in his eyes. David hung in the middle of the room, numerous devices hooking up to the station mainframe and network while others checked vital signs. However, it was the head pieces that were the true, sickening horror. Large appendages held David's eyelids open, causing him unimaginable pain. Two, large pipes lead down into his mouth, making it hard to breathe. Tears streamed down David's face, the man unable to fathom what his brother had done to him. And now, for the first time ever, he heard Overlord's words clearly.
"Quiet...please...make it stop!" David pleaded, crying out. Marcus felt furious at Gavin for the atrocity commited on his own brother but knew he would deal with the scientist later. First, he had to free David. It made sense now. David wasn't Overlord; Overlord was merely the AI that David had become part of. Marcus needed to destroy Overlord to sever the connection. The datastream had to be cut. Marcus knew what he had to do.
He raised his pulse rifle and aimed directly at the glowing core of Overlord's 'brain.' David let out a cry of defiance. But it wasn't his own; it was Overlord's. Marcus ignored it and fired a steady stream, not letting up. After what felt like an eternity, the core exploded, causing a massive screech of noise to fill the spectre's ears.
Then it ended. The core was destroyed and fell to the ground, the horrible contraption deactivating and disengaging; dropping David to the ground and on his knees, coughing up bits of fluid and blinking rapidly. That was it; Overlord was destroyed. It had been stopped. Marcus quickly holstered his weapon and ran up to David's rolling form, making sure to be careful with him. He had been through a traumatic experience.
He put a hand on David's shoulder and the young man immediately turned to face him, eyes wide in fear. He was basically naked apart from a pair of boxers. Before Marcus could help him up however, Gavin had apparently entered and started speaking.
"David? You're alive!" Gavin stated in happiness, but then noticed the spectre steadily approaching him, anger covering his face, "Commander, please! Don't do anything rash!" The spectre stopped his charge and simply glared daggers with the scientist.
"You told me David volunteered, you lying scumbag!" Marcus scolded, "He was forced! And don't lie to me! When he was guiding me, he showed me his memories! I watched you force him into that torture device! He begged you to stop and you didn't listen!"
Gavin wasn't angry, but desperate, "He volunteered by necessity! If I'd told you the truth, you would have shut me down and not him! It's not...It's not like I planned this! It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth...it all seemed harmless."
Marcus sighed, shaking his head, "And before you knew it you were running your own private hell...and you were in charge! Chief Scientist Satan!"
This time Gavin, reacted with alittle more anger, "I had no choice! The demands were incredible! The Illusive Man doesn't reward failure! Any war with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to find a way to avoid that."
Marcus stared at the man, seeing the regret laced on his face as both he and David shared looks. But David quickly pulled away, not wanting to look at the monster that had forced this pain upon him. Gavin's gaze lingered; tear streaming down his cheek at what he had done. The spectre shook his head.
"And who gave you the right to play god?," Marcus barked, "And to inflict this on your own brother? You should be fucking disgusted with yourself."
Gavin didn't react with fury, but simple facts, not even facing Marcus as he continued to watch his brother, the autistic young man observing his surroundings. Marcus didn't turn as Tali, followed by Kasumi and Kaidan, entered the room, "People who were unwilling to make difficult decisions themselves. Doing this to David...it's not something I take personal pride in. It's resourceful necessity. Something that had to be done. When people pray for a miracle, they're really praying for men like me to make tough choices."
"If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons...," Gavin wondered off, before looking back at Marcus, who now had Tali at his side, sidearm at her hip. Kasumi was helping David up while Kaidan checked up on him, "Well, my conscience will rest easy."
Once again, fury spiked his posture, "Look at him! You're brother will never be the same! I hope your conscience rests easy knowing you're responsible for his torture."
Gavin shook his head, "The damage isn't permanent. He might regain some semblance of his mind."
Tali was quick to join in, "Cerberus will never leave your brother alone. He will always be a lab rat; someone they run to, to run experiments on." He nodded to the engineer, motioning for her to secure the doorway. If he was going to kill Gavin, which he felt the will to do, he didn't want the love of his life to see it. She nodded, walking away.
Gavin watched the quarian leave, directing his answer towards the spectre, "But a well-cared for lab-rat. At least he'd still be alive."
Marcus shook his head, biotics flaring through his body, "So you'll sacrifice your brother's happiness for your own ambition? You selfish bastard."
Gavin, for once, didn't have an answer to that. He simply turned to David, who was being pulled away by Kasumi and Kaidan, mumbling under his breath, but loud enough for them to hear. Marcus remembered the words from the memory David shared with him.
"Square root of 906.01 equals..." David trailed off, but Gavin was quick to pick up on it.
"...30.1." Gavin responded softly, looking down upon the ground in deep regret and sorrow. Shame maybe? He didn't know. Before long though, Gavin continued, "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable," he then turned to Marcus, a pleading look on his face, "Let me take care of him. Please."
Kasumi and Kaidan stopped at this. The door opened to allow entry for second squad, who raised their weapons immediately. Marcus raised his hand, motioning for them to lower their weapons before looking at Tali. The quarian always knew what to say to him. She was the ethical sort. The quarian seemed to ponder for a moment before looking up at him, her eyes meeting his. Her answer was expected.
She shook her head.
He looked to Kasumi and Kaidan. Kaidan was shaking his head while Kasumi just gave him a blank stare, unsure of what to do. Immediately, Marcus ran the options through his head. I can't leave David here. Gavin could have good intentions, but what if his loyalty to the Illusive Man overrides his loyalty to his own brother? Is Gavin a nepotist? Yet again, does Gavin deserve redemption? It's not a matter of redemption however; it's a matter of what's best for David. The things he's seen...there's only one place in the galaxy where David would be truly safe and able to recover...
He looked back up to look into Gavin's awaiting eyes, having made his decision.
"I'm sorry Gavin, but this isn't about redemption, it's about what's best for David," Marcus stated, moving towards his squad, back turned to Gavin, "I'm taking your brother to Grissom Academy. He'll be safe from Cerberus' grasp and be able to live in an environment with friendly people. People who aren't going to place him in torture devices. The Alliance will look after him. As for Overlord, it's finished. I find that this place is reactivated, I'll have Joker bomb it from orbit myself. A matter of fact, I think I'll do that."
Gavin's voice was desperate, "No! Leave him! He's too valuable!"
Marcus could hear the sounds of a pistol being extended and as he turned around, he saw Gavin, pistol raised to the spectre's head. He moved to unholster his own pistol, but found no need to do so. A shot echoed through the room, the sidearm flying from Gavin's grip as he cradled his bloodied hand, screaming in pain. Marcus turned to see Tali, pistol still raised, barrel smoking as she lowered it, nodding to the spectre.
Marcus followed this by uppercutting Gavin in the face, giving him a bloodied nose, "If you even try to come after David, I'll have a bullet waiting for you. Then we'll see who's valuable," he turned to Kasumi, "Radio the Normandy, tell him to load the javelin torpedo bays and then lock in coordinates for Grissom Academy."
Kasumi nodded, keying her comm as Garrus walked up to him, "What should we do about Archer? We can't just leave him here."
Marcus shrugged, looking down upon the broken man, "He got here pretty fast; must have a vehicle. He can use that to get out of here. If he's not gone by the time the torpedoes drop, then that's his fault. Come on, let's get out of here. I've had enough of this place." With that, they turned and left, leaving Atlas Station behind.
Gavin did escape, radioing the Illusive Man for pickup, calling Overlord a failure. Marcus and the crew took David and evaced to the Normandy. After destroying Atlas Station with a orbital bombardment, the frigate entered FTL, inbound for Grissom Academy, located in orbit over Elysium, in the Vetus System, Petra Nebula. David Archer would be safe there; from his brother, and from Cerberus.
And right now, he was going to have nice chat with the Illusive Man.
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August 27, 2185
1826 hours.
Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema.
Talking. That's what Marcus Shepard and Tali'Zorah were doing. Talking. Right. It had been a few hours ago since they had dropped David off at Grissom Academy and now they were heading to Illium, where their last two recruits were located. Afterwards, they'd head to a specified Cerberus drydock and have the Thanix Cannon added to the ship's arsenal. It'd keep Garrus happy at least.
He had talked with the Illusive Man, who had admitted to authorizing Gavin's movement with using David as a test subject. He didn't budge, stating that it was a nessacary risk to conduct. Their alliance was unchanged however; stopping the collectors was more important, and he still needed Cerberus' resources.
Still, what had been talking between the couple had quickly escalated into something else. Marcus remembered how Tali had...treated a couple of days ago and he hadn't forgotten his promise to reciprocate the gesture. It had started with Marcus kissing sensitive areas on her suit; areas thin enough that it could be mildly felt by the quarian. Even if she didn't, she added cooes and humming sounds just to please him. Eventually, their actions had them moving onto the bed, where their actions quickly rose.
Now the treating was going both ways. Marcus lay on the bed, on his back, with his pants and boxers pulled completely back. Tali lay ontop of him, her elbows placed on his chest. His erect organ was placed firmly between her own legs, prodding against her concealed and protected, but wet core. She hummed in delight as she rubbed her body up and down against his organ, pleasuring both parties with her dry humping.
Marcus for one was feeling immense pleasure. No girl had made him feel this way before, not even the schoolies back during graduation night in secondary school. Tali was special; so the...sex, if you could call it that at the moment, was extra special and pleasurable with her. His hands gripped her hips, squeezing them tightly as she increased her motions, the engineer's moans easily heard as they increased in volume, both of them reaching climax soon.
During their lovemaking of sorts, they both held their foreheads (or Tali's visor) together in a symbolic form of kissing. They mostly did it however to ensure the other that they were there. It made the experience that much better.
Marcus groaned as he felt about ready to climax, with Tali's moans becoming much more paramount. Without warning, Marcus hit his climax first, unleashing his load. Due to Tali's positioning, only some of his seed hit his body, with the rest coating her lower veil section. Despite already finishing his load, Tali continued to dry hump, having not reached her own. Just as she hit her own, she turned off her vocalizer, not wanting the people below to here her scream of pleasure and lust.
She climaxed, her suit's waste disposal system rapidly taking care of her own load. Even through her vocalizer her cry could be heard, echoing through the silence of the cabin. She reared up, drinking it all in. This was technically the first time Tali had actually ejaculated and it was a whole new experience for her. It was the best euphoric feeling she'd ever had. Just imagine this without the suit. You wouldn't be rubbing against him...he'd be inside me...
Tali shook that thought away as she collapsed ontop of him, letting her climax filter itself out as Marcus pulled his boxers, followed by his pants, up and zipped them sighing at her touch. There was stil a bulge in his pants, but he ignored it. Just reminded him of the kind of woman lying next to him.
The quarian in question wrapped her arms around her lover, holding him tightly, not wanting to let go, just enjoying the warmth radiating from his body and into hers. Despite the suit, she could still feel the heat eminating from him and it made her feel good inside. At least I can do one thing with this suit to pleasure him. But will it last? You know what males are like. Quickly he'll want more. What if I can't give him more? Will he...abandon me for someone else?
Keelah, how could she think that? Marcus wasn't in this relationship for sex, he was here for her. He said so. What if he said that to placate you? That gave her pause. Would Marcus do that to me? Is this relationship forged simply out of sympathy for my race? I know I love him, but does he love me? Is it unconditional or forfeit?
Marcus could feel the sudden hesitation in Tali's posture. The signs were there; her loosened grip on his chest, her drooped head and shoulders along with her seperated position. He knew something was wrong and was quick to act. He wasn't really willing to lift her up so he could sit up; his ankle still throbbing from the unwanted elevator crash back on Aite. Instead, he was content with leaning down and kissing her on the forehead.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly. This caused Tali to stiffen abit; this confirmed his suspicions. The quarian hesitated for a second, trying to think of what to say. In the end, she decided she'd rather not ruin the moment by voicing her concerns.
"It's nothing."
He sighed heavily, shifting his head so it was raised and looking into her eyes; the fabric of her veil brushing against his skin as he moved, "Don't give me that. You may wear a suit, but I can see when you're worried or troubled by something. You can tell me anything, you know."
"I know," Tali sighed heavily, "I just don't if I want to. I don't want to ruin this moment."
"Anything that troubles you is worth ruining any moment," Marcus stated firmly, "Tell me what's wrong. Are you still affected by the tossle with Overlord?"
She wanted to shake her head, but found that she couldn't, "No, of course not. The things done to David were horrific, sure, and I might have recurring nightmares about it, but I'm not weak, Marcus. If I could overcome your death, although temporary, then I can overcome that. No, I'm just...concerned."
The spectre frowned. It was times like this that he wished his judgment of character was more profound. He was used to judging people based on their facial features; with a quarian, that was obviously impossible. Although he had gotten used to Tali's physical features, it was a whole different world in terms of her face. It was like trying to dissect the emotions off a spider's face; not that he thought Tali was that ugly. That ugly, huh? You think Tali's going to be ugly? That's not what repulses me; what disgusts me is the fact that you'd be bothered by that. You fell in love with her, not her body.
"Concerned? Is Jacob making more comments about EDI? Or is Miranda bothering you? If any of the Cerberus crew is-"
"It's not that at all!" Tali responded, trying to quell his ramblings, "It's...about us. I feel like I'm dragging you down."
He rolled his eyes and groaned. He knew this conversation would return; that was the price for having such a selfless woman for his girlfriend. Tali had always been selfless; and she hadn't given into their relationship, as much as she wanted it, immediately. It was a slow process because Tali would constantly declare she wasn't good enough for him and that he deserved to be with someone else like Ashley or Liara, none of who he was remotely interested in. She, of course, used her suit as the basis of her argument. This indecision died off a while ago, but he knew it would return.
"Tali, we've talked about this-"
"And we're talking about it again. Marcus, I need to know, do you really care for me or are you simply doing this out of sympathy? I'm not going to be made for a fool."
Marcus, for a second, had no idea what to say. I didn't expect that. Marcus had expected many things; that wasn't one of them. He thought, that after all they'd been through, that a question like that would have been destroyed before it could even sprout.
"Tali," he started softly, "This was never about sympathy. You think I'm that low? I would never use you like that. I'm only doing this because I genuinely care for you; not out of empathy, but love. Let people think what they think; I want you, only you and noone else. Noone else shares this cabin with me but you. And before you go on about how I deserve someone else, I don't want to hear it. I chose you, and not once have I ever regretted it. Not once have I wished something better could happen. Not once."
Any objection Tali had prepared was flushed down the toilet by that point. In a single speech, all her fears were washed away. Her arms gripped his chest more tightly, her masked head nudging his head as she lay it under his jaw, holding him. He was hers, and only hers. Noone could take him away from her. This was why Marcus was so compelling. This was why so many followed him into battle without question. Loyalty built upon trust born from moral judgment. It was she came to love him; that same indifference to everyone attracted her. How he treated her as an equal. Damn what her father thought of it.
They couldn't to hold each other until sleep took them. The battle on Aite had been tiring; it made Horizon seem like a one hundred meter sprint back in boot camp. So they fell asleep; not under covers, but in each other's shared warmth. Not seperate, but interwined. No interruption came; no important meeting. They just slept.
It was the best slept they had for a whole month.
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August 27, 2185
2400 hours.
Arena, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Decoris System, Sigurd's Cradle Cluster.
Veetor'Nara vas Rayya.
Veetor sat alone in the middle of the liveship's arena; the meeting place for people on the ship during important meetings or what not. He just sat in silence. It was midnight and the crew was asleep, except for those on night shift. Luckily for him, noone worked near this area on that shift, so he had the area all to himself. Peace; that's all he wanted right now.
The Arena was the closest thing to an actual world the migrant fleet had and only three of these existed; one on each of the three liveships. The room was quite large; the ceiling stood fifty feet tall and the room was forty-five meters wide. In the middle of the room was the meeting area itself; two stands flanked the sides with rows of seats for quarians to sit on. The front of the room and in the center was two pedestals, one higher than the other, with a birail. These were reserved for ranking officials, like Captain Kar'Danna or the full admiralty board.
The rest of the room was why the place was so impressive; life. The floor had numerous different plants and even a tree flourished in the middle; the ground underneath coated with dirt to allow the roots to grow and flourish. Plants. Growing. On the fleet. That's why it was so impressive. The tranquility of the room was peaceful that way. Two doors flanked either side of the room, allowing further access to the ship while a door at the back lead to the docking cradle section of the ship. The liveship's docking ring, many called it.
Veetor sat, legs crossed, on the floor, simply looking at the pedestals. His ultimate goal was to become an ambassador someday; noone took him seriously about it, but he knew what he wanted. To be an ambassador to his people. People would laugh him down, but he never stopped dreaming. The only person who cared was his parents and...
He stopped and looked at the ground, eyes knit together and deep in thought. The thought of Elan forestalled any further thought he attempted to continue. Elan; he realized, many days ago since the beginning of their blussoming relationship, that he loved her. Love was a strange concept to the quarian. Not many had shown it to him except his parents. They pretended to; but only out of empathy for his position as a fleet 'idiot' and 'psycho.' But Elan was the first woman he cared for and had cared for him back. He planned to hold onto her.
It was times like these that quarians really came to despise their suits while simultaneously holding them in high regard. Other species, like the asari or the humans, could show their affection, touch their mates or pleasure them whenever they wished. With quarians, doing so would result in infection and possibly death. They'd need a clean room to engage in the simple act of kissing. Something he felt he wasn't ready for. Then again, it showed that their time together was precious, forcing the virtue of patience upon quarians as well.
It was now Veetor wondered what Elan tasted like. What her skin felt like, how her lips tasted...
As if summoned by his thoughts, the door behind him opened and he heard padded feet cross the room. They suddenly stopped, followed by a soft sigh of relief, along with a familiar, kind voice, "There you are Veetor. I've been looking for you."
Veetor sighed, smiling behind his helmet, knowing it could not be seen. He swerved round in his seated position on the floor to face the doctor, who didn't seem to be scolding him in any fashion. Instead, she simply stood there, hands on her hips and looking down at him, eyes wide; she was amused.
"W-were my parents?" Veetor couldn't help stuttering. Of course he didn't mean it, but it was something he was used to. In his dreams, he could still see the collectors abducting whole colonies and taking everyone while he sat in his little building and hid, cowering and escaping the same fate. It was disturbing, scary even, and the dreams continued to plague his dreams. He kept seeing Elan for daily checkups; he didn't do it to help the dreams go away, he did it to see Elan. Which he guessed worked in both ways. He laughed inwardly at that.
Elan shook her head as her hands fell from her hips and she walked down to where he sat in the middle of the room, "No. As far as they are concerned, you're checking up with me. Why here?" She then plopped on the floor next to him, crossing her own legs and just sitting next to him, the only things brushing between them being their kneecaps. He understood the question. She knew why he sought peace, she just didn't know he chose this spot.
He lied instead of telling her the truth, "Barely anyone works up here. Gives me some room."
Elan shook her head and laughed loudly. Veetor snapped his head towards her, eyebrows raised, "W-what? What d-did I-I say?"
Elan laughed for a few more moments before stopping herself, "That's funny Veetor. You remember I'm a pyschologist, remember? I can read through lies, Veetor, even a mask can't hide that."
Veetor nodded his head in affirmation of this, stretching a grim smile across his face. There was no hope for liars when their lovers could read through them like a person looks through glass, "I came here...," Could it really hurt to tell her? Worst she could do is laugh at me, "I came here because this is the hub of politics for the Rayya. And...I want to be an ambassador when I grow up. When our people have our homeworld back, I want to be an ambassador for the Citadel races. For our people."
Elan sighed longingly, smiling at Veetor's admitted dreams. What he wanted would most likely never happen without full-scale war. Even then, the fleet might not survive such a battle. The quarian people would never see Rannoch again; at least not in their lifetime. But she didn't tell Veetor that. Chances were, he already knew that. And to state the obvious would only add salt to the wound. Instead, she lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, rocking it gently.
"Don't give up on dreams, Veetor," Elan reassured the quarian, "We'll have the homeworld back someday. Just...know that I'll be there when we do and I'll be by your side. Besides, you might be able to hire me as your personal doctor."
Veetor let out a low chuckle as he let his head lightly collapse onto Elan's shoulder, sighing heavily. Elan smiled as both her hands moved up and stroke the back of his head, both of them staring out into nothing.
Sometimes, it was the simple things.
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August 27, 2185
2406 hours.
Docking Cradle 5, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Decoris System, Sigurd's Cradle Cluster.
Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Specialist Madi'Soi vas Ceresa.
"Kal, wake up, we've docked," Kal was shaken from his sleep at the sound of Madi's voice and he immediately moved to stand up, unfolding his arms and picking up the rifle that was laying against the wall. The Hutbyk's navigation sensors had been damaged during the initial geth bombardment on Haestrom, so it had taken them longer to find the Migrant Fleet's new position then it would have originally.
Madi was already leading the rest of the squad to pick up the supplies and depart from the vessel. The corvette had run across a geth fighter upon hitting the relay, and due to the ship having to disengage stealth to use the relay, the fighter had detected them and pursued. They had escaped, but the ship now had a new hole occupying it's side. That and it's fried navigation system. They would have contacted the Admiralty Board about their late arrival, but Tali's request for transfer probably would have spoken wonders.
He moved to stand before the airlock, waiting for the cycle to run. Madi moved up behind, taking his hand and squeezing it. Kal simply smiled, looking down upon the woman. She was taller than most female quarians; roughly the same size as Tali and Admiral Xen. Her veil was a light yellow color, matching well with her light orange visor. Kal couldn't remember how long he and Madi had been together; but it was certainly long enough to have taken to a clean room. Kal and Madi wouldn't be going there anytime soon though. They both knew that. Their bodies were ready; but their minds weren't.
Finally, the airlock sequence completed and they stepped out into the halls of the Rayya, immediately greeted by a decontamination team. Upon leaving the ship, the quarians scurried past them, moving to get their hands on the Hutbyk and scrub it clean of bacteria. The men scattered, moving to multiple different areas; crew quarters or just the observation deck. Kal, upon seeing Peta approaching, looked back at Madi, still holding her hand.
"Madi, go on ahead," Kal requested, "I have something...that needs doing."
Madi nodded, letting go of his hand and tapping her visor against his before leaving, making sure to swing her hips as she left. She knew how much Kal loved it when she did that. Kal smiled as she watched her leave. Once she was around the corner, he focused on Peta, who now stood right infront of him. Before the General could speak, Peta jumped in.
"Where is Tali? I must speak with her."
Kal furrowed his brow at the boy's demanding tone, "Not here. She transferred over to the Normandy, under Commander Shepard's command. Sorry." He smiled inwardly. He had never really liked or trusted Peta, and it felt good to deliver a blow to the man's ecstatic demeanour. The way he looked at Tali made him feel disgusted.
Peta's posture weakened slightly, "I see. Thank you General for your time."
Kal's posture remained the same as Peta turned and left, not looking back as he went through a door located ahead and disappeared behind it. He could swear that Peta was beginning to loosen up on the 'lovesick schoolboy' act and was starting to man up. Not to mention growing ball. The quarian seemed more devious, less obvious and more stealthy about his actions now. He didn't know what Peta was up to, but he'd better keep an eye on him. For now, he knew Tali couldn't be hurt, so he headed to the crews quarters to catch some shuteye. He needed to file a report about the Haestrom mission tomorrow.
Peta leaned back against the wall, keeping his calm. Okay, so Tali's not here. Very well, we'll play it that way. I'm sure my anonymous friend can help me find a way to win her over without having to contest with that human primate. Then an idea formed in his head. He knew that Rael already knew, but the quarian didn't care enough about his daughter to actually enforce rules upon her. But someone else on the other hand, someone closer to her...
Peta walked down the corridor, a hop in his step. He knew just the right person to tell; the right person who would definitely see that Tali's life was in danger and save her with a flick of her hand.
Yes, Admiral Raan would serve his purposes nicely.
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August 28, 2185
0832 hours.
Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema.
Screams. A synthetic cacophony of roars and hisses, echoing through the wind to haunt those around it. Beams of fiery death cascading down on walls of metal, built to protect those behind it. A species as tall as skyscrapers, if not bigger, destroying the landscape and all those on it. Husks ripping apart defenseless civilians and their children. Whole worlds burning to the ground. Statues on Ilos, the prothean's salvation, but ultimate doom. Saviors of the next cycle. A dark planet off ontold secrets and a Reaper arises from it's depths.
WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING.
Marcus' eyes shot open with a start and his body jolted upwards into a straightened position, sweat dripping down his forehead in droplets. He wiped his brow and looked around the room, the cool air of the cabin brushing against his skin and cooling him. His heavy breathing was the only thing heard the empty room; deep, breaths of air drawn it and out at a fast pace. Eventually, he slowed down and looked down to see Tali still fast asleep. Good, he hadn't woken her. Sounds eminated from her helmet; the sounds of soft snoring. He smiled.
He lay back down and looked aimlessly at the ceiling. That dream...he remembered it, a vision given to him by the beacon on Eden Prime; where it all began. A vision. A warning by the protheans to warn their own empire of their impending demise. Now used to warn the next cycle of the Reapers return and giving them time to stop them. It was probably because of that beacon that he came to even meet the quarian who slept so quietly next to him. Yet, he hadn't had that vision since Sovereign's destruction two years ago. What changed?
Then he remembered. Harbinger; that other reaper. The one leading the collectors. If Harbinger really was pulling the strings, then either he's a second reaper left behind or the synthetic fleet was closer than they realized. If so, time was incredibly short. And even after two years, the galaxy was nomore aware or ready for the Reapers. And it was all because of the Council's blatant ignorance to accept the truth; the Reapers were most definitely real, and coming.
He decided to forget about that for now. He wasn't going to be able to change the Council's minds anytime soon, anyway. He'd just have to wait it out. He lay back next to Tali, head resting on the pillow as he kissed her visor and closed his eyes to fall back to sleep...
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Eyes shut for only a second and his had already bolted open to the sound of his alarm clock going off, annoying chime ringing through the cabin. He noticed Tali's eyes shoot open as well, silvery orbs appearing at the back of her mask and body moving to stretch. By the way her eyes seemed to narrow, she was smiling.
"Good morning," she whispered.
He smiled back, tapping his forehead against her visor, "Good morning to you too, honey."
The quarian stretched, numerous limbs popping and cracking before she let out a content sigh, "Honey? You're naming me after food now?"
Marcus shook his head with mirth, "No, honey is also a term of endearment among humans. We use it because honey is one of the most delicious substances on Earth; so when we call our loved one 'honey,' it means we find them the most wonderful person on the planet."
Tali found a loophole for some teasing, "On the planet? I don't feel so special now."
She suddenly found herself lifted off the bed and onto Marcus' lap. He then leaned in close, "Okay then, sweetheart, I find you to be the most wonderful person in the galaxy."
She rubbed the chin of her helmet in mock contemplation, "It's not the universe, but it'll do."
Marcus sighed mockingly, "You're a woman who's hard to impress. Is that the quarian in you or the woman?"
For a few seconds, Tali pondered this musingly before answering, "Both."
He then remembered that a sudden wet substance was brushing against his leg. Looking down, he suddenly remembered their activity last night, "Tali, I think you'll have to wash your veil. It's still got my...uh...cum, on it."
Tali seemed confused for a moment before looking down and seeing a sizable stain. The blood rushed to her cheeks, "Oh, keelah, I will have to wash that, I'd better-"
"Forgive the intrusion Shepard, but Jack wishes to see you on the maintenance deck. She says she's found something worthy of note in the Cerberus databases that she'd like to share with you."
Tali sighed as she reluctantly pulled herself from Marcus, moving to stand up and head into the shower cubicle, telling him she was using it to wash her veil. Marcus nodded to the engineer before answering, "Thanks EDI, tell her I'll be down there in the next twenty minutes. Just got up and have a few things to deal with first."
"Yes, commander, logging you-"
A thought occured to him before she could finish, "Wait, EDI?"
"Yes commander?" The AI responded.
"How many cameras are located in my cabin?" Marcus asked.
Some hesitation, "Nine. One at the foot of the bed, a second near your-"
"I don't need a full list," Marcus interrupted, "I just want you to send that information to Tali's omni-tool. I want them removed as fast as possible. I don't like the idea of the Illusive Man spying on me."
"My programming shackles limit what I can do, but I'll try my best," EDI responded, "Will there any further queries?"
"No, that's all. Thank you EDI."
"Logging you out."
Marcus, deciding he needed to take a shower, quickly began to strip. He loved showers; greatest creation of mankind, in his opinion. The warmth of nice, hot water flooding over your skin. He'd always take 15 minute ones, as long as he could without wasting it.
Then he remembered that Tali was inside and washing her veil. He smiled evilly as he continued to strip until he was completely nude. He then walked inside the shower cubicle, the door closing behind him. To the immediate left was Tali at the sink, without her veil on. It looked odd to see Tali without it; the veil served as her hood and main 'accessory' if you could call it that. Without it, he could see the back of her helmet; the blackened surface and the numerous tubes and wires connecting to her helmet and medical implants.
It was without the veil though, that her feminine form shown much more. It felt perverted to be looking at the area between her legs; without the skirt part of her veil, it looked slightly like perversion. But he couldn't deny that she looked more sexy without the veil on, the suit accenting her body much more. Her veil was in the sink, the quarian squeezing water out of it with every twist of her hands. Hearing the door open, she turned.
"Marcus, I need some to-" She then saw him, stark naked, in front of her. And she wasn't sure she should have.
"By the ancestors! Marcus!" Tali exclaimed, wanting to turn around but at the same time, not wanting to. Marcus merely grinned as he moved to turn the taps on, "Like what you see?"
Tali blushed, unsure of what to say. Here Marcus was, in all his naked glory, and she...liked it. His ribcage was accented nicely by his big muscles and strong body. Then her view lowered and stopped upon his organ. It was erect. I'm not the only one enjoying the view, am I?
"Yes, it's quite...new."
"Get used to it. In our cabin, you'll be seeing it alot."
Hot water impacted the ground around Marcus as he started the shower, washing himself. Tali just watched in awe as water cascaded down and around him; pelting off his body and onto the floor in streams. Marcus' beard and hair was soaked by the steamy water in almost an instant. Tali couldn't help the urge to want to...want to join him.
Without thinking, without listening to rational thought, she stepped in with him, arms around him. Marcus widened and he turned around, looking at the quarian who's suit was now soaked.
"Tali, now you have to dry off your whole suit," Marcus observed.
"Don't care," Tali replied while still holding him. Marcus merely smiled in response, taking the quarian and moving her further into the shower, infront of him, facing him. They bathed together; but it wasn't quite bathing for Tali, as she was in a suit. She'd never regret doing this; but she'd regret wearing the suit. Someday I'll do it without the suit. Nothing to seperate us.
Before long, Tali was close enough to feel Marcus' erect organ prodding against her waist. She giggled lightly and she could notice the blush on Marcus' cheeks. So the feeling is mutual. By instinct, as she was now pretty used to it, her left hand glided down to the organ in question and wrapped around it, eliciting a smile from the spectre. Smiling herself, she began rubbing it up and down.
The only sound heard in the cabin for fifteen minutes was the sounds of two mates pleasuring each other.
{Loading...}
August 28, 2185
0851 hours.
Maintenance Deck of Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Subject Zero Jack.
Marcus straightened the collar of his new jumper. It was a N7 hoodie, and he liked it much better than any cerberus uniform. He also wore a basic N7 cap on his head along with a Master Chief T-shirt. Apparently Halo: Salvation 4 was a pretty hyped game coming out and the T-shirt was pretty much the only one he could find. Figures that would happen. He stepped down the steps and out onto the maintenance, immediately turning to see Jack pacing the deck. With a frown, he approached the convict.
"You called me Jack?"
The convict turned towards him with anger in her eyes, "What took you so long?"
"I had...other things, to tend to." He tried not to grin at the memory of Tali and himself in the shower. He'd have to try that again. Tali had to stay in the cubicle because of her wet suit; so instead she was working on cyclonic barrier technology for the ship; essentially more powerful shields and on a way to remove the cameras in their cabin.
Jack rolled her eyes, "Oh, of course. Did you fuck her good? Did you fuck the quarian real good?"
Marcus let a face of iron and steel cover his face, "That's none of your business. Anyways, you said you had something you wanted to share with me?"
Jack huffed at his refusal to tell her but quickly forgot anyway, "Yes, I've got information I'm willing to act on but I need your help. Are you...going to help? Or do I have to ask Zaeed and Grunt?"
Jack plopped down on her bunk, awaiting Marcus' answer. Not wanting to start a potential argument, he shook his head, "Yes, I'll help. It just depends on what we're doing."
Jack smiled a dark smile. Although it held evil intent, he also saw hints of revenge. She held up her datapad and threw it to the spectre, who caught it awkwardly, reading over the contents. When he was done, he looked towards the convict and nodded in understanding. Jack's grin extended.
"So...have any badass nukes in the armoury?"
"I'm glad David's okay. He's still alive; he works for some scientists on Rannoch. He's old, but he's still better than all those years ago back on Aite."
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"That's good to know. So Jack had a mission for us..."
- Interrogation Subject 001.
"I think the fact I was soaking wet from a shower meant I didn't go. I remember that much. What was the mission like?"
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"Well, it goes a little like this..."
- Interrogation Subject 001.
A/N:
I'm terribly sorry for this late chapter, guys. And it's not because of the lack amount of reviews on the last chapter, but it was because I've only just recently gone back to rewatching the Game of Thrones Season One, that the addiction has caused me to neglect this fiction. Do not fear. I am not dead and neither is this fanfic!
So, to make up for my laziness, I have added even more stuff to this chapter; Veetor and Elan fluff, Peta Evilness, Tali and Shepard smut and fluff and combat. All in one! Oh, and the precursor to Jack's loyalty mission. Oh, this'll be fun.
I hope to pull out a new chapter soon. Also, the chapter title of Jack's recruitment mission, 'I was Frozen Today!' isn't just random. Try and figure out what movie it's from and the actor who says it! And before you ask, the actor is famous and one of the best of all time! Anyone who tells me first gets a cameo in this story. Your time starts now! So get reviewing!