Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Silent Kill
Giger sat on board Aralakh's ship, his fingers feeling the crack in the back of his head. He had been discharged just a few days ago, but now he was off to Omega to hunt down Aeacus and Monger. He had missed his chance to get his revenge while he was in the hospital, never again.
After Aeacus and Monger had vanished into the darkness Aralakh Company and the local authorities spent some days searching the tunnels and city before Faust and Krill had managed to locate them. Giger had been discharged from the hospital just a few hours earlier and managed to attend the meeting in their base.
The team sat around the round table, observing the small holographic figures of Krill and Faust. They couldn't access the base, nor would they be allowed to when many members of the Senate didn't like their involvement as it was and tried to limit it.
For now they were just little holographs in the centre of the table. The memory made Giger smile, seeing that small version of Faust, like a doll that could fit within his hand. He had reached forwards and put his hand through, watching the image contort and Faust shout at him.
"Enough, Giger," she had said. "This is serious."
He sat back in his chair, throwing his hands in the air innocently. He thought back to the meeting, to what Krill and Faust had found, and he wondered why the Senate would want to limit their involvement when even the mighty leaders of Tuchanka had failed to find Aeacus and Monger.
"So what have you found?" Grunt asked.
"After they escaped your grasp it seems Aeacus took Monger somewhere to treat his condition," Faust replied. "You mentioned he seemed in a terrible state, which means they couldn't necessarily leave without risking being captured."
"For a few days they laid low, though we aren't sure where," Krill added. "They managed to get off Tuchanka too, under an alias, and now our sources found them on Omega."
"Omega?" Steel repeated. "How did they get so far without us knowing? I know they had an alias, but still..."
"They're in contact with an asari named Venra," Faust answered. "Her sister is a well-known loan shark, but she's managed to remain under the radar by dealing with the... shadier side of crime."
"We all know one of her contacts," Krill said. "The body-collecting yahg. She helped him get his ship, the stolen blue prints for the Seeker Swarms. She even got him into contact with the illegal organ traffickers."
"That seems a little too convenient," Sif observed. "We couldn't even track all the contacts of that yahg, how did Aeacus manage it?"
"I don't think it was Aeacus, I think Monger was involved with the yahg," Faust answered.
She touched something off-screen and a terminal opened up in front of them. It showed some kind of transaction between Monger and the yahg, a list of body parts, all krogan. Why would Monger want body parts? Was he trying to copy his creator's path?
"Of course, with the yahg now in prison facing a death sentence the only contact Monger has is Venra," Faust continued. "She's keeping them somewhere on Omega. We've managed to narrow the search down to one district, but we're unsure of which building."
"Don't worry about that, though," Krill said. "We've arranged for someone to help you. She's a native of Omega and now works for the Shadow Broker, her expertise in the area will be helpful."
Grunt smiled, "I'm going to have to sign you two onto the team," he remarked. "The information you have access to is vital."
"Don't worry about that for now," Krill said. "Worry about Monger and Aeacus - there's no guarantee they'll remain on Omega and if they leave..."
He didn't need to say it, because they knew what it meant if Monger and Aeacus managed to slip past them again. If they left Omega they would be gone - there would be no way to track them down through space. It was now or never.
He glanced at his team, the ones chosen to follow him to Omega and he wondered why he and Sif had been allowed to go. He had a grudge against Monger and Sif was in danger of allowing her emotions to interfere with Aeacus, worse still, Aeacus' feelings for Sif were twisted enough for him to try something.
The only one without any personal feelings was Durak, but he was still a whelp, younger than all of them. Giger didn't even know him that well, but Grunt seemed to trust him enough to let him go on this sensitive assignment. And really, that's what this mission required.
Back when Giger worked underneath Aria much of his work was done within the shadows, secrecy was his modus operandi. If he was discovered then his mission - and life - was over. Sif had also worked several spec op assignments for her clan, while Durak had no experience in this field.
It would be a good learning experience for him, but he would have to learn on his feet. Maybe that was why they had been chosen, because of Sif and Giger's speciality and Durak was not just there to learn, but to ensure they stayed on track.
"Are you okay, Giger?" Sif asked. "You've been feeling your wound for the past ten minutes."
"I'm fine, don't worry," he replied. "I was just considering our assignment."
"Also wondering why we were chosen?" she asked.
He nodded.
"The fact is half of our team have something against Monger and Aeacus," she said. "Grunt, Shay, Steel, Wróg, you and me - the only ones who won't feel any great resentment are Adria, Durak and Skoll. But you know as well as I do that this mission requires stealth, we need to get close without alerting anyone, and no one else could do that - regardless of how they feel about them."
"You just confirmed what I already thought," he said. "So why the kid?"
"The best of warriors require a leash," she responded.
Then it was just as he thought - they were the only ones who could this, despite their feelings. No pressure then.
...
They arrived on Omega, managing to arrive without much fuss, and left the vessel parked in a nice, quiet bay. It was necessary for them to locate Monger and Aeacus as soon as possible; exposing themselves any longer would run the risk of being discovered by their targets.
They moved into the district, known simply as District Twelve, and stopped by an apartment where they were to meet the contact. Giger sort of knew who to expect, it was either going to be one of Aria's Executioners or if Faust wanted to give her a break then she would send -
A girl approached them, a human around the age of eighteen, with dark black hair that was short and messy. Across her face was a thin black line that ran from ear to ear and across her nose, almost like a scar, but clearly a tattoo. She wore a black PCV suit with a short, leather jacket and goggles. He was reminded of all the thieves he had met over the years, she had that air about her.
"Nice to meet you all," she said. "I'm Sparrow."
He started, almost falling back but instead took a step forwards to get a better look at her. This girl was Faust's sister? Her eyes were blue like Faust's, but not icy, and her face was smoother and a little rounder. If he hadn't been told, he never would have thought this girl was related.
Faust did want to give her sister a chance, give Giger the chance to meet her while also allowing Sparrow to demonstrate the skills that would help them get through this mission.
"Faust told you everything?" Durak asked.
"Yes," she replied. "I am to lead you to Venra's base, where I believe Monger and Aeacus are being held. The place is very secure, but I can hack through the system providing you with a ten minute opening. Once in I can guide you through the system."
"We need to confirm they are there before we do anything," Giger said.
"Don't worry," Sparrow said. "That'll be no problem."
She took them through the district, avoiding the main streets by taking alleyways and passing through closed stores. Omega, unlike the Citadel, didn't have a day/night routine. The locals had fallen into a simple routine as if naturally, where every twelve hours the stores would close or trade hands, so it would seem that they had arrived at Omega's night time, perfect for moving around and with less people.
Sparrow moved with surprising ease through the alleys, taking only a few seconds to access the stores before closing them as they sneaked through. It would seem Giger's assumption was right - Sparrow was once a thief, before or after Faust arrived in her life, he wondered.
They came to an old store, long abandoned, and set up camp within. It was a well sized shop, filled with draws that must have once contained weapons or tools. One window overlooked a section of a warehouse, the perfect place for reconnaissance.
"That warehouse is Venra's main base," Sparrow explained. "She has a few others, but this is where I saw Aeacus take Monger."
"How did he look?" Durak asked.
"Monger? He looked pretty bad," Sparrow replied. "I heard he was suffering because of the prosthetics, but I think it's more than that - he looks sick with something."
"Then let's hope whatever ails him, kills him," Sif said bitterly.
Sparrow looked around, a little uncomfortably, and turned to Giger and Durak. "Which one of you is better at sneaking?" she asked.
"Me," Giger replied. "Durak, you and Sif can stay here and watch the area. If anything happens, anything, call."
Durak saluted and went to the window, obeying every word as a good soldier would. He was the politician's son and so far it hadn't come into use, as Wrex had promised them it would, which sometimes made Giger wonder if they kept the whelp because the skills he learnt so young would be imperative to him in the future.
Giger and Sparrow sneaked out through the roof, checking the darkness for any moments, and then moved onto the roof of Venra's warehouse. There were security cameras littered over the roof, Sparrow was quick to hack into their system and provide them with a fifteen minute blind spot that allowed them to move forwards without delay.
Giger was sort of reminded of the old days, especially being with the sister of his beloved, but he wouldn't go back to those days despite how great they were. There was always the threat of him being taken away or Faust being transferred or death and an unmarked grave.
Aralakh Company was a little more stable and a lot friendlier.
"So you're the one I've heard so much about," Sparrow smiled at him. "You've got quads, the guy who took Faust from Aria. No one thought it was possible for an Executioner to escape those chains, but you somehow managed it."
"You give me too much credit," he said. "Faust did most of the work."
"True, but who inspired her to take that chance?" she retorted.
He said nothing, only smiled.
They came to a skyline and peered inside. It was an office room, with an open front that looked down on the ground floor where it was filled with cold storage boxes, medical equipment and a bed closed off by a white curtain.
They spotted Aeacus in the corner of the large room, beside a stack of food supplies. Monger and Venra were not in sight. Sparrow checked the skyline for any alarms and turned them off. She opened the window and released a small device, something like a little metal fly.
"It's too dangerous to stay up here," she said. "That little device will do the sneaking for us."
He didn't question her, trusting her decision, and they left the roof and crossed back to the hide out just as the cameras came back online. They entered the shop and Sparrow opened a terminal, the device's live recording, and they listened.
It had settled by Aeacus, but not too close as to be obvious, and it watched Aeacus.
"He looks terrible," Sif remarked.
She was right, it looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in days and the food packet he slowly chewed made him pull a sickening expression. He was probably regretting his decision, but as terrible as it was, Giger was glad he had betrayed them.
Aeacus' character meant that, sooner or later, he would have done something to upset the balance. Whether it was his desperate attempts to keep hold of Sif or if he decided to try to steal power from Grunt, Aeacus had an antagonistic personality and it was best something like this happened now than later.
In the vid Aeacus threw aside the food packet and looked over to the curtained-off bed just as it opened briefly and Venra stepped out. Her skin was a light shade of violet while the patterns along her face were jagged and sharp, almost like twisted horns that curved around her eyes and brow while there were canine type patterns on her mouth that resembled a grinning mouth.
Her gloves were bloody, as was her apron. What exactly were they doing to Monger? He was much more serious than they thought, but why and how? Maybe he was sick, as Sparrow had said, which meant he may just die on his own accord as Sif so desired.
"... Will he live?" Aeacus asked.
"I can't say," she answered. "I'm not a doctor. But I've done what I can with what I have."
"We need help," he said.
"From who?" she said. "Aria won't help us, not when you're both considered terrorists and while this place is full of scum there's no room for terrorists."
"So what do we do then?" he growled.
"I don't care," she snapped. "Neither of you are my problem."
"You're involved with us now," he countered. "You're an accessory to not only our crimes, but that damn yahg, and you're harbouring criminals and illegal body parts."
She fell silent.
He mumbled under his breath, "I can see why you don't do as well as your sister."
She glared at him. "I'm going out to find something to ease Monger's pain," she said. "Don't leave. I don't want anyone recognizing you."
He mumbled again, this time the spy-fly couldn't pick it up. Venra threw off her gloves and apron and stormed out the front door.
"We should strike now," Giger said. "Monger is weakened and Aeacus seems out of it."
"Do we take them in alive?" Durak asked. "I know the Senate would prefer to take them in alive, but..."
He didn't need to finish, because they would all prefer to kill them both. Monger was sick anyway; maybe putting him down was better, at least then Aeacus would have to face punishment alone.
"Alive if we can, dead if we have to," Giger ordered. "Sparrow, stay here and keep Venra's security down and keep an eye out for her. Durak, you'll guard the roof in case either tries to make a run for it while Sif and I will go in and take them out."
They moved a moment later, waiting until Venra was out of sight. Sparrow shut down the entire security system, but ensured Venra received a false report so she wouldn't be alerted. Durak guarded the roof, watching as Giger and Sif silently slipped in through the skyline.
"You go for Monger," Giger said. "I'll handle Aeacus."
She wanted to argue, it was obvious, but she didn't because Giger's decision was right. They could both avoid personal feelings complicating the mission, ensuring the safety and success of the mission. She wouldn't risk the mission, she wasn't that selfish.
They moved along the balcony, avoiding Aeacus' line of sight. Giger paused, watching as Aeacus moved further towards a large crate, examining it before sitting down. Perfect. He was facing away from the curtained bed and them.
Giger dropped down, falling quietly despite his size, and Sif moved towards her target, dropping down when within range. Giger drew his knife, creeping towards Aeacus as Sif dissapeared behind the curtain. He was so close now, one cut and it was all over.
A sudden explosion ran out, the front door blowing up with such force that the building and ground shook as the wall crumbled in a heap of dust. Aeacus spun around, spotted Giger and fired a biotic blast. Giger dived out of the way, drawing his gun as he rolled. He dived behind cover, using the dust to his advantage. He managed to make out Aeacus' body in the thick dust and fired. Aeacus cried out in pain, falling back as he clutched his arm. Giger fired again; Aeacus twisted his body as he tried his best to avoid the shots and dissapeared behind cover.
The dust began to settle and Giger saw a large jagged hole in the curtain. He glanced back at the destroyed wall, what the hell had that kind of power? It couldn't have been a missile launcher or a biotic blast, so what...
Sif ran from the curtain, a jagged cut above her eye that turned her vision red, and she ran for cover. The curtain was ripped down and Monger stepped forwards, brandishing his new prophetic. The hand was gone, replaced by a large circular opening, almost like a cannon, but clearly it wasn't as it would have destroyed Monger's arm.
"It channels his biotic power," Sif said, appearing beside Grunt. "I'm not sure how, but it focus it enough so the power builds up and fires with three times the amount of power."
"He doesn't look any better," Giger observed. "He's still sick."
Monger, his face haggard and wet from sweat, took a step forwards. "Come out!" he called. "I'll end it quickly."
Giger ignored him, trying to make out the best path to Monger. He swore. Aeacus blocked the best path, if they could somehow distract him then...
He turned to Sif. His distraction.
...
Durak had watched Giger and Sif's seamless transition into the building, how expertly they had reached their targets, and then the explosion that ruined it. He wished he could be down there, assisting his team mates, but at that moment he had bigger worries.
Venra had come back, just as the explosion ruptured the night. She had known, somehow, that something was going to happen and arrived back just in time. She had a weapon with her now, or did she always have it on her and they hadn't seen it?
"I guess I was right about coming back," she said. "My security system was running just a little too smoothly, I didn't notice the bug that changed the time of my security feeds."
"The awkward moment when your hacks are just too good," he smirked.
She smiled. "Aren't you a little young to be going after terrorists?" she asked.
"Not really," he replied. "It's part of my job, Venra Sioux."
"Oh, so you know my name," she said. "What else do you know?"
"Only what the reports say," he shrugged. "You're the sister of Venetia, a well-known and powerful loan shark. You never achieved her level of infamy, despite all those years of trying."
Her mouth twitched and she lost the smile. "Maybe killing you and siding with Monger will make me better than her," and she fired.
Durak threw up a shield and fired a biotic blast. It struck her in the chest and she fell back, hitting the roof hard. He charged, drawing his weapon and firing. She rolled down the side of the roof, avoiding the shots, and caught the edge of the roof before falling, firing back at him.
His shield came back up, deflecting the shot. Venra frowned. She had never seen anyone create a shield so quickly, with this boy it happened almost automatically. She was beginning to understand why this whelp was involved in such a sensitive case, he was stronger than he seemed.
...
Sif knew what she had to do, she had volunteered almost before Giger laid out her plan. She knew Aeacus blocked the best path and she knew she was the only one who could do anything about it. Despite her feelings, this was the only way.
She ran forwards, heading for new cover. Monger aimed at her, Aeacus jumped from hiding and sprinting forwards, chasing after her. Monger shouted at him, told him to get down, but Sif had already thrown a smoke pellet and encased them both in the gloom.
Giger took his chance, dashing between cover while Monger was distracted and came up behind him, drawing his knife and stabbing him in the side. Monger cried out in pain and turned on him, swinging wildly and missed. Giger removed his blade as he dodged Monger's sloppy attacks and continued to stab at him, aiming at vital points.
Monger coughed and the blood struck Giger in the face, he grimaced but didn't let it distract him. His blade struck Monger's new prophetic, twisting deep into the metal and forcing it away. Monger tried to pull his hand free, Giger aimed a gun at his face.
"You going to shoot me?" Monger laughed. "Go ahead. End it. Kill Okeer's greatest achievement."
Giger glared and shot him in the leg, bringing him to his knees.
"Okeer's greatest experiment is a krogan named Grunt," Giger retorted.
He struck Monger's temple with the gun, knocking him out. He drew some handcuffs, then deciding to play it safe he placed a collar around Monger's neck before and tying his hands together. The collar was an experimental invention, filled with small needles that injected the biotic user with small doses of Omega-Enkaphalin.
It was recovered from a Cerberus lab shortly after the organization was destroyed and while dangerous in large quantities, small doses ensured that any biotic-prisoner would be unable to use their powers. He hoped he had an extra one in case Venra came back.
A part of the roof collapsed and an asari fell to the floor, unconscious and with a few bullet holes. Durak dropped down, landing beside her, and as the smoke cleared Aeacus could be seen laying at Sif's feet. And Sparrow watched it all, in awe.
This was the power of Aralakh Company, though they may first fail and suffer, they picked themselves up and fought tooth and nail until they succeeded. This was Wrex's elite team and Sparrow found she had chills watching them battle with such skill.
Giger glanced at all the unconscious bodies and though Monger wouldn't hear it, he knew it wouldn't be the same if he didn't say it.
"Okeer Test Subject 316, you are under arrest."
To Be Continued...
Tank Born prequel: ~queenyproductions
Monger arrested? Could this mean the end of his schemes?
