Troublemaker.
A week passed in relative quiet, the passing of Wrex weighing heavily on people's mind. But something came up that had everyone distracted. News of Zaeed causing trouble on the Citadel reached them, and Georgia ordered them to return to the station and stop him, before he did anything stupid.
"What do you think he's done?" Joker asked as they reached the Citadel, and flew toward the central ring, no signs of trouble as they flew through the ward arms.
"I hope nothing major over a little matter" Georgia replied, her eyes fixed on the Citadel tower. "though, knowing Zaeed, that's a possibility when he went in for something 'minor' over a month ago."
"Excellent hypothesis general" EDI said from the co-pilot seat. "Mr Massani's irritable nature would lend itself to such a scenario."
"We'll find out soon, we're coming in to land, and…holy shit!" Joker exclaimed as they passed an on fire hospital, and an angry mob standing nearby, burning the ambulance shuttles. "Looks like you were right, best suit up." Georgia nodded and ran down the corridor to the lift, as an alarm wailed, alerting the crew to suit up.
"What's going on?" Tali asked minutes later as they landed, all of them suited and armed by the airlock as the Normandy docked. Georgia was dressed in full N8 armour with her trusty Death Mask helmet, all painted black with white highlights.
"Riot at Huerta," Georgia summed up the situation. "Zaeed may be part of it or the ringleader, C-Sec isn't stepping in, they're too ill-equipped."
"It's always the same Shepard" Garrus said, "but with Zaeed, they'd be wise to steer clear, he'd wage war against them for insulting him in a bar." The airlock opened to reveal Commander Bailey standing at the end of the docking hatch in riot gear, he waved them over.
"Bailey?" Georgia said surprised as she greeted her old C-Sec friend warmly.
"Glad you made it; the situation is pretty tense at the moment." Bailey said, "we were about to call you when your ship entered the system."
"Situation?" Liara said surprised, "you call a hospital fire and an angry mob, a situation?" Aria restrained Liara from trying anything.
"Considering the station's recent history, it's a situation" Bailey retorted, silencing the young Asari.
"What do you need us to do?" Georgia asked; keen to retrieve her crew member from the riot.
"Crowd control, mainly" Bailey sighed, tapping his omnitool and summoning a hologram of the hospital grounds. "And calming down the situation AND capturing the ones responsible."
"Do we know who is responsible?" Aria asked. Bailey gave her an odd look before responding.
"A patient unhappy with the treatment he was getting" Bailey said flatly. "Don't know who, as the patient files have been destroyed, and most are wearing surgical masks to hide their faces."
"Please don't tell me it was Zaeed Massani" Georgia said despairingly.
"Nope" Bailey smiled, "he's second in command, from what we can tell."
"You sure it's him?" Kasumi asked, and Bailey nodded.
"How many one-eyed people do you know with his facial scars?" Bailey chuckled, "also, Doctors Michel and Chakwas are fine, they were at home when the riot started." Bailey remembered another point and added, "And your buddy James and his company have been dispatched to protect the Council in case it escalates."
"We'll get going then" Georgia said, signalling her crew who jogged on, Bailey saluted and Georgia quickly got to the front and lead them to the burning hospital. When they arrived they realised the scale of the problem, several hundred angry people were amassed around the burning hospital, all currently focused on destroying it completely.
"Alright, I want Jack, Samara, Aria, Liara, Falare and Tela focused on containing the crowd with your biotics," Georgia ordered as she assessed the situation, the selected women fanned out and surrounded the crowd. "Garrus, Morinth, Ashley and…"
"Need a hand Shepard?" a familiar voice said from behind her, she turned and saw Kolyat Krios, standing there with a sniper rifle in his hands, and wearing his father's black suit.
"Perfect! You always show up when needed!" Georgia said and hugged the Drell. "You'll be with Garrus, Morinth, Ashley and Kasumi, as support, and to stop anyone else from attacking the others or joining in." the group nodded and dispersed, as the biotic team created a vast bubble around the hospital, trapping the protestors in the hospital grounds.
"What about us?" EDI asked as her and Tali moved forward.
"We go in and confront the ringleader." Georgia smiled behind her mask. "I'll also need you to hack into the remains of the hospital system, so we can find out who we are dealing with." EDI nodded and the trio moved forward, the biotic bubble opened to let them in. The rioters charged them and Georgia managed to yell, "don't kill, just subdue!" before they were mobbed by the mob. They fought their way through to the middle, where they were almost overwhelmed, saved by a familiar voice.
"Oi you dumb bastards, back off or I'll rip your guts out with my teeth!" a voice yelled, and the crowd backed off, and parted to allow Zaeed to stroll toward them, he was dressed in a hospital gown, with his legplates covering his lower half, and had a bandage covering his glass eye. "Wondered if you'd show up" he snarled, but Georgia saw him wink subtlety, and she stepped forward.
"Bring it on Massani, I'm here to bring down your boss!" she mock insulted him, raising her fist and gesturing for Zaeed to attack. He snarled and withdrew a knife from his back, before charging and began a fist-fight with Georgia.
"Took your damn time!" Zaeed muttered as they mock fought each other, the knife coming close to slicing into her armour on several occasions. "The one in-charge is a complete idiot, he bribed me to make it turn ugly."
"Know his name?" Georgia muttered back as she flipped Zaeed over her back, to the geers of the crowd.
"No idea, never told me his name" Zaeed said as he dropped the knife and she kicked it to EDI. "Now knock me out convincingly and they'll let you through. But don't fuck it up!" Georgia smiled and punched him with a left upper cut, successfully knocking him out with one hit, the crowd fell silent.
With their second-in-command down, and the bubble trapping them with his vanquisher, most of the crowd dropped to their knees in surrender, whilst others surged forward, only to join Zaeed in unconsciousness. When the riot had been subdued, the bubble vanished and Georgia's crew moved in to ensure no one tried anything.
"EDI, can you hack into the mainframe, find out who the ringleader is?" Georgia asked, as her, EDI and Tali moved into the burning hospital.
"Affirmative, he was here receiving treatment for a rare disease, though what exactly has been deleted." EDI said as they moved through, Georgia putting out fires with biotic blasts where necessary. "The log says he was angry at the treatment options he was given, because the course he was on 'wasn't working' and got enraged by the doctors, to a point where the riot began." They reached the only room that wasn't on fire, on the top floor of the hospital, the sound of groaning metal making them concerned about its structural integrity.
"Who?" Tali asked as they moved to the door. Before EDI could answer, the door opened to reveal an almost unrecognisable familiar figure, lying in a hospital bed, overlooking the smouldering grounds.
"Conrad Verner!" Georgia exclaimed, "Seriously?" They entered the room and the man turned and looked at them. The old fanboy of Shepard's was almost hidden by the breath mask, bald head and tired eyes; he looked scared as they approached with their guns out.
"Don't hurt me, please!" he squealed, raising his wired up hands in surrender. "But I'd stay away; this building will collapse and kill us all." Georgia took off her helmet and handed it to EDI, Conrad's eyes widened. "Commander Shepard?"
"Verner? Is that really you?" Tali and Georgia said in unison, Conrad nodded and took off the breath mask.
"Long time no see Ms Von Neema" Conrad smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to stop the riot you started" Georgia said, Conrad seemed to get angry.
"No, no, no." he shook his head violently. "I was so close" the building creaked loudly below them.
"Close to what?" Georgia asked, "Why set the entire hospital on fire and rile up the people?"
"To go out with a bang, like you did." He smiled, and looked out the window at the plumes of smoke coming from below.
"What?" the three women said in unison.
"You blew yourself up to defeat the Reapers, your mother did the same to stop Harbinger, and I want to die in an explosion like you." Conrad said staring into space longingly.
"Why?" Tali asked, looking at the numerous machines.
"Because I've got a terminal illness, and I'd rather die sooner rather than later!" he exclaimed, balling his hands into fists.
"And you'd start a riot, hire Zaeed Massani and risk hundreds to do so?" Georgia said, taking a step closer, the floor creaking in response. "That's not heroic that cowardly and monstrous." Conrad this time didn't change his mind.
"I don't care, they didn't care about my needs, they wanted to keep me alive to suffer" Conrad said, his knuckles turning white. "You wouldn't care if you didn't know I was behind it, you only care because…"
"I care Conrad" Georgia said, taking another step forward, and willing the floor not to give out beneath her. "I care because you're not just ending your life by doing this, think of all those who could still be in the building when it collapses. My wife was supposed to give birth here in a week's time, now that's not possible."
"And all the people who rely on this hospital for jobs, care and support for themselves and their loved ones" Tali added.
"There are other hospitals on the Citadel they can go to, Huerta isn't the best anymore anyway." Conrad sulked angrily. "Get out of here now, before you die again."
"Not going to happen!" Georgia yelled, pulling off her left arm plates to reveal the Reaper band, Conrad froze.
"You, you found it?" he said in a quiet voice, staring at the band.
"Found what?" Georgia said confused. "The band?"
"Yes, I told the Council, I knew about the planet for years." He said, not looking away from the band. "I suggested they send you to investigate, knowing what was there."
"You knew about this?" Georgia snarled, Conrad whimpered.
"I knew, I wanted everyone to worship you as I do, and becoming goddess was the only way to do so." He said timidly. "But you're not goddess yet?"
"Needs eight 'wishes' before I do, I'm currently on seven" Georgia said, sliding her arm back into the armour, clicking it into place and breaking Conrad's stare, he now looked at her hopefully.
"Then cure me and become goddess" he said hopefully. Georgia hesitated. "You won't save me?" Before she could reply, she heard a whistling coming from under Conrad's bed.
"General!" EDI blurted, "I've detected a pair of gas canisters under Mr Verner's bed, they are about to explode from the heat."
"Jump!" Georgia yelled, Tali and EDI ran and dived through the window. Georgia moved to grab Conrad but he clutched the bed and refused to let go. As the whistling got louder, Georgia looked into his eyes and saw his determination to stay, and before she could argue, he pushed her and she fell through the shattered window. There was an almighty explosion and the hospital collapsed, Georgia landed in the artificial lake and swam to the shore, where her crew hurried to meet her.
"He let himself be killed, even though he asked to be cured" Georgia said weakly, as she sat on the bank. "Why did I hesitate? I should have said yes." She put her head in her hands and looked at her reflection, as the fire engines flew overhead, and Vega Security moved in to surround the crowd.
