Mass Effect: Massive Shock

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Mass Effect or the BioShock franchises or any characters or property that BioWare or Irrational Games has staked claim upon. However I do own copies of the games Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 and BioShock and BioShock Original Characters I come up with are MINE to use and distribute.

A/N: As with every 10 chapters... or in this case 15... here's a little recap:

With the horrors of the Battle of the Suns passed and with my mysterious recovery, I found myself back in the arms of my friends. A party was held for my return from the brink of death and during the party I discover my feelings for Alex with the help of Vaga.

After that I am obligated to do a job for the Shadow Broker, discovering the involvement of one Sam Keppler the discoverer of the mysterious drug Four-D-Four-M. During the job, I battle a Blue Suns operative named Jada, a young steroid enhanced Omega street urchin. After the mission, she arrives at my home and asks to join my team.

I decide to include Zero in this team, who has been fired from his job at C-Sec for helping me through my trial. We go on several missions, but we are soon confronted by a new enemy: The Legion. The Legion, a relatively new mercenary group are led by Legate Hadrian Titanus Trajan. Trajan had managed to infiltrate the lives of many people all to get closer to me.

He and the Legion were hired by Cerberus to acquire some of my blood for testing. Fortunately Jada, Zero, and I manage to take them down and turn them into C-Sec.

Many months later, I take a day out of my hiatus to visit Ambassador Udina, who informs me that Columbia and therefore Rapture have never existed, meaning I didn't travel through time like I originally thought. I traveled to an entirely different universe. Was that the case the first time as well? Was my hope to see my family and friends again impossible?

Afterwards I take my appointment with the Consort who digs through my mind, yielding very few results Then I return home despite an assassination attempt only to be dumped flat on my ass by Alex. This is the worse birthday of my life.

Alright. That wasn't a little recap, that was a long one, but to be fair lots of stuff happened in the last 10 chapters, not to mention it's been 15 chapters since I last did a recap so… Time for the chapter 35! Part one of Massive Shock coming to a close and it's coming time for the events of Mass Effect 1!

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

~John Lennon~

Ch. 35: Happy Birthday

3:13 AM December 20, 2182

I wake on my couch in Nelyna's arms. She cradles me like a child, my head pressed against her chest, her steady breathing dulled by sleep.

Without moving my head, I raise my hand and rub at my sore and slightly swollen eyes. Was it just a dream?

I see my overturned coffee table. No. God… why?

The best thing that ever happened to me is in a different part of my life now. I can't believe I'm not Alex's boyfriend anymore. The idea of not being there… that hurts more than Incinerate.

She said that she can't be with me because I put her life in danger. And that makes me feel even worse. She has her reasons and even though I haven't worked in months and she's been relatively safe that doesn't make the past go away. How many times has she almost died as a direct consequence to my actions? The Battle of the Suns was directly my fault, but she doesn't know that, no one does. Dalarian almost killing her was definitely my fault, that one is probably the main reason. I told her then that I wouldn't ever let anyone hurt her and that is a good a reason as any. I mean, why should I have to? Why should I have to protect her? She said that. She said that I shouldn't have to need to protect her. But I need to. Because I love her and I put her in danger. Even the other night, assassins tried to kill me but they came here to my apartment building where Alex was. She was in danger but she didn't even know it. I won't tell her that one. That's just pushing it.

I sniff. No more tears to cry I guess.

Nelyna takes a deep intake of breath, makes a slight noise and shifts slightly but remains in the same positioning, my head resting on her chest and my arms around her lazily, one resting on her thigh and the other pinned under her waist and hanging lazily off the end of the couch.

Her hands move slightly on my head and neck, pulling me in tighter and stroking at my hair. Funny. She's comforting me even while she sleeps.

I think I might still be a mess if Nelyna didn't come or left like I asked her.

I close my eyes and listen to Nelyna's heartbeat. Her skin feels very hot but not unpleasant.

…

After what feels like an eternity, Nelyna shifts again. Her hands slip from my head.

I sit up and get off the couch.

I walk very slowly to the kitchen and start making some tea. I don't think I've ever felt this exhausted. I sniff.

After the tea is done, I take a seat on a stool and drink it slowly. It tastes bland and flavorless even though I put more tea leaves in than normal. It's still too hot and it burns my mouth, but I hardly feel it.

After the cup is empty, I take the tea pot and start drinking out of that. After that's empty I trudge into my armory and start picking things up off the floor.

I look at my scarred knuckles. Where did the blood go?

Nelyna must have washed them after I healed. I can hardly remember that was all a blind blur.

I lift the gun rack up and reposition it against the wall. I start picking up my guns one by one and placing them in my cradled arm.

After they're all off the floor I start placing them back on the rack. I sniff continually as I work.

Odd. I thought I'd feel worse. I guess losing a love isn't as bad as people make it seem. I mean, it's not like she's dead. Oh God, don't think that… you're getting all misty again. I'll still see her. Maybe things will start up again. I mean I still have feelings for her. She still has feelings for me.

I sniff.

Alex is my soul mate. We'll be together. Till death do us part? But that's the reason she left me.

I sniff.

I place the last handgun onto the rack and walk over to my armor stand with a rag. I absently start wiping off the bloody circles made by my fists from the armor.

I don't feel as bad as I thought. Yeah… I guess this isn't so bad. You were just being melodramatic, Rob. Heh… It's like when you asked that one girl out and she said no. It didn't feel as bad as you thought right? In fact it was liberating.

I smile very slightly; the smile doesn't show in my eyes though. I can feel it. I sniff and drop the towel on the floor.

I walk over to my desk and take a seat. I didn't notice this but a metal case sits on it.

I flip the latches and open it. I grunt at the sight of rows of hypos filled with green Keeper blood. Fresh ADAM, courtesy of Jada. I take one out and place it on my desk. What should I do with it? I got enough EVE. I don't have any ideas for plasmids or tonics… I'll save these for a rainy day.

I place the hypo back in the case and set it on the floor.

I place my elbows on the desk and rest my chin on my interlocked fingers. I sniff.

I don't feel like sitting around. It's my birthday. Every year in Rapture, I would go out and save a Little Sister before I drank until I went blind. Or did I just pass out?

I stand and walk into my bedroom. I put on a pair of socks, a pair of Converse, and I pull on a t-shirt.

I grab a leather jacket and I start toward the door. I stop and stare at my reflection in the mirror on my closet. Yeesh, I look awful.

I head into the bathroom and restyle my hair before leaving. I throw on my jacket and head out the door. Before I go, I leave a note for Nelyna telling her that I went out. Just in case she wakes up.

I walk out of the deserted building, my hands buried in the pockets of my jacket.

I walk slowly, not really knowing where I'm going. I stare at the ground as I walk lost in thought.

This has been an eventful year. One year since I came here to Mass Effect. And look what I've accomplished!

I made friends.

Bought an apartment.

Discovered ADAM again.

Made millions.

Killed dozens.

Made enemies with the Blue Suns and Cerberus.

I became famous.

I met my soul mate.

And I got dumped.

I got lots done. Yay for me.

"HELP!" I hear somebody scream. My head shoots up and I stop and I look around for the source of the screaming. I look down the alley to my left, at the woman screaming. I now realize that the person must have been screaming already and I was too distracted by myself to hear her. She must have just saw me as I passed.

The woman is human and being assaulted by a black haired man of considerable stature. He covers her mouth with his hand and tears at her dress.

My eyes widen and fury mounts in my body. I charge down the alley and toward the man.

He doesn't notice me, his eyes locked on the woman's exposed body. I tackle the man around the waist, tearing him away from the woman. I land on top of him and before he can get up or retaliate against me I drive my elbow into his temple. His head snaps back and his eyes glaze over but he remains conscious. I roll him onto his back and keep his arms pinned against the ground with my knees. I start punching him repeatedly.

I throw a right cross into his face, rotating my whole body adding centrifugal forces to the blow. I repeat the process with my left fist. Then my right. Then my left. Then my right. Then my left. Again and again and again.

I forget about everything. Everything around me turns to a white blur. I keep striking, trying to paint the blur red.

I feel a hand place nervously on my shoulder.

I whirl around to deliver an elbow to the new attacker. I stop myself inches from the woman's face, her eyes wide with shock. I realize my face is twisted in rage. I feel the rage coursing through me. I take a deep breath and calm myself.

The woman jumps back in fear from me, holding the torn material of her dress up to cover herself.

I stare at her in shock. I'm not me anymore. I can't let something so small as a breakup to change me so much. I've never lost control like this.

I lower my arm and look down at the man. He's unmoving, his face mangled. His mutilated eyes hang open slightly, staring blankly straight up. I killed him. He's dead.

I cover my mouth with my hand. "God…"

The woman places her hand on my shoulder again. "It's okay. You were angry. He was evil and you saved me. If you hadn't come…"

She starts to sob. I stand slowly. I turn away from the dead man. I remove my jacket and hand it to her, averting my eyes. She puts it on at zips it up to the top.

I place my hands on her shoulders and turn her away from the corpse.

We walk out of the alleyway. I still do not meet her eyes. I can feel them on me. What they convey? I cannot say for sure. Admiration? Gratitude? Respect? Fear? Contempt? I can't say. I don't want to see.

I turn to continue walking in the direction I was headed before. I mumble some nonsense to her about how I was sorry about losing myself and that she can keep the jacket.

I start walking again staring at the ground again. I breath slowly and steadily, equal in pace to my walking. I continue until I find myself at the Presidium Junction, where the Zakera Ward connects to the Presidium. Should I go to the Presidium? Or should I just turn around and keep going until I hit the other end?

I'll keep going onto the Presidium.

I step into the waiting tram and I press the button for it to go. It takes a second which confuses me. Did somebody else come in with me?

I glance over my shoulder and find that the woman whom I had saved is standing there in the tram staring at me. Was she following me?

She smiles. "Where are you going?"

I remain silent for a time. "Nowhere, really."

"Can I come too?" She asks smiling.

I laugh a little. I didn't think I was capable of laughter again. I nod.

She steps closer and stands next to me rather than behind me.

She looks at me and holds out a hand to me. "My name is Samantha Song, but you can call me Sam."

I look at her for a second before shaking her hand. "I'm Splic-… Robert. My name's Robert."

She smiles. "Can I call you Rob?"

I smile. "Yes. You can."

Sam smiles and looks out at the Citadel. She doesn't seem to recognize me, which is strange. Every time I go out people are waving, asking for pictures and autographs. I hate it. This is actually quite refreshing.

I didn't really notice before but she's very pretty. She's tall, not as tall as me but far taller than Alex who's really short now that I think about it. She's blond and has long silky looking hair that hangs down to her mid back. Her sky blue eyes are accentuated by her dark makeup which is smeared slightly. She has a thin face with prominent cheekbones and a gentle curve of her nose. Her lips are full and her mouth a little pouted. Her curvaceous body isn't accented by my black leather jacket, but her white dress compliments her strong looking calves. Her shoes dangle loosely from her fingers.

She stares at the Citadel, oddly distant.

I frown. "Are you alright?"

She looks back at me, her smile fades. "Yeah. I'm fine. I was just caught off guard. I wasn't prepared."

My frown deepens. Something about her rubs me the wrong way. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

She stares at me confused. "No I don't. Should I?"

I shrug. "Probably not. Are you new to the Citadel?"

She nods. "Yes I just got here."

The tram slows to a stop and we step out and start walking, in no particular direction.

"Well, why are you here?" I ask. "Everyone is here for something, it seems."

She shrugs. "I just wound up here. Know what I mean?"

My eyes dart to her. She can't mean… "Not really."

She shrugs. "Whatever. I never thought I'd end up in a place like this though. It's really beautiful here. It's like a dream."

I'd think she'd consider this a nightmare. What kind of dream starts with an attempted rape? I cough awkwardly. "Uh, so you don't know your way around well?"

She shrugs. "Just from what I remember. I know major places. And if I ever get lost, I have Avina to help me."

My eyes dart to her again. From what she remembers? Am I going nuts?

She notices me staring and looks at me confused. "What?"

I look away from her quickly and fail to think of something to say.

She sighs and places her hands on my arm and rests her head on my shoulder as we walk.

I look down at her nervously, almost angrily. I don't know why that pisses me off. Maybe because I just broke up with Alex a few hours ago? But she doesn't know that. I roll my eyes.

I give her the satisfaction by bending my arm slightly.

We continue to walk in silence, uncomfortable for me, comfortable for her most likely, until we find ourselves… Here we are.

I stop abruptly taking her by surprise.

I walk over to the edge of the railing and take a seat at the edge, my legs dangling over the water. Here I am. Back to where it all started. I came out, at this exact spot.

I swing my body out from behind the railing so there's nothing holding me back from falling in the water. I lean over and stare at the inky blackness of it. It's so clear during day cycles…

"What are you doing?" Sam asks confused.

I glance at her. "This is my stop. It's been nice chatting but I'm going to stay here. It was nice…"

I trail off as she takes a seat next to me, unbearably close.

I sigh.

I look back at the water.

After what feels like ages the day cycle begins, with a dim luminescence.

I look up at the ceiling. Must be 6. I should head home. I'm a gentleman so I'll escort Sam home before I head back. I also need to speak with the Consort today so I think I'll join Nelyna as she goes to work.

I liked this time out. I should walk places more. I'm not sure how I feel about the company though.

I pull myself out from the edge of the lake and back behind the railing. I stand and stretch. Sam notices me move suddenly and she joins me.

I sigh. "I need to get home. I'll take you home first. Where do you live?"

She looks around. "I don't have a home."

"… So you literally… Just got here?" I ask in confusion.

She nods. "Yeah, pretty much."

I sigh. "Do you have any money?"

She shakes her head, not seeming to be bothered by that.

"Don't you have any family here?"

She shakes her head.

"Nobody? No friends?"

She smiles. "I have you."

I cover my face with my hands and groan loudly.

She places a hand on my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek. "I had fun. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

I look up from my palms after a second and she's gone.

I look around and around. No sign of her. Odd. So very odd.

I sigh and start walking home.

6:21 AM December 20, 2182

I enter my apartment, closing the door behind me. The light shines brightly through the window.

"Cloves." I whisper. "Blind the windows."

"Yes, sir." He whispers back.

The window darkens bathing the room in darkness.

I tip toe toward my bedroom, checking the couch as I walk.

Nelyna is still there sleeping.

I stop and stare at her.

She's really beautiful. I don't think I ever noticed before. Actually she's sort of stunning.

Wow Rob. Haven't been single for 24 hours and already you're looking through your alternative options for romance. I scoff. Pig.

I walk over and scoop Nelyna up from the couch smoothly. She stirs slightly but continues to sleep.

I carry her into my room and lay her on the bed, covering her in the heavy sheets and blankets.

I walk back out into the main room and take a seat on the couch which is warm.

I sit quite still for what seems like hours but what is actually seconds.

Alex. I can't get her out of my head. I need to see her again.

No! You can't!

I know I can't go to her now. It would seem like I'm begging. But I need to see something again.

Oh! I have an idea.

I rush into my armory and grab my helmet off my armor stand. I carry it back into the main room and I place it on my coffee table.

I open my omni-tool and establish a remote connection with it.

I scroll through the photo albums on my omni-tool to the more recent pictures, mostly of me and her.

I smile at the memories. My eyes are getting moist.

I turn off my omni-tool before tears start falling. Too late.

I wipe them away with my hand.

Damn.

She was right though. I do put her in danger. Maybe now that I'm single, my enemies will overlook her. Of course I'd have to go public with that information. And I don't really want to do that. But I should. To throw would-be attackers off her trail maybe I should be like:

"We ended on awful terms." I say out loud intentionally in a stentorian voice. "I couldn't hate her more and love her less. The spark was gone. I have no feelings for her. Alex Silva loved me no more and I loved her no longer. We parted ways in a violent manner. I couldn't have been more of an ass about it. She was cool but I was a big ol' cry baby and I stole her watch and I broke it."

Of course that would spark controversy. People would think I'm a detached prick, but maybe they wouldn't see Alex as a bargaining chip and they'd leave her alone.

I sniff.

It is better this way. She's right. Now she's in far less danger. Everyday dangers like disease and cars and spontaneous combustion are still prevalent but now maybe the Blue Suns and Cerberus will leave her be. Oh and the Legion. Can't forget them. Speaking of which they haven't done anything. They're still around and thriving but they haven't come after me.

Frankly I don't think they're really my enemies. Just two people on opposing sides of two opposing factions. No real feelings against one another, just the wrong ties. Them to Cerberus, me to me.

Here I am, getting side tracked again. Alex. Focus on that.

She's safer now. It's true. But she's still a target, no doubt about that. And if my enemies go after her I'll still try and protect her. And if that happens maybe she'll see that no matter what she'll be in danger and then she'll be like:

"Oh, Splicer!" I say in a falsetto voice. "I see now that I was wrong. No matter what, our love will never be broken! And because of that, I'll always be in danger!" I switch to a stentorian voice. "So baby… Let's be in danger together!"

I make kissy noises which causes me to laugh. I'm on an emotional high right now.

I sigh. I think I've made my peace with it. And hey! She said we could be friends with benefits! I laugh.

The door to my bedroom opens and Nelyna comes out looking confused and concerned. "Splicer?"

I lean over and smile at her from the couch.

She sighs in relief and rushes over to me.

She stops once she sees my pleased and happy expression. "What's the matter?"

I frown slightly. "Nothing."

"You're smiling." She says in confusion. "You were miserable earlier."

I shrug. "I thought it over. I've come to terms with my break up."

She looks at me impressed. "Wow. You must've done some rough thinking."

I shrug again. "This and that. How did you know that Alex and I had broken up?"

She sighs and takes a seat next to me. "I passed Alex on the stairs coming up. I tried to say hi to her, but she ran right passed me crying her eyes out. I knew something must've happened between you two. I came up here saw all the broken stuff. Honestly at first I thought you two got in an argument or something. Then I found you in the back room and… well I kind of pieced it together."

I follow the short tale with a fascinated attention. I nod. "I see. Well… alright."

A short pause follows.

"Hey," Nelyna says somewhat curiously. "Did you know that you start glowing when you cry?"

I smirk. "Yeah I know that. Only when I cry really hard though."

"Why?" She asks.

"It's the plasmids. I have one called Rescue that I don't really have a use for anymore. A side effect of it is that it can be affected by intense emotional states." I explain. "So when I'm really sad, I activate it unknowingly."

"Rescue, eh?" Nelyna asks. "What does it do?"

I shrug. "Nothing particularly useful anymore. Hey listen, I need to speak with the Consort today she's expecting me. Can I come with you to work?"

Nelyna looks at me taken aback. "Uh… sure. I'll have to head home first to shower but then we can go."

I shrug. "Just take a shower here, I don't mind."

She hesitates but nods. "Alright. I'm almost late for work anyways."

I look at my omni-tool. Wow 6:45 and "almost" late for work? The Consort runs a tight operation.

I rest my head back and stare straight up at the ceiling. Hm… Maybe I should get a tattoo. I've always wanted one. What should I get?

I start laughing a little.

Wow, Rob. You're such a dick. You sure got over Alex pretty quick.

If you knew me at all you'd know I wasn't over her, Rob.

Hell, I know you better than anyone. But seriously, how can you justify that?

What? Thinking of what kind of ink to scar myself with? I'm trying to stop thinking about her!

I see… Sorry.

No problem.

You're going crazy.

I know.

I sigh.

Funny, all I can think about now is Sam. Who was she? So mysterious. Something about her was familiar in some way. Almost like looking through a mirror or something. But she said things that didn't make sense. While talking to her I almost thought that she was like me. You know: Transuniversal. But then I realized that was bull shit. What are the chances of two people getting sent to the same separate universe on the same day a year apart? Pretty slim, I think.

I sigh and cross my arms.

I start humming some random tune and Nelyna reenters the room.

"Ready?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah. I need a jacket, just a sec."

I hop off the couch and walk past her into my room. I grab a random jacket from my closet and put it on before rejoining her in the main room of my apartment.

We head down to the lobby in relative silence. I busy myself by fiddling with my omni-tool as we walk. A year with this thing and I still don't know how to work it very well. I know basic stuff but I'd love to learn how to do like an Overload or Incinerate or something… On second thought? I think I'd have too much power then.

As if there was such a thing.

We enter a cab and start traveling to the Presidium.

I shut off my omni-tool after a moment or two and stare out the window at the Citadel. I sigh quietly. Jeez. I sure sigh a lot. I'm worse than Kif from Futurama whenever he's around Brannigan.

I feel something on my leg.

I look down at Nelyna's hand on my thigh before looking up at her. She looks at me kindly, smiling slightly.

I smile back. "Nelyna, I want to thank you for sticking around last night. I know that I wouldn't be as calm or anything as I am now without you."

She smiles. "Don't mention it. I know you'd do it for me."

I smile and take her hand in mine. I give it a gentle squeeze before releasing it and staring out the window again at the Serpent Nebula as we pass. I sigh.

The cab lands shortly after near the Consort's Chambers. We exit and enter together. The Acolytes are here but no clients, thankfully.

Nelyna nods at the stairs. "If she's expecting you go on up. I need to get changed."

I nod and she leaves. I walk slowly to Sha'ira's room, getting odd looks from a few Acolytes as I walk. Something on my face?

I enter her room and she is sitting at a table in the corner of the room.

She smiles a smile so slight it hardly shows. "Splicer. I'm glad you returned. Please sit."

I take a seat across from her and lean in, nervous about what she'll tell me.

Sha'ira sighs and her smile fades. "This isn't easy for me to admit. But I'm sorry Splicer. You are the first person who came to me, whose needs cannot be met."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

She frowns, appearing clearly guilty. "You wanted understanding. You wanted to be understood… I'm sorry. But even after hours of searching your brain and your soul, and near constant meditation since then up until now, I am unable to understand you."

My heart sinks and I stare at her in further confusion. "But… You said that… We melded. Shouldn't you have been able to understand me in seconds? And you did it once before already! What's different from this time?"

She nods. "Yes, this is why this confuses me so. The first time we melded, your mind was clouded and tangled, easy to discern and find that horror in your mind. But now it is clear and I could not unravel it. Do you remember much from the melding?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I hardly remember a thing. Other than this odd feeling while it was happening, like something in my skull."

She smiles. "You haven't melded much then. True, I should have been able to see what it is you are and understand what it is that you see yourself as in a matter of seconds. However, even minutes in, I could not untangle the threads that weave your mind. You are not an asari. You could not comprehend the mind like we could. Most minds are like a neatly woven ball. The threads can be read, easily identified. They are evenly spaced, easy to weave. When most people have problems the problems leak out, through the spaces in the weave of the mind. This is how I read you more easily last time. I simply pieced it together from the remnants of your horror. Most people's minds are easy to pluck, to clarify. Yours is different. It is of a different pattern, of a different material. It is woven another way. It is dyed a different color. It is like nothing I've seen."

Cryptic similes! I hate them! "So you couldn't learn anything."

She shakes her head. "All I could discern is that you have undergone trauma that nobody else could understand and that you are in an emotional hell and that you are very angry that you cannot even understand yourself."

"I already knew that!" I exclaim angrily.

She sighs. "I am sorry. For me to read the heartstrings of your mind I would have to weave myself into your mind. Your will is unbending. I spent hours trying to see a way to read your mind. I tried. But I failed. Yours is a mind truly odd."

I roll my eyes. Great. I waited 10 months for this? What did I learn? I got me an "Oddly woven ball" and the will to hold it together. So apparently I'd make a good Green Lantern. I sigh and stand. "Thanks for trying."

I exit her room and leave the Consort's Chambers in a fury.

I stand outside the building, breathing in the cool air.

After a short while I head to a cab terminal and ride it home. I spent a whole year here and I haven't learned anything new about myself. If anything, I got more shit going on in this… I pound on my head with my fist… stupid thing than I did before.

The cab enters my building and I quickly exit and head back to my apartment. I trudge slowly down the hall to my apartment door. I take it slow, opening the door with absolutely no goal in mind.

I walk into my apartment and straight to my room. I toss my omni-tool, credit chit, and pistol haphazardly on my desk.

I strip my jacket and shirt off myself and toss them lazily into the closet in a jumbled heap.

I remove my shoes and socks without sitting down and toss them in there as well. I'm normally very neat. This is my way of showing rebellion. Throwing my stuff in my closet.

I sit on my bed and bury my head in my hands. I run my hands through my hair a few times before standing and moving to the bathroom to take a shower.

Worst.

Birthday.

Ever.

Epilogue…

Susan Farro walks away from Splicer quickly, the zippers of his leather jacket clinking as she runs.

She ducks into an alley and immediately raises a hand to her ear.

"Owen." She says urgently. "I just got away from him."

"And? How'd it go?" He asks eagerly.

"Not good." She says with a grimace. "He fucking killed Karlo! And I tried really hard to get him to want to sleep with me, I did! But he was acting strangely and I didn't know what to ask him."

"He must be fucked up if you couldn't talk to him." Owen responds. "And fucking Karlo! Shit… just come back to the hideout, we need a new plan."

"Roger." Susan responds. She checks to see if Splicer had gone which he had. She sets off for her team's hideout.

A/N: All in all I liked how this one turned out. I liked it over all. Anyway. Here's to two more chapters.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you again next week.

Mockingbird79