A/N:
Well, this is a first. I wrote this entire chapter in ONE day. I have to admit, a good part of it wrote itself due to some... personal desires. Seriously, i have been waiting for this pne for quite some time.
Anyway, a lot of you have been guessing just what and where Anna's disk is from, and what it is. I am not going to tell, but some of you guessed it. You know who you are.
Just know, that I only write this fast when I'm being crowded by good reviews... and damn if the reviews from chapter 34 weren't good. Most was pure love for Zaeed, a love I fully share, the dude is badass incarnated!
Well, on to the story :D
Checkmate Tim
October 27th
Admiral Kahoku's apartment, the Citadel
20:11
For an assignment that should be full of danger and action, this has to be the most boring thing I've done here so far. Nothing, and I press on the word Nothing, has happened so far. We have followed Kahoku around like chickens after the farmer, and absolutely nada has transpired.
At least the old man is one hell of a story-teller. He's been in more raids and campaigns than anyone I can think of, bar Hackett of course. He's also quite the charmer, and behaves more like a grandfather than an admiral when he isn't on duty, which is at the moment the case.
Currently, Liara and Jane are keeping watch at the door to his home-away-from-home here on the station, and I'm sitting in one of the apartment's chairs, pistol and sword out. I have to admit, as excessive as it seemed to have a sword on me, just two days ago, it makes sense. In a weird meaning of the word that is. While a gun would impact and drain on someone's kinetic barrier, the sword is too slow to activate it, and would pass right through it and skewer the bastard on the other end of it.
A thing that can make me smile a bit is that the sword is nearly impossible to lift with my right arm. I'm not sure what it is actually made of, but it weighs at least fifty-kilos. Granted, it is thicker than any other sword I've ever seen, and with a meter in length, I have no problem imagining that it would be heavier than other swords… but this is just ridiculous.
Still, that's where the synthetic arm comes into play. With that, lifting and swinging the sword is literally Childs play. I only have one problem with it: Using a sword means taking someone's life.
It's not that I haven't killed before now. I've killed Varren, Xenos and those zombie-things on Feros. Even Asari-clones… but the thought of having to look someone in the eye or hearing their screams or pain when I gut them… I suppose it has to happen at some point. It doesn't make it easier though, thinking about the person's life, his or her family, loved ones and friends… I know Cerberus assassins probably don't have a lot of that, but they are still human beings.
"You shouldn't try to cross that bridge until you get there…"
"Fuck of! I'm still pissed at you Roku!"
"For what? I helped avoid your first time together turning into an awkward scene and a horrible memory. Even if you aren't thankful, at least stop being pissed."
"Doesn't matter now… I am not going to tell Ash what you did, but I swear to the gods: If you had any bones, I would have broken them the second you told me."
"Well then I suppose it is good that I do not possess a body outside yours."
Sometimes… That perverted ass can't see why I'm pissed? Fine, I'll just ignore him then. Shouldn't be that hard.
The sound of flushing water brings me back to reality, and I run a quick check over the apartment as the admiral exits the loo.
The entire place has been reinforced with steel-framed armored glass, with plates that can be lowered over them in seconds to prevent a sniper from offing him from the outside. The tables and chairs have all been nailed to the floor to prevent them from being used as weapons, and the doors have been reinforced with titanium. Even the door to the loo is now made from solid steel, in case he would have to hide out there.
I have to admit: When Jane says she will procure some help with Kahoku's safety, she's not fucking around.
"Well Thomas, I trust everything is in order?" Kahoku asks as he shuts the door behind him, stretching in front of me. For an old guy like him, he's fit as hell. I mean it: Kahoku has the body of a wrestler underneath his uniform. I suppose that comes with being in the navy… but this guy… I wonder who would kick who's ass: Him or Wrex. I'm not even joking. I'd hate to be the assassin caught in a fist-fight with Kahoku.
I rise up from the chair and snap to a salute;
"Yes sir. The apartment is as secure as it gets. Nothing short of a cruiser could penetrate those windows, and we have the door locked up tight. Anyone trying to get in that way would face two biotics and both in almost impenetrable armor. I'd like to see Cerberus get to you now." I say, brandishing my sword; "Especially because I have a few bones to pick with them over my commander." I can't keep the sneer from my voice.
Miranda fucking lied to me. She told me she didn't know anything about John's abduction, and that she had nothing to do with it either. Hell, for all I know, she was in charge of the whole thing. The only reason I haven't told the brass about Zeus Station, is because I think that's where Lazarus takes place in the future. I won't risk that until we've been past Alchera. When we've either escaped or destroyed the Collectors in Nuclear fire, then I'll be sure to give the Alliance the info on the station.
But if I meet Miranda again… Oriana will be an only-child very fast.
"Good. You know son, I appreciate what you are doing here, but do you know if there has been any news from Edolus? I cannot help but worry about my men, and I know you worry about someone on the Normandy as well." He says, ending his sentence with a small smile. My face gets a little hotter, but not from embarrassment. He's talking about Ash, the feeling is just a warm feeling of happiness and some worry. Nicolai promised to take care of her, but even he isn't capable of keeping both of them alive if the shit really hits the fan. I just hope she's with Shepard.
"No sir. I haven't heard anything yet… maybe Jane has?" I suggest, trying to keep a happy face on. Still, the prospect of facing down Cerberus assassins and constantly fearing that the Normandy will come back one Williams shorter… keeping a happy face is difficult.
"Well, let's go ask her the shall we?" He says, and before I can object, he's at the door, tapping in the code to unlock it. In the end, he has supreme authority here, so I just roll my shoulders and place my sword back in its holster. I do keep the pistol out though, lowered but out. Just in case.
Jane and Liara both turn to face us as we exit the apartment.
"Admiral?" Jane says, giving me a 'now what?' look in the meantime. I'm not supposed to be more than a meter from Kahoku the whole time.
"Captain Shepard. I was wondering if the commander has uncovered what happened to my men yet?"
"Hmm, possibly… still, we haven't heard from them yet, so they might not be back from the mission, or maybe they are going through a Relay or in FTL. Truthfully, there could be any number of reasons."
"I see. Anyway, I am growing tired of being cooped up in here. Can we go for a walk?" He says, making Liara cringe. I can see it in her eyes on the HUD.
"I really would prefer that you stayed in here Admiral… out in the open you would be easier for an assassin to take out." Jane responds, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. If I ever learned anything about the Shepards, it is that crossed arms means 'I'm not comfortable with this'. And in this situation, I'm tempted to cross more than my arms at the prospect of having to look 360 degrees around us at once.
"You know, that is where I am an asset."
"A perverted one… but yes, an asset nonetheless"
"Remember that when I'm your eyes in the sky and around you. There's a reason Jane made you the sentry and scanner of the team. The reason is me."
"Also I'm the only guy on the team, so I'm the only one allowed to guard Kahoku while he showers…"
"True."
"Well, I insist Captain. I need some fresh air, and I am comfortable that the three of you will be able to keep me safe outside." Kahoku presses on, making Jane grit her teeth through the comms.
"Fine… is there a specific destination you would like to go to?" Jane asks, probably sensing she won't be having her way with this guy.
"Yes. I would like to walk around the Relay monument, and see how preparations are coming. Does that sound acceptable to you?" He asks with a very soft and polite voice. Still, I suspect he'll plain order us to do it if Jane says no the first time.
"I think that can be handled. Cerberus won't dare try something with that many members of C-Sec around… and we'll be able to procure help and gunships instantly if there is a sniper on a building… yes, I think we can do that." Jane says, and following a nod from the admiral, we march for the elevator, Jane and Liara in front, and me in the back.
As we reach the elevator, the system refuses to call for the elevator. The pad displays the 'out of order' signal. For someone as increasingly paranoid as me, that is the first sign something is wrong. Of course, it may be nothing but a Keeper that has somehow fucked up, but it could also be sabotage, meant to force us to take the stairs.
"Well, we won't be going that way…" Jane says, leading us away from the elevators and towards the corridors that will take us to the Presidium's floor.
"I swear, in these times you would think elevators would work smoothly. I mean, they have been around for more than two-hundred years!" I exclaim, keeping my right hand solidly planted on my gun's holster, ready to draw in a second. If there's one advantage to being the host of a divine being, I'd say it is faster reflexes than I would otherwise have, and more physical strength. The artificial arm helps too, but the only reason I ever score a point against Ash is because of Roku's small improvements. I am not sure when they started being there, they just did.
"You'd think so right? But the cars still crash despite having been around since 1914… and air-craft still crashes despite having been invented in… God, sometime before the twentieth century… tech will never stop break Thomas, face it." Jane says, shrugging while she leads us through the hallways of the Presidium. For some reason, I thought this place would have more people around… or just people around at all, we're the only ones here. Shut it brain, you're making me paranoid again. We're on the Presidium; no one would be stupid enough to take us on here. I mean, C-Sec is not even a hundred meters away!
Still, I can't help the tingling in my body, the hairs on my neck and arms standing straight as if I was shocked with a Taser. Roku, you see anything?
"Well, there's lots of people around us, on floors above us and below us, but I can't tell if they are assassins without going inside their heads… something that isn't entirely pleasant for either part, plus it would leave you without a scanner." Hmm, he does have a point. Okay then, back to being paranoid and on guard.
"So… Kahoku… how exactly do you know my aunt? I mean, are you just colleagues or…" I try, sparking conversation in my own way as we head down the pretty much abandoned corridors. I swear, this is actually a hit creepy. Like a ghost-town. Not even the pedestal with Avina is active, what's up with that?
"You mean if we're romantically involved, don't you?" He asks, causing me to almost drop on my ass; "No, we're just friends… remember that time when she cut Balak's balls off on live TV?" He asks, this time actually causing me to stumble. She did what? Balak?... who the fuck is Balak?
"A Batarian I believe… a slaver and a pirate."
"Sorry, I think I was away from the TV there… but what about it?" I ask, giving him a look.
"Well, who do you think held the camera?" He says with a smug smile. You have got to be kidding me old man. Kahoku, this gentle old admiral… he filmed torture on a Batarian? Awesome! I really wish I'd seen it…
"No, you don't… I'm looking through the Extranet, and I'm viewing the film… not a pleasant sight."
"Wait, you're supposed to be my extra eyes and ears, not look on the extranet."
"I can easily multitask between those two."
"Well… alright then. Just let Kahoku's safety be your main focus."
Keeping my eyes open, I follow the rest of the group into a wider space. From the looks of it, this is a small waiting room, maybe for a hotel or a cinema, I don't know. There are just benches and chairs all over, as well as magazines and a screen on the wall with some woman speaking. She looks really familiar, but I just can't place her.
"-are still going on, concerning the reason for the sudden annulment of the Treaty of Farixen. Alliance and Council officials, when asked, only reply that 'it is to ensure that the threat that is Saren, is taken seriously'. We can therefor assume that something big is underway. Citadel News net, I'm Emily Wong." She says, and the screen changes to some criminal show in a turian style… hell if I understand it. Wait, that name… Emily Wong.
Wasn't she some sort of good reporter, as opposed to Jilani? I think I only saw her when she appeared on the screens in the second game… she is kinda good looking actually.
"If only they knew…" Jane says, snapping my attention back to her as we continue walking, Kahoku having seen what he wanted on the screen.
"Well, we don't tell the populace for the very reason you might suspect. If we reveled that a vanguard of a synthetic race of doomsday machines is on its way to activate a gate that will allow its friends to pour through… we would have galaxy-wide panic and riots." Kahoku explains.
For some reason, I'm sure I just heard a small thud on the floor behind us, but looking back, I can't see a damn thing. Roku… I'm probably just hearing things, but are there any people behind me right now? As in cloaked and such? I think, feeling anxiousness well up in me as I slowly draw my pistol and place my left hand on my sword hilt.
"Be ready, you are being surrounded by six cloaked individuals." Fuck! I knew something would go wrong, I just fucking knew it.
"Plan?" I ask, keeping my ears on highest sensitivity as I keep marching with the others, dialing them up on the comm, then shutting down my primary voice-emitter. In other words: My team and Kahoku can hear me, the 'others' can't.
"If you can get some distance to Jane and Liara, and keep Kahoku from seeing you, I can help take them down. But you would have to be alone… think you can handle it?" Roku asks, feeling my breath increase in pace as my adrenaline is pumping through my veins. Why did I have to complain about this being boring?
"With your help? I will risk it. I'll tell the others to get clear." I think, then direct my attention back to the others;
"Alright, no one say a word. We're being surrounded by six potentially bad assholes. When I give the signal, you two get Kahoku to C-Sec or somewhere else he can be safe. I'll join you there." I mutter, trying to keep the fear from my voice. It's actually pretty easy, as it is being replaced by anger.
Cerberus is trying to fuck with me again. This time, I won't let the fuckers live to tell the tale.
"Fisher, what the hell are you doing? You can't take them alone!" Jane sneers back through the comm. Thankfully, she's muted her emitter as well, so only the three of us can hear her.
"Jane… I'm not alone." I state as I place a hand on the grip of my shotgun, slowly pulling it a few inches out of the clamps.
"You're sure you can do this?" Liara asks, a tone of concern in her voice.
"Hey, you just keep Kahoku safe. There might be more douchebags than these, so keep on guard."
"You can die!" Liara hisses. This is the first time I've heard her like that, and honestly, she scares me more than having to fight these guys… or girls. I don't really care, they are dead meat if they are here for Kahoku.
"I've died a few times already, remember?" I ask with a small smile as I slowly stop walking and the other keep going, Liara taking my spot behind Kahoku.
"Never stopped him before, Blue." Jane replies, and with that, they keep walking while I turn around, shotgun in my left hand, and my Raikou in the other. Where are they?
"One directly in front of you, two meters."
"Thanks." I reply as I point the shotgun forward and press the trigger. Normally, firing a Katana with one hand is a sure way to break every bone in the hand and arm with a normal person. I watch as a cloaking device breaks and a body is thrown backwards in a shower of blood and destroyed armor.
But I'm not normal.
As I watch the body sail through the air, and feel the vibration of the shot go through my arm, I can't help but watch for a reaction in the assailants face. There is a weird helmet in place of the face, with no visor from what I can see. Instead, there is a pair of tilted red stripes, glowing as the person falls backwards. The person's chest is torn open, with a large hole going a good ways inside, showing ruined arteries and ripped-through organs. It's a bloody mess, and makes me cringe as I recognize the shape of breasts on the outline of the armor. I just… killed a woman… No, I killed a Cerberus assassin. Women are civilians, this isn't a civilian!
The woman starts screaming and writhing in agony, and I can't, not even with a Cerberus, allow her to suffer this much. I point the shotgun at her head, ignoring the outstretched hand pleading me to stop as I execute her. It all takes less than ten seconds.
In that time, the others have decloaked and made a ring in front of me, all pointing a gun at my head, forming a biotic shield between them and me. They are all dressed in the same way, with yellow and black colors, wearing otherwise white armor… and a sword. The person in the middle is actually carrying a sword.
Looking closer, move to drop my shot gun and pistol, slowly letting my fingers slip from the handles as I examine the man in front of me.
He's got black hair, and I mean jet-black, reaching his cheeks, and a pair of weird glasses covering his eyes. If I wasn't so focused on them not shooting me, I would laugh at the guy. He's practically a copy, a fucking copy, of Nightwing from Justice League. Now he just needs a blue bat on his chest instead of the gold and black symbol, and he would be perfect. I'm not going to tell him that, of course, but it IS interesting. He just has this really mean smile on his face, that makes me want to pull out his teeth and saw off his balls with a saw made from his teeth. I smile weakly at the image.
"So… where do we go from here?" I ask while my pistol hits the ground, followed by my shotgun. I haven't touched my sword yet, and this is where I pray my armor can take being shot.
"You kneel down and let us pass… or we kill you." The man in the lead says, gesturing for me to get on my knees. A plan is slowly forming in my mind. It's stupid and dangerous, and probably won't work… but I have to try it. Especially with all the guns trained on me. I doubt they would dare risk hitting their boss. Suggestions before I do this?
"Yeah… aim for his balls!"
I slowly get on my knees, knowing that each second will buy the others time to get away. The man is stepping over to me, kicking away my guns, then stopping to look at something. I suddenly feel my sword being taken from its place, held up by him.
"Little brat. You carry around a sword as if you knew how to use-" He mocks, but I cut him off, savoring each single activated muscle used for it. Springing to a half stand, I send my left fist flying in between his legs, enjoying the feeling of his crotch-protector shattering and my gauntlet ensuring he can never breed. Tough shit for him! I smile as I spring to a full stand, dragging the Asian with me and holding him in front me as he screams and moans in pain, shivering and moving as if he was being electrocuted. I feel my smile widen even more.
"Drop him!" One of the other assassins shout, pressing a gun against my helmet's visor. If you insists… I grab the downed Asian by the neck, and by the power invested in me by this fucking awesome prosthetic, I hurl him into the other man, slamming both of them into the wall.
The other three operatives jump me by then, firing their pistols as I roll for cover, grabbing my sword in the roll. My HUD starts screaming about shields being 75, then 60, then 40%, but it is enough for me. By the time I reach the end of my roll, I raise my sword, as cliché as it seems, and lunges at them, trying to avoid as many shots as I can. It's impossible though, to avoid projectiles being fired at the speed of one or two present of the speed of light, so I just pray that my armor can actually take the beating as I send the blade of my sword against the closest man's chest, only to have it stopped by a biotic barrier. Typical, fucking typical! I have a weapon that can ignore kinetic barriers, and what happens? I meet biotic barriers!
The sword bounces off as the man sends a kick at my chest, not causing much harm, but sending me flying over a row of chairs. Despite the armor, I can feel more than one rib crack at the impact, and I roll over the chairs, getting back on my feet as I parry the next attack from one of the men as the two others disappear through the corridor, headed after Kahoku. Fuck no! Roku, time to pitch the fuck in here!
"I thought you'd never ask." He mumbles, and instantly I can feel my skin catch fire and my blood boil. It hurts less than the last time, but it still hurts like hell. Wait a… I can still control my movements? Is this some new trick of yours?
"Shut up and kill that asshole!"
Almost feeling his anger as my own, I sense how my arms are regaining all of their strength, and more. The tip of my own nose that I can see, is covered in glowing green cracks, as if my skin is just coating a green lamp. Slowly, my press up against the man's long knife. My sword is a lot more solid than his, but also a lot slower. That is, if I didn't have the help of Roku at the moment.
Planting a foot on the nailed down chairs, I take off, catching the bastard in the guts with a knee while my hand is leaving the sword to grip his, breaking it in two. My left hand is still on my sword's grip, and with his sword in pieces, I send it down again, briefly stopped by his barriers, but then slashing through it, burrowing my sword in his shoulder, almost cutting it clean off.
His attack stops immediately, him grasping for his wound while I kick him down to the floor, pulling the blade out from his joint. His screaming is reaching ear-piercing heights, and I don't need someone to come across him in a wounded state, and then take him to the hospital. Lifting the blade again, I'm greeted with the same pleading hand as his female colleague tried first.
"No! Please! N-" He screams, his voice is heavily synthesized through the helmet's filters. I bring the flat tip of the sword down through his helmet, silencing his screaming by leaving a deep, narrow, diagonal hole in his head.
"Fuck you!" I shout, kicking his corpse down the room. With the extra strength, it almost feels like he doesn't weigh a thing. Looking back at the tip of my sword, I cringe at the grey and pink matter coating it. With a whip of my hand, I shake the matter and blood off the blade, cleaning it as much as I can before my attention is turned to the downed operatives by the wall.
The Asian man is gone, possibly having been dragged along by his subordinates, but they left a man behind. He looks to be alive, but on the edge of unconsciousness. I may have a use for him actually. Roku, can you make sure this asshole doesn't wake up in a couple of hours?
"I can put him to sleep for about ten hours at least, possibly twenty. Why?"
"Ever heard of interrogation?"
"I see your point. Let me just have a moment." He says, and I wait while a thin green fog pours from me, surrounding the man on the floor. For a second, he looks to be in pain. Writhing slightly as the fog surrounds him, then he is still, and the fog dissolves. It really is creepy when you do that…
"Never mind what is creepy, pick up your guns and hold on to them, we're going after the others." I comply, picking up my weapons and securing them on my back and at my side. Okay, ready let's goooo-
I don't get to think the thought to an end as I'm lifted above the ground and shot down the corridor, miraculously avoiding becoming a stain on the walls as I simply turn in the air, crossing the spaces with what has to be an illegal speed indoors on the Presidium.
"Whooooooooooooohohuuuuu!" I scream as I fly through the rooms and corridors, nearly hitting a keeper at some point. Despite having to catch and stop assassins from killing Kahoku as well as Jane and Liara, this is just awesome. Roku, why the hell have I never done this before?!
"There never was a need for it. Now just focus on holding on to your gear, I'll concentrate on steering this thing… you, I mean." I can almost detect a smile in his voice, despite the sour note he always puts on when he has to keep himself from destroying my body. A pretty scary thought actually.
I just keep my hands on my pistol and sword, seeing as those two are the only things not secured with a magnetic clamp.
A few minutes later, I spot the shapes of five people standing upright and one person, probably the Asian douche, lying on the ground, halfway propped against the wall. I gain an evil smile, knowing that as much as this will hurt, it will hurt them more. Roku! Smash me into them!
"Are you insa- wait, forget I asked…" He says with the sour note in his voice still, as well as some disbelieving. I tap my headpiece as I close in on them. Just a hundred meters left, and closing fast.
"Guys, heads up and down on the ground. Incoming!" I scream as I pass the fifty-meter distance between us. I can see one of the figures, probably Jane, look in the direction I'm coming from, then throwing herself on top of the man in the middle, Kahoku. Liara, the last person, looks at me as well, then falling down as I'm close enough to distinguish the colors on the assholes armors.
I'm closer than twenty meters now;
"Geroni-fucking-mooooo!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I hold my arms in front of me as a safeguard. A moment later, I feel the hard impact as I hit the standing operatives. The feeling and sound of breaking bones is somewhat disturbing, but given the situation, it is also highly satisfying.
Filtered screams fill the air as one of the operatives' back is broken, and the other is hurled into the opposing wall seven meters away, with a sickening cracking of bones. I tumble across the floor, hitting a potted plant with enough force to shatter it and spraying dirt all over the room as I hit the wall next to the groaning operative. I end up heads-down as I look at the scene playing out in front of me, just turned upside down. While is helping Kahoku on his feet, looking both sweaty and injured, Liara is rushing to where I am currently trying to guess the amount of bones I just broke.
"Goddess! Thomas, what in the name of Athame was that!? Liara almost screams as she helps me roll out from the wall and lie on the ground instead.
"Much… better… thanks…" I mutter when I can finally breathe again. Liara tears off my helmet, looking at me with a concerned face before jumping backwards with a small scream. Slowly, I get up from the floor, looking at her.
"What?"
"Y- y- your face… Thomas, your skin!" She shouts, catching the attention of the other two persons in the room. Aw fuck. Roku, subside will ya?
"I have. I should perhaps have mentioned that it takes some hours before the green cracks fade away."
"Oh boy… yes, that would have been nice." And now both Kahoku and Jane are staring at me, both in what looks like surprise, but where it is startled horror with Kahoku, Jane just has a satisfied and almost proud smile on her lips.
"Thomas, she is right! We need to get you to a hospital at once!" Kahoku barks out, lifting me up. When I'm standing again, he lets go of me, allowing me to find my footing.
"Divines… I'm not doing that again… next time I use one of them as the battering ram, not myself… was an awesome flight though…" I mutter with a weak smile as I put my helmet back on.
"Son, you need to see a doctor. Even if those… cracks on your face are meant to be there, you must have broken at least a dozen bones in that fall." He continues, but I raise a hand, politely having him quiet down.
"I'm fine… at least I think so. I can't feel any broken bones… but if you have a Panodile or something else against headaches, I'd be grateful…" I say as I rub my helmet, trying to massage my head through the armor.
"What? But… even a strong biotic can't have gotten unscathed from that."
"Admiral, I'm fine. Really… but ehm… give me just a second…" I mutter as I draw my pistol from its holster and turn towards the broken but still living operative. Pointing the gun at her head, I pull the trigger up close, bypassing the barrier. Watching and hearing the bullet penetrate the helmet and head, is oddly satisfying. Looking towards the corridor, I spot the Asian man still lying there. He's starting to move a bit, but there's no risk of him getting away.
"Soldier! You just executed a priso-"
"A Cerberus assassin. They are terrorists, so the Geneva-convention thing doesn't count for them. Besides, I left one of them unconscious at the first room, so you'll have someone to interrogate…" I reply as I walk towards the man. He's still slumped against the wall. He does look really familiar, but I can't quite… place… him… or… wait, now I recognize the bastard. Standing over him, I can study his face much closer, and ripping out his mask-like visor over his eyes, I am certain.
It's the guy from the exchange with Miranda and Jacob.
I tab my gun against the side of his head, prompting a weak response. He groans, one hand still on his balls, or what's left of them, and the other still on the floor.
"Hey, wake up little guy. You're dead, and this is Hell. I'll be your host" I grin, watching his face contort in a sneer. One of his hands curs into a fist which he sends at my face, kneeling as I am. I easily avoid it, simply moving a bit backwards, and then planting one of my feet on his hand. Looking into his face, I press down, hearing the fragile bones in his hand break under the weight. The cracks, disgusting as they may be, are a sort of reward for all the piss Cerberus has put me through so far. All the lies, all the deceit, the experiments on John, the lives lost on Noveria… all of it is on them.
Seeing the cold, ruined corpse of Sev, the sizzling remains of Scorch's leg, the small body of Bashir… I dig my heel into his hand, crushing bones and severing tendons. His screams are echoing down the corridors, and are frankly pissing me off.
With a quick jab at his kidney, I silence him somewhat, changing his screams into hoarse whispers. Still, there is not even a trace of panic in his eyes. Just rage, and burning hatred. With a deliberate slow motion, I remove my helmet. Who knows, he might recognize me. I actually hope he does.
When my helmet finally leaves my face unobstructed, he stares at me in confusion, then in recognition. Instead of the fear I was hoping for, he just spits at my face, hitting only my chest plate. I punch him in the face, causing him to spit out a few teeth. Then, he actually speaks;
"Heh… should have… made sure you… were dead when… I blew you up… cou'ave… saved me…trouble…" He mutters through his missing teeth and probably broken jaw.
"What do… you… you! You killed Valern!" I roar, stomping my foot down on his hand, transforming it to a glove filled with broken bones and blood and flesh. It's pretty much just a useless lump now, but it's not enough. Not yet.
I kick him in the chest, cutting off his screams of pain as he tries lifting his hand. I kick him again. He screams less loudly. I kick him again, the kick him in the balls, enjoying the tremor going through him as he falls on his side, trying to clutch his shattered cock and balls with a hand turned into a mangled bag of flesh and tissue. It's not enough. It will never be enough. He killed Valern the only fucking reasonable guy I actually trusted on the Council, and almost killed Nihlus, John and me as well.
He doesn't even scream as I kick him in the chest again, so instead I pull out his other hand and put a bullet through it. Two bullets. Three, four, I continue till my pistol overheats, the hit him in the head with it, pressing the almost white-hot exposed heat sink against his face.
This time, he screams.
Taking his own knife from its holder on his back, I turn him to li on the back;
"This is for Valern, you son of a whore!" I sneer, burrowing the knife to the hilt in his stomach. I know that is one of the most painful places to be stabbed or shot, so I hold on to the hilt, turning it around in his insides before standing back up, delivering a final kick to his head.
I watch in a somewhat grim satisfaction as he twitches, unable to move due to the physical trauma. Roku, check if he has a transmitter on him. I'd really enjoy sending Timmy a message.
"You need to calm down Thomas. What you just did… I have never seen you this brutal before."
"I said find his transmitter." Brutal or not. This guy killed Valern, and he tried killing us. He deserves everything I threw at him, and more.
"If you say so… check his right suit pocket, there is a small spherical device that will allow you to produce a holographic image and send a live message to the Illusive Man over an in-built QEC…" While Roku speaks I dig through the man's pockets, retrieving the small orb lined with lights and lines.
"Fisher… what are you doing?" Jane asks, but I don't answer her. At least not right away;
"Give me a moment." I say as I press a small shape on the device, causing it to hover in front of me as it scans me in the same way the floor in the SR2 did to Shepard. Then, I can suddenly see a room outlined in front of me. Everything is clear, yet transparent so that I can still see the corridor behind it. The room is lit by a giant red and blue or in the background, but otherwise dark. Then it hits me:
This is the Illusive Man's main chamber, where he sat when he talked to Shepard in the game. And just as in the game, a chair is sitting in the middle of the room. And in that chair…
The Illusive Man.
He looks both surprised and pissed as hell. I can understand that, I did just wipe out his assassins, and broke the body of his lead assassin, whoever he actually is.
"Hello there Tim, surprised to see me?" I ask with a smug smile. Casting a glance to my side, I can see the three other looking at me in dumbstruck awe. Again, understandable. I haven't kept my knowledge of Tim a secret, nobody just asked me. Almost as to piss me off, Harper just takes a puff on his cigarette, observing me with calm eyes.
"A bit, yes. Mind if I inquire as to mister Leng's condition. Is he still in a… usable condition?" Bastard. He doesn't even care about his man's life, just if can still be used.
"Well… he can eat through a straw… in a couple of years, but don't expect him to be able to walk or have kids… I may have destroyed his body in more ways than one. Sorry about that." I say with a smug smile, flipping the man off. He cringes a bit, but otherwise doesn't react.
"Hmm… I highly doubt that you alone took him out. How many did he manage to kill before he was overwhelmed?" Oh Gods, do I enjoy where this is going;
"None. I smacked him in the balls and he was pretty much down for the count… that's what happens when you touch my stuff… Oh, and since I've just killed and maimed your entire crew of assassins, how about we say I also… how about you stop fucking around, and actually does some good for the galaxy by stopping being such a prick, and cancel your circuses on Pragia and Aite? Because I'm pretty sure the Alliance would be interested in knowing the fates of all those kids who "died" from biotic outburst. Get where I'm going with this… Jack?" I ask, adding the last word with as much spite I even can. Yeah, at this point, I don't think Lazarus will be an option. I've pissed him off way too much for that.
"Where did you learn that name?" Dear gods his voice is cold. It's like listening to a fucking… well, maniac. I am not sure why I liked him in the game… might have been the 'If they are trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them' ranting. Yeah, I was rather impressed and liked him a lot… right up until he wanted Shepard to spare the Collector base.
Asshole
"Oh… around. You'd be amazed at the data you can find on the extranet these days… or, you will be amazed when I put your full name out there, as well as the location of Zeus station and several of your little… facilities." I seriously can't keep the smugness out of my voice, and I'm almost jumping in place from giddiness.
I never ever dreamt I would get to do this, not in real life especially. Pissing of Jack Harper and borderline extorting him… Oh Arkay, I love it!
"I see… what are your demands?" He asks with calm and collected voice, but the way he just snapped his wineglass in two, reveals his anger and frustration. It also reveals that he has some pretty damn strong hands.
"Demands? What do you mean 'demands'?" I laugh, causing him to almost jump from his seat.
"You better not be trying to piss me off. I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine. You had your chance Fisher, your chance to join us and do some good for humanity."
"AND YOU HAD A FUCKING CHANCE OF DOING SOME GOOD FOR THE GALAXY!" I shout back, having to stop myself and remember that the room is just holographic. I can't actually run over and choke him with his own balls.
"Let's say I listen to you. What would you describe as 'doing good'? Lay down and kiss a Turian's feet? Apologize to the Migrant Fleet for needing a few test-subjects? Apologizing to a few human mothers because their children were needed to make humanity stronger? I have been doing what the politicians never dared, I have sacrificed more than you know to keep humanity strong." He is really pissed now. Time to play my final card.
"You really think Eva would think of it like that? You don't think she would be disgusted with what you have become, with what you have done?" I swear, the name makes him cringe. His face loses all anger and becomes one of deep grief… for a moment. Then, he is pissed again.
"Don't… you dare… say her name… " He says, and the silent voice is actually more disturbing than his normal voice. Still, I press on, having found a soft spot.
"So she died by Turian hands, now what? You hold the galaxy at large responsible for not being able to save her? What did the Quarians ever do to her? What did the Krogan or the Salarian? If anything, you should be focusing on killing Saren. He and Desolas took her from you. Not the average Turian, not the Asari, krogan or Salarian. Not the young Quarian you had tortured and experimented on, not the kids in your biotic death camps and NOT the people of the Alliance demanding justice for your actions. Had Eva seen you now, what do you think she would have said?" I ask, waiting for an answer.
Instead of an answer, he presses a few buttons on his chair, and the sphere in front of me detonates, falling to the floor with a small bump, rolling around while it splutters like a small Chinaman New Year's Eve. Then, as it stops moving, it slowly disintegrates, leaving no other trail of its existence than a thin ring of ashes.
"Thomas… what… was… that?" Jane asks, and I finally turn around to look at their startled faces. Kahoku looks like he's about to pass out, and Liara, from what I can see through her visor and in the HUD, is more white than blue.
"What? I just pissed of the megalomaniac leader of a galaxy-wide terrorist organization… no big deal." I shrug, taking out my sword and rubbing it against the man's, now labeled Leng, armor to wipe off the last brains and blood. It's really disgusting now that I think about it, and then it really hits me.
Not the fact that I just made Lazarus impossible or the fact that I pissed off TIM in front of a Rear Admiral who doesn't know my secret, and isn't going to know it if I have anything to say about it. No, what really hits me like a brick…
I have taken five lives, and tortured one to death… I have taken human lives! As the realization hits me, causing me to stumble and my knees to buckle, I grab for support and find it in Liara who once again has grabbed hold of me, slowly lowering me to the floor as I sit on my knees, using my hands to support myself on. I tear off my helmet and feel the waves of revulsion rush over me, forcing all my dinner out my mouth.
I throw up. The bile and acid pours out my mouth as I borderline throws myself to the ground, trembling in pain and weakness. I killed someone! I just fucking killed five people!
"Only four, actually. The last one is just out cold…"
"…thanks…" But I still throw up, feeling my insides writhe and tangle with itself, forcing everything out on the floor.
"Jesus Christ…" Jane mutters, gently pulling me up from the ground as I have stopped throwing up. I look at the puddle of puke on the ground, then at the others;
"Sorry… about the mess…" I manage to stammer out as Kahoku just shakes his head and pokes Leng with his foot.
"Well… I'm still not clear on how you know what you do, or how you took out all those men… but I realize that you must be exhausted, and frankly? I don't feel much for a stroll in the park now as I did before… I'm going to call C-Sec, and then we're going back to my apartment. And then, you are taking a long, hot shower. That is an order… and Thomas?" He says, looking around then back at me. I nod weakly, feeling the headache return with full force, yet still not as bad as last time.
"Yeah?" I manage a smile at the thought of a long, steamy shower.
"Thanks for saving my life." He says with a smile. I'm about to say that I wasn't alone, that Jane and Liara held the others before I could get here. But then I look at them, and much to my surprise, they nod. Jane is even giving me a smile of sorts.
"I… I just did my job sir… but you're welcome." I reply with a small smile as I lean against Jane's shoulder for support, and we start heading back to Kahoku's apartment. In the background, I can hear C-Sec drawing in, the sirens are a give-away.
…
October 28th
Kahoku's apartment, the Citadel
00:02
Gods! Gods this feels glorious! I'm standing in the shower in Kahoku's apartment, enjoying the feeling of hot water pouring down my sore body. That last stunt did more to me than I realized, and now I'm paying the price for using myself as a bulldozer, or a battering ram.
Either way, my chest is in pain after the drop I took on the chairs, I have a few now treated wounds from where bullets actually penetrated my armor, and a water-resistant bandage around my chest. Turns out the C-Sec medic found no less than four broken ribs, and a dislodged left shoulder. So I'm currently bathing wrapped up in gauze and other stuff, looking like a mummy to the world.
But Gods is this a great feeling. The combination of the hot water, knowing I almost singlehandedly saved Kahoku's life, if you ask him, and knowing that I pissed Timmy off and possibly made him reevaluate some moral values… makes me feel great.
Jane and Liara got away with a few scrapes, a bleeding scalp-thing, and a scar on Jane's face. All in all, I'm the one who took most of a beating.
Then again, I'm also the one who decided to use myself as a ramming truck. I guess I deserve it, but I can't even chuckle at my own stupidity since my chest hurts when I do it, and the chuckle turns into a pained grimace.
Am I glad Ash isn't here right now. She would probably be all over me and blame me for risking my life like that, then feeling down for yelling at me. Still, she does it because she loves me, not because she wants to piss me off.
And that little thing, remembering I have someone who loves me, someone to whom I'm the most important thing in her life, next after her sisters of course, makes me feel like I am needed, like I have a purpose other than just shooting and killing stuff.
As the hot water keeps pouring down my body, I wonder just what Ash is doing now, and if she's with John or Nihlus. I hope she's with John. Nihlus can panic in the field and under stress, John told me. It must be horrible too, having to accuse your own mentor of trying to shoot you… I can understand why he lost it, as John put it back then.
A hand tabs the door to the showers.
"Thomas? You hear me in there?" It's Jane.
"Yeah I hear you Capitan. What is it?" I yell back, trying to overpower the sound of pouring water. I have no intention of decreasing the volume though, not now.
"We just got word from the Normandy. Shepard is catatonic after an incident with a Thresher Maw, and Tequila is on the verge of panicking. They have both been hospitalized, and Chakwas is checking on them." Holy shit! In a second, I have the shower turned off and with a towel around me, I'm in the main room of the apartment, looking at Liara and Jane going over a message from Garrus. Both of them look worried sick, and looking at me, Jane presses a button and the message replays;
"Garrus here. We just got back from the planet. It was a spirits-cursed trap! The signal came from a beacon planted there, but there was no ship, no shuttle. No nothing. Suddenly the commander goes into a near-coma, babbling about how he failed the others on Akuze, and then a Thresher Maw attacked us. If admiral is there, tell him his men are dead. The Thresher killed them all… now we are back on the ship, and the commander is in the med-bay, along with Tequila. Both are physically fine except from a few bruised ribs from when the Mako was almost eaten, but Chakwas is trying to treat them from shell-shock and Post traumatic stress… we're headed to Tuntau to pick up Nihlus and Wrex's team. They report no casualties, but Boss got shot in the leg while taking down a merc. Nothing major there… still, I think we should consider what to do if John doesn't leave his state… oh, and Tali is completely on the edge. Kaidan had to force her out of the med-bay… Garrus out." Holy crap…
"Holy shit…" I mutter, almost dropping the towel.
"I can't imagine Shepard being… like that." Liara admits, averting her eyes from me. I can see a slight blush on her face, but otherwise just dread due to the message.
"Me neither… I've never seen him lose it, not once…" Jane says, then looks at me. She probably knows that I am the one besides Tali who has been speaking with the commander the most. I swallow;
"I… one of my first days on the Normandy, I was in the crew quarters, relaxing with my laptop… then I heard commotion in the men's restroom outside, like a fight. So I dropped the pc and rushed out there, ready to beat up whoever had harmed John… and…" I hesitate. I promised him never to speak of it to anyone; I haven't even told Ash or Nicolai.
"And?" Jane presses. I sigh, giving her a look.
"I found him curled up on the floor, crying his heart out. He was suffering from flashbacks, bad memories from Akuze… Jane, he saw his hole unit, all his friends… slaughtered there. Of course he has issues after that. anything else would be due to him being psychotic. I talked to him, tried making him understand that it was Cerberus, not he, who was to blame. It seems I didn't succeed… but I promised him never to speak of it to anyone. The only others who know is Tali and Chakwas." I say, looking down. The towel has some interesting details in its stitching… Damn it, I have to keep focused.
"Chakwas?" Liara asks, looking at me in a really uncomfortable way, like she's judging me.
"He's been taking sessions with her…. Thrice a week. She's… been acting the part of a psychologist with him. I thought it was going well, he told me it was…but now… I don't know anymore. When is our job as Kahoku's security even done?" I feel the frustration flow through my veins thinking about John in his curled up state, sobbing and ranting.
"Damn… I had no idea it was that bad… and you kept it from the rest of us all that time?" Jane says with a cocked brow.
"Yeah, I promised him, didn't I? It seems I'm better at keeping other people's secrets than I am at keeping my own…" I say with a tired sigh, looking out the window where a few cars are speeding by in the darkness. Looking at the watch on the wall, I can see the time has passed 00:51. Jane yawns, the stretches and looks at the two of us in front of her;
"The Normandy will pick up the others, and then head for us. We're going hunting for Cerberus." She says with grim determination.
Alright, now you know what I meant by 'personal desires'. A stab in the guts was FAR to kind to Kai Leng, that bastard.
Also, before you start saying Thomas is ridiculously OP, remember that he has a F'in Divine spirit boosting him. That will be all :)
Till next time gents, though don't expect a chapter the next few days. Getting a visit from friends of the family, so will not have time to write.
Adios for now!