Chapter 52: Reasons for Fighting
"It looks like we're clear. I'll extract further details about the layout of this installation from one of the minotaurs before its memory self destructs." Isaac calmly announced after effortlessly sabotaging several of the dangerous hostiles and forcing them to destroy each other. He and the others were already well on their way to pressing further into the ZEN fortress that housed the relay core that they were determined to destroy. Their incursion hadn't gone unnoticed, but their enemies were still being distracted by the assault of a mysterious band of soldiers who were causing more than considerable losses to the hostile synthetics.
"Sheesh, so much for my technical expertise." Gaines replied with a hint of embarrassment. "How do you know this kid anyway?" he asked while turning to face Ethan as the group stood at the ready in a darkened corridor that was now littered with defeated ZEN units.
"He's my little sister's boyfriend." Ethan replied nonchalantly, once again shocking Isaac with his knowledge of their relationship.
"Uh, Ethan I should really explain-"
"Relax Isaac, I'm not planning to give you a hard time. I've known about you guys for awhile now and I'm happy for you. But just so we're clear, if you ever hurt her, I'll be doing far worse to you. Understand?" he replied ominously.
"Perfectly." Isaac replied somewhat timidly as he continued to hack the battered remains of a minotaur unit's head.
"Your sisters must have really high standards." Temple pondered. "One used to date the most dangerous guy in the galaxy and now your kid sister is dating a biotic powerhouse who also happens to be a scientific genius. As their brother, does that make your job harder or what?" he humorously inquired.
"Allie and Hannah have good eyes, they both know a good thing when they see it. Mal's a good man, he always was and so is Isaac. There's only one person in our family who might decide to cause trouble and I'll be ready to push back if he does. You two have all four of us supporting you, so keep that in mind if things start to get tense." Ethan calmly explained while staring at Isaac.
"Ethan, I don't really know what to say except, thanks." Isaac replied gratefully.
"You can thank me by making sure you make it out of here alive. Hannah's waiting for you and it'll put my mind at ease knowing that my little sister is safe with someone who cares about her. And David has Sophie…yeah, as long as all of you guys are happy, that's all that matters to me." Ethan stated fondly.
Isaac was a little taken aback by his sentiment and also for the apparent disregard of his own happiness as well as that of his other siblings, but before he could question him on the subject the scan of the fallen minotaur unit was completed and Isaac immediately pinpointed the location of the relay core. "It's on the top level of this facility and under heavy guard." he quickly announced after examining the extracted data on his omni-tool.
"How heavy?" Gaines asked apprehensively.
"A pair of Geist Units and a small army of minotaurs are protecting the entrance." Isaac replied grimly.
"Lovely, shall we proceed?" Temple remarked in a falsely pleasant manner.
"We can't afford to linger once we engage them. The faster we take them out, the less likely they are to alert whatever's inside the relay room of our presence." Ethan stated seriously.
"I agree and I have a plan. Ethan, you and I should deal with the Geists while Temple and Gaines handle the minotaurs. If all goes according to plan, we'll be able to finish this without too much trouble." Isaac concurred.
"That sounds pretty damn dangerous to me and I don't like the idea of you two taking all the risks." Temple cautioned.
"Me neither, you're good Ethan, so is the kid, but Geists aren't to be underestimated." Gaines added hesitantly.
"Neither are we. Besides Temple has a date scheduled with Gowa and you have one with Wilbur. I can't have you idiots dying here before you manage to make any progress." Ethan replied humorously soliciting a laugh from Temple and a groan from Gaines.
"Are they soldiers too? I've heard there are regulations against that sort of thing but personally I think it's nice that you both have people out there waiting for you." Isaac said earnestly.
"Kid, just stop. Please." Gaines pleaded while Ethan and Temple laughed.
"What? What's so funny? Was it something I said? This Wilbur is a nice guy right?" Isaac asked in a clueless manner.
Ethan decided to enlighten Isaac about Wilbur's identity after leading the way to an elevator that was bound for an upper level. "Oh, so he's a combat drone? Well hey, that's cool. I don't judge, whatever makes you happy, it's not a big-"
"Enough!" Gaines shouted irritably while Ethan and Temple continued their laughter. Despite the severity of the situation they were currently in, they couldn't help but enjoy the moment of levity.
Their amusement was quickly cut short once their elevator reached its destination and a small squad of ZEN soldiers opened fired as the doors slid open. Isaac promptly erected a biotic sphere around the group before returning fire with his Phalanx while the others joined his assault. After dealing with their first wave of attackers, they quickly made their advance towards the entrance of the room that held the relay core where a pair of Geist Units and a large contingent of minotaurs awaited them. Without hesitation, Isaac drained the Geists' shields and promptly unleashed a dark sphere that wreaked havoc on all of his adversaries before he finally detonated the sphere of dark energy, creating a colossal explosion that utterly decimated the opposition. Afterwards, he calmly made his way to the door of the relay core and began hacking the lock.
"It's not often when I have to sit one out." Ethan finally said appreciatively while admiring Isaac's skills as he surveyed the remnants of the Geists and minotaurs that were now decorating the room.
"Sorry Ethan, but given how short we are on time, I decided to take advantage of their vulnerability." Isaac replied tersely as he continued his hack of the lock.
"Unbelievable…that was more impressive than the N7s I've seen in action. This kid might actually be as good as you." Temple said in astonishment before turning to face Ethan.
"I agree, I always assumed Ethan was the only walking artillery unit on our side. The other biotics I've seen don't come close to matching you, kid. Well, except for-but he isn't technically on 'our' side and he probably hates our guts." Gaines mused.
"He'll come around someday, I hope." Ethan quietly replied, instantly picking up on who Gaines was referring to.
Isaac decided not to pursue his curiosity about the mystery biotic and after several more seconds of work, he successfully cracked the sophisticated lock that had barred their entry to the relay core. They all readied themselves for the inevitable confrontation that awaited them inside by readying their weapons before proceeding further. The room was massive and numerous high tech architectural marvels towered over them as they cautiously made their way forward. They didn't have time to be impressed though, they had a job to do. The relay core beckoned to them from the center of the room as an enormous tower surrounded by an incredibly powerful kinetic barrier. The sight was almost imposing enough to divert their attention away from its guardians, a lithe and mysterious looking gynoid and a figure who they all instantly recognized as one of the most dangerous beings among the enemy's forces. The man towered over his synthetic companion and was wearing the trademark black and gold armor that all Zodiac Commanders wore, emblazoned with Equinox's symbol. His short red hair and calm amber eyes served to frame a face that was completely serene, despite the circumstances. After taking a moment to survey the group, the enemy commander appeared to be amused and somewhat relieved for some reason.
"Ethan Shepard and Isaac Graham. For a moment, I was actually a little concerned." the Zodiac Commander finally announced drolly. "With all the ruckus that's occurring outside right now I was certain that he'd-but nevermind. It's only you two and I'm more than confident that I can deal with the likes of Shepard's oldest son and the only child of a pair of martyrs." he callously continued. "This will also be a good opportunity for Shiver to get some practical combat experience." he added while glancing at his synthetic companion. "You'll have to forgive us if we don't hold back, I'm not one for toying with my food like some of my more 'eccentric' colleagues and I'm quite eager to be off this planet."
"I'm not dying here, I REFUSE to die here." Temple suddenly blurted out defiantly. "It took me weeks to work up the nerve to ask her out and even longer to get reservations at that ritzy place on the Citadel. Not to mention how long it took me to save enough credits to actually afford dinner for two in that classy joint, but Satomi mentioned how she always dreamed about eating there and I wanted to see her smile. Damn it, this bastard and his robot are not ruining my plans, I swear it." he added heatedly while staring down his opposition.
"Damn right you're not dying, don't forget who spotted you some of those credits." Gaines chimed in somewhat humorously as he too faced off against their foes.
"None of you are dying, I tossed in a few credits myself and kept Allie off your back, you definitely owe me." Ethan said while smiling, his eyes still focused on their enemies.
"Temple, believe it or not, I can relate. I have plans myself that involve a trip to Hawaii in a year." Isaac remarked while observing their adversaries and the relay core, he was already formulating a strategy and the longer they delayed their confrontation, the better.
"This is all quite touching, but I do have things to do and there's someone out there whom I'd very much prefer to avoid at the moment. Lingering here would undoubtedly draw his attention at some point." the Zodiac Commander said dully before giving Isaac a curious glance. "Graham, I can't help but wonder why you're actually here. You aren't a soldier and from what I've heard you're a borderline pacifist of all things. You don't have to answer me of course, I am the enemy after all, I just find it curious. I certainly hope it's not some cliché notion of vengeance for your parents." he inquired.
"You bastard, he doesn't have to-"
"It's alright Ethan." Isaac calmly interjected. "I'm here because I want to put an end to the horror that you've inflicted on the asari. That's all really."
"Ah, the asari. They're quite fascinating you know. I spent a great deal of time studying their anatomy after dissecting the remains of the unfortunate commandos who exercised a staggering degree of stupidity by attacking me when I first arrived here." the Commander calmly stated. "This wasn't part of my original list of responsibilities you know. Sadly, I find myself with a bit more on my plate now that Scorpio and Sagittarius are both dead. I was looking forward to solidifying our hold of the Utopia System and crushing your surprisingly resilient Seventh Fleet. There's also the matter of killing your younger brother, he turned out to be quite the thorn in our side." he added coolly while glancing at Ethan who immediately clenched his fists in a rage.
"Any doubts I had about killing you just went out the window. NO ONE threatens my brothers and sisters." Ethan growled.
The Zodiac Commander simply ignored him and continued his musings. "But someone had to come to Thessia and finally stamp out the pathetic, scattered bands of huntresses who don't seem to know when to give up. It gets boring after awhile, effortlessly slaughtering lesser beings. So to ease my boredom, I decided to cut a few open and see what makes them tick. My counterparts and I have a lot in common with them in terms of physiology. Ridiculously long life spans, natural biotic ability, we weren't the product of some ill conceived 'accident' like other human biotics." he explained while smirking at both Ethan and Isaac. "Unfortunately, I get bored easily and I lost interest after carving up the first dozen or so, still the mild inclination to follow through drove me to continue. But honestly, after severing the ribcage of the-Hm, what number was she again? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now, the whole endeavor proved to be utterly pointless." he continued in a businesslike manner as the others stared at him in disgust.
"It's a shame Mal hasn't managed to kill more of you assholes." Ethan finally stated coldly while glaring at the man.
"The Fallen One? I have to admit, he's quite the anomaly. He was originally believed to be a prototype that we were all based on, but given his accomplishments…well, he's not my problem. As long as our paths don't cross, I can leave his demise to one of my more forceful associates." the Commander replied casually.
"Figures, too afraid to face him?" Ethan taunted.
"Cautious, Shepard. I'm no fool and whether some of the others care to believe it or not, the Fallen One is more than a match for several of us." the man calmly replied. "It will likely take the most powerful among us to kill him, assuming they don't murder each other first." he quietly added. "But now you've sidetracked us, I believe I was pondering your young companion's motivations." he continued after diverting his attention back to Isaac. "You know, I was there, on Yandoa. It was I who executed Elder Argent's orders." he coldly revealed.
"Why?" Isaac quietly asked. He genuinely wanted to know how anyone could've agreed to follow such a deranged command.
"Because, I was ordered to." the Commander replied plainly. "And truthfully, I was also curious to observe the results."
"Results? You…You would've intentionally exposed at least half of the colony to Element Zero just to observe the results?" Isaac replied in utter disbelief.
"Of course, that's how we learn Graham. That's how scientific progress is made. Our first little 'accident' created quite a few potent biotics, including you. Our predecessors did the very same with varying results. Try as we might, creating capable human biotics is a difficult prospect. Superhumans like myself aren't easy to spawn and the resources required to do so are considerable to say the least. Enhanced humans with biotic ability are almost as difficult, but ordinary biotics, those are far simpler to 'engineer' if you will. Exposing a large population during a peak of pregnancies ensures that we get the maximum number of useable results." the Commander explained in a cold clinical fashion.
"You people are truly sickening beyond words." Isaac replied while glaring at his foe. "Mom and Dad died because they stopped you, because they refused to join your insanity and I'm glad they stood against you. If the galaxy falls to the likes of you…no, I won't let that happen. I'm not a soldier, but I suppose I'll have to live as one until this is all over. Hannah may never forgive me and Miranda will try to stop me, but someone has to stand against you and we can't leave it all to Ethan and Allie." he added determinedly.
"Are you finished?" the Commander asked dully. "What is it with your family and these insufferable self-righteous speeches? I had to hear the same sanctimonious dribble from your parents before I killed them." he complained in boredom.
"What did you just say?" Isaac asked incredulously.
"I said, I KILLED YOUR PARENTS. Pay attention, I thought you were supposed to be a genius or some nonsense." the Commander replied with a hint of annoyance. "Your father was a fairly brilliant man and believe me, that's a term I rarely use to describe anyone. The fact that he was able to thoroughly destroy Elder Argent's ambitions with nothing more than a few defensive satellites and an outdated transport freighter was proof of that. But to top it all off he managed to defeat dozens of our best biotic soldiers during her retaliation and secure the safety of his fellow colonists, truly remarkable. As for your mother, I didn't honestly believe anyone outside of a quarian could be as adept at subduing an enemy with an omni-tool, but she certainly proved me wrong. Two unarmed scientists completely annihilated our best strike teams at the time and an actual Zodiac Commander had to be called in to deal with them. Your father died first of course, but he put up quite the struggle. I'd never anticipated facing a biotic of his caliber outside of our organization or the asari. Your mother followed soon afterwards, she was half dead by the end but managed to cling to life long enough to cover your escape, I suppose she knew we'd pursue you. It's my understanding that the friends who sedated and smuggled you to safety off world met some rather unpleasant ends not long afterwards. A shame really, so much death to save one ungrateful child who doesn't even have the decency to thank us for the power that he now wields. Our original reason for pursuing you was to welcome you into our fold but like the Fallen One, you spat in our faces and decided to embrace mediocrity. You may not believe this, but when I choked the life from your parents' bodies, I had high hopes for you. You could've been my protégé, an overlord serving directly under me, but you chose death instead. Death with the Shepards, death with your precious Hannah." the man coldly explained.
"I've heard enough you son of a-"
"Ethan, wait." Isaac calmly cut in while grabbing Ethan's arm as he made a move towards the Zodiac Commander. "I promised my parents a long time ago that I'd follow the path of science for the betterment of the galaxy and that I'd never use my knowledge or biotics to hurt or destroy out of hatred. I can't honestly say that I forgive you or that I like you for that matter, but despite everything you just said, I don't hate you. Equinox made you what you are and I can't blame you for that but our choices also define who we become, so I'm asking you right now to surrender and allow us to shut down that relay core and perhaps lend a hand." he asked earnestly.
Both ally and enemy alike gawked at him for several seconds in sheer astonishment before the Zodiac Commander released a laugh. "Isaac Graham, Taurus would thoroughly enjoy meeting you. Be grateful that I met you instead. Cancer has always killed, you know." Cancer replied wryly.
"Not for much longer, GO!" Ethan shouted as he tossed a cluster grenade at Cancer and Shiver. The explosion harmed neither, Cancer had already erected an incredibly powerful biotic barrier and Shiver had seemingly disappeared. The blast did manage to serve as an effective distraction while Ethan and the others took cover behind an oversized data terminal.
"Isaac, I don't know whether I should admire you or kick your ass." Ethan said in exasperation as he drew his N7 Hurricane.
"You could always do both." Temple joked. "But only after we take out that Zodiac Commander and his overseer. Oh, and after the kid shuts down the relay core." he added humorously.
"Well, he means what he says. You have to respect that." Gaines shrugged before summoning his combat drone.
"Alright, enough talk. Temple, Gaines, that overseer has obviously cloaked but Isaac and I can't afford to be distracted. It's going to take both us to bring that Zodiac bastard down, so I need you two-"
"To deal with the overseer, we know." Temple finished for him. "I hope Satomi doesn't mind if I have a few bruises once it's time for our date." he sighed.
"We'll get this through this, somehow." Gaines said reassuringly in an uncharacteristically serious manner.
"Yeah, we will. All of us." Ethan added while Isaac nodded as he drew his Phalanx.
Moments later, they all broke off to begin their respective attacks. Ethan and Isaac acted first by sending simultaneous warps at Cancer who simply chuckled as his barrier shrugged off the damage. He then retaliated by sending a shockwave at each of them. They both evaded the attacks and opened fire with their weapons. After his barrier absorbed more punishment than he expected, Cancer drew his own weapon, a Geth Plasma Shotgun. "The geth have such interesting toys, wouldn't you say?" he pleasantly remarked before firing a fully charged shot at Isaac who failed to react in time and was hit. His shields were completely destroyed and he found himself wounded by a follow up shot that dropped him to his knees after tearing into his stomach. He'd never been shot before and the pain was excruciating.
"Damn you!" Ethan shouted in a rage before creating an annihilation field around his body and closing in on Cancer.
"Someone's been practicing." Cancer replied while eyeing Ethan in amusement. As Ethan closed in, he quickly extended a pair of biotic whips from the wrist bands of his armor and initiated a biotic smash that completely destroyed Ethan's shields and floored him. "Not enough it seems. Being an N7 doesn't give you a license to be lazy, Shepard." Cancer taunted before hitting Ethan with a biotic slam that sent him crashing into the floor with enough force to break bones. Before Cancer could hit him again, he noticed that his barrier was being siphoned and quickly took notice of Isaac who was already back on his feet and destroying his defenses with a reave. Cancer reacted by blasting Isaac with a throw that sent him crashing into a wall where Cancer followed up with a monstrously powerful shockwave that would've likely killed him if he hadn't erected a biotic sphere to protect himself. "I can do this all day Graham. Not only do my limits extend beyond that of an ordinary human biotic, I'm also wearing the best armor that credits and scientific ingenuity can produce. The VI assistant regulates everything and even assists me if I happen to grow tired which isn't likely going to happen based on your performances so far." he mocked.
"Arrogance is usually a prelude to defeat, you should probably remember that." Isaac calmly stated before restoring his kinetic barrier with a shield boost.
"That's quite the retort considering your condi-"
His counterpoint was quickly cut short when he suddenly noticed that he couldn't move. Ethan was once again standing and had sealed him inside of a stasis field. "Isaac, now!" he shouted.
Seconds later he and Isaac had unleashed a storm of gunfire with their submachine guns and after Isaac fired the final shot from his M-25 Hornet, he quickly followed up with a warp that triggered a biotic explosion before the stasis field could wear off. As they observed the scene of impact, both men were suddenly sent flying as a singularity suddenly appeared between them. As they dangled in the air, Cancer calmly walked towards them brandishing an M-358 Talon that he quickly modified to fire warp rounds. "That. Hurt. Allow me to return the favor." he coldly stated before firing several shots that wounded both. He then sent a throw at them, triggering his own biotic explosion, devastating both. As he surveyed the motionless and heavily wounded bodies of his opponents, a smile slowly spread across his face. "One Shepard and the final Graham." he sneered. As he began making his approach towards their allies who were still battling Shiver, he quickly took note of something strange. His movements had slowed and before he realized what was occurring, several well aimed gunshots began tearing through his armor. "What-"
Ethan was back on his feet and unloading his Geth Pulse Rifle while Isaac directed him with his omni-tool. "The tactical scan readouts are perfect, nice one Isaac!"
Cancer immediately tried to return fire but Isaac promptly sabotaged his pistol creating a backfire that burned his hands. His body was being wounded and fatigue was beginning to set in. "How…what did you do?!" Cancer snarled.
"I hacked the VI in your armor and sabotaged it. I warned you but I suppose guys like you never listen." Isaac calmly explained before releasing a massive dark sphere that Cancer was powerless to avoid. His armor wasn't responding to his commands and he couldn't move.
"DAMN YOU!" he roared as the enormous sphere of dark energy engulfed him and ravaged his body. After several seconds of agony, Isaac finally detonated the sphere creating a colossal explosion that promptly killed Cancer.
Afterwards, both Ethan and Isaac collapsed to the floor. The fact that they were both still alive, let alone conscious, was a miracle in itself. "Ethan, we have to get ourselves patched up so that we can help Temple and Gaines." Isaac announced weakly while struggling to stand. He was already trying to apply medi-gel to the worst of his injuries and winced in pain as he did so.
"I'm already on it." Ethan breathed while treating his own wounds.
Meanwhile, Temple and Gaines were finding themselves on the losing end of an incredibly difficult battle. The female overseer had proven to be an unstoppable adversary with a formidable cloak and nearly impenetrable kinetic barriers.
"It seems the Zodiac Commander has fallen, a pity." she casually commented after decloaking and unleashing a cryo blast that nearly froze her opponents who narrowly dodged the attack.
"Frost Bite and gunshots, I just can't catch a break today." Temple quietly joked while struggling to stay on the move. Several of his limbs had already gone numb from the synthetic's frost attacks and he wouldn't be able to hold her off much longer.
"Remember the good old days when all we had to worry about were pirates, spies, shady organizations and-you know what, nevermind." Gaines said humorously while helping his friend stay on the move.
Moments later, Shiver decloaked directly in front of them and blasted both with a snap freeze, binding them in place as she prepared to execute them with a blast of high energy phasic slugs from her right hand. "Sorry Miss, Wilbur doesn't approve." Gaines chuckled darkly before his combat drone fired a missile that sent the gynoid reeling. While the drone continued to harass her, Gaines quickly freed himself and Temple with a small scale incineration blast that freed them from their icy entrapment.
Afterwards, they quickly took advantage of their enemy's distraction and initiated their own attack. Temple fired several disruptor rounds from his N7 Valkyrie while Gaines unleashed an overload. The combined assault successfully weakened Shiver's shields but not enough. After finally destroying the combat drone with a barrage of phasic slugs, she quickly diverted her attention back towards her primary targets and directed another cryo blast that froze them where they stood. As she advanced on them, she briefly took note of Ethan and Isaac who were both running in her direction while opening fire. As they got closer, they were immediately blasted by an overload with a neural shock effect that left them dazed and helpless. Shiver took the opportunity to summon several reinforcements that included a small army of minotaurs and a Geist Unit. With her opposition wounded and helpless, victory appeared to be imminent.
"Temple, Gaines!" Ethan shouted helplessly before almost being beheaded by the Geist who'd already transformed its wings into a gigantic sword. Isaac quickly tackled him out of the way in the nick of time and erected a biotic sphere around them both to mitigate some of the gunfire that was being directed at the pair. Both men were still seriously injured and a small pool of blood was beginning to form at Isaac's feet.
"Ethan, I'm not afraid to die but the possibility of never seeing Hannah again terrifies me." Isaac said in between breaths as his sphere grew weaker.
"I'm getting you out of here Isaac, all of you. I won't lose you guys to these bastards!" Ethan shouted defiantly before destroying a trio of advancing minotaurs with a shockwave and tossing a cluster grenade at Shiver. The explosion appeared to annoy her at best, but it was enough to get her attention focused on him. She quickly disappeared and Ethan knew who her next target would be. Isaac struggled to maintain the biotic sphere which seemed to be acting as their only defense and countermeasure against the growing number of hostiles. Those who made contact with the sphere were instantly plagued by a warp effect that Ethan took advantage of with gunshots and short range biotic blasts from his palms. He was trying to conserve his energy for the overseer, he knew she'd show herself soon. Moments later, his instincts proved true when the gynoid appeared behind him and floored both him and Isaac with another potent overload. As the synthetic loomed over them with an emotionless expression, accompanied by the Geist, Ethan cursed himself. Not only was he very likely about to die but so was Isaac and Hannah would be losing them both. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Isaac. I hope Hannah can forgive us." he quietly lamented.
Seconds later a series of tremendously powerful phase disruptors bombarded the opposition, instantly blasting Shiver and the Geist across the room. Not long afterwards, a familiar towering figure donning a set of Terminus Assault Armor calmly entered the room and approached Ethan and Isaac. "Four years and you still can't fight worth a damn. Don't ever let Zaeed see you like this." the man joked before offering Ethan a hand.
"Mal!" Ethan shouted in shock.
"The one and only." Mal replied casually while pulling Ethan to his feet. "We can catch up later. Right now, me and the boys have some fun that we need to finish up." he added darkly as several dangerous figures emerged behind him.
At that moment, every fear that Ethan had instantly vanished. Mal and his Wolves were about to finish what he and the others had started. The ZEN were about to suffer some serious casualties and Ethan couldn't be happier.
