Ok, I don't know how I've gone through as many playthroughs as I have without taking out those Geth Outposts before the weekend. But there had better be some reward in ME3 for dying that many times. If they put the Mako back in the third game, I really hope there's an option to nuke it.
I know this is more of an in-between, but I was busy last weekend with some big football game. Of course we Americans are the only country that calls that game Football, and we call what every other single country calls Football "Soccer".
But I digress.
I don't own Mass Effect. Believe me, if I did, I would have a cooler car.
"Oh come on Bourne, it isn't that bad."
He glared at Shepard. "Don't you have someone else to hurt?"
"You've had worse."
"From the enemy!"
He winced slightly as he shifted his arm, giving Shepard a better view of the giant bruise. "Honestly, the one time, the one damn time! I don't double check the restraints, and you turn the freaking Mako upside down!"
"I thought that the hill was smaller than it was."
"It was a sheer 90 degree cliff! It is physically impossible to drive straight up a wall! Gravity still applies! And when you do get put in that position, the correct thing to do is NOT hitting the jets! All that does is send the tank flying and spinning, and tossing anybody inside into everyone else! Wrex is not soft!"
Shepard shook her head, giving Bourne a moment to calm down. "Is it going to keep you out of commission?"
Bourne sighed. "Probably not, like you said, I've had worse. I'll probably have to take it easy for a bit though."
Shepard shrugged. "At least we took down all the bases in this sector. And now Tali has a pilgrimage gift. Garrus seems to be less angry with you now."
"It's a start. But trust me, Garrus can hold a grudge."
Shepard turned and left the medbay, activating her Omni-tool. "Joker, what's our ETA to the citadel?"
"With that little side stop, we're about 4 hours out."
"Contact the Alliance medical corps when we get there. The sooner Alenko can get some real help, the better."
Joker's end suddenly cut out.
Shepard wanted to facepalm for how casually she had brought up Alenko's injuries, knowing that he and Joker had been good friends.
But Shepard had lost a lot of friends before. She was just grateful that Kaiden was still alive.
She sighed and went to grab her gear from her locker.
Bourne.
(You liar. You aren't hurt that badly. Not enough to keep you from going with her.)
)Duh. But I'm not risking the chance she'll decide to take that Death trap on another mission. Now I can just wait until Noveria.(
*She isn't that bad of a driver.*
(And you say I'm the crazy one.)
)Hero, the only way she could be a worse driver is if she were drunk!(
I thought about sneaking away to my cabin, but if looks could kill, Chakwas was like a basilisk. She wasn't too thrilled about that last time I'd been in here.
*I told you that it was a bad idea.*
)Talking to the team was more important.(
(Why? You didn't really tell them anything important.)
*Telling them that they don't actually exist in his world might not be the best strategy. It certainly threw me for a loop when I found out.*
(Ok, maybe you have a point.) Iron grudgingly admitted (But sooner or later, they might figure it out.)
)The only way they could ever find out is if I told someone, or if they got it out of my head. And since Liara already got the info from Raptor, I think we're in the clear.(
*Yes, but….*
(Spit it out.)
*If you were to meld with the Asari counselor, then they might act.*
(No.)
*I was asking him, not you.*
(You really want any of those morons in our head?)
)MY head.(
(It should be mine. If the goody-two-shoes hadn't tricked me, I'd still be calling the shots.)
)No, Sovereign would be calling the shots.(
There was a satisfying silence, and I felt Iron withdrawing. I held back a sigh of relief.
*You know that he's just going to scheme?*
)What can he do? He screws us over, he screws over his revenge on Saren. Besides, now I don't have to deal with him for a while.(
*True.*
I settled in for a long wait, pain killers kicking in.
*There's just one thing I don't understand.*
)Only one?(
*Why is that Iron can't use singularities, and I can't charge, yet you can do anything either of us can?*
)Huh, never really thought about it. Maybe it's because you two were actually trained, but I was self-taught?(
*Maybe. Seems like you'd have remembered a little more from Saren though.*
)True. Then again, I've yet to Reave like you or use Warp Ammo, Shock wave, or any other abilities from later on.(
Hero was silent a moment, mulling it over. *Reality warping again?*
)Or my mind set up blocks. Or… most of my Biotics were Vanguards, not adapts. You were the exception to the rule.(
*And?*
)Maybe my mind created barriers? Like it wants to do what I'd done most? When you think about, it's amazing I'm psychologically capable of doing all that I can already.(
*What you've been through would have broken most people.*
)For all we know, it might have. Not like I can remember.(
She was silent a moment. *That doesn't diminish what you've accomplished.*
I pointedly glanced at Kaiden. He'd finally woken up earlier, but he was asleep now. I was glad Shepard and I had been out in the Mako when he came too. If he had been anything like what I'd heard, I might have revealed everything. The sooner he was out of my life the better.
No, the sooner I'm out of his life the better.
Reality bending or not, I'm still the one responsible.
*Are you really? You could just as easily say that it was Iron's fault for revealing himself to Saren and keeping you from getting on Board in time. You could say that it's the Reapers' fault for bringing us here in the first place.* Though the conversation was purely thought, it was like her voice lowered.
*And if I had woken up sooner, I might have helped you avert this.*
)Iron I can handle shifting the blame on. But considering you're the reason it's my fault and not Iron's, I owe you.(
*Debt doesn't change whose at fault.*
(Oh will you two shut up? I swear, if you keep being encouraging, I'm going to puke.)
)Oh go back to being crazy.(
(I might be crazy, but at least I know that you and Ash are doomed.)
I pushed Iron away, realizing a moment later that I had blocked out Hero as well. Guess I have to take the insane with the good. I shrugged. Still, better than when it was just Iron. My gaze roved around the room, but as it had for the last several hours, it landed on the team-mate I had crippled.
I began a new game of solitaire, but I couldn't keep my mind on the game.
I can't take this any longer. Looking at Kaiden was just too hard.
I swung myself out of bed, and was met by Chakwas' hard stare.
"What?"
She looked at me for a moment, but then she turned back to Alenko.
I decided not to question it. Better than having to put her in stasis again.
I walked out into the mess hall, flexing my injured shoulder as I did so. I winced for a moment before I managed to put it out of my mind. Hero had taught me a few things about focusing my attention away. Of course with Iron blathering in my ear, it had been a bit harder.
Thankfully though, it wasn't as bad as I made out. But it seemed prudent to beat Shepard over the head with it before someone did get hurt. I had overheard Tali and Garrus talking, and they were almost out of Dextro headache medicine. I made a mental note to restock when we were on the Citadel.
Speaking of which… I did a quick calculation, but I still had plenty of knives for a while.
While the elevator was going down, I did a mental inventory for weapons and Ammo, but the crew seemed to be on top of things.
Raptor could use some better armor though. If I hadn't pulled her out of the way, that Sniper would have punched right through her heart.
The doors slid open, and I went to don my armor and restock the few knives that I'd lost in the fighting.
"Hey Ash."
Her response was to focus herself even more on what she was doing.
"Something wrong?"
"Sorry, can't talk right now Bourne. Shepard wanted me to take a look at her sniper rifle before she heads out again."
Yeah, like she ever lets anyone else touch her guns. The one time I grabbed her sniper rifle to install a better mod, she literally ripped it out of my hands and beat me over the head with it!
(Dude. She is pissed at you.) Iron then proceeded to break out into maniacal laughter.
*No shit Sherlock.*
)Hey! Stop stealing my lines!(
*You want to complain some more, or get some advice from someone that might actually be able to help you out?*
(What? There's a third person in here?)
*Go burn in hell.*
(Geez, what's up with you?)
He suddenly was quiet.
)I assume that's your doing?(
*You're welcome.*
I leaned against the wall, trying to look like I was just observing the going-ons. I turned my attention inward.
)Ok, advice?(
*Chocolate and Flowers go a long way.*
)Hah hah. But seriously, why is she mad?(
*What?*
)What did I do to piss her off?(
*You lied. About almost everything.*
)I had to!(
*Don't get defensive. She's the one that's mad, not me.*
)Oh, yeah, sorry… So how do I get back on her good side?(
*Have you tried talking to her about it?*
)She's been avoiding me the last couple days. She only went out in the Mako the time I didn't because I was exhausted with my Biotics. Wait a minute, Iron was doing something then, wasn't he?(
*Probably.*
)I swear I'm going to kill that son of a bitch.(
(But you will not, because that would be a form of, suicide.)
)That's the worse Jeff Dunham impression ever.(
*Just be quiet Iron. My advice would be to apologize.*
(My advice is to shoot her.)
)Wow, you aren't even trying to be sane today.(
( I didn't say kill her, I said shoot her to get her attention.)
)Ok, sorry Hero, but I'm ending this.(
I forced them out of my head.
"Ash?"
She pointedly ignored me.
"Look, I know you're mad, and you have good reason to be."
"Yes, I do." She turned to me, and I could see that she seriously mad. "Why? Why all the lies? If I can't trust you with your own name, how can I trust you about anything else?"
I didn't need Hero to know I should tread carefully. "I didn't know at the time, and there wasn't a good moment later on. I was in a place I'd only heard of, fighting Geth, which hadn't been seen in generations." It terrified me how easily the lies and half-truths came. "I was just trying to think on my feet and avoid looking like an escapee from a nut house."
She crossed her arms, but I could see I had scored a few points. "Maybe."
"I'm sorry. But as time went on, it just seemed better to keep it under wraps."
I sighed. "Then Iron showed up and all hell broke loose. More questions than ever, and I still don't have all the answers."
She looked at me oddly.
"What?"
"You've changed a lot from the unconfident guy you were when I first met you."
I raised an eyebrow. "I've changed? You were keeping an eye on me like you expected me to be Geth. You only softened up when you saw how funny and charming I am." I grinned.
As expected, she slugged my shoulder, but thankfully not the bruised one. "You jerk." But she was smiling as she said it.
"I prefer to use the term 'annoying.'"
She rolled her eyes. "At least you're honest about it."
I shook my head.
"Ok, I guess I forgive you this time." She said after a moment.
I cleared my throat. "You know, I was going to pick up some guns, ammo, that sort of thing, but since you're the one that actually maintains them-"
"Are you… asking me out?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, just occurs to me that the closest we ever did was that barfight I got into. Shepard's been dragging us all over the place, so we haven't really had any time to talk."
(You are so pathetic. What's she going to tell you that you don't already know?)
)Friday, Friday, gotta get down_(
)Ok! I'll shut up!(
*It isn't that bad of a song.*
)Please tell me you're kidding.(
I pushed them away. "Just offering. But if you're still mad… I understand." I spun back towards the elevator.
"I'm… Ok, maybe I am still a little mad, but that happens. At least you were smart enough to talk about it. If you'd waited any longer, I'd probably have just punched you in the face and never talked to you again."
I sent a long stream of thanks to Hero. "I'll take what I can get at this point."
She turned to her locker. "Maybe we can grab drinks at Flux afterward."
"Sure."
She turned to me. "One thing though… if you don't know your real name…"
"I might as well stick with Jason Bourne." I smiled. "Besides, I've gotten used to hearing it."
(Blech. )
)Oh shut up Iron.(
Ok, next chapter should (emphasis on should) be the last chapter before Noveria.
I'm going to be out of town all weekend, so there's no way I'm going to be able to crank out that whole section.
I tell you what though, I've got some ideas for what's going to happen on the citadel, but if you have anything you'd like to see, let me know.
BUT NOT ROMANCE PAIRING IDEAS. I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WHEN FOR THAT.
Until next time, Keelah Selai.
